[Review] Stan Ridgway: The Big Heat (1986)

Ridgway proves he’s ready for his close-up with nine slightly more normalized narratives.

Kronomyth 1.0: A little Dashiell do you good.

For a guy who only sang lead vocals on a few albums from a band that could accurately be described as a one-hit wonder, Wall of Voodoo, Stanard Ridgway had achieved considerable cachet in alternative rock circles. Maybe it was his distinctive vocal delivery and narrative storytelling that attracted other artists. Ridgway’s first solo record, The Big Heat, reads like a who’s who of alternative 80s bands including members of Minutemen, Gang of Four, The Flesh Eaters, Oingo Boingo and The Fibonaccis. It’s a more tuneful record than his work with Wall of Voodoo, but otherwise very similar. The narratives featuring an interest cast of characters including criminals (The Big Heat), construction workers (Pile Driver), combat veterans (Camouflage), strip club owners (Can’t Stop the Show) and cab drivers (Drive She Said). Stanard evens sings a little, sort of, on a few songs. Despite earning accolades from critical quarters, The Big Heat isn’t a substantially better record than, say, Jerry Harrison’s The Red and The Black. That’s just my opinion, of course, which we’ve (hopefully) dismissed by now as arbitrary and uninformed. It is interesting to hear Ridgway expand his musical range; on Walkin’ Home Alone, for example, he does a pretty good impression of Sting. But if you haven’t bought every Tom Waits album, this album can wait. Ridgway’s narratives have holes, perhaps by design, and even feel a little hokey sometimes (e.g., “Camouflage,” “Walkin’ Home Alone”). Again, I’m not the best person to ask about these things, since Ridgway’s delivery is too dry for my tastes. At the time, I had the impression that The Big Heat was supposed to be the next big thing, so my mild disappointment may stem from that (or my resentment that it drew attention away from the equally worthwhile Seven Days in Sammystown).

Original elpee version

A1. The Big Heat (4:30)
A2. Pick It Up (And Put It in Your Pocket) (4:30)
A3. Can’t Stop the Show (3:43)
A4. Pile Driver (4:36)
A5. Walkin’ Home Alone (4:33)
B1. Drive She Said (4:23)
B2. Salesman (5:26)
B3. Twisted (3:35)
B4. Camouflage (7:16)

All songs written by Stan Ridgway.

Expanded CD reissue bonus tracks
10. Stormy Side of Town
11. Foggy River
12. End of the Line
13. Nadine
14. Can’t Stop the Show (live)
15. Drive She Said (live)

The Players

Stan Ridgway (vocal, harmonica, keyboards, banjo, guitar, bass), Bill Noland (keyboards, piano), Louis Van Den Berg (keyboards) with K.K. Barett (drums on B1), Chris Becerra (drums on B4), Joe Berardi (drums on A5), Hugo Burnham (percussion on A2), Louis Cabasa (bass on B2), Mr. Christopher (violin and cello on A1), Mark Cohen (banjo and mandolin on B4), John Dentino (keyboards on A1), Bruce Fowler (trombone on A5), Mitchell Froom (keyboards on A2), Richard Gibbs (emulator on B2), Richard Greene (violin on A2), Hugh Jones (keyboards on A1), Mark Lewis (ghost platoon on B4), Mark Morris (ghost platoon on B4), Pietra (additional vocals on A4), Joe Ramirez (guitar, drum programming and additional vocals on A4), Tom Rechoin (percussion on B1), Steve Reid (percussion on B2), Mark Terlizzi (bass on A3), Mike Watt (bass on A3), Eric Williams (feedback guitar on B2), Bruce Zelesnick (drums on A1). Produced by Stanard Ridgway except A1/B1 by Hugh Jones, A2 by Mitchell Froom, B2 by Joe Chicarelli, Stanard Ridgway and Bill Noland; engineered by Louis Van den Berg and Stan Ridgway except A1/B1 by Hugh Jones, B2 by Joe Chiccarelli and A2 by Jim Hill; mixed by Andy Waterman except A1 by Hugh Jones and B2 by Joe Chiccarelli.

The Pictures

Cover concept and photography by Scott Lindgren. Art direction by Carl Grasso.

The Plastic

Released on elpee, cassette and compact disc in February 1986 in the US (IRS, IRS/IRSC/IRSD-5637) with lyrics innersleeve. Reached #131 on the US charts. (First appeared in 2/8/86 issue of Billboard.)

1. Re-issued on expanded compact disc in 1993 in the US (IRS, 13125-2) with 6 bonus tracks.