Recommendation for best Joe Jackson records?

Yes Vol.4 is and the added live bonus disc is great too.

The title of his autobiography is A Cure For Gravity. I'd highly recommend it.

I don't think anyone's mentioned his latest Vol. 4 with the original Joe Jackson Band. It's a good one, too.

Night & Day and Body & Soul are two of my favorites. If you enjoy big band music also check out Jump'n'Jive. He also wrote an autobiography outlining his life & career - can't recall the name - it was slow reading for me.

Look Sharp, Night & Day, and Big World are all essential JJ recordings.

"Beat Crazy" is my favorite but his music is varied in styles. From swinging jazz to Movie soundtracks he's done it all. If you live near a record store that has used vinyl you will find alot of his stuff cheap and if your patient alot of it will be in mint shape. Look around for a used copy of MOFI "Night and Day",it is one of there and his better offerings. In his early years he had to bear the cross of being compared to Elvis Costello and rightfully so their music sounded very similar for the two albums. Look at the cover to "Body and Soul",he was trying to replicate the look of the original Blue Note album covers of the late 50's to late sixties.

Thanks everyone, I just ordered five of his LPs from my trusted vinyl-dealer in Germany, according to your recommendations.

Big World is my fav JJ; I'm also fond of Body&Soul btw

It depends on your music tastes. Each album has a certain flavor of music that Joe seems to flesh out with ease. To really get to know him and his music, I would start at the beginning with "Look Sharp!" and just keep on going through the years (Discography). IMO there are no "dogs" (some are an aquired taste!).
If I had to pick a favorite, it would be "Beat Crazy" .

That's a tough one since he has recorded music in so many genres; reggae, r&B, jazz, jump blues, classical, rock, pop, and more. The one you cite is very different from many others. I would go to http://www.allmusic.com and read the descriptions to see what else fits your tastes...

I think you started out with his best album but the recommendations so far are also good. Also try "Mike's Murder."

Joe Jackson has had a long and varied career. I love just about all of it. You found a great one there. Agree with all the suggestions above. If you can find his recording of orchestral works Will Power, it is just beautiful. Night Music is another attempt at classically influenced writing.

He came out with a dandy after all that weird shit of 90's I think called "Summer In The City" with just him his drummer and excellent bass player doing all the hits.Greta CD.I also liked idea of getting energy of live audience but with all new material a pretty novel idea amd that was the double LP "Big World.While "Look Sharp" and "Bart Crazy" are great 80's LP's that capture his genius plus the zeitgesit of the times (like say the Eurythmics) they were not really a mature Jasckson.He always had the best,tightest live bands and the double CD of live peformances is great beacuse it plays hist but alo yhou hear te differentt bands ge\he worked with at different time.Studio LP I would pick "Night and Day"
Chazzbo

For my money "Look Sharp" and "Night and Day" seem to have aged best.

"Look Sharp" is pretty much a classic with some great songs.

David Y.