Riggley Road Stories [Enhanced]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
What began as a lone lyric on the studio floor has, with time, become an epic tale of life, death, sin, and redemption. When songwriter Rees Shad concluded sessions for his 1996 debut, Anderson, Ohio, he was left with a song, "Incident on Riggley Road," that didn't make the final cut. But the track stayed with him, growing from a singular entity into Shad's second offering, The Riggley Road Stories, a folky, rolling song cycle that etches itself into your consciousness with its simple, honest, sometimes harsh descriptions of four lives destroyed by a tragic childhood accident. The disc comes accompanied by a novella of sorts, vignettes inspired by the original song became inspiration for the new material. Taken singularly, both pieces are worth attention, especially for those enthralled by traditional American folk tales and music. Considered together, they become a bittersweet modern classic, combining to fully realize a haunting vision. --Alexandra Russell

Riggley Road Stories,Rees Shad,Sweetfish,Adult Alternative,Contemporary Folk,Folk & Traditional,Pop,Popular Music,Singer/Songwriter

Tracks:

Repo's Introduction
The Accident
Incident On Riggley Road
The Day They Took James Kennedy
Repo-Man's Theme
Sylvia's Eyes
Stone In My Shoe
Envy Of Red Tail
The Mrs. & Me
Repo-Man's Reprise
I Don't Venture Out
Stephen Leon's Moon
Wash Away
Footprints On Landscapes

Amazon.com

What began as a lone lyric on the studio floor has, with time, become an epic tale of life, death, sin, and redemption. When songwriter Rees Shad concluded sessions for his 1996 debut, Anderson, Ohio, he was left with a song, "Incident on Riggley Road," that didn't make the final cut. But the track stayed with him, growing from a singular entity into Shad's second offering, The Riggley Road Stories, a folky, rolling song cycle that etches itself into your consciousness with its simple, honest, sometimes harsh descriptions of four lives destroyed by a tragic childhood accident. The disc comes accompanied by a novella of sorts, vignettes inspired by the original song became inspiration for the new material. Taken singularly, both pieces are worth attention, especially for those enthralled by traditional American folk tales and music. Considered together, they become a bittersweet modern classic, combining to fully realize a haunting vision. --Alexandra Russell

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Package, Amazing Price.......2005-10-26

Every now and then, a cd slips through the cracks and totally misses the praise it deserves (Billy Voss' "Lucky Driving Buddha" comes to mind as well) - then ends up available on Amazon for a buck or less.

If you enjoy folk music, I urge you to give this one a try. It's an amazing tale that is skillfully rendered by the musicians Shad has assembled. In addition to the haunting story of the cd, Shad has also scribed a novella the music is based on that's included with the cd. It's possibly even better than the cd, as Shad is obviously an accomplished storyteller and writer.

As for the review below by "Shadhater" - the name of the reviewer says it all: someone whose sole intent is to smear Shad for whatever reason. Kind of reminds me of "Syndrome" from The Incredibles.

An amazing CD.......2000-06-02

The Riggley Road Stories CD is by far one of the most inovative CD's I have ever experienced. The music is a cross between country-folk-blues that tells a story that not only captures your imagination, but takes you away.

I've bought this album for a number of people and they all have said that it's one of the best albums they own. And do yourself a favor, there's a wonderful Easter Egg in this album, drop it into you CDRom player on your computer, you'll be surprised!

Boring and pretentious album is a waste of time........2000-03-28

Self-professed story teller, Rees Shad has produced anotherloser. The storyline makes no sense whatsover, and one wonders howthis album was ever released with such pretentious content.

The recording is very poor, with distorted intruments, and unintelligible lyrics. It is over-arranged, and has no core band; only a loosely knit group of studio musicians.

Even with the talent of these players, Riggly Road Stories isn't worth the price.

American music just doesn't get any better than this!.......1998-09-16

This is the second CD released by Rees Shad under the Sweetfish Records label. The music is based on a short story revolving around the lives of three boys who are envolved in the accidental killing of a friend.

The short story is actually packaged with the CD, and the art work is superb. The music is folk based with some addicting hooks that you just can't get out of your head. I listened to the complete CD 2 or 3 times before reading the prose; and this sequence worked for me.

Every song on this CD stands on its own merit, but when the whole CD is taken in context it is just one awesome piece of work. The recording on this CD is superb with just the right mix of vocals, instruments, and animal life!

Upstate New York has produced a winner, and I would highly recommend "The Riggley Road Stories" to anyone who enjoys folk rock music.

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