Review Revue: Garland Jeffreys - Guts for Love

All of my music nerd friends are in trouble. How is that I've lived on this earth over 40 years - during which period Garland Jeffreys has released 12 of his 14 solo albums to date (with number 15 due this spring) - and the first I heard of this guy is when I pulled this record off the shelf to take a picture of it? Jeffreys has had an incredibly fascinating and long-running career that I have up until now been completely unaware of and am now - after a perusal of his Wikipedia page and a delighted spin of "Wild in the Streets" (Did I really completely miss this song for my whole life? What?) - somewhat obsessed with. I was really hoping there was a biography of or by him out there that I could sink my teeth into, but there doesn't appear to be. Somebody get Victor Bockris (whose existence I only became aware of a few years ago) on the case!

In the meantime I'll have to sink my teeth (or ears) into his records, such as Guts for Love, his eighth, which for the most part just had the KCMU DJs writing down at least half of its song titles with exclamation points after them. I'll take that as a good sign - and ignore the complaints about quiche and politics.

"'Rebel Love' - good reggae!"

"2.3 is good too."

"So is 'Real Man'"

"No integrity! Quiche eater..."

"'El Salvador' - yes!"

"Political schlock"

"This is an OK album, but certainly not anywhere near what he can do."

"I agree!"

"Dance Up!"

"'Surrender'" Yeah!! -Rockin' Rod"

"1982 - the Rumour & Garland have parted ways, but he's got solid horn support from famous R&B studio men like Lou Marini, Tom Malone & Alan Rubin."