Welcome to the Luscious Jackson fan site, one of the few remaining resources for info on the New York-based alternative rock band. Here you'll find lyrics, pictures, a discography, MP3s, videos and lots more.
While I don't have the time to keep this site up to date with all the latest tidbits of info, my goal is simply to pay tribute to a great band and offer info on Luscious Jackson to fans old and new. If you have anything you would like to share on the site, I'd love to . I have many MP3s and videos that aren't posted here which I would be happy to offer in exchange. Full credit will be given for your contribution.
The last site update was on January 21, 2017. Even if that was ages ago, don't let that deter you from for any reason. This site is part of my portfolio, so I'll be keeping tabs on it for a long time.
News
Great news: Luscious Jackson released their first album in 14 years, Magic Hour, on November 5, 2013! The band has also already released a few videos. You can read the full press release about Magic Hour here.
Biography
Four girls - Jill Cunniff, Gabrielle Glaser, Kate Schellenbach and Vivian Trimble - make up the New York based band known as Luscious Jackson. Formed in 1991, they took their name from Philadelphia 76ers basketball pro, Lucious (Luke) Brown Jackson. They played their first show that year, opening for The Beastie Boys. Shortly after, the boys asked Luscious Jackson to be the first band on their Grand Royal record label.
Their musical career was just beginning. Their first recording, In Search Of Manny, earned the title "Best EP" in the annual Village Voice "Pazz & Jop" critics poll. They then moved on to making full length albums - first of which was Natural Ingredients in 1994. With the help of Emmylou Harris, N'Dea Davenport and "Naked Eye" as a top-40 single, the 1996 follow up album, Fever In Fever Out, went Gold.
After this huge success, Vivian tired of touring and quit the band to pursue other musical projects. The remaining members recorded Electric Honey which was released in 1999. After a bit of touring for this album, Luscious Jackson split up on good terms and moved on to other things.
What is it that made them one of a kind? As a pop group that plays their own instruments, there's an emphasis on the music instead of just making catchy songs. The unusual combination of their resources gives them a unique sound. They've used such things as the mellotron, the mando-guitar and the Hammond organ. In songs such as "Strongman," they add on the flute, piano and trumpet, along with traditional rock instruments to create a smooth pop groove. In "Life of Leisure," they play clarinet, giving the track a jazzy feel to it.
Luscious Jackson's vocal and lyrical talents also contribute to their success. Sometimes the flow of lyrics is hypnotic, like in "Queen of Bliss," and makes you want to move. Other times, overlapping vocals gives a beautiful effect. "Naked Eye" is a perfect example with the "alls" in the chorus being hit at the exact same time, blending the voices together. And the contrast of Jill's high and sweet voice with Gabby's soft and deep one only adds to the appeal. It gives it an interesting variety in songs like "Keep On Rockin' It."
Where are they now? Jill, Gabby and Kate released their first album since 1999 on Novermber 5, 2013: Magic Hour. The album was entirely funded by fan contributions through PledgeMusic. The band has a couple of gigs planned to promote the album in the late Spring of 2014.
Both Jill and Gabby have released solo albums over the years, City Beach and Gimme Splash. These albums really highlight the individual flavour that each of the girls brought to Luscious Jackson. Kate is currently a segment producer on Lopez Tonight and previously worked as a producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The Luscious Jackson Greatest Hits album was released in 2007, and this year also marked the start of Jill, Gabby and Kate teaming up to put together a children's album called Baby DJ. This long-awaited album was finally released on November 12, 2013 exclusively through PledgeMusic.
The band currently has a few concerts scheduled in the US for 2014 and are having fun playing together again. You can keep up to date with what they're doing by liking them on Facebook, following them on Twitter and/or Instagram.
