Customer Reviews

Black Ribbons [Vinyl]

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This album is one of the most interesting surprises to come along in the music scene in quite awhile. Shooter Jennings and Stephen King have created an eerie, and extremely relevant, listening experience here. I don't buy many albums these days, but this ride is definitely worth the price of the ticket!

Stephen King plays the narrative on this album (yes, that Stephen King). He is a radio DJ the night before new draconian government broadcasting laws go into effect. It is the last free broadcast, and the dialogue hits the mood perfectly.

I recently heard an interview with Shooter Jennings discussing the narrative, and it is brilliant. For example, the D.J. (Stephen King) doesn't discuss martial law during the broadcast because, as Shooter explains, everyone would already know that martial law was in effect, thus D.J.s wouldn't be talking about it much. And the result of this foresight and attention to detail is a narrative that works; King's voice, the background music, and the narrative easily convince the imagination that it is listening to the last free radio broadcast in the United States, sometime in the near future.

King mentions "past" events that are happening now and reflects on the mood of the country as they occurred. Listening to this future broadcast discussing today's events in the past tense is an incredible experience, especially considering the brilliance of the spoken word.

So what music set does this last D.J. decide to play on the deathbed of free speech? This is where the music comes in and delivers the home run! King explains why he has chosen this music, for its resistance, its spirit. This music will not go gently into that good night!

It's blue-grass; no, it's new age; no maybe it's country; wait, it's definitely rock; no it's... it's... it refuses to be classified! This is it folks, this is something new and amazing that refuses a convenient label, refuses to follow the rules, and refuses to let go!

It will frighten you, fill your heart with melancholy, stir your fighting spirit, and will finally offer that last gift of hope. And it will certainly entertain.

I've always thought that Shooter had only one foot in the country scene. With Black Ribbons, not only does he lay down a heavier, metallic, sinister sound that could almost be called progressive, he serves it up in a creepy, mind-bending concept album with Stephen King narration and CD packaging that is pretty darned cool.

I saw Shooter and his kickin band play some of these songs a few months ago on tour, and they come through loud and clear here.

This is an album that has great songs, tells a story and actually has something to say.

To say this album is incredible does not do it justice. I've bought every one of Shooter's studio albums, save for Bad Magick as it was a greatest hits album and to me, all his songs are hits. When I first heard about this album and this concept months ago I wasn't too sure; I was worried because I felt that Shooter was straying from his roots. But after hearing the album and understanding his reasoning and ideas behind it all, I can say with out a doubt that this is by far my most favorite album of his.

Shooter has definitely found his sound and made it is own. Like a previous reviewer said, this album refuses to be classified into a genre, you can label it whatever you want but I can guarantee you it surpasses that. I can't get enough of this album, it has my favorite artist doing what he does best along with narration from my favorite author...This album is the total package for me, hell I may even buy the vinyl LP as well.

I'm not familiar with Shooter, I stumbled onto this record after reading a review/interview on the LA Times website. I was intrigued the more I read about the making and concept behind the work and the influences that went into the record. Yes, it does have influences of Floyd (and it helps that I love PF), but more than that, the album touches on current events and ideas that are not often heard in popular music. The record is a journey from start to finish, a well orchestrated trip. Like one person on here said, you will either love it or not care for it. I for one, am glad I purchased the record.

Shooter Jennings and Hierophant - Black Ribbons (Rocket Science)

Shooter Jennings, son of the great country outlaw Waylon Jennings, has made a marked departure from the country of his earlier CDs and has released a fascinating concept CD in which he has literally worked hand in hand with horror fiction author Stephen King.

The plot is a Dick Cheney scheme gone wild. The Patriot Act has resulted in a military dictatorship. Soldiers are on every corner. People are afraid to speak their minds. And in one hour, the last free radio broadcasts will come to an end. Will o' the Wisp, the host of Last Light Radio has devoted this last hour to playing music from the fictional band Hierophant (Shooter Jennings and his band), an outfit that plays a combination of punk and southern rock, basically Lynyrd Skynyrd to Nine Inch Nails. Between sets, Will o' the Wisp (Stephen King, in an original script) talks about what has happened to America and its liberties and lost freedoms, all the while knowing that the authorities are tightening the noose around his neck.

