Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads & Fugitive Songs
Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads & Fugitive Songs is an album by Stan Ridgway.[3][4] It was released in 2004 through redFLY Records.[5]
Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads & Fugitive Songs | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 13, 2004 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 68:27 | |||
Label | redFLY | |||
Producer | Stan Ridgway | |||
Stan Ridgway chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
Production
After the deaths of two former Wall of Voodoo bandmates, Ridgway wrote "Talkin' Wall of Voodoo Blues Pt. 1", a reflection on the band's history.[6]
Critical reception
PopMatters called the album "full of the sort of lyrical darkness that's been a hallmark of Ridgway's material since the get-go."[7] The Monterey County Weekly wrote: "To accompany his off-kilter lyrics, Ridgway plays music that evokes country blues artists, Tom Waits and arty electronic bands from the ‘80s. Throughout the album, strange instruments accentuate Ridgway’s surreal stories."[8] The Stranger wrote that "the dusty, atmospheric songs of Snakebite bristle and twitch with stringed instruments."[5] The Times of Northwest Indiana called it "perhaps [Ridgway's] finest overall collection to date," writing that "like the best of Ridgway's eclectic oeuvre, the 16 songs nestled into this 'Three Act' album are musical vignettes populated by a twisted cast of darkly-hue characters most everyone can relate to in some way."[9]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Stan Ridgway, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Into the Sun" | 3:29 | |
2. | "Wake Up Sally (The Cops Are Here)" | 3:02 | |
3. | "Afghan/Forklift" | 4:49 | |
4. | "King for a Day" | 5:26 | |
5. | "Your Rockin' Chair" | 3:43 | |
6. | "Monsters of the Id" (Mose Allison) | Mose Allison | 4:04 |
7. | "Running With the Carnival" | 4:39 | |
8. | "Our Manhattan Moment" (Stan Ridgway, Pietra Wexstun) | Stan Ridgway, Pietra Wexstun | 5:19 |
9. | "Crow Hollow Blues" | 2:28 | |
10. | "That Big 5-0" | 2:47 | |
11. | "God Sleeps in a Caboose" | 5:37 | |
12. | "Throw It Away" | 3:16 | |
13. | "My Own Universe" | 3:33 | |
14. | "Classic Hollywood Ending" | 3:54 | |
15. | "Talkin' Wall of Voodoo Blues Pt. 1" | 5:55 | |
16. | "My Rose Marie (A Soldier's Tale)" | 5:19 |
Personnel
- Bob Demaa – mastering
- Baboo God – mixing
- Stan Ridgway – Banjo, Bells, Celeste, Composer, Engineer, Guitar, Guitar (Nylon String), Hammer Dulcimer, Harmonica, Harp, Mandolin, Melodica, Slide Guitar, Sound Effects, Vocals, production, engineering, mixing
- Doug Schwartz – mastering
- Alvin Fike – Brass, French Horn, Saxophone, Woodwind
- Skip Heller – Guitar, Guitar (Nylon String), Hi String Guitar, Piano
- Brantley Kearns – Fiddle
- Ricky King – Flute (Wood), Guitar, Vocals
- David Sutton – Bass, Bass (Acoustic), Box
- Pietra Wexstun – Autoharp, Celeste, Composer, Effects, Elka, Farfisa Organ, Glockenspiel, Juno, Loops, Mellotron, Oberheim Synthesizer, Organ, Programming, Reed Organ, Sampling, Sound Effects, Vocals, Wurlitzer
- Bruce Zelesnik – Bird Calls, Drums, Handclapping, Hand Drums, Jawbone, Percussion, Prop Design, Rake, Rhythm, Siren, Sound Effects, Spoons, Train Whistle, Trash Cans
References
- Horowitz, Hal. "Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads & Fugitive Songs". AllMusic. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 7: MUZE. p. 21.CS1 maint: location (link)
- "Stan Ridgway | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- "Songwriter Ridgway Offers Potent, Eerie 'Snakebite'". NPR.org.
- Reighley, Kurt B. "Border Radio". The Stranger.
- "Singer transcends Voodoo, 'Mexican Radio'". Oklahoman.com. August 13, 2004.
- "Stan Ridgway: Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads and Fugitive Songs". PopMatters. July 5, 2004.
- Thornton, Stuart. "Twenty years after "Mexican Radio," Stan Ridgway still finds his own way". Monterey County Weekly.
- LOUNGES, TOM. "Stan Ridgway: A thinking man's punk survivor". nwitimes.com.