STUDIO & SOLO ALBUMS
Studio work for Rick Shaffer, throughout the 1980-90’s, includes recording guitar tracks on a Marianne Faithfull album (Island); Hilly Kristal’s, “Mad Mordechai” (Stereo Society); Peter Murphy’s, “Holy Smoke” (Beggars Banquet/BMG); and Marc Almond’s, “Fantastic Star” (Some Bizarre/Mercury); as well as writing, producing and recording, “Looking For Right,” for the film, “Collateral,” directed by Michael Mann in 2004.
Shaffer’s 2010 first solo album, NECESSARY ILLUSION, is a ten song neo-sixties, garage blues excursion, with a Joe Meek and Excello Records production style. The album’s sonic signature is a raw, swirl of distorted guitar, atmospheric percussion, stark droning hill country blues, in a mix of “Excello Records” style reverb.
His 2011 second solo venture, HIDDEN CHARMS, has a sonic blueprint of proto–garage rock/blues, distorted guitar, with melodies buried beneath a mash-up of unadulterated garage vibe. Inspired by Link Wray’s Swan Singles Collection, early Stones, and heavy doses of Mississippi Hill Country Blues Bop, the basic track sound is a simple, but steady primitive hypnotic beat and percussion, ultra distorted guitar, and aggressive raw vocals with intense personal lyric content. British director, Peter McAdam, created a video of “Buy And Sell,” shot on location in the UK.
In 2012, Shaffer’s next solo album, IDIOT FLATS, is built on a garage/blues framework, Mississippi Hill Country rhythms, a garage/blues framework, and a mash-up of a ‘60’s psychobilly/R&B sounds. Idiot Flats’ lyrical and vocal tone takes on the packaged commercialized plague, asking the listener to live free in the moment, instead of in the past or the future.
Shaffer’s 2013 release, STACKED DECK, continues the “sonic minimalist” blueprint of his previous solo albums. The sound combines hard fuzz guitar driven garage-blues, a blues edged two step, lazy insistent rolling beat, new colors in the harmonica and spoons style percussion, along with an unadorned and unaffected blues narrative.
Shaffer’s 2014 album release, MISADVENTURE, has him back in the garage again, with some of his best songs, performance and production to date. The ragged edges, room echo, distortion, great hooks, and underlying menace are right in place for some compelling tension and adrenaline drenched garage blues.
In May 2014, Shaffer released a bonus single, LINK, focusing his talent beyond his five garage rock solo albums, to boost the garage rock genre with a Link Wray, and swamp blues inspired instrumental. This was followed by another single in August 2014, HARD TIMES SIXTY, a mid-1960’s British R&B rocker, similar to the Rolling Stones, The Pretty Things, and The Yardbirds, featuring 1960’s style harmonica.
Shaffer’s sixth solo venture, JITTERBUG SHAKE, was released June 2015. It features the fast, excitable sound of garage blues that digs deep into his early R&B/rock & roll influences. The album was recorded with almost every song and instrument pushing the needle into the red (i.e., overload). Normally, that would be a problem, except for the fact that the repertory was written and conceived by Shaffer, with the likes of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Slim Harpo, and early British Pretty Things and Rolling Stones in mind. Get set to rock it to the max.
Shaffer’s latest 2016 release, OUTSIDE OF TIME, has Shaffer reaching minimalist garage rock perfection, capturing excitement and emotion in a proto-punk sound, laid down savagely in Motor City Detroit. Outside Of Time bleeds blood on these tracks, in a soul, glitter, sin drill-press bamalama, that’s structured like classic Detroit Rock — simple, hard driving, and ultra high energy.
2017 marks Shaffer’s eighth solo album, STOLEN MOMENTS. He was inspired by the concept that there are no guarantees or promises in life, and every minute he spends writing and recording is precious time. The result is an album packed with low-tech wallop, bursting energy and immediacy. The production resembles The Stooges “Fun House” and is a proto-garage raver to end all garage ravers.
Shaffer’s 2017 single instrumental release, RAVE UP, is a homage to Link Wray and the Yardbirds.
2018 adds Rick Shaffer’s ninth solo album, CREATURES OF IMPULSE, recorded in Como, Mississippi it’s exactly what a garage blues record should sound like.
Released in 2020, BROKEN SOULS is Shaffer’s tenth full-length album. The project is a 70’s Proto-Garage Rock straight up Blues Stomp that is Shaffer’s most direct album to date where he walks a tightrope of emotional credibility. Recorded partly in Holly Springs, Mississippi and Detroit, Michigan, the album is a highly addictive primitive ferocity, where highly distorted tones are delivered straight with no chaser.
Shaffer’s 2022 release, TIGHTROPE RIDE, recorded in Detroit with the production idea to incorporate the 1970’s Iggy/Bowie project sound, with Shaffer’s Proto-Garage Blues Rock. The album is a three-year semi-autobiographical work that channels the aggressive power of Shaffer’s signature sound of The Reds and solo Proto Garage Blues, with the result being the best of both worlds. Wielding a blowtorch guitar to complement his complaint of a decaying society has created a harrowing album of unwavering personal songs.
2023 adds Shaffer’s twelfth solo album to his roster with the release of, SLEEPING DOG. The action continues forward from his last album with sound, ideas, and the ability to surprise and upend expectations with Shaffer’s own unique Garage/Blues sound.
To learn about Rick’s film projects and earlier albums click here ►The Reds Bio.