Will o' the Wisp is angry, yet hopeful that the masses will eventually overthrow this military regime, and he makes no bones about it during his between set raps. He has thrown chance to the wind and is daring the authorities to shut him down. And the soldiers are coming.

In the meantime, there are the songs. Songs of hope, songs of rage, songs of the way life used to be, songs of how the end came.

Shooter Jennings is the name on the CD, but it is truly Stephen King as the voice of Last Light Radio that you will remember, and the conclusion of his last show.

Shooter Jennings and Stephen King may well have made, rather early on in 2010, the CD of the year.

(5 stars out of 5)

MC Mahan

To start off, I'm a huge Shooter fan and own all of his albums (except the greatest hits collection), all of the duet tracks he's done with other artists, and plenty of bootlegs, so yes, I'm biased. I thought his first two albums were excellent if a bit uneven. His third, "The Wolf" never quite did it for me. When I heard his latest album wasn't going to be country and I started hearing more of the details, I'll admit that it sounded like he was straying even farther from my tastes, but I was intrigued nonetheless and decided to go in with an open mind.

This definitely is not a country album. Many are saying, depending on the song, that the influences seem to be mostly Pink Floyd and NIN, neither of which am I familiar enough with to comment on. All I know is that this is one heck of a concept album, and unlike anything I've heard before. Stephen King is cast as the voice of truth on the radio as the political world as we know it comes to an end, and I feel this framework ties the album together really well. The inclusion of a couple of the songs may be a little bit of a stretch for the theme, but I still think it works. The songs range from heavy rock to nearly acoustic (all of them have electronics of one kind or another thrown in). Favorites for me so far are "Don't Feed the Animals", "When the Radio Goes Dead", and the title track, but this album truly seems meant to be listened to as a whole, not as singles or individual downloads. If you're at all curious, I absolutely recommend this album, just don't show up looking for the country - you're not going to find it.

If you buy the hard copy (and you should), you'll find some of the most impressive and elaborate packaging I've ever seen (Clutch's "Strange Cousins" gives it a run for its money, though). Also check out Shooter's website for an addictive tie-in video game he supposedly created himself. Dedication and talent like this should be rewarded. This isn't just another album - it's an experience. ***Side Note: Makes an excellent soundtrack while playing Fallout 3 if you want to get extra nerdy and apocalyptic!***

black ribbons does what music should do igniting imagery and feelings in my heart and soul when i listen, It's a unique rock n roll poem filled with rage and humor. Shooter Jennings proves what a multi talented musician he is by creating with his band this brilliant mix of sounds and genres. One of my favorites is the song Breaking Point. I was blown away by the power of Shooter Jennings vocals. I highly recommend Black Ribbons.

The epitome of concept albums is "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. Shooter Jennings, Stephen King and Hierophant update that standard with "Black Ribbons," a creepy combination of music and the spoken word which is as much an homage to Floyd, Led Zepplin and Marilyn Manson as it is an opinion about current events with government authority run amok. This compact disc sees the anti-New World Order opinions of popular musicians like Muse, and ups the ante. "Another Brick In the Wall" has grown up and become "Wake Up!"

All I can provide is a gut level reaction to this. This is my very first exposure to Shooter Jennings and all I can say is he is definitely NOT riding his Dad's coat tails. For me it was reminiscent of Spirit's "12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicous" and The Cure's "Disintegration" with a dose of George Orwell to kick it up a notch. Personally, I love it, but would absolutely encourage you to sample it before you shuck out the coin to get your own copy.
Without a doubt, Shooter's got sand, boys and girls.

Boy was this a shocker. I had a totally different idea of what this was going to sound like; a country version of of "Radio KAOS" with Stephen King substituting for Jim Ladd. Very pleasantly happy to be found wrong. These guys take the same concept in a completely different direction. I'm a big fan of these kind of concept CDs when they are done right, and this one is. The music can't be categorized; Shooter goes in all different directions. Something for everyone here. Excellent guitar and song-writing and Stephen King holds the story together between every 3-4 tracks. This is the kind of CD I wish I could hear for the 1st time on every listen.