Don't Call Me Buckwheat Explained

Don’t Call Me Buckwheat
Type:Studio album
Artist:Garland Jeffreys
Cover:Don't Call Me Buckwheat.jpg
Released:1992
Studio:Power Station, New York City
Genre:Rock, Reggae
Label:RCA Records
Producer:Garland Jeffreys
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Don't Call Me Buckwheat is an album by Garland Jeffreys.[1] It was released in 1992 by RCA Records, his first album in nine years.[2] [3] The title of the album is a reference to a derogatory remark directed toward Jeffreys at a Mets game.[4]

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.[5] Bernard Purdie, Vernon Reid, and Sly and Robbie appear on the album.[6]

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."[5] 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."[6] 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."[7] Stereo Review called it "a career high-water mark ... how many other fortysomething rockers can make such a claim?"[8]

No Depression called the album "one of the signature discs" of the 1990s.[9]

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

Notes and References

  1. News: Allan . Marc D. . Memory of slur inspires album about racism . The Indianapolis Star . 22 Mar 1992 . G4.
  2. Web site: Garland Jeffreys | Biography & History. AllMusic.
  3. Album Reviews . Billboard . Mar 28, 1992 . 104 . 13 . 46.
  4. News: Catlin . Roger . Garland Jeffreys puts racial tensions in focus . Hartford Courant . 27 Mar 1992 . E1.
  5. Web site: RECORD BRIEF. Stephen. Holden. April 26, 1992. NYTimes.com.
  6. Web site: GARLAND JEFFREYS RETURNS WITH AN ANGRY, MOVING ALBUM. Chris. Heim. chicagotribune.com.
  7. Sinclair . Tom . Recordings -- Don't Call Me Buckwheat by Garland Jeffreys . Rolling Stone . Apr 16, 1992 . 628 . 80.
  8. Garland Jeffreys: State of the Union? . Stereo Review . June 1992 . 57 . 6 . 80.
  9. Web site: Rock and Roll Adult: Garland Jeffreys Returns from In Between . No Depression . 18 May 2021.

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