The Tom Waits Project: #15. "The Black Rider" (1993)

There are few artists who have had as enjoyably weird of a career as that of Tom Waits. With a career spanning over 45 years, he has reinvented himself countless times while providing some of rock's strangest, most eclectic tunes imaginable. Over the course of 2019, my goal with The Tom Waits Project is to explore every single one of his studio albums as well as live albums and soundtracks (no compilations) and chart the shifts in his career as well as hopefully understand what makes him so ubiquitous in pop culture. He's an artist who has always been there, making things weird, but there's a good chance you haven't truly noticed him. Here's your chance to join me every other Wednesday on a quest to find out what makes him so special.

Album: "The Black Rider"

Release Date: September 1993

Label: Island Records

Certifications: N/A

Singles: N/A

Track List:

1. "Lucky Day Overture"
2. "The Black Rider"
3. "November"
4. "Just the Right Bullets"
5. "Black Box Theme"
6. "T'aint No Sin"
7. "Flash Pan Hunter"
8. "That's the Way"
9. "The Briar and the Rose"
10. "Gospel Train/Orchestra"
11. "Flash Pan Hunter/Intro"
12. "I'll Shoot the Moon"
13. "Crossroads"
14. "Oily Night"
15. "Lucky Day"
16. "The Last Rose of Summer"
17. "Carnival"

*NOTE: Listen to it here.

Track Analysis

This section is a song by song breakdown in hopes of understanding what makes each song special in his catalog. Other things considered will include best song, most interesting standout, and other fields deemed relevant to the album.

"Lucky Day Overture"

Following his first released work as a film composer is his dive into the theater. This is an album made up of studio versions of songs for an adaptation of a German opera. It's hard to really determine what's going to work about this album, but it starts with a familiar note: Tom Waits to give a performance as a barker, announcing a list of people who will probably be in the show. There's not much else to it besides its juxtaposition to the more upbeat carnival music underneath. It sounds fun, but knowing Waits it will probably have a lot more sinister underneath the surface. 

 "The Black Rider"

In some ways, it's a continuation of the previous song. The only thing that's different is that it now shifts focus to one talent: The Black Rider. The organ is becoming distorted with every note as Waits is out there asking audiences to come in. It's a bit nauseating to listen to, but it's also got a bit of that horrific carnivalesque intrigue underneath it. In a bit of potential subversion, he also suggests that "we'll have a gay old time," which could be a reference to The Flintstones. If not, it's weird that he repeats it towards the end of the song in a similar fashion. It's another track about getting people into the show. Not a whole lot of substance otherwise. 

"November"

This is where the plot starts kicking in. With a theremin creeping in the background, Waits takes on a character with a depressing backstory. It's familiar territory for him, even as his voice shifts into a sadder tone. He sings about how miserable things were after November when the world began to crumble around him. As far as an origin, likely for The Black Rider, it's vivid and effective in setting everything up for whatever's to come. 

"Just the Right Bullets"

It's about here that Waits doing this project begins to make sense. Anyone who has listened to any of his albums from the previous decade will recognize a lot of his stylistic and lyrical choices so far on the album. He's created this dark showmanship to everything, and his lyrics here tell a story of why you need the right bullets to go hunting. There's friendliness over it, even if you're essentially buying something murderous. What makes it even greater is how the instrumentation breaks down in the second half, shifting from the creaking beat to a wild and loose percussion that just builds until the end of the song. This is all familiar territory for Waits, and it's great to hear him using it in the world of theater. 

"Black Box Theme"

The first instrumental track on the album which sounds like a journey through a haunted carnival. There's even the sound of a rusty door playing at one point. Had there been a wind, it would've been all but the perfect representation of an abandoned amusement park. Instead, the wheezing theremin carries the track through its journey into the surreal. Is it a flashback? The percussion from the previous track carries into this one with an additional perverse take on the harp-like transition that accompanies these moments. It's all so beautiful in its haunting nature as if something will come out of the wall and attack you.

