"Black Stick" is a 1993 song from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band The Cruel Sea. The song was released in March 1993 as the lead single from the band's third studio album, ''

The Honeymoon Is Over ''The Honeymoon Is Over'' is the third studio album by Australian indie rock band The Cruel Sea, which was released in May 1993.McFarlane, Ian (1999). ''The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and PopThe Cruel Sea'entry. Retrieved 13 November 2 ...

''. It peaked at number 25 on the ARIA Charts. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 1994 The Eighth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) was held on 30 March 1994 at the State Theatre in Sydney. Radio and TV personality Richard Stubbs hosted the cer ...

, the song was nominated for ARIA Award for Best Song but lost out to "The Honeymoon is Over". "Black Stick" was polled a number 21 in the

Triple J Hottest 100, 1993 The 1993 Triple J Hottest 100, counted down in January 1994, was the inaugural countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J (as opposed to previous incarnations of the poll, whe ...

, the second highest placing by an Australian act after their own song, "The Honeymoon is Over".

Tony Cohen Anthony Lawrence Cohen (4 June 19572 August 2017) was an Australian music record producer and sound engineer. He worked with Nick Cave's groups the Birthday Party, and then the Bad Seeds from 1979 to 2001. In mid-1986 he had followed Cave to ...

said, "I was mixing the same song for three days, perfecting it, and it worked. It was a hit. They

ater Ater (Hebrew אֲתַר) is an Old Testament male name. #A descendant of Hezekiah, who returned from Babylon ; #An Israelite, who subscribed to Nehemiah Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in r ...

said, 'Sorry, now we understand what you were trying to do.' I was just trying to make it so radio friendly, they had to play it, and it worked. The apologies were gracefully accepted." One song on the B-side, "Crab Stick", is an instrumental version of the A-side. " High Sheriff of Calhoun Parish" is a cover of a

Tony Joe White Tony Joe White (July 23, 1943 – October 24, 2018), nicknamed the Swamp Fox, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie" and for "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but which was first ma ...

song that spent 18 weeks in the Australian charts in 1970. "Momma Killed a Chicken" is

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

's arrangement of a traditional blues song most commonly known by the title "

Bottle Up and Go "Bottle Up and Go" or "Bottle It Up and Go" is a song that is a standard of the blues. Based on earlier songs, Delta bluesman Tommy McClennan recorded "Bottle It Up and Go" in 1939. The song has been interpreted and recorded by numerous artists, ...

". Both covers were produced by The Cruel Sea and Brett Stanton, who was the assistant engineer on the main song.

Reception

Reviewed in Australian rock magazine '' Juke'' at the time of release, it was claimed that, "Adding a syncopated rhythm groove to their already stunning, subtle, string-driven post-spaghetti-western soundscape, this unique musical entity continue their evolution into excellence." The Age called it, "a rap-surf gem."

Woroni ''Woroni'' is the student newspaper of the Australian National University (ANU), based in Canberra, ACT, Australia. The name "Woroni" derives from an Indigenous Australian word meaning "mouthpiece". ''Woroni'' is published bi-monthly in full co ...

said the song, "swaps Tex's usually aggressive sexual persona for an ambiguous, possibly auto-erotic tour over his body (legs like towers, heart as a muscle etc). Meanwhile, the band's usual lean guitar lines are fleshed out with a semi-Latin twist and a swinging rhythm which makes them sound like the house band at the Copacabana. This, by the way, is a compliment."

Track listing

# "Black Stick" # "High Sheriff of Calhoun Parish" # "Momma Killed a Chicken" # "Crab Stick"

Charts

References

{{authority control The Cruel Sea (band) songs 1992 songs 1993 singles