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Songs That Made This Country Great

4.6 out of 5 stars 36

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Audio CD, February 25, 1992
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Track Listings

1 Salesman
2 Lonely Town
3 Drive, She Said
4 Don't Box Me In
5 Can't Complain
6 Goin' Southbound
7 Ring Of Fire
8 Camouflage
9 The Overlords
10 Lost Weekend
11 Cannon Song (Army Song)
12 The Big Heat
13 Peg And Pete And Me
14 Mexican Radio
15 I Wanna Be A Boss
16 Walkin' Home Alone

Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 4.94 x 0.45 inches; 2.88 ounces
  • Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Capitol
  • Date First Available ‏ : ‎ December 7, 2006
  • Label ‏ : ‎ Capitol
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000000QGC
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 36

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
36 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2014
Stan Ridgway is one of those artists that seems to refuse to be categorized. His entire career has seen him bending genres and making music outside the box. Songs That Made This Country Great is a representation of his music spanning a ten year period from 1981-1991. That covers his stint with Wall of Voodoo as well as music from three of his studio albums and a couple of collaboration projects.

The most defining characteristic of his music is Stan's voice. It has a southern drawl and a distinctive resonance that he carries with clarity and a level of intonation that draws you to what he says. He sings with character and precision. With a voice like that you would think he make his mark in country music. However Stan isn't one to follow conventional thinking. New Wave is probably the best genre to describe this music, but that is very limiting to the creativity in this album. What it does mean is he uses synths, drum machines, guitars, whatever it takes to put the music out that he wants. It really is something to experience, because there is no way I can really put in words.

Songs That Made This Country Great has tracks from Wall of Voodoo Albums Call of the West and The Index Master, tracks from his solo albums The Big Heat, Mosquitos and Party Ball, and a track from the Rumblefish Sountrack as well as a contribution he did in the tribute album Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill. The compilation is not listed in any chronological order of when the song was released. It's more an order that is an appropriate set list to listen to all the way. Here is a breakdown of some of the tracks:

SALESMAN - A song from the salesman's perspective. Has a slightly aggressive feel to it with some forward moving rhythms and distorted guitars. The song kind of trails off with the prose, which makes the lyrics a stronger part of this song than the music. Instrumentally it's not as approachable.

LONELY TOWN - A sweet and mellow tune with some creative chord progressions. Kind of like a lounge song with a bit of storytelling. Great tune to relax to.

DRIVE SHE SAID - A classic storytelling song from Stan about a lady using a cab driver as a get away from a crime. It's a bit catchy and the music is approachable with a nice guitar riff and straight drums.

DON'T BOX ME IN - This is a collaboration with Stewart Copeland of The Police for the soundtrack of the movie Rumblefish. You can hear some heavy Police influences in the music due to Copeland's songwriting contribution as well as his contribution as drummer for the song. Still even if it's sounds more like a Copeland song Stan's mark is definitely heard. The song is a bit avantgarde and is likely more suited to fans of either Ridgway or Copeland.

CAN'T COMPLAIN - This is a funny song about a guy complaining about various aspects of his life. It has a mellow Latin rhythm reminiscent of a bossa nova. Has a nice uplifting chorus too.

RING OF FIRE (single edit) - This is one of the coolest songs Wall of Voodoo every put out. It is a heavily synthed cover of Johnny Cash's popular tune. It's minimalist with no drums, a single heavy synth bass, a rockabilly sounding guitar and Stan's vocals. What he does with it is striking. Johnny Cash even once said of all the covers he has heard of this song Wall of Voodoo's version was his favorite. The original version is almost twice as long as the single edit and most of that entails a very dissonant and avantgarde distorted guitar solo. To me this edit is much better as it dispenses with the performance art part of the song the guitar solo apparently is and sticks with the meat of the music. This track alone is worth getting this compilation for.

CAMOUFLAGE (single remix edit) - This is Stan's most popular solo work. It's a Vietnam war story and to tell you more would spoil it. The song has a old west/folksy feel to is in spite of the drum machines and synths being mixed with the acoustic instruments. It's one of his cooler story songs as well. There is a slight remix on the reverb in this version and it is edited mostly for time and runs about two minutes less than the original running time.

