Track Listing

1. Lucky Day Overture
2. The Black Rider
3. November
4. Just The Right Bullets
5. Black Box Theme
6. 'Tain't No Sin
7. Flash Pan Hunter/Intro
8. That's The Way
9. The Briar And The Rose
10. Russian Dance
11. Gospel Train/Orchestra
12. I'll Shoot The Moon
13. Flash Pan Hunter
14. Crossroads
15. Gospel Train
16. Interlude
17. Oily Night
18. Lucky Day
19. The Last Rose Of Summer
20. Carnival

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6419 in Music
• Released on: 2000-12-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds
• Running time: 56 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Summoned to Hamburg, Germany, to write music for a live stage production of Robert Wilson's The Black Rider, musical mastermind Waits took to the task at hand with gusto, assembling an eclectic crew of musicians to become "the pit band [he'd] always dreamed of." Several years later Waits assembled another "orchestra" in San Francisco to record many of the songs he'd written for the live production. Those tracks are found here, alongside a few rough gems from sessions in Hamburg. You'll find some musical matter familiar to Waits fans: accordions, carnivals, violas, banjos, the devil (a key figure in The Black Rider), a singing saw, bassoons, and trombones. Waits' many voices tell the rather disjointed story with a variety of musical styling, and the assembled whole is pretty much a sum of its parts (but at least they're interesting parts): a touch of Day of the Dead, a whiff of carny, a nod to Brecht, a dash of film noir, and the scent of narcosis (William Burroughs makes an appearance here). Not easy listening, by any means, but a feast for the ears. --Lorry Fleming

CD Description
THE BLACK RIDER contains Waits' versions of the songs he wrote for the Robert Wilson play of the same name. Wilson has worked with everyone from Philip Glass to Lou Reed, so he's just the kind of left-of-centre visionary to accommodate Waits' offbeat musical style. From NIGHTHAWKS AT THE DINER to FRANK'S WILD YEARS, Waits has always been a concept man, and you don't get more conceptual than supplying songs for this semi-mythological narrative of passion and death.
THE BLACK RIDER is somewhat similar in style to the twisted cabaret/blues of Waits' mid-80s work, but with a pronounced European artsong flavour. Accordingly, Waits is accompanied by a mix of his U.S. cronies (Joe Gore, Greg Cohen, etc.) and the musicians from the original BLACK RIDER production. The presence of William Burroughs as lyricist on a couple of tunes represents the closing of a circle that includes the heavy influence of the '50s beat writers on Waits' early work. Less visceral and more cerebral then Waits' previous work, BLACK RIDER is nevertheless full of masterful compositions and inventive, idiosyncratic arrangements.

Customer Reviews

A dark exploration into the deepest reaches of the soul.
For those who are familiar with Tom's earlier work, this may come as a bit of a shock. There are no simple, bitter-sweet love songs or jazzy, urban poems. This is the soundtrack to a grim tale of tragedy in love, resulting from dealings with the devil. The gravil-filled chasms of Waits' voice scratch their way over the sound of some of the most obscure instruments one could dig up in Europe. It is clear that Wait's does not want his listeners to have an easy time with this but once the initial bout of nervous laughter is overcome, the effect is a dirty catharsis that must be experienced by everyone. Despite being an all-round fan of his work, this is my favourite piece, probably because its unabashed experimentation into industrio-agricultural, devil music is totally unique. It must be noted, however, that some of my closest friends would rather chew broken glass than be in the same room as this album - so be warned, not for the faint hearted!

Come on along with the Black rider
Theatrical, Vaudeville tinged lp, originally for the musical of the same name. One of Wait's less orthodox recordings, featuring a fair few instrumental pieces and `fills', often of an experimental nature. He mostly performs characters here and the lyrics have to be seen in that light but the characters are evocative and do come through. William Bourroughs contributes to a fair few of the lyrics here and his touch is evident. Hit and miss, largely because of its contextual nature, most of the songs hanging on the same themes and motifs. Underrated but not an obvious place to start a collection.

Mesmerising
An album that catches your attention right from the very start. This is the kind of music that picks you up, ruffs your hair, & spins you around the room in time to a bone-crunching waltz. A classic, which is made all the classier by the hovering presence of that old master (and all-time hero of mine), William Burroughs...