I had a very brief exposure to Wall Of Voodoo, so when Stan Ridgway jumped out with his first solo record The Big Heat I thought okay, what could this possibly be like? It is vastly different to Wall Of Voodoo. The two are different yet have a similar vibe that oozes forth.
The record has a very different complexion affronted to the listener. Released in 1986, has a kind of synthpop element going, but the main component is driven by storyteller's narration. Since I wasn't as familiar with Harry Nelson, whom Stan emulates aptly, is done only with his peculiarity. Stan does his best work by showing the listener different avenues of life, mostly from a down-on-your-luck or bad circumstances construction.
Each song has a character marked by a decided life event or twist. Some of the characters definitely do have a coldness that is unforgivable but we as the listener are given a very clear reason as to their motivation. The music itself is bound to that exposition by eliciting a vibrant, and very vivid soundtrack vibe. There are fiddles, keyboards, acoustic guitars, funk, all around a electronic beat pushing through.
As the years have gone by, nothing compares to this record. I've been fortunate to be untouched by the cynicism associated with this era, and I've got a pretty healthy appreciation of how this material fits in with my own kind of personal narrative. Yet at the same time has this very dark complexion that sadly is being re-routed for softer, and more evasive facets.
When Stan released his second solo record Mosquitos two years later, the novelty was evolving, waning, and what was morphing into a contemporary fragment. The Big Heat will be a favorite that I still continue to enjoy these many years later. Thanks for reading.
B.
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