THE BIG HEAT - This was one of my early favorites. Another story song that uses lots of synthesizers, which makes a strong contrast to his voice and makes for a unique combination. The chorus is pretty sweet and in one of them Stan sings in a higher pitch in a way I have never heard him sing before or since.

MEXICAN RADIO (edit) - Wall of Voodoo's most famous song. It was written by Marc Moreland and Stan Ridgeway and is about listening to unregulated broadcasts from Mexico on their A.M. radio. This is the version that got all the radio airplay so most of you wouldn't notice the difference in the edit.

This is a great album to pick up on Ridgway's earlier and more experimental music. I had one of his previous albums, The Big Heat when I got this, and even though a lot of songs from that album are here I still find plenty to love (especially Ring of Fire). It's hard for me to say whom of you would like this music. 80's synth pop fans may find something. Experimental music fans may find something. Country fans may find something. If you can find a way to sample a few songs and see what you think. May not be everybody's cup of tea, but for a lot of you I'll bet you won't be disappointed.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2014
I just loves me some Stan Ridgeway. He has this unique voice and style that is unmistakeable. If you are a Stan Ridgeway fan, then you understand what I'm talking about. This CD is a collection of some of his best work that also includes some of his hits with Wall Of Voodoo.
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2008
Ok, the selection of songs perhaps doesnt follow a logical order, the Operatic bit is jarring, but the songs still capture the essence of Stans early and mid-career. Perhaps steering clear of some of his "eccentric excesses", but I suppose some of the beauty of Stan are those eccentricities. I have grown up with his music, from a schoolboy through college to now, knowing a handful of people who had even hear of him, he is a sort of crazy Uncle, full of apocryphal life stories. OK, he broke cover briefly with Camouflage, but normal service was resumed when he slipped back into obscurity. Which is not a bad thing, that obscurity I think feeds the very essence of his understanding of the way the world and people work, and that understanding drive and inform his songwriting. I applaud those who discover him by accident and recognise him for what he is, an articulate, unappreciated genius. For those who feel "Songs That.." lacks narrative and cogence, track down an EP called Fly on the Wall". A friend Mark got it many years ago, and it is a "best of" intermixed with Stans comments about how the songs were written. Its a great listen. I`m going to Google it now, but I suspect it may be hard to get hold of....it's worth the effort though, trust me.
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2009
A friend gave me a copy of this album on tape. I enjoyed it so much I wore the tape out. I was pleased to see it was still available on cd. All Stan Ridgway fans should own this cd.
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2013
This is a great CD and I love listening to it. I would recommend it to any one who likes alternative music.
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2007
I highly recommend this album. Then after you know what I already know, buy up the extended EP The Index Masters, Dark Continent & Call Of The West Wall Of Voodoo CD's & The Big Heat. Just Excellent!
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2015
Arrived quickly and as described, would purchase again.
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 1999
So I was in the music store, trying to find something new, and I came across Stan Ridgway. I knew next to nothing about him, and the only track I recognized by title was Mexican Radio. It's now one of my favorite discs; a definite Desert Island pick for me. Stan's music is an acquired taste; extremely quirky but with excellent production values and a host of well-crafted song-stories. Reminds me of, in a way, the way Lou Reed and Tom Verlaine don't sing as much as narrate the stories they tell. A great sense of humor... I love the sad-sack storylines contained in the songs Can't Complain, Overlords, Peg & Pete & Me, and I Wanna Be a Boss. Lonely Town is a great ballad-type song... for him, at least. I have this disc with me for every long road-trip.
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Top reviews from other countries

Frank Dee
5.0 out of 5 stars The most accurate "best of" by Stan Ridgway and Wall Of Voodoo
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 11, 2017
If you are searching a "best of" of Wall of Voodoo (fronted by Stan Ridgway) or hits by Stan himself, you shoul redirect your searches on this CD.
By the way, I found this the most complete greatest hits, as there's some hits like "Don't Box Me In" as well as "Mexican Radio".
Barry Kingston
5.0 out of 5 stars SONGS THAT MADE THIS COUNTRY GREAT by STAN RIDGWAY
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 8, 2012
Great album. Really bought it for the outstanding track that was also a hit single and by which Stan Ridgway is probably best known for: "Camouflage". Loved this album and recommend it!!
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Jon Franks
4.0 out of 5 stars great item
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2022
great cd