Don’t Call Me Buckwheat
Studio album by
Garland Jeffreys
Released1992
StudioPower Station, New York City
GenreRock, Reggae
LabelRCA Records
ProducerGarland Jeffreys
Garland Jeffreys chronology
Guts for Love
(1983)		 Don’t Call Me Buckwheat
(1992)		 Matador & More...
(1992)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Calgary HeraldC−[2]
Robert Christgau(1-star Honorable Mention)[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

Don't Call Me Buckwheat is an album by Garland Jeffreys.[6] It was released in 1992 by RCA Records, his first album in nine years.[7][8] The title of the album is a reference to a derogatory remark directed toward Jeffreys at a Mets game.[9]

The lead single "Hail Hail Rock n Roll" reached number 12 on the German Singles chart and spent 24 weeks in total on the chart.

Dutch director Anton Corbijn was responsible for the album's cover photography. He directed the video for "Hail Hail Rock n Roll", which was played on heavy rotation on MTV Europe.

Production

The album was produced by Jeffreys.[10] Bernard Purdie, Vernon Reid, and Sly and Robbie appear on the album.[11]

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote that "most of the cuts on the record are impassioned autobiographical reflections on racial and ethnic identity and the struggle for self-esteem by a veteran New York songwriter who is of mixed ancestry: black, white and Puerto Rican."[10] The Chicago Tribune deemed Don't Call Me Buckwheat "an angry album, but it also is a very vulnerable and moving one as well ... There are no simple solutions or empty slogans here."[11] Rolling Stone wrote that it "suffers from having perhaps received a little too much help from Jeffreys's friends ... One hopes that at some point Jeffreys will hook up with a band that's capable of a little spontaneous combustion, as opposed to the airtight perfection of studio pros."[12] Stereo Review called it "a career high-water mark ... how many other fortysomething rockers can make such a claim?"[13]

No Depression called the album "one of the signature discs" of the 1990s.[14]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Garland Jeffreys

  1. "Moonshine in the Cornfield" - 1:03
  2. "Welcome to the World" - 4:07
  3. "Don't Call Me Buckwheat" - 4:19
  4. "Color Line" - 4:14
  5. "Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll" - 3:52
  6. "I Was Afraid of Malcolm" - 4:26
  7. "Bottle of Love" 3:55
  8. "The Answer" - 4:42
  9. "Racial Repertoire" - 4:55
  10. "Spanish Blood" - 4:26
  11. "Lonelyville" - 4:43
  12. "Murder Jubilee" - 3:57
  13. "I'm Not a Know It All" - 2:54

Personnel

  • Garland Jeffreys - vocals, arrangements, production
  • Robby Ameen - percussion on "Spanish Blood"
  • Jeff Bova - keyboards, synthesizer, sequencing
  • Michael Brecker - saxophone, keyboards
  • Heidi Iden Carney - strings
  • Porter Carroll - vocals
  • Jill Dell'Abate - vocals, production co-ordination
  • Sly Dunbar - drums, percussion on "Color Line" and "Murder Jubilee"
  • Bob Franceschini - saxophone on "Spanish Blood"
  • Alan "Taff" Freedman - guitars, bass guitar
  • Diva Gray - vocals
  • Paul Griffin - piano, organ, assistant arranger
  • Gordon Grody - vocals
  • Jean Ingraham - strings
  • Steve Jordan - drums, percussion
  • Karen Karsrud - strings
  • Kathryn Kienke - strings
  • Jay Leonhart - bass guitar
  • Jesse Levy - strings
  • J.T. Lewis - drums on "Lonelyville"
  • Steve Love - guitars on "Lonelyville"
  • Hugh McCracken - guitars
  • Ozzie Melendez - trombone, trumpet
  • Joe Mennonna - accordion, bass guitar, drum programming, saxophones, keyboards, trombone, vocals, arrangements
  • Sidney Mills - keyboards
  • Eugene J. Moye - strings
  • Janice Pendarvis - vocals
  • Carol Pool - strings
  • Bernard Purdie - drums
  • Jamie Ramos - trombone
  • Vernon Reid - guitars on "Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll" and "I Was Afraid of Malcolm"
  • Deborah Resto - vocals
  • Elliot Rosoff - strings
  • Robbie Shakespeare - bass guitar
  • Claudette Sierra - vocals
  • Earl "Chinna" Smith - guitars
  • G.E. Smith - guitars
  • Vaneese Thomas - vocals
  • Handel Tucker - keyboards
  • Raymond Vega - saxophone, trumpet on "Spanish Blood"

References

  1. ↑ "Don't Call Me Buckwheat - Garland Jeffreys | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  2. ↑ Muretich, James (15 Mar 1992). "Recent releases". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  3. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: Garland Jeffreys". www.robertchristgau.com.
  4. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 607.
  5. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 365.
  6. ↑ Allan, Marc D. (22 Mar 1992). "Memory of slur inspires album about racism". The Indianapolis Star. p. G4.
  7. ↑ "Garland Jeffreys | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  8. ↑ "Album Reviews". Billboard. 104 (13): 46. Mar 28, 1992.
  9. ↑ Catlin, Roger (27 Mar 1992). "Garland Jeffreys puts racial tensions in focus". Hartford Courant. p. E1.
  10. 1 2 Holden, Stephen (April 26, 1992). "RECORD BRIEF" – via NYTimes.com.
  11. 1 2 Heim, Chris. "GARLAND JEFFREYS RETURNS WITH AN ANGRY, MOVING ALBUM". chicagotribune.com.
  12. ↑ Sinclair, Tom (Apr 16, 1992). "Recordings -- Don't Call Me Buckwheat by Garland Jeffreys". Rolling Stone (628): 80.
  13. ↑ "Garland Jeffreys: State of the Union?". Stereo Review. 57 (6): 80. June 1992.
  14. ↑ "Rock and Roll Adult: Garland Jeffreys Returns from In Between". No Depression. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
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