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The Big Heat (album)

The Big Heat is the debut solo album by American musician Stan Ridgway (former Wall of Voodoo vocalist), released in 1986 by I.R.S. Records. Named after the 1953 film noir of the same name, the original release consisted of nine songs, including the No. 4 UK hit "Camouflage". In 1986, the album reached No. 131 on the Billboard 200. The album was re-released in 1993 with six additional tracks and again re-released in 2007.

Recording

Ridgway said of the album, "I wanted to bring a lot of influences to the surface. In Voodoo, we would take the influences and hide them. I wanted to move along and be able to do a jazz song. My heroes are people like Miles Davis who go through different musical stages and don't get stagnant."

Reception

Spin said, "A man of few words, he makes every line count for something — either an image that evokes a scene or a line of dialogue that evokes a character. His decision to build and record in his own studio has paid off with a well-balanced sound that has lots of space for odd acoustic instruments to dart in and out of his synth-based arrangements."

Track listing

  • Before the album's release, the track "Pick It Up (And Put It in Your Pocket)" was used in a 1985 episode of Miami Vice.

Accolades

Chart positions

Album
Singles

Personnel

Adapted from The Big Heat liner notes.

Musicians
  • K. K. Barrett&nbsp;– drums <small>(B1)</small>
  • Chris Becerra&nbsp;– drums <small>(B4)</small>
  • Joe Berardi&nbsp;– drums <small>(A5)</small>
  • Hugo Burnham&nbsp;– percussion <small>(A2)</small>
  • Luis Cabaza&nbsp;– bass guitar <small>(B2)</small>
  • Mr. Christopher&nbsp;– violin <small>(A1)</small>, cello <small>(A1)</small>
  • Mark Cohen&nbsp;– banjo <small>(A4)</small>, mandolin <small>(A4)</small>
  • John Dentino&nbsp;– keyboards <small>(A1)</small>
  • Bruce Fowler&nbsp;– trombone <small>(A5)</small>
  • Richard Gibbs&nbsp;– instruments <small>(B2)</small>
  • Richard Greene&nbsp;– violin <small>(A2)</small>
  • Mark Lewis&nbsp;– backing vocals <small>(B4)</small>
  • Mark Morris&nbsp;– backing vocals <small>(B4)</small>
  • Bill Noland&nbsp;– keyboards <small>(A1, B1, B2)</small>, piano <small>(A2)</small>, production <small>(B2)</small>
Musicians (cont.)
  • Joe Ramirez&nbsp;– backing vocals <small>(A4)</small>, drum programming <small>(A4)</small>, guitar <small>(B1)</small>
  • Tom Rechoin&nbsp;– percussion <small>(A2)</small>
  • Steve Reid&nbsp;– percussion <small>(B2)</small>
  • Mark Terlizzi&nbsp;– bass guitar <small>(A3)</small>
  • Louis van den Berg&nbsp;– keyboards <small>(A3-A5, B3, B4)</small>, producer <small>(A3-A5)</small>, engineering <small>(A3-A5)</small>
  • Mike Watt&nbsp;– bass guitar <small>(A3)</small>
  • Pietra Wexstun&nbsp;– backing vocals <small>(A3)</small>
  • Eric Williams&nbsp;– guitar feedback
  • Bruce Zelesnik&nbsp;– drums <small>(A1)</small>
Production and additional personnel
  • Joe Chiccarelli&nbsp;– production <small>(B2)</small>, engineering <small>(B2)</small>, mixing <small>(B2)</small>
  • Mitchell Froom&nbsp;– production <small>(A2)</small>, keyboards <small>(A2)</small>
  • Carl Grasso&nbsp;– art direction
  • Jim Hill&nbsp;– engineering <small>(A2)</small>
  • Hugh Jones&nbsp;– production <small>(A1, B1)</small>, engineering <small>(A1, B1)</small>, mixing <small>(A1)</small>, keyboards <small>(A1)</small>
  • Scott Lindgren&nbsp;– photography, cover art
  • Andy Waterman&nbsp;– mixing <small>(A2-A5, B1)</small>

Release history

References

External links