Howard Jones: career highlights even the most diehard fan might have forgotten about

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      Howard Jones has had what you might call a storied career. The English singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer is best known for his '80s hits, including "No One Is to Blame" and "Things Can Only Get Better", although his musical career started in the early '70s and continues to the present day. (Last year, Jones released Transform, his first new album in a decade.) 

      The Howard Jones Acoustic Trio—featuring Jones on electric piano, Robin Boult (Roger Daltry, Dave Stewart, Fish) on acoustic guitar, and Nick Beggs (Kajagoogoo, Belinda Carlisle, John Paul Jones) on chapman stick—plays the Rickshaw Theatre on Sunday (January 26). To prepare for the show, you've probably already dusted off your vintage vinyl copies of Human's Lib and Dream Into Action, but for those wishing to take a deeper dive, we present this list of career highlights that even the most diehard fans might have forgotten.

      1. Jed Hoile (1979 to 1987)

      The early years of Jones's career were notable for the musician's partnership with Jed Hoile. Who is Jed Hoile, you may well ask? He's a mime. That's right: Jones played with a mime, who would improvise movements to the music. If that sounds insufferably artsy...well, it was the new-wave era. Everything was insufferably artsy. This working relationship that went on regularly until 1987, and Hoile still seems to pops up at Jones's concerts on occasion. Here are Jones and Hoile on Top of the Pops in 1983, in what might be the single most '80s thing ever committed to VHS.

      2. Live Aid (1985)

      Jones performed in front of what was certainly the largest audience of his career—72,000 in person and an estimated 1.9 billion more watching on TV—on July 13, 1985. While he only got to play one song, a solo rendition of "Hide & Seek", he couldn't complain that his slot on the bill was a low profile one, preceded as he was by the power duo of Phil Collins and Sting and followed by Bryan Ferry. Jones's suit in the above clip might be the single most '80s thing ever committed to VHS.

      3. The Synthesizer Showdown (1985)

      At the 27th annual Grammy Awards, Jones was one of four keyboardists who was tasked with introducing synthesizers to a wider audience. The educational value of this is dubious at best, although we can thank John Denver, rest his soul, for providing the proper pronunciation of Bob Moog's name. It's also fun to watch the keytar-sporting Jones jamming with Stevie Wonder, Thomas Dolby, and Herbie Hancock in a medley that includes bits of Jones's own "What Is Love?" This might be the single most '80s thing ever committed to VHS.

      4. All-Starr Band (2001)

      Shortly after the turn of the millennium, Jones toured as part of the All-Starr Band, joining a line-up that also included Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople) on guitar, keyboards, and vocals; multi-instrumentalist Mark Rivera; Rodger Hodgson (Supertramp) on guitar, keyboards, and vocals; Greg Lake (ELP) on bass, guitar, and vocals; and Sheila E. on drums and vocals. Oh, and some guy calling himself Ringo on drums and vocals.

      5. The Sims 2 (2004)

      Somehow, someone convinced Jones that what the Sims world really needed was a version of "Things Can Only Get Better" sung in the in-game language of Simlish. And to be perfectly honest, this re-recorded version of the song actually works, especially since you can still sing along to the "whoa-oh-oh" refrain, which remains unchanged. If you ask really, really nicely, maybe Jones will bust out some Simlish at the Rickshaw on Sunday. Probably not, but it can't hurt to ask.

       

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