Customer Reviews

Escape Artist

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Years before the release of this album, Jeffreys grabbed lots of attention with GHOST WRITER, AMERICAN BOY AND GIRL and ONE-EYED JACK, which sadly, never made it to CD. Those three albums established him as a singer-songwriter of considerable range and one of the leaders of the late '70s New York City New Wave explosion. The praise was well deserved. His compositions were intensely personal, literate and full of passion. Top NYC studio musicians appeared on the albums, an obvious sign that those guys thought highly of Jeffreys music. His only "hit" was "Cool Down Boy" which got a good amount of airplay, but he never crossed over into mainstream commercial acceptance. This album feature him in a more standard, straight-up rock and roll posture, backed essentially by Graham Parker's band, The Rumour. Some of the tunes are on a very grand "anthemic" scale and the passionate vocals and superb tight sound of the band make them sound like instant classics. The original vinyl album was packaged with a 4-song EP of solid reggae tunes performed by noted Jamaican musicians. Those tunes are included here. Pick this up to hear what little there is on CD of a giant talent and add MATADOR AND MORE to get a decent sampling from the albums noted above. If you luck out, you might find the others in a used vinyl shop. BUY THEM. Jeffreys also had a very early album with Grinderswitch and a self-titled solo album before he recorded GHOST WRITER. If you read the book, Barefoot in Babylon, about the creation of the first Woodstock, you'll come across Jeffreys name as an interesting footnote to the initial idea of the festival. In fact, one might draw the conclusion that if it weren't for Jeffreys, the idea would never have been born . . .

Escape Artist is no doubt Jeffreys' best rock and roll album. I would dare to say one of the best albums from the 80s. This one is pure pleasure from start to finish! The production is top notch and the cast of musicians is unbelievable! Everyone from members of the Rumour to Roy Bittan and Danny Federici from the E Street Band! Orginally the 10 song LP included a 4 song bonus EP. Thank God the CD was released with those 4 bonus songs which are directly connected to the album's rock and reggae theme. Miami Beach and We the People are reggae killers! There are 2 versions of Christine; one rocks outs while the other is a beautiful ballad (and the only slow song on the album). Here on the CD for some odd reason it's listed as "live version" which leads you to believe it was performed in front of an audience. Perhaps it should say "vocals recorded live" or whatever the case may be. But not "live version" since there's no audience heard. Perhaps the appropriate sub-title should be slow version or ballad. If you see Escape Artist listed it's wise to snatch it up right away even as a used copy since it's now out of print.

Rock on!

Garland is one of the most intelligent and facsinating musicians today, just as he was nearly 30 years ago.

I first saw Jefferys perform in 1974 when I was attending Dartmouth College. My friends and I took a road trip to Boston where we caught Garland and Lou Reed performing together--what a show!

I've been buying his recordings since 1978 and I'm proud to say I own everything he has ever recorded. He has been able to change with the times and change as he ages.

Jump, jump and buy anything and everything you can find by Garland Jefferys. You will not be sorry.

The mystery still remains, however. Garland is tremendously popular in Europe, but US record labels have simply not successfully produced and promoted his work. It is more than just puzzling, it is sad.

Without a doubt, this New York singer-songwriter is one of the great underrated rockers of our time. This album is his best since Ghostwriter (1977), another pop-rock classic that unfortunately never made it to CD from vinyl. In any event, his rock anthems on the CD like "R.O.C.K", "Mystery Kids", "True Confessions", and "Jump Jump" are as good as any by Springsteen. A rock romantic, his lyrics are timeless and classic. Playing this album - now 20 years old - one would think it was recorded in the new millenium. Fresh, smart, great rock n' roll from a largely unrecognized talent.

Late one night while searching through the cut out section in the Amazon.com web site, I stumbled upon Garland Jeffrey's "Escape Artist". I cried "96 Tears" when I found out that there were no copies avialible because Mr. Jeffrey's voice is the closest thing to Elvis Costello's that I've ever heard. His cover of the ? and the Mysterians song is one of the most gut-wretching versions I've heard in a longtime. Mr. Jeffrey also drags his listener through rough voiced songs like Mystery Kids, and Jump,Jump. The lyrics in both of these songs and the rest of the album take you back to 1980 when you had a feeling of hopelessness and lack of understanding due to the current world events. We knew music was fun and New Wave was gaining more respect in America and Mr. Jeffrey's songs put a song and a sound which was agreeable to the main stream. Find the album and become a "mystery kid"

It's not the very best of his library, but still darned fine. Not much of his catalogue made it from vinyl to CD in America, so grab what's available and enjoy. This little gem features a more straight-ahead rock feel, backed by Graham Parker's former band, The Rumor, and the usual great assemblage of top studio musicians. As with all of Garland's music, his compositions are very personal glimpses into his life: youth in New York City and adventures overseas. Real fine material and the inclusion of four reggae tunes which were originally available as an EP sold with the vinyl LP are a real bonus. Garland's reggae chops are worth the price of admission alone. Other recommendations for this major talent who never got the commercial recognition he deserved in the States: the CD Matador and More, culling some great moments from his early LPs and Don't Call Me Buckwheat, an intensely personal journey of coming to age as a black man in America. It's available on CD and may well be his best ever. That says a lot -- he's been creating thought-provoking, insightful and courageous music for more than 2 decades. Buy his stuff.

Try to get all of his albums. There are more out there. "New York City Skyline" another great song. He has great vision, great lyrics, and if you like reggae, you'll like Garland Jeffreys.

I love this guy!! I've got every LP, mint condition, but I anxiously await either a box set, or greatest hits compilation!! What gives, Sony/Epic??

There are a lot of musical artists that are an acquired taste. Garland is clearly an acquired tasted. If you like any of his music, then you have to have "Escape Artist." You might find you like one of the other albums better, but this is a stunning combination of all the sophistication and the power that mark Garlands music. Rock, reggae, soul, garage, he has it all in this one place. Superbly written songs, musicanship to be awed and singing that stands up to anything in these genre's.

"Escape Artist" originally came out in 1981.I still have the original vinyl version of this record that came with a seperate 4 song ep that contained all reggae tunes. The songs from this ep are all included on here as cd bonus tracks. Garland Jeffrey's music combines elements of hard rockin' R&B, mixed with a little reggae. With songs like 96 TEARS, R.O.C.K. and MYSTERY KIDS he proved to be a very able and willing rocker. But with songs like GRAVEYARD ROCK and the very danceable CHRISTINE he proves that he is equally adept at doing great reggae. All the music on here has a slick, high quality sound. The main reason being the pretty cookin' band of musicians Jeffrey's brought in to play behind him. Backing him up are members of Graham Parker's Rumour, and Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band. Along with G.E. Smith, Adrian Belew, Lou Reed, and a host of New York's finest musicians. With players like this, along with Garland Jeffrey's in your face singing, it really gives this album a lot of bite, even on the reggae tunes. His hard hitting cover version of 96 TEARS is brilliant. He really brings this song back to life in a big way. This album I think will appeal to both ska/reggae fans and Springsteen fans alike. "Escape Artist" is a solid 4 star effort. Jeffrey's album "Don't Call Me Buckwheat", that he did 10 years later, is even better than this one. At this price though, this album is hard to beat.