| Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads & Fugitive Songs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 13, 2004 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 68:27 | |||
| Label | redFLY | |||
| Producer | Stan Ridgway | |||
| Stan Ridgway chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads & Fugitive Songs is an album by Stan Ridgway. [3] [4] It was released in 2004 through redFLY Records. [5]
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]
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]
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 |
A wah-wah pedal is a type of electric guitar effects pedal that alters the tone and frequencies of the guitar signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The pedal sweeps the peak response of a frequency filter up and down in frequency to create the sound, a spectral glide, also known as "the wah effect". The wah-wah effect originated in the 1920s, with trumpet or trombone players finding they could produce an expressive crying tone by moving a mute in and out of the instrument's bell. This was later simulated with electronic circuitry for the electric guitar when the wah-wah pedal was invented. It is controlled by movement of the player's foot on a rocking pedal connected to a potentiometer. Wah-wah effects may be used as a fixed-filter to alter an instrument’s timbre ; they may be used when a guitarist is soloing; or, classically, they may be used to create a "wacka-wacka" funk-styled rhythm for rhythm guitar playing.
A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm section is often contrasted with the roles of other musicians in the band, such as the lead guitarist or lead vocals whose primary job is to carry the melody.
The Fibonaccis were an American art rock band formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. The band consisted of songwriters John Dentino (keyboards) and Ron Stringer (guitar), Magie Song (vocals), Joe Berardi (drums) and later Tom Corey (bass).
Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, best known for its 1983 hit "Mexican Radio". The band had a sound that was a fusion of synthesizer-based new wave music with the spaghetti Western soundtrack style of Ennio Morricone.
Charlie Hunter is an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. First coming to prominence in the early 1990s, Hunter plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars on which he simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, and melodies. Critic Sean Westergaard described Hunter's technique as "mind-boggling...he's an agile improviser with an ear for great tone, and always has excellent players alongside him in order to make great music, not to show off." Hunter's technique is rooted in the styles of jazz guitarists Joe Pass and Tuck Andress, two of his biggest influences, who blended bass notes with melody in a way that created the illusion of two guitars.
Stanard "Stan" Ridgway is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and film and television composer known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums. He was the original lead singer and a founding member of the band Wall of Voodoo.
Marc Moreland was an American rock musician. He was the former guitarist for new wave band Wall of Voodoo, punk band The Skulls, and rock bands Pretty and Twisted and Department of Crooks. He also released a solo album under the name Marc Moreland Mess.
"Mexican Radio" is a song by American new wave band Wall of Voodoo. Produced by Richard Mazda, the track was initially released on their 1982 album Call of the West and was released as a single in early 1983. With regular airplay on MTV in their native United States, the song had moderate commercial success, peaking at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It did better in other parts of the world, peaking at No. 18 in Canada, No. 21 in New Zealand and No. 33 in Australia. It also reached No. 64 in the UK.
Call of the West is the second studio album by Los Angeles new wave band Wall of Voodoo, released in September 1982. The album contains "Mexican Radio", the group's most well-known song, which was released as a single and whose video received moderate airplay on MTV.
Blue River is an album by folk rock musician Eric Andersen, released in 1972. The album was reissued in 1999 by Columbia Legacy with two extra tracks.
"Send It On" is a song by American R&B recording artist D'Angelo. It was released by Virgin Records on March 25, 2000, as a radio single in promotion of D'Angelo's second studio album Voodoo (2000). He wrote the song, with his brother Luther Archer and R&B singer Angie Stone, in 1998 at a recording studio in Virginia after the birth of his son. It was produced by D'Angelo at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.
It's All in the Movies is the nineteenth studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1976.
The Blues Alone is a 1967 electric blues album recorded by John Mayall on which he recorded all the parts himself, with the exception of percussion which was provided by longtime collaborator Keef Hartley.
American Love is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released on July 29, 2016, through RCA Nashville. It includes the #1 single "American Country Love Song".
This is a list of jazz and popular music terms that are likely to be encountered in printed popular music songbooks, fake books and vocal scores, big band scores, jazz, and rock concert reviews, and album liner notes. This glossary includes terms for musical instruments, playing or singing techniques, amplifiers, effects units, sound reinforcement equipment, and recording gear and techniques which are widely used in jazz and popular music. Most of the terms are in English, but in some cases, terms from other languages are encountered.
In the Key of Disney is the ninth studio album by Brian Wilson, released on October 25, 2011, by Walt Disney Records as part of the Disney Pearl Series. The album is the second release by Disney for Wilson, after Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin. Disney calls it "the album that marries the vision of two men who shaped the image of modern California – Brian Wilson & Walt Disney."
The Case Files is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Peter Case, released in 2011. It consists of unreleased songs, out-takes and demos from Case's solo career.
Anatomy is an album by Stan Ridgway. It was released in October 1999 through New West Records. The disc is a multimedia CD that includes three songs, "Camouflage," "I Wanna Be A Boss," and "The Roadblock," in the now-defunct Liquid Audio format, which were recorded live at the Strand in Los Angeles on November 2, 1991.
Black Diamond is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway, released in 1996.
Peter Parcek is an American blues rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In 2021, Parcek's album, Mississippi Suitcase was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Blues Rock Album' category. Parcek has released four albums since 2000, after spending time as a sideman for Pinetop Perkins.' Buddy Guy once opined about Parcek, "You're as bad as Eric Clapton. And I know Eric Clapton."
