A Wall Of Voodoo Camouflages Stan Ridgway - Parte Dos

Following his split from Wall Of Voodoo, Stan Ridgway’s ‘Fred Schneider style’ vocals were soon heard on the track ‘Don’t Box Me In’, a collaboration with Stewart Copeland of The Police, which was featured on the soundtrack to the film ‘Rumble Fish’. He followed this with an appearance in the 1986 feature ‘Lost In The Stars: The Music Of Kurt Weill’ performing a song. No surprise really given Ridgway’s strong dedication to the cinematic craft, his work often closer to that of a pulp novelist/film noir narrator than straight pop-rock musician.

Born Stanard R. Funsten in the Californian desert town of Barstow, Ridgway started out with a love of folk/country music during his teen years, reflected somewhat in his covering work by Johnny Cash and Tennessee Ernie Ford. It would be the story telling aspect, rather than musical inclination, of folk/country music that would run rich through the waters of Ridgway’s river of work. Ridgway would take his passion for film scores, and hard won experience fronting a daring and innovative new wave band, to inform the style of his solo work post Wall Of Voodoo.

Ridgway’s debut album, released on I.R.S., took some time to surface but was worth the wait. The brilliant 1985 set ‘The Big Heat’ (OZ#61/US#131), was an atmospheric collection of vividly evocative musical vignettes, featuring tales of crime, war, and the human condition, dripping with cinematic characters and exotic locations. The lead out single ‘Drive She Said’ (OZ#60) tells the story of a taxi driver forced at gunpoint to be a getaway driver for a bank robber. Ridgway’s singing voice acts as first person narrator to the unfolding events. Amidst the danger and chaos the taxi driver finds time to entertain romantic thoughts toward the bank robber who happens to be a woman. Trust Stan Ridgway to approach a love song in such a way, imbued with a sense of inevitable alienation as the taxi driver’s fantasies are destined to remain unfulfilled.

The follow up single ‘Camouflage’ was an epic ballad that recounted the tale of an American soldier lost on patrol in Vietnam, who encounters the mythical character of ‘a big marine named Camouflage’. The larger than life tale truly did paint a virtual film in your imagination. The song was a surprise #4 hit in the U.K. (#76) but would prove to be the only major hit single thus far of Ridgway’s twenty plus year career. The next single (and title track) ‘The Big Heat’ (OZ#91) saw Ridgway return to his love of Ennio Morricone’s film score work, creating the perfect musical backdrop to the lyrical exploration of the seedy underbelly of urban life. Around the same period Ridgway contributed two tracks to the Pierre William-Glenn film ‘Terminus’.

Quickly gaining a reputation for being a perfectionist in the recording studio, it took another three years to emerge with his first album for his new label Geffen, 1989’s ‘Mosquitos’. For the album he was backed in the studio by his touring band Chapter Eleven, and on one track ‘Peg and Pete and Me’ the backing vocals were provided by a then unknown Tori Amos. The theme of the album focused intently on issues of alienation and the disenfranchised, daring listeners to depart from the comfort of their own lives into the cold and desperate world contained within the album’s songs. The style of music is more adventurous, a country and western sensibility with cold undercurrents designed to at once unsettle and intrigue. Tracks such as ‘Goin’ Southbound’ (US#8 Modern Rock Tracks), ‘Lonely Town’, and ‘Calling Out To Carol’ (US#13 Modern Rock Tracks) showcase the complexity of Ridgway as a songwriter.

1991’s ‘Partyball’ featured the single ‘I Wanna Be A Boss’ (US#13 Modern Rock Tracks), but otherwise proved to be a largely inaccessible album to the general record buying public. The title was somewhat of a misnomer for the mood of the album, which even as Stan Ridgway albums go, was a dark and bleak affair. It was arguably Ridgway’s most insular and introspective effort, dripping with sarcasm and dabs of ironic humour. In between times Ridgway indulges with five instrumental tracks, again reflecting his love of film scores. The suits at Geffen were less than impressed with the offering and parted ways with Ridgway soon after.

Ridgway then took an extended break from his own solo work over the next few years. He continued his involvement with various film projects, contributing the track ‘Talk Hard’ to the 1990 feature ‘Pump Up The Volume’ and composing the score for the 1991 Damian Klaus film ‘Future Kick’. Ridgway then became involved in the group project Drywall, with his wife (and frequent musical collaborator) Pietra Wexstun on keyboards, and Ivan Knight on drums and percussion. The trio cut their teeth on the L.A. club circuit during 1994, and released their debut album ‘Work The Dumb Oracle’ in 1995. It marked yet another curious chapter in the eccentric career of Stan Ridgway. To call Drywall’s sound experimental or avant-garde would be understating it. Keeping to his cinematic leanings, a short film called ‘The Drywall Incident’ was released the same year, as a companion piece of sorts.

