Search - Garland Jeffreys :: Matador & More

Worth Owning, Even If You Also Have "Wild In The Streets".

Eric R. Last | San Bruno, CA United States | 11/23/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 1992 compilation, now out of print, assembles 12 songs from three Garland Jeffreys albums: five from "Ghost Writer" ('77), three from "One-Eyed Jack" ('78), and four from "American Boy And Girl" ('79). In 2002 a new 20 song collection, "Wild In The Streets", has appeared with 13 songs from the same three albums plus 7 more from two later albums. The two collections share 6 songs in common, so therefore "Matador And More" has 6 songs that do not appear on "Wild In The Streets", including such career highlights as "Spanish Town", "Ship Of Fools", and "No Woman No Cry". Sadly, neither collection has the wonderful "City Kids", which originally appeared on "American Boy And Girl". If you own neither compilation CD, "Wild In The Streets" is a better choice to start with, but I'd recommending trying to hunt down a used copy of this one as well, for the 6 extra songs not on the other collection. Perhaps someday all of these albums will become available, but until then we must make do with what's out there. Of course, there's always vinyl, and it is possible to burn your own CDs from the vinyl albums. I've already done that with mine."

Find it, buy it, enjoy it

Eric R. Last | 09/11/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The three masterpieces from which these songs were culled were never released on CD. GHOST WRITER, AMERICAN BOY AND GIRL and ONE-EYED JACK show why he was at the vanguard of the late 70s New Wave front in New York City along with Blondie, Mink DeVille, the Ramones and others. He never saw the commercial acceptance some of his cohorts did, but that doesn't lessen the quality of his recorded output. His albums were brilliantly written -- extremely personal and full of passion -- and delivered musically by a great voice and top-notch studio musician backing. This album barely scratches the surface of the man's talents, but it's the best that's out there, unless you come across the original vinyls."

Incomplete but a Nice Intro to Jeffreys

Eric R. Last | 08/15/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Garland Jeffreys is one of those unfortunate talents who never saw many of vinyl records make it to CD. This compilation album provides a decent but incomplete introduction to a great singer-songwriter. With vocals that sometimes sound like Jagger, sometimes like Elvis Costello, this guy is a super songsmith with a distinct sound. If you still have a turntable and can find his other LPs - Ghostwriter and Garland Jeffreys being the best - buy them. His combination of urban grit, hopeful romanticism, and catchy lyrics should not be missed."