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The Black Rider
 
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The Black Rider

~ Tom Waits, William Burroughs
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
Price: £4.98 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
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The Black Rider + Bone Machine + Franks Wild Years
Price For All Three: £14.94

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  • This item: The Black Rider ~ Tom Waits

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    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
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  • Bone Machine ~ Tom Waits

    Usually dispatched within 6 to 9 days.
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Product details

  • Audio CD (15 Dec 2000)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Mercury Records Ltd (London)
  • ASIN: B000001E29
  • Other Editions: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 27,293 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Extraits
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. Lucky Day Overture 2:27£0.69
Listen  2. The Black Rider 3:21£0.69
Listen  3. November 2:53£0.69
Listen  4. Just The Right Bullets 3:35£0.69
Listen  5. Black Box Theme 2:42£0.69
Listen  6. 'Tain't No Sin 2:25£0.69
Listen  7. Flash Pan Hunter/Intro 1:10£0.69
Listen  8. That's The Way 1:07£0.69
Listen  9. The Briar And The Rose 3:50£0.69
Listen10. Russian Dance 3:11£0.69
Listen11. Gospel Train/Orchestra 2:33£0.69
Listen12. I'll Shoot The Moon 3:51£0.69
Listen13. Flash Pan Hunter 3:10£0.69
Listen14. Crossroads 2:43£0.69
Listen15. Gospel Train 4:43£0.69
Listen16. Interlude0:18£0.69
Listen17. Oily Night 4:23£0.69
Listen18. Lucky Day 3:42£0.69
Listen19. The Last Rose Of The Summer 2:07£0.69
Listen20. Carnival 1:16£0.69


Product Description

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.

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A dark exploration into the deepest reaches of the soul., 28 Feb 2002
By A Customer
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!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Come on along with the Black rider, 15 Jul 2007
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.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerising, 6 Feb 2000
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...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Step right up!
I am a huge fan of Tom Waits and this was one of the first albums of his that I came across. Initially I was left more than a little confused by the dark, sprawling nature of the... Read more
Published 15 months ago by W.T.A

5.0 out of 5 stars Prepare to be astonished...
Listen to the Black Rider with the lights down and a stiff drink in your hand, you're going to need it. Read more
Published on 28 Jul 2006 by K. Preston

5.0 out of 5 stars Burroughs boogies.
Fantastic album. One good reason to buy it? William Burroughs singing disjointed out of time about the pleasures of taking off your skin and dancin' round in your bones. Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2000 by owendavies42@hotmail.com

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