Review: The Black Rider is the twelfth studio album by Tom Waits, released in 1993 on Island Records. The album features studio versions of songs Waits wrote for the play The Black Rider, directed by Robert Wilson and co-written by William S. Burroughs. The play is based on the German folktale Der Freischutz, which tells the story of a man who makes a deal with the devil to win a shooting contest and the love of his bride. The play premiered in 1990 in Hamburg, Germany, and was later performed in various countries. Waits' experimental, avant-garde compositions and croons shine as strongly as ever on the album, coming blended with elements of cabaret, jazz, blues, rock, and noise. Waits sings in various voices and accents, accompanied by instruments such as trumpet, accordion, guitar, banjo, and percussion. Of course, it wouldn't be the same without interspersed narrations by Burroughs, and topped off by cameos from Gregg Cohen and Walter Donaldson. Now remastered for the first time ever from the original 1/2 inch master tape and personally overseen by Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan, this one comes re-released by UMR on vinyl.
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