Ridgway’s next album ‘Black Diamond’ (1996) saw him take yet another surprising turn in the musical road. The album’s style was a hybrid mix of cocktail-style jazz, with the film score work of Henry Mancini an obvious influence, and more straight forward acoustic guitar numbers, yielding the singles ‘Big Dumb Town’ and ‘Knife & Fork’. An EP titled ‘Film Songs’ surfaced in 1997 (a compilation of Ridgway’s contributions to film soundtracks), and this was followed by 1998’s album ‘The Way I Feel Today’, which found Ridgway wheeling out 19 pop crooner standards circa 30s and 40s. Lush orchestral backing accompanied such classics as ‘Witchcraft’ and ‘Under My Skin’ - is there nothing Ridgway won’t attempt?

1999’s ‘Anatomy’ saw Ridgway return to the dark streets of a film noir narrative, with an accompanying sombre, understated musical style to match. It was Ridgway’s most cinematic album to date, but it was to be outdone in a literal sense by ‘Holiday In Dirt’ (2001) which was accompanied on its release by an exhibition of 14 specially commissioned short films by various independent filmmakers, each film a visual companion to a song (in 2005 a DVD featuring all 14 films was released).

In the last few years Ridgway has continued to combine his own solo work, including the 2004 album ‘Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads & Fugitive Songs’, with another Drywall album ‘Barbeque Babylon’ in 2005, as well as playing banjo/harmonica with his wife Pietra’s band Hecate’s Angels. In 2006 Stan Ridgway fronted an all new line-up under the name Wall Of Voodoo, as the opening act for Cyndi Lauper, with more shows following.

The work of this musical maverick is best summed up by a quote from New Musical Express (NME), which described Stan Ridgway as “equal parts Raymond Chandler and John Huston, Johnny Cash and Rod Serling”. High praise indeed, but duly merited. As Stan Ridgway himself stated in the liner notes to the 2004 album ‘Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads and Fugitive Songs’, “My records are designed to be seen as well as heard.”. Few but the most skilled of musical auteur can manage to realise such an all encompassing engagement of the senses.
'Camouflage' clip courtesy of YouTube user gnotangerup

A Wall Of Voodoo Camouflages Stan Ridgway - Parte Uno

Wall Of Voodoo took new wave synth-driven rock and successfully married it to the ‘spaghetti western’ style sound of Ennio Morricone (‘The Good, The Bad & The Ugly’), to produce one of my favourite tracks of the mid 80s ‘Far Side Of Crazy’. The song was indicative of the oft time eclectic (think Devo) sound of a band which never quite made the leap to cross over from indie to mainstream success.

The roots for Wall Of Voodoo can be traced back to an small time independent film score company called Acme Soundtracks. Their business headquarters were based in Hollywood and happened to be across the street from the underground punk club The Masque. The man behind Acme Soundtracks was one Stan Ridgway. Ridgway was a frequent patron at The Masque, and one of the regular bands was The Skulls, featuring guitarist Marc Moreland. Soon Moreland and Ridgway found themselves jamming regularly at the Acme Soundtrack offices, initially with a view to working on music for several film score ideas Ridgway had been toying with. Fellow Skulls’ members Bruce Moreland (bass) and Chas T. Gray (keyboards) soon joined in on the impromptu sessions, and when former Black Randy & the Metrosquad drummer Joe Nanini joined the fray, the first line-up of Wall Of Voodoo came into being. The band’s name evolved from a comment a friend of Ridgway’s made in reference to the style of Acme Soundtrack’s music being less like Phil Spector’s ‘Wall Of Sound’, and more like a “wall of voodoo”.

The band soon found themselves regular players on the Los Angeles new wave circuit, moving away from straight punk with a heavier emphasis on synth/organ tracks. Ridgway’s nasal toned drawl style vocals added to Wall Of Voodoo’s unique sound. They were signed to the I.R.S. label and in 1980 released their eponymous debut EP. The stand out track was a synthesizer laced version of the Johnny Cash classic ‘Ring Of Fire’, an indication as to the future direction of Wall Of Voodoo. Their 1981 debut full length album ‘Dark Continent’ reflected the gelling style of Wall Of Voodoo, and featured the single ‘Call Box (1-2-3)’, with the album peaking at #177 on the Billboard chart. Soon after bassist Bruce Moreland left the band, leaving Wall Of Voodoo to continue on as a quartet, with Chas T. Gray assuming bass and keyboard duties.

