Blaze of Glory

Jackson described Blaze of Glory as an examination of his own generation as the 1980s ended. The songs run from the optimism of the 1950s in Tomorrow's World, through terrorism in Rant and Rave and the Cold War in Evil Empire, to yuppies in Discipline and ageing rockers in Nineteen Forever. The title track compares the legacy of a classic rock musician who died young with current wannabes.

He wrote, arranged and produced it, with Ed Roynesdal as associate producer and Joe Barbaria engineering and mixing. The musicians included Vinnie Zummo and Tom Teeley on guitars, Graham Maby and Rick Ford on bass, Gary Burke on drums, a horn section, and Joy Askew and Drew Barfield on vocals. Bob Ludwig mastered it at Masterdisk in New York.

It sold modestly, though Nineteen Forever reached number four on the American modern rock chart. Jackson felt it was one of his best records. He took it out from June to November 1989 with an eleven-piece band in the United States and Europe, performing the whole album, and was disappointed by the reaction and by his label's lack of support. Music Week's Nick Robinson called it a definitive collection of musical styles and moods, and Record Mirror's Kevin Murphy thought Jackson was back to his adventurous and ambitious best.