"T'aint No Sin"

This is the point where the past three songs feel like they have been building towards a graveyard scene. It's a bit monotonous, but it may be reflective of being this haunting background sound that is meant to horrify the central characters. What's the only memorable part of the song is the presence of co-writer and renowned author William S. Burroughs. Waits takes a break from singing to allow the "Naked Lunch" author to sing a brief but memorable lyric over and over. It's kooky but also borders on haunting when played enough times. The instrumentation helps to sell the atmosphere, creating a sense of despair and desire to dance around in your bones.

"Flash Pan Hunter"

It's another turn towards the morose. It feels like things have moved from outdoors where it's creepy and has Burroughs singing into a place where Waits is talking about the Briar being strangled. It's just as scary inside as it is outside. What makes the track particularly memorable is how the moans carry the song for a third of the running time. It's almost meditative on top of being weird as if the ghost of Waits' subject is starting to float away, or exists within the walls that this song exists. It's a straightforward song otherwise, reminding audiences of key characters that will likely become of value later in the show.

"That's the Way"

It's a bit anticlimactic if just judged on its own merits, but this song is essential Waits talking about an order to things. It's likely to help show that he wants things a certain way and that to remove that would bring with it certain chaos that he isn't ready for. It's a peaceful song where even the accordion doesn't seem to want to fuss. 

"The Briar and the Rose"

It's a sad song full of disappointment as The Briar faces whatever lies ahead. He wants the rose, but he can't have it. With Waits singing in his mournful register, he manages to convey the struggles in a way that are deeply sympathetic and haggard. It's a moment of reflection on the album and one that likely plays even better on stage. There's power here as there usually is in Waits' slower songs. The metaphor works and captures exactly what Waits is great at: the beauty alongside the macabre trying to make peace with each other. 

"Gospel Train/Overture"

The instrumentals return with a bit more of a manic force this time. The percussion and guitar sound like a train, clanging into the station as the horns manage to capture a sense of dread on the horizon. There's a lot of unease in the instrumentation, and it works at creating the vibe that whatever's come into town is going to be something dark and sinister. After the previous 10 tracks, it makes sense that the remainder is going to have some twist that is going to make things even more shocking and bizarre than they have been, especially given the previous discussion of murder and sadness. 

"I'll Shoot the Moon"

This is the closest that the album has gotten to the love song. The idea is simple but a little bit twisted. Whereas James Stewart would lasso the moon, Waits sticks with his violent imagery and chooses to shoot it out of the sky for the woman that he loves. It's tender in nature and manages to reflect his desire for normalcy. However, it's a bit macabre when you think about what else that metaphor implies. He'll do anything for her, but will he be shooting whatever that is? It's hard to say, but as lovely as the song is and how sweetly Waits performs it, one can't help but wonder if there's something darker underneath his intent. 

"Flash Pan Hunter/Intro"

It is another calm before the storm with this intro. Animals are chirping and the instruments have a sense of waking up with indigestion. It's all fine though far less interesting sonically than the preceding songs. It's over and out in a little over a minute, helping to establish a new point in the soundtrack. 

"Crossroads"

This is where things have been building to. The protagonist has to make a choice between the path of the righteous or one of temptation. It's a hard one, but Waits is once again in top form as he lays out the two ways to go. The temptation will get you hooked on worse and worse problems until it consumes your life. The way that things are going, it's likely that it will be the latter. The lyrics are once again dark and full of imagery of a life being wasted as he sings flatly, allowing every line to register with the listener in hopes that it could be cautionary. It's letting you make the decision, though even that is a bit on the difficult side. The final cry is like a wolf howling into the night, raising the question as to how the road ahead will be traveled.

"Oily Night"

On the one hand, it's a straightforward song. He just sings oily night over and over until the song concludes. However, it does feel like a conceptual piece that may work better in the show. The sprinkling sound throughout could be the sound of oil falling downwards as the rust continues to come loose, letting a machine fall into action. The ending is chaos, and in no small part because of the repetitive singing. It's so straightforward yet it sounds broken and chaotic at the same time. There's plenty of unease going on and soon things begin to unravel into something chaotic as if the oil is drowning the protagonist quicker and quicker.

