Garland Jeffreys: Ghost Writer/One-Eyed Jack/American Boy & Girl auf 2 CDs

Ghost Writer / One-Eyed Jack / American Boy & Girl

Raven presents on great value Double CD (and for the first time on CD ever in their entirety), three classic albums by GARLAND JEFFREYS: Ghost Writer (1977), One-Eyed Jack (1978) and American Boy & Girl (1979) originally recorded for A&M Records. The enigmatic and inspirational singer / songwriter Jeffreys was Brooklyn-born and worked the nightclubs of Manhattan during the late-60s and early-70s and was an associate of Lou Reed and John Cale. His debut album for Atlantic featured gritty tales of New York street life while his most famous song ‘Wild in the Streets’ became a staple of FM radio. Jeffrey’s unique blend of rock ‘n’ soul, blues and reggae earned him a loyal following. He signed to A&M records in 1977 and issued these three albums at the height of his acclaim.

Ghost Writer is considered to be his masterpiece, a genuinely literate and ambitious work of enduring worth. AllMusic Guide described it as “an album of striking urban songs that are both confessional and confrontational”. Highlights include ‘I May Not Be Your Kind’ (a bittersweet tale of interracial romance), ‘New York Skyline’, ‘Spanish Town’ and ‘Wild in the Streets’. Jeffreys followed this with two more albums of sometimes reflective, sometimes aggressive but always passionate urban tales, One-Eyed Jack (1978) and American Boy & Girl (1979). He continued to record throughout the 1980s and 1990s and has a new album out this June 2011 entitled The King of In Between. With 30 tracks, 140 minutes of superb quality audio, detailed liner notes and color booklet this is an essential collection for the Classic Rock music enthusiast. (ravenrecords. com. au)