''Escape Artist'' is an album by

Garland Jeffreys Garland Jeffreys (born June 29, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter in rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul music. Career Jeffreys is from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, of African American and Puerto Rican heritage. He majored in art hist ...

, released in 1981 by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

. The album originally included the EP ''Escapades''. The cover photography is by Anton Corbijn. The album peaked at No. 59 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Production

The album was produced by Jeffreys and

Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born January 15, 1953) is an American recording engineer, mixer and record producer. He has worked with many major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Toto, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, with whom he has a very ...

, with added EP tracks produced by Dennis Bovell. The backing band included musicians from the

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...

the Wailers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, and

the Rumour The Rumour was an English rock band in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are best known as the backup band for Graham Parker, whose early records (from 1976 to 1980) were credited to Graham Parker & The Rumour. However, The Rumour also ...

, as well as guitarists

Chuck Hammer Chuck Hammer is an American guitarist and soundtrack composer, known for textural guitar work with Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Guitarchitecture. As an artist, Hammer is best known for his Guitarchitecture recordings, though he is also widely re ...

and

Adrian Belew Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual and impressionistic approach to ...

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called the album "a set of tough, witty songs that dealt with the personal and the political, backed by an exceptional studio band that included members of Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band and Graham Parker's Rumour." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' wrote that "this is essentially the same stuff that made your parents wince and your girlfriend wiggle, back when rock'n 'roll aspired less to Art than to aphrodisia." ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' wrote: "Jeffreys' ambitious and sophisticated synthesis of rock, reggae and jazz could easily become top-heavy. The cool inflections of his passion, however, keep the songs strong and upright, buttressed both by a flair for elegant concert showmanship and a voice that sounds like Frankie Lymon with a college education."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Garland Jeffreys; except where indicated # "Modern Lovers" - 3:59 # "Christine" - 3:30 # "Ghost of a Chance" - 2:49 # " 96 Tears" (

Rudy Martinez ? and the Mysterians (or Question Mark and the Mysterians) are an American garage rock band from Bay City and Saginaw in Michigan, initially active between 1962 and 1969. Much of the band's music consisted of electric organ-driven garage rock a ...

) - 3:08 # "Innocent" - 2:21 # "True Confessions" - 4:33 # "R.O.C.K." - 3:56 # "Graveyard Rock" - 4:36 # "Mystery Kids" - 7:08 # "Jump Jump" - 4:37

"Escapades" 7"

# "Lover's Walk" (lyrics: Garland Jeffreys; music: Alan Freeman,

Andrew Bodnar Andrew Bodnar is an English bass player who grew up in Clapham, South London. He and drummer Steve Goulding (The Rumour, The Mekons, etc) met and began playing together as a rhythm section while still at school. They spent their teenage years au ...

Danny Federici Daniel Paul Federici (January 23, 1950 – April 17, 2008) was an American musician, best known as the organ, glockenspiel, and accordion player and a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. In 2014, Federici was posthumously induct ...

G.E. Smith George Edward Smith ('' né'' Haddad; born January 27, 1952) is an American guitarist. Smith was the lead guitarist for the duo Hall & Oates during the band's heyday from 1979 to 1985, playing on five number one singles. After Hall & Oates went ...

, Garland Jeffreys,

Roy Bittan Roy J. Bittan (born July 2, 1949) is an American musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Professor", Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synthe ...

Steve Goulding Steve Goulding (born 1954) is an English drummer, who has played as a member of Graham Parker and The Rumour, The Associates, Poi Dog Pondering, The Waco Brothers, Sally Timms and the Drifting Cowgirls and The Mekons. He also played the drums ...

) - 4:46 # "Christine" - 4:35 # "Miami Beach" - 4:53 # "We the People" - 4:27

Charts

Personnel

*Garland Jeffreys - lead and backing vocals, guitar *Robert Athas - guitars, bass *

- guitars, bagpipe guitar * Big Youth - toasting, vocals on "Graveyard Rock" *

- piano *Eaton "Jah" Blake - bass on "Miami Beach" and "We the People" *

- bass * Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell - guitars, keyboards, percussion on "Miami Beach" and "We the People" *

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...

- tenor saxophone *

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on No ...

- trumpet *

- producer, mixer, backing vocals *

Larry Fast Lawrence Roger Fast (born December 10, 1951) is an American synthesizer player and composer. He is best known for his 1975–1987 series of synthesizer music albums (''Synergy'') and for his contributions to a number of popular music acts, inclu ...

- synthesizer *

- accordion, keyboards *Alan "Taff" Freedman - guitars, music consultant *Artie Funaro - guitars, keyboards *

- drums, percussion, backing vocals *Diana Grasselli - backing vocals *

- guitarsynth on "Mystery Kids" and "Jump Jump" *

Nona Hendryx Nona Bernis Hendryx (born October 9, 1944) is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, and author. Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady ...

- "hung jury" vocals on "Innocent" *

David Johansen David Roger Johansen (sometimes spelled ''David Jo Hansen''; born January 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under ...

- "hung jury" vocals on "Innocent" *Susan Blond - "hung jury" vocals on "Innocent" *

Linton Kwesi Johnson Linton Kwesi Johnson (born 24 August 1952), also known as LKJ, is a Jamaica-born, British-based dub poet and activist. In 2002 he became the second living poet, and the only black one, to be published in the Penguin Modern Classics series. His p ...

- vocals/narration on "Miami Beach" *Webster Johnson - keyboards, percussion on "Miami Beach" and "We the People" *

John Kpiaye John Ogetti Kpiaye (born 1948) is a reggae session and live guitarist.Larkin, Colin (1998) "John Kpiaye" in ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , pp. 160-161 He was a member of The Cats who had a No. 48 UK hit with "Swan Lake", a ...

- guitars on "Miami Beach" and "We the People" * Earl "Wire" Lindo - organ *

Jimmy Maelen Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

- percussion *Errol "Tamah" Melbourne - drums on "Miami Beach" and "We the People" *Seyoum Net Fa - melodica on "Miami Beach" and "We the People" *

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

- backing vocals on "Innocent" *

- guitars, fuzz bass, mandolin *Augustus "I" Tenyve (Henry Tenyue) - saxophone, trombone on "Miami Beach" and "We the People" *Myriam Naomi Valle - backing vocals *Maria Vidal - backing vocals *Patric "Zebulon" Tenyve (Patrick Tenyue) - flugelhorn on "Miami Beach" and "We the People" ;Technical *Dick Wingate - Executive Producer *Barbara Spiegel - production coordinator *Dave Greenberg, Raymond Willard - engineer

References

{{Authority control 1981 albums Garland Jeffreys albums Albums produced by Bob Clearmountain A&M Records albums Epic Records albums