The Black Rider (studio album) by Tom Waits

The Black Rider by Tom Waits
Year: 1993
Overall rank: 4,352nd   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
70/100 (from 101 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1993 (77th)
Award Top albums of the 1990s (725th)
Award Best albums of all time (4,352nd)
Product Details
Availability

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Tom Waits the Black Rider LP Vinyl Record (2023 Remastered) (new and sealed)
Condition: New


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Tom Waits - Black Rider [New Vinyl LP] 180 Gram
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Tom Waits - The Black Rider (CD)
Condition: Good


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Tom Waits bestography

The Black Rider is ranked 17th best out of 27 albums by Tom Waits on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Tom Waits is Rain Dogs which is ranked number 112 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 11,904.

Tom Waits album bestography « Higher ranked (3,437th) This album (4,352nd) Lower ranked (8,119th) »
Real GoneThe Black RiderForeign Affairs

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The Black Rider track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 78 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track
Rating/Comments
2.
Rating: 80 (17 votes)Comments: View 0
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3.
Rating: 81 (15 votes)Comments: View 0
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5.
Rating: 78 (12 votes)Comments: View 0
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6.
Rating: 77 (14 votes)Comments: View 0
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8.
Rating: 77 (13 votes)Comments: View 0
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10.
Rating: 81 (14 votes)Comments: View 0
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12.
Rating: 82 (14 votes)Comments: View 0
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13.
Rating: 72 (11 votes)Comments: View 0
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14.
Rating: 77 (14 votes)Comments: View 0
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15.
Rating: 77 (11 votes)Comments: View 0
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16.
Rating: 74 (11 votes)Comments: View 0
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17.
Rating: 77 (12 votes)Comments: View 0
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18.
Rating: 82 (14 votes)Comments: View 0
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20.
Rating: 78 (12 votes)Comments: View 0
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The Black Rider rankings

The Black Rider collection

The Black Rider ratings

Average Rating: 
70/100 (from 101 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 101 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
 Report rating
07/30/2025 03:00 AAL2014  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 3,32475/100
 
70/100
 Report rating
07/18/2025 20:16 MaxStorm98  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 3,75690/100
 
70/100
 Report rating
05/01/2025 19:41 thepardunk  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,49769/100
 
70/100
 Report rating
10/19/2024 19:32 Hyggevinyl  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 4,08473/100
 
60/100
 Report rating
10/19/2024 02:43 bcc  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,13368/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album has a Bayesian average rating of 70.3/100, a mean average of 70.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 70.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.1.

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The Black Rider favourites

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The Black Rider comments

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Rating:  
75/100
From 12/31/2019 16:45
Very cool.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 04/21/2016 15:00
The black rider, is Tom Waits collaboration with William Burroughs and Robert Wilson, and is based on a German folk tale, it's one of Waits' most challenging albums. Still, as all Waits records, there are some fantastic tracks here. Just the right bullets, November, i'll shoot the moon, and the excellent title track, are up there with anything Waits has done. Mentions must also go to, the briar and the rose, and, T'ain't no sin(which features Burroughs on vocals). There are couple of strange instrumentals, and it closes strongly with, the last rose of summer/carnival. The black rider, tends to be overlooked, as it comes just after the 'island' trilogy and the, bone machine, record, and before the, mule variations, album, which wouldn't be out until 1999. I think it's just as stunning as those other albums(although maybe not quite the same focus) and deserves more attention. Another strong Tom Waits album.
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Rating:  
70/100
From 01/29/2016 03:11
Cool concept, but not quite the same execution as the epic 80s trilogy.
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Best Albums of 1993
1. Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins
2. In Utero by Nirvana
3. Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by Wu-Tang Clan
4. Souvlaki by Slowdive
5. Debut by Björk
6. Vs. by Pearl Jam
7. Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest
8. Suede by Suede
9. Last Splash by The Breeders
10. August And Everything After by Counting Crows
11. Doggystyle by Snoop Doggy Dogg
12. Red House Painters (Rollercoaster) by Red House Painters
13. So Tonight That I Might See by Mazzy Star
14. Rid Of Me by PJ Harvey
15. Exile In Guyville by Liz Phair
16. Modern Life Is Rubbish by Blur
17. Songs Of Faith And Devotion by Depeche Mode
18. Pablo Honey by Radiohead
19. Undertow by Tool
20. Zooropa by U2
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