Once an MTV fixture and major label artist, Howard Jones now gratefully works as an independent performer on his own Dtox Records label. Last year, Dtox released “Dialogue,” the third chapter of his experimental compositions, in collaboration with electronic music pioneer BT.
But Jones isn’t dwelling on his current releases right now. A giant in new wave music, Jones is about to start a U.S. tour with fellow ’80s icons Berlin and Boy George & Culture Club. The “Letting It Go Show” kicks off a 25-city tour this week and will stop in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Jones’ set will prominently feature his greatest hits, and he has quite a few to choose from. Between 1983 and 1986, 10 of his singles reached the top 40 in the U.K. and six did the same in the U.S., including “New Song,” “What Is Love?,” “Things Can Only Get Better” and “No One Is to Blame.”
This summer also marks the 40th anniversary of the British singer-songwriter’s debut album, “Human’s Lib,” which became an international hit and put the jovial synth-pop musician on his decades-long track of clever, inventive recordings.
The soft-spoken Jones spoke with the AJC by phone just before the tour’s start.
Credit: Simon Fowler
Credit: Simon Fowler
Q: This is a very ’80s-centric tour package. But audiences obviously love the whole idea of that decade — as nostalgia, fashion and simply as a time of new and interesting music.
A: I always thought the ’80s would finally get its due. People in the U.K. looked down on the ’80s for quite a while as a terrible time for music and all that. That’s all changed now, of course, but it was really unfair because it was such a rich time for music.
Q: There’s no one single ’80s sound.
A: Exactly. There were all sorts of genres for pop music — all going on at the same time. I think that’s really healthy, rather than pop just being kind of one thing. People were experimenting with new production techniques and new equipment like synthesizers and drum machines and all the tools of the studio. To be a recording artist at that time was very exciting. We had all these new toys to work with and we could put our own stamp on music.
Q: You also had to think visually because of the rise of MTV.
A: We were the first generation for that. You had to think visually because of the videos and how you’d present yourself to the audience, so you had to keep in touch with all aspects of fashion and style.
Q: What is the single biggest shift in music you’ve seen during your career?
A: It’s changed beyond all recognition now, really. … If you’re a new artist now, you can form your own label, have direct contact with fans and book your shows. That was never possible in the past. You had to have a team of scientists working behind you to make it all happen.
Q: You certainly had a wild ride from ’83 to ’86. What was it like inside the middle-’80s hurricane?
A: It was literally every day without a day off, either in studio, on tour or doing interviews. But all the things I’d dreamed of doing, I was doing. I was grabbing it with both hands and feeling very grateful that I’d managed to even get there. In 40 years, to go from playing to absolutely no audience at all in tiny clubs to touring the world in massive halls has been absolutely riveting.
CONCERT PREVIEW
“The Letting It Go Show”
7 p.m. Tuesday, July 18. Tickets start at $32. Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park, 4469 Stella Drive, Atlanta. 404-233-2227, chastainparkamp.com
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