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Avg: 4.0 (92 ratings)
- Date Released: June 20, 2006
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Alternative
- Label: Frank Black
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They Say...
Playing like the widescreen director's cut version of Honeycomb, Frank Black's sprawling double album Fast Man Raider Man reunites him with the Memphis session legends who played with him last time, and adds even more stars to the cast of characters. Along with veteran Catholics member Lyle Workman and Honeycomb players Reggie Young, Buddy Miller, Spooner Oldham, and Chester Thompson, the roster also includes Al Kooper, Jon Tiven, Bobby Bare, Jr., the Band's Levon Helm, Cheap Trick's Tom Peterson, and Bad Company's Simon Kirke, giving Fast Man Raider Man the feel of an all-star jamboree. As on Honeycomb, the playing throughout the album is subtly excellent (and how could it not be with supporting musicians like these?). Jazzy guitars and saxophone give "If Your Poison Gets You" a sophisticated take on roots rock, while the lush horns on "My Terrible Ways" and the keyboards on "Highway to Lowdown" and "You Can't Crucify Yourself" are authentic, soulful touches. Though Fast Man Raider Man shares the warmth of Honeycomb, unlike that album -- which was recorded in just a few days in Memphis when all the players had the time to come together -- this set of songs is less urgent, and less overtly confessional. Black seems more and more comfortable in the Americana/alt-country direction of his later work, but fortunately it's the kind of comfort that allows him to keep elaborating on this sound. Indeed, the overall vibe of the album is just as important, if not more so, than the individual songs. However, highlights are scattered throughout both of Fast Man Raider Man's discs and include "Dirty Old Town," an Irish drinking song that Black transforms into an alternately heartfelt and rollicking duet with Marty Brown; the dramatic, Lou Reed-esque "End of the Summer"; "Where the Wind Is Going," a fun homage to Texas garage rock; and the breezy yet heartfelt ballad "Don't Cry That Way." This is easily one of Black's most eclectic albums, moving from gutsy rock like "Johnny Barleycorn," "Kiss My Ring," and "In the Time of My Own Ruin" to oddities such as "Dog Sleep," which switches between a rousing brass band and slow-motion passages that drift on woozy organs, to the genuinely soulful "Sad Old World" and "Golden Shore." Like the simultaneously released Devil's Workshop and Black Letter Days, Fast Man Raider Man could've been edited down to one disc's worth of songs; however, the flowing, laid-back feel of the whole set is a big part of its appeal. Indeed, if it weren't for the album's studio polish, it'd feel like an extremely well-recorded concert -- it has the ebb and flow of a good live set, and its expansive warmth ends up making its length work in its favor.
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13 Total Tracks, 47:18 Total Length
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 27 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 27 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
14 Total Tracks, 47:22 Total Length
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Credits
- Marty Brown - Bass // Marty Brown - Vocals (Background) // Marty Brown - Duet // P.F. Sloan - Piano // P.F. Sloan - Vocals (Background) // Steve Cropper - Guitar // Al Kooper - Organ // Chester Thompson - Drums // Ian McLagan - Keyboards // Billy Swan - Vocals (Background) // Jim Keltner - Percussion // Jim Keltner - Drums // Frank Black - Guitar // Frank Black - Guitar // Frank Black - Guitar // Frank Black - Guitar // Frank Black - Arranger // Frank Black - Arranger // Frank Black - Arranger // Frank Black - Arranger // Frank Black - Ukulele // Frank Black - Ukulele // Frank Black - Ukulele // Frank Black - Ukulele // Frank Black - Vocals // Frank Black - Vocals // Frank Black - Vocals // Frank Black - Vocals // Dan Penn - Engineer // Bob Babbitt - Bass // Billy Block - Drums // Billy Block - Vocals (Background) // Jack Clement - Dobro // Jack Clement - Vocals (Background) // David Z. - Mixing // Steve Ferrone - Drums // Steve Ferrone - Drums // Rich Gilbert - Pedal Steel // Levon Helm - Percussion // Levon Helm - Percussion // Levon Helm - Drums // Levon Helm - Drums // David Hood - Bass // Wayne Jackson - Trombone // Wayne Jackson - Trumpet // Wayne Jackson - Flugelhorn // Duane Jarvis - Guitar // Carol Kaye - Bass // Carol Kaye - Guitar // Simon Kirke - Percussion // Simon Kirke - Drums // Spooner Oldham - Keyboards // Spooner Oldham - Vocals (Background) // Jon Tiven - Guitar // Jon Tiven - Percussion // Jon Tiven - Piano // Jon Tiven - Sax (Alto) // Jon Tiven - Vocals (Background) // Jon Tiven - Producer // Jon Tiven - Engineer // Lyle Workman - Guitar // Lyle Workman - Arranger // Reggie Young - Guitar // Jake Burns & The Big Wheel - Engineer // Jake Burns & The Big Wheel - Mixing // Tom Petersson - Bass // Michael Halsband - Original Photography // Marc Chevalier - Engineer // Sierra Swan - Vocals (Background) // Rick DuVall - Vocals (Background) // Akil Thompson - Drums // Andrew Swainson - Design // Andrew Swainson - Illustrations // Einar Pedersen - Assistant Engineer // Bobby Bare, Jr. - Vocals (Background) // Ellis Hooks - Vocals (Background) // Adam Deane - Assistant Engineer // Earl Drake - Mixing // Jack Kidney - Harmonica // Jack Kidney - Sax (Tenor) // Miles Wilson - Engineer // Dan Steinman - Assistant Engineer // Alex McCollough - Assistant Engineer // Mark Wilson Jordan - Keyboards // Brooks Watson - Vocals (Background) // Brooks Watson - Assistant Engineer
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