Night Music

JOE JACKSON Night Music (Virgin) On his first album in three years, Jackson's first line is delivered, we assume, with tongue in cheek: ''The older I get, the stupider I feel.'' One thing's for certain-the harder he tries, the sillier it gets. Since departing from his early catchy pop tarts, Jackson has often verged on pretentiousness, in pursuit of culture loftier than mere pop. So, instead of well-crafted songs, we get meandering atmo-spherics and quasi- theatrical noodling. C -Josef Woodard

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