Ridgway’s background in soundtrack work clearly influenced the sound of Wall Of Voodoo, with a strong cinematic quality evident on their next, and most commercially successful, album ‘Call Of The West’ (US#45). The 1982 LP yielded Wall Of Voodoo’s best known song ‘Mexican Radio’. The song could best be categorised as loopy pop, but as chaotically weird as it was, it was just too catchy to resist (well just like Devo I guess). It peaked at #58 in the U.S. and #64 in Britain, but Australian’s tuned to ‘Mexican Radio’ in greater numbers, pushing its ratings all the way to #33 in mid 1983. Around this time keyboardist Bill Noland was added to the line-up, returning Wall Of Voodoo to quintet status, and allowing Chas T. Gray to focus exclusively on bass duties. The follow up single ‘Big City’ failed to capture the same attention, and following an appearance at the U.S. Festival in May 1983, Stan Ridgway parted ways with Wall Of Voodoo to pursue a solo career. Ridgway later claimed a factor in his departure was an increasingly unsavoury lifestyle within the ranks of the band, including excessive drug use. I.R.S. released the 1984 album ‘Granma’s House’ as an anthology of sorts to Ridgway’s tenure with the band. Drummer Joe Nanini and keyboardist Bill Noland also parted ways with Wall Of Voodoo during 1983.

A chance encounter at a Los Angeles party with newly returned bassist Bruce Moreland, led to singer Andy Prieboy being recruited as Ridgway’s replacement later in 1984. Prieboy had already had a colourful, and at times controversial, career as an aspiring songwriter/performer fronting San Francisco new wave band Eye Protection. At this time the band’s line-up was Andy Prieboy (vocals), Marc Moreland (guitar), Bruce Moreland (bass), Chas T. Gray (now back on keyboards), and new drummer Ned Lukhardt. Wall Of Voodoo resurfaced in late 1985 with the album ‘Seven Days In Sammystown’ (OZ#50). The album featured the aforementioned classic ‘Far Side Of Crazy’, a dark yet alluring track that proved their was life beyond Ridgway in the Wall Of Voodoo sound. ‘Far Side Of Crazy’ reached #23 on the Australian charts, spending 21 weeks inside the top 100, though its brilliance didn’t translate to sales in the U.S. It was backed by one of the more clever promo videos of the era, highlighting the band’s ongoing dedication to the whole ‘western’ motif. Thematically and musically the rest of ‘Seven Days In Sammystown’ ventured into some dark and confronting areas, but the mood is sometimes compromised by an overly slick production treatment.

The follow up album ‘Happy Planet’ (OZ#83) in 1987, did little to re-establish Wall Of Voodoo as a challengingly inventive group, though a radically reworked version of the Beach Boys’ ‘Do It Again’ (OZ#40) indicated they were still keen to take chances, though perhaps misjudged ones. The rest of the album is too self conscious in its efforts to be odd, and as a result lacks the off the cuff inspired feel offered by their earlier work.

Wall Of Voodoo released one final album, though it was a live recording. ‘The Ugly Americans In Australia*’ was released in 1988, having been recorded on the band’s last Australian tour at The Palace Theatre in Melbourne (with a few tracks recorded in Bullhead City, Arizona). But following the tour Wall Of Voodoo parted ways for good.

Following the dissolution of Wall Of Voodoo, Andy Prieboy had one of his songs ‘Tomorrow Wendy’ recorded by fellow ‘spaghetti western’ rockers Concrete Blonde on their breakthrough album ‘Bloodletting’. Prieboy released his debut solo album ‘Upon My Wicked Son’ in 1990, the record’s sound reflecting Prieboy’s diverse stylistic influences, from vaudeville to opera. It was followed by the 1991 EP ‘Montezuma Was A Man Of Faith’, which featured a countrified version of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’. Prieboy’s most critically praised album was 1995’s ‘Sins Of Our Fathers’, showcasing an adventurous songwriter and performer, unafraid to push stylistic and thematic boundaries. Prieboy has more recently worked on a play titled ‘White Trash Wins Lotto’, an acerbic take on the life of Guns N’ Roses’ singer Axl Rose.

Guitarist Marc Moreland released the solo album ‘Plan 9 To Las Vegas’ in 1997 and worked on occasion with Concrete Blonde projects. Drummer Joe Nanini played with country rock band Lonesome Strangers and later released a 1996 EP under the name Sienna Nanini-Bohica. Sadly both Nanini (2000) and Moreland (2002) passed away in recent years. As discussed in the next post former front man Stan Ridgway would return to the name Wall Of Voodoo in later years.