Anatomy [ENHANCED]

Stan Ridgway

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 19, 1999)
• Original Release Date: October 19, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: New West Records
• ASIN: B00001X583
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #179,230 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

One of the most unique, if misunderstood, talents to emerge from the vaunted 1980s Los Angeles punk/new-wave era, Stan Ridgway arguably owes more than most to the art-rock and modern jazz which crucially informed that scene. He's shrugged off MTV's stereotyping of his former band Wall of Voodoo to forge a rich, if stubbornly independent, body of solo work, freely retooling his sound and viewpoint along the way. Black Diamond, his 1995 outing (and one of the best, if sorely underappreciated, singer-songwriter albums of the '90s) placed Ridgway in a spare acoustic setting far removed the propulsive synth-sense of The Big Heat, his expressive baritone taking on a new warmth and range. Anatomy is an attempt to move both forward and reconcile the various aspects of his previous work. The stirring, elegiac opener "Mission Bell" adds depth and dimension to Black Diamond's tack, while "Train of Thought," "Susie Before Sunrise," and "Valerie is Sleeping" supplant Ridgway's trademark seamy-side-of-life storytelling with more personal--if oblique--observations, set with confidence against music that freely mixes electronics, acoustic guitar, and his plaintive harmonica. Three surprisingly varied instrumentals cue listeners that Ridgway now splits his time between songwriting and film scoring. Ridgway is a true musical rebel, but one with a rich sense of history and no time for the cheap encumbrances of fashion. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Movie Continues: Stan's Best (So Far), September 22, 2000

By	MG Nagy - See all my reviews

"Anatomy" is another incredible soundtrack for the underbelly of America. Stan is the most under rated songwriter on this side of the Atlantic, with 12 new examples that labor the point.

The cover art is a nod to film scoring, with a nice take/update of the jacket for Duke Ellington's "Anatomy Of A Murder" soundtrack, by way of the graphics used in the TV show "The Wild Wild West."

The two tracks pulled from the "Film Songs" EP sound a bit better here. "Susie Before Sunrise" sounds a little more crisp, while "Deep Blue Polka Dot" (aka "Deep Inside We're Blue") gets a bit of a remix.

The use of instrumental interludes are perfected on this record. You can almost see the betrayal (A desparate kiss? Or maybe a tired sunrise) during "Murray's Steakhouse Story," while "Mickey The Priest" is an absolutely creepy interlude, bringing "Valerie Is Sleeping" and "Mama Had A Stove" together brilliantly. The triptych works well as a companion to Richard Thompson's "Killing Jar," while "Sixteen Tons" is going to stand as the definitive read for a long, long time.

A five star rating for a six star record.

"Maybe someday you'll finally reveal / something you stole, or something you'll steal."

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stan's Train Of Thought, October 22, 1999

By	CKL (Pa.) - See all my reviews

Solid songwriting and delivery, coupled with masterful sonic composition make this album well worth the wait. I've always been impressed with the ambiance of Stan's production. Even so, I thought BLACK DIAMOND was a move forward... kind of a broadening and deepening around the edges... pulling you a little further inside the scenes in the songs. ANATOMY seems deeper yet.

The pace of the album is even ... a deliberate stroll through the Weird Zones with plenty of time to mull over the fate of the subjects or duck whatever the hell keeps swooping out of nowhere from just beyond the peripheral vision. I can imagine Brian Eno listening to this and nodding quietly to himself while thumbing through the booklet to check out the production credits.

'Susie Before Sunrise' and 'Deep Blue Polka Dot' (formerly 'Deep Inside We're Blue') are both excellent songs once available on the now deleted FILM SONGS EP, although the latter gets a slightly different mix here. 'Murray's Steakhouse Story', 'Sweet Pig Alley' and 'Mickey The Priest' are short instrumentals that make you wish they would just get on with it and start releasing the soundtracks to the movies for which Stan's been supplying the background music (his credits include five recent films). 'Mission Bell' is classic Ridgway... haunting guitar floating through a sinister 'high lonesome' storyline. More twisted tales are found in the excellent 'Valerie Is Sleeping' and 'Mama Had A Stove', while you can almost smell the coal dust drifting through the nearly seven minute take on Merle Travis' classic 'Sixteen Tons'.

A new adventure in Liquid Audio adds six live tracks to this package (three on the CD itself and three online).

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy It, October 25, 1999

By	Terris Linenbach "devguy" (Burlingame, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Good lyrics, good singing, good playing, and good production. The songs, which are too interesting to be played on the radio, vary in tempo and style, guaranteeing that buyers get their money's worth. Anatomy takes listeners across the country to nondescript sacred places and inside the minds of extraordinarily ordinary people. Stan is still thinking, still learning, and, lucky for us, still conversing with his listeners in a way that only Ridgway can do.