Rickie Lee Jones Pirates on Numbered-Edition Hybrid SACD from Mobile Fidelity: 1981 Album Joins the Ranks of Other Audiophile Classics

A Fusion of Musical and Lyrical Possibilities: Features Playing by Luminaries Such as Donald Fagen, Randy Brecker, and Steve Gadd

"Rickie Lee Jones' Pirates arrives like a cloudburst in the desert of Eighties formula pop music and recycled heavy-metal rock.” So wrote Stephen Holden in Rolling Stone in his five-star review of the eclectic artist’s sophomore album, a set that continues to defy eras and styles. While less-well known than her 1979 self-titled debut, the ambitious 1981 record remains Jones’ definitive statement—an effort steeped in biographical details, fictional circumstances, and classic literary elements.

Narratively blending West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet while also exploring spirit worlds and her breakup with Tom Waits, Pirates is at its core an idiosyncratic fusion of possibilities. And does Jones deliver! Accompanied by an all-star lineup that includes trumpeter Randy Brecker, Steely Dan icon Donald Fagen, drumming colossus Steve Gadd, session pro Victor Feldman, and legendary jazz arranger Ralph Burns, the singer-songwriter achieves a musical nirvana that encompasses post-bop, coffeehouse folk, bohemian pop, romantic soul, Beat poetry, and Broadway showtunes.

Harmonized vocals and jive talking bring the piano-based record’s rich characters to life, making it seem as if listeners are overhearing conversations between strangers. In more than one way, Pirates is a self-contained theatrical production in which Jones’ singing is the star attraction. Her moody whispers, cries, and coos are the voices of spurned lovers, alienated outcasts, and unlikely heroines. Albums with this kind of stylistic magnitude, close-up intimacy, and emotional intensity come around only once or so a decade. 

Mobile Fidelity is proud to master Pirates from the original analog master tapes and produce a version that captures the key nuances and criticial details. Co-produced by Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker (whose long list of credits include Randy Newman, James Taylor, and Eric Clapton records), Pirates joins the ranks of other audiophile classis on this numbered-edition SACD. Fans of Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman, Carole King, and Sarah Vaughan should consider this requisite listening.