"Lucky Day"

Once again, Waits gets remorseful towards the end of an album. In this case, it's a song where he sings about the joys of polygamy. He enjoys bumming around too much to actually sit down and enjoy life with his Bonnie. What he wants to do is just beat friends at the pool and enjoy his carefree life. Somehow it sounds so exciting and yet the song is a bit on the sad side. It's like he's given up the stability that his life could have had, where he could wake up knowing that he was loved and had something to be proud of. Instead, he will return one lucky day and find everyone there waiting for him. The question though is if that will really be the case. 

"The Last Rose of Summer"

As one could predict from the previous track, there's a certain bit of regret that came with the decision to let loose. He's lost the rose of summer, and in its place there is nothing. There's an emptiness that he can now never fill, and for what? It's all because he chose a life of freedom that he thought would fill him with joy. Instead, he's left feeling aimless without that sense of purpose in his life. It's a somber way for the album to end, and one that's full of self-reflection as he wonders what he can do to better himself, which is sadly not an option anymore.

"Carnival"

Considering what kind of show this is, it makes sense that everything else with the familiar ring of carnival music. It's the familiar rhythms that were heard earlier, only this time there's a mechanical undertone that sounds like destruction of some kind. What should be full of happiness is now a macabre wasteland meant to bring in audiences to laugh at you. It's sad what to end things, but as they say, the show must go on. Waits ends the show with a jarring note, and it's one that asks us to look beyond the glitz and see the humans underneath for the wounded souls that they truly are.

Closing Remarks

When ranking the works of Tom Waits, this is often put very low in part because it's hard to enjoy without the proper context. It's true that certain tracks are difficult listens without something to compliment it. However, it's still essentially another Waits album recorded in the familiar pseudo-narrative fashion. This is at times no different than "Frank's Wild Years" in that sense. Is it the best that he's done? At least as an album, it's a bit bland comparatively. However, it still works because of how weird and experimental it remains, even bringing in William S. Burroughs at one point to sing a verse or two. It's interesting and far from a failure. It requires some effort to appreciate, sure, but as a whole, it's far better than its reputation would suggest. 

Coming Up Next: "Mule Variations" (1999)

Album Rankings

This section is dedicated to ranking the albums from best to worst in hopes of finding which Tom Waits album is the best.

1. "Rain Dogs" (1985)
2. "Blue Valentine" (1978)
3. "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)
4. "Small Change" (1976)
5. "Frank's Wild Years" (1987)
6. "Heartattack and Vine" (1980)
7. "Bone Machine" (1992)
8. "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
9. "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
10. "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
11. "Closing Time" (1973)
12. "The Black Rider" (1993)
13. "Night on Earth" (1992)
14. "Big Time" (1988)
15. "One From the Heart" (1982)

Song Rankings

This section is dedicated to finding the best songs from each album and comparing them to each other in hopes of finding which one is Tom Waits' best song.

1. "Hang Down Your Head" from "Rain Dogs" (1985)
2. "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" from "Bone Machine" (1992)
3. "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard" from "Blue Valentine" (1978)
4. "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" from "Small Change" (1976)
5. "Way Down in the Hole" from "Frank's Wild Years" (1987)
6. "Way Down in the Hole" from "Big Time" (1988)
7. "Martha" from "Closing Time" (1973)
8. "Jersey Girl" from "Heartattack and Vine" (1980)
9. "Shore Leave" from "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)
10. "Potters Field" from "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
11. "Eggs and Sausage" from "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
12. "Los Angeles Mood (Another Private Dick)" from "Night on Earth" (1992)
13. "Please Call Me Baby" from "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
14. "Just the Right Bullets" from "The Black Rider" (1993)
15. "Picking Up After You" from "One From the Heart" (1982)