Howard Jones - keyboards, vocals; Trevor Morais - drums; Martin Jones - bass; Jed Hoile - mime performance
Of all the synth-pop artists to emerge from the early '80s, Howard Jones was among the most talented and most successful. Born in Southampton, U.K., raised in Canada, and transplanted back to London in his late teens, Jones cut his teeth on progressive rock music, playing in a band called Warrior and citing groups like ELP and Yes as his primary influences.
By the time the '70s came to an end. Jones was deeply into the emerging early digital keyboard technology. He eventually became a session player, and while he was a remarkable keyboardist, he was widely known in the industry for his ability to develop extraordinary keyboard sounds and rhythmic patterns.
This show, recorded in 1985 while he was promoting Dream Into Action, his major U.S. and European breakthrough record, features most of his best loved hits, including "Things Can Only Get Better," and "What Is Love." "No One Is To Blame," which is his best charting radio hit, is near the end of this dynamic performance, which was originally recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour.
For many years, Jones performed using a heavy array of pre-programmed synths and a rhythm section of Martin Chaz on bass and Trevor Price on drums. He also incorporated Mime artist Jed Hoile to give the show a distinct visual element, something he clearly nicked from David Bowie.
Jones continued to have a few more radio hits, but by the mid-1990s, the synth-pop style of music he spearheaded had gone out of style. He continued to record and tour as a one-man show, releasing a number of live acoustic albums. In 2001, he was a touring member of Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band. Jones continues to record and tour today, and to date he has released several albums on his own D-Tox Records.
Among the highlights of this show are "Things Can Only Get Better," "Like To Get To Know You Well," "Dream Into Action," "What Is Love," "No One Is To Blame," and "New Song."