Hojo Workin'

As a Howard Jones fan, over the years this writer has found himself unfairly having to justify his dedication. After a long time in the critical wilderness, early '80s synth-pop has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity with the likes of La Roux, M83 and Cut Copy taking cues from the genre. In 1984, Jones' debut album Human's Lib –  the first album this writer ever bought (on cassette, from a tiny upstairs Cornish record store) –  was embraced by New Romantics shedding their make-up and thrift-shop dandiness as a new breed of songwriter with both serious and fun messages emerged. Debut single New Song urged listeners to “throw off your mental chains” while What Is Love asked whether “love is letting people be just what they want to be”; bold, positive songs in a time when pop seemed insular and preoccupied with fashion.

“I've never really stuck to the 'pop path' lyrically,” Jones explains. “New Song has that line “challenging preconceived ideas” – that's not exactly 'pop', is it? I've always wanted to say something and engage the listener in a dialogue.” His reputation for sanguine lyricism took an amusing turn for the sinister recently when a Japanese rendition of Like To Get To Know You Well unwittingly got translated into Like To Force Myself On You. Jones jokes the services of that particular translator were terminated immediately.

The first album's title track (Human's Lib) dealt with sexuality, while his second album, Dream Into Action – arriving just 12 months later in 1985 – included two confronting songs about animal rights and vegetarianism; themes Jones has become famous for championing. “Hunger For the Flesh I've particularly been enjoying playing on this tour,” he says. “It's orchestral in scale and very dramatic, and I haven't had a chance to do something like that for a long time. Likewise, songs like Automaton are such good fun to play – they're very electronic and have a narrative being told. It's a real rediscovery of a lot of the tracks.”

Retromania seems to be the latest craze, with everyone from Gary Numan to Primal Scream touring their classic albums, but rather than jumping on some '80s bandwagon, this tour came as an opportunity. “The fans have been asking for this for so long, so getting the licenses back [from Warner for his first five albums] meant I could finally go back and explore those songs properly for the first time in years.”

I think of the classic tale of New Order's Blue Monday, created during a time of exciting new technology, the signature electronic drumbeat having to be arduously inputted daily due to the amnesiac qualities of the equipment, and wonder if there was anything Howard couldn't quite get right on his first album? “Well I was out playing those songs live first. They weren't studio creations, they were songs I was playing for several years, so it was a question of capturing the live sound and adding some colour and detail to it. So Human's Lib was recorded very quickly, six weeks or so.

“The spirit of Dream Into Action was experimentation. The 'Emulator 2' was a new sampler-based keyboard that came out and we were trying to do things people hadn't done on record before. I don't remember labouring or fretting too much about it, it was just so exciting, we just got on and did it as best we could.” That second album also featured Things Can Only Get Better, with its anthemic 'woah-woah-woaah' chorus, as well as Caron Wheeler, then a member of backing vocal group Afrodiziak, who later had a career with Soul II Soul.

When one thinks of Jones' early '80s peers, Nik Kershaw (who is about to release his eighth studio album) is a name often mentioned in the same breath. “I see Nik reasonably often these days,” Jones tells. “It was great having him perform at my 20th anniversary concert, [wherein the pair duetted on an acoustic version of Kershaw's hit Wouldn't It Be Good] because people thought there was a rivalry between us, which was complete rubbish as we have a very real respect for each other's work. I've kinda grown up with him, so that performance really put the record straight.” The concert (available on DVD) also features fellow early '80s luminaries Nena, Midge Ure and Nick Heyward, showing a kinship with his peers from a time when Smash Hits was constantly pitting non-existent petty feuds, much as today's crop of pop stars seem to endure.

Howard's family life has remained resolutely stable, having been married to Jan – whom he taught piano – for over 30 years. The first line in No One Is To Blame (“You can look at the menu but you just can't eat”) was tossed out in San Francisco by a promoter who was marveling at the women with whom Howard would not be tempted. It went on to become his biggest hit globally.

Their oldest son, Osheen, is enjoying the start of a career in theatre direction, having made his filmic debut as a child in 1998's Velvet Goldmine. “He's just graduated from Columbia University and is First Assistant Director on Broadway starting in a couple of weeks with Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead actor. So he's landed a fantastic role and we're incredibly proud of him.” Having grown up with Howard's music all around him, I wonder what Osheen makes of his father's music. “I think he really likes the People album (from 1998) – that's one of my favourites, too. Though it never really reached further than my fanbase, I'm really proud of that album.”

Howard finished up with Warner after 1992's In the Running, which still maintained healthy interest in the US, where Lift Me Up was a top 40 hit. He then set up his own label, Dtox, on which he has released four more albums, most recently the orchestrally-informed Ordinary Heroes from 2009. For now, he's enjoying the enormously positive responses from old and new fans hearing his first two albums live and in their entirety for the first time.

Whilst many might be surprised Howard Jones is still going strong, he has enjoyed the freedom to continue making music at his own pace with a very loyal audience. An avid Twitter addict, he maintains open forums with his fans and remains pragmatic about fame. “I quickly realised that was the nature of pop music – you get your time in the sun, then another generation comes along. It's a totally natural thing. It's important to keep going, I won't stop making music and touring. Whatever happens... happens. I respect that a lot of fans have stuck with me for 30 years and I really feel a connection with them. It's such a privilege that people turn up to see me. I'm not in the papers all the time or hiding my face when I walk down the street. I appreciate that position I'm in.”