The third of the second tranche of Frank Black solo albums being re-issued this year is Fast Man Raider man that originally came out way back in 2006, this is the albums first vinyl issue and is a double album. This album features an all-star line-up of musical legends once again produced by John Tiven and recorded by Jake Burns, Marc Chevalier, Dan Penn and Miles Watson in Nashville and Pasadena.
The band includes among other stellar names, Bobby Bare Jnr, Carol Kaye, Rich Gilbert, Steve Cropper, Levon Helm and Jim Keltner and the name that made my jaw drop and start salivating at owning more of his music Jack Kidney, from the totally legendary 15.60.75. who Frank worked with as part of the US version of David Thomas' Mirror Man, a show I was very happy to have been at the World premiere of as part of the Disastrodome Festival at the Southbank centre a good few years ago.
The A-side opens with If Your Poison Gets You sounding like a cocktail jazz band going indie and succeeding, as this is wonderfully odd with Franks bruised vocals talking about the Poisons you or he may be addicted too.
John Barleycorn in this case isn't being told to die, but this is about curbing your desire for the demon drink with the horns whipping up a musical cocktail as the sound envelopes you like the effects of a four-day binge as your barfly mates cheer you on.
Fast man is a slow dark rumination about a man who is being shown the door again while sounding like Dr John playing with The Band. You Can't Crucify Yourself is a brilliant song title for this slow countrified blues with some dark imagery as Frank seeks a little bit of redemption.
Dirty Old Town is played far more downbeat than The Pogues did when they covered this Ewan Maccoll classic. This is sparse and full of regret before slowly it gets far more Countrypolitan and twangtastic.
Wanderlust is a song for a touring musician and his need to hit that road again and see what he'll find set against some great organ and guitar.
The B-side opens with Seven Days, that isn't a Mick Ronson cover sadly, but is about a journey that will take all week, as the bass decorates this journey across the world to Boston it feels full of sadness for what you've missed while you sit back and listen to those horns playing.
Raider Man is a delicate acoustic folk blues with some glorious finger picking. The End Of The Summer is an adaptation of Gabriel Faure's Le Sicilienne that has become a song about floods and downbeat concern at the approach of winter that the organ part welcomes.
Dog Sleep has a New Orleans style jazz fonk song for the downtrodden, as he is living on Horsemeat and almost no sleep with hints of Strange Fruit.
When The Paint Grows Darker Still you've probably been smoking too long, or in this case Frank is in a dark mood exploring his despair and hoping to find a way out of all the darkness.
I'm Not Dead (I'm In Pittsburgh) is about things getting so bad that frank is holed up in Pittsburgh with the Boston blues again and hoping you'll forgive him.
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Golden Shore is a James Carr style bruised song for a sad goodbye for someone you'll never see again, it is full of bitter regret at how things have turned out.
The C side opens with In My Time Of Ruin that sounds like a Lydia Lunch song title almost, but is actually a piano led song of redemption and finding your way back to sanity whatever that maybe.
Down To You is one side of an argument with Frank telling us who should take the blame as the piano swirls around driving the point home. Highway To Lowdown shares a sensibility with the Summerhill classic Return To Lowdown as Frank takes a one way trip to lowdown.
Kiss My ring is about as Catholic a title as they come, it is about goings on beneath the surplice and why you might decide to kiss that ring and feel the magic finger.
My Terrible ways is a slow jazzy blues of regret for ending up in jail with some cool brushed percussion. Fitzgerald is a tribute to an artist and his works and how he is perceived when he loses the plot to the demon drink and there are no mentions of Edmund.
I hold the door open for all of Elijah, that is one of the fastest songs on the album, it has no hallelujahs for the returning angel though, you may need some of the traditional four glasses of wine that are drunk when Elijah's story is normally told, as the Accordion really seals the deal.
The D side opens with It's Just Not Your Moment a downbeat bruised song of regret for another singer whose missed his moment, no matter how cool he once was, this has a magical instrumental outro.
The Real 'El Ray is a song for a long-lost scene as frank wants to come back to Manchester for his sins, while he dreams of some cold Bohemian suds. Where the Wind Is Going has some rather disturbing Knopfler style guitar on a very familiar sounding tune that has some wonderful piano or organ playing.
Holland Town is seemingly about being in a Dutch Town trying to make things work properly as you watch your life go to hell. Sad Old World, well isn't it just as this seems to be re-working Dark End Of The Street as Frank wallows in the mire once more sounding very much like James Carr.
Don't Cry That Way has an old time country feel to it that is bruised and abused but not out. The album closes with a version of Fare Thee Well that makes this much sung classic of separation and despair into an upbeat sounding hymn.
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