Black Diamond (Stan Ridgway album)
| Black Diamond | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 20, 1996 | |||
| Studio | Impala and Living Presence (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 50:52 | |||
| Label | Birdcage[1] | |||
| Producer | Stan Ridgway | |||
| Stan Ridgway chronology | ||||
| ||||
Black Diamond is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway, released in 1996.[2][3]
Production
"As I Went Out One Morning" is a cover of the Bob Dylan song.[4] "Luther Played Guitar" is about the guitar player Luther Perkins.[5] "Gone the Distance" addresses the death of Kurt Cobain.[6]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [7] |
| Calgary Herald | [4] |
| Uncut | [8] |
The Washington Post determined that "the Dylan tune is one indication that Ridgway wants to be taken seriously, and he does tone down his arch vocal style on some of these songs."[9] The Boston Globe wrote that the album, "though quieter and more spare than much of Ridgway's work, continues his pattern of writing moody story-songs, restless character studies imbued with dark, spooky undertones."[10]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Stan Ridgway, except "As I Went Out One Morning", by Bob Dylan.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big Dumb Town" | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Gone the Distance" | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Knife and Fork" | 4:52 |
| 4. | "Down the Coast Hwy" | 4:23 |
| 5. | "Luther Played Guitar" | 4:20 |
| 6. | "Stranded" | 4:51 |
| 7. | "Wild Bill Donovan" | 2:54 |
| 8. | "Man of Stone" | 3:47 |
| 9. | "Pink Parakeet" | 4:58 |
| 10. | "Underneath the Big Green Tree" | 3:21 |
| 11. | "As I Went Out One Morning" | 3:13 |
| 12. | "Crystal Palace" | 6:50 |
Personnel
Adapted from the Black Diamond liner notes.[11]
Musicians
- Stan Ridgway – vocals, theatre organ, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, harmonica, recorder
- Pietra Wexstun – keyboards, backing vocals
- Harlan Boddicker – bass guitar
- Bob Elmo – bass guitar, cello, violin
- Ted Andersen – drums, percussion
- Larry Grennan – percussion, backing vocals
- Todd Sharp – saxophones, woodwinds
Production
- Stan Ridgway – producer
- Larry Grennan – recording, mixing
- Doug Schwartz – mastering at Audio Mechanics (Burbank, California)
- Ed Colver – photography
- Fred Davis – design
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1996 | Birdcage | CD | 11007 |
| 2012 | LP |
References
- ^ Morris, Chris (February 3, 1996). "Flag Waving". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 5. p. 63.
- ^ "Stan Ridgway Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Stolder, Steven (April 1996). "Rock-pop recordings — Black Diamond by Stan Ridgway". Audio. Vol. 80, no. 4. p. 84.
- ^ a b Muretich, James (March 24, 1996). "Stan Ridgway: Black Diamond". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
- ^ Rinaldi, Ray Mark (March 7, 1996). "Black Diamond Stan Ridgway". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 9.
- ^ Shuster, Fred (February 17, 1996). "Reinventing Rocker Ridgway". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L7.
- ^ Adams, Greg. "Black Diamond". AllMusic. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- ^ "Stan Ridgway – Black Diamond". Uncut. August 31, 2003.
- ^ "Ridgway Iso Style". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ^ Sullivan, Jim (June 14, 1996). "The novelty of Stan Ridgway". Arts & Film. The Boston Globe. p. 65.
- ^ Black Diamond (booklet). Stan Ridgway. Sierra Madre, California: Birdcage Records. 1996.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
External links
- Black Diamond at Discogs (list of releases)