Black Sheep Boy
The 2005 album that made the band's name: eleven tracks, built around a character called the Black Sheep Boy.
Okkervil River, 2005
Black Sheep Boy opens with a short version of Tim Hardin's song and has ten originals by Sheff. Sheff called the Black Sheep Boy a fantastical character that crops up here and there on the album, and the concept came to him on a road trip listening to Hardin. Sheff sang and played guitars, keyboards and Wurlitzer; Howard Draper added lap steel, pump organ, mandolin, bass and synthesizer; Jonathan Meiburg vocals, piano, Wurlitzer, pump organ and electric guitar; Travis Nelsen vocals and drums; Zachary Thomas vocals, bass and mandolin; Seth Warren electronics, drums and vibraphone; Amy Annelle harmony vocals; and Brian Beattie bowed bass, sampler and field recordings. Strings are by Rebecca Browne, Caroline Slack, Alison Derrick, Ben Westney and Victoria Wolff, and Michael Kapinus played trumpet.
PopMatters scored it 9 and Alternative Press 5 out of 5; Amazon named it number 22 of 2005. The Appendix EP holds "Missing Children", "No Key No Plan", "A Garden", "Black Sheep Boy #4", "The Next Four Months", "Another Radio Song", "A Forest" and "Last Love Song for Now".
Track listing
- Black Sheep Boy1:18
- For Real4:42
- In a Radio Song5:39
- Black4:39
- Get Big3:55
- A King and a Queen3:22
- A Stone5:23
- The Latest Toughs3:11
- Song of Our So-Called Friend3:23
- So Come Back, I Am Waiting8:03
- A Glow3:43
More from Okkervil River
Don't Fall In Love With Everyone You See. (2002), Down The River Of Golden Dreams (2003), Black Sheep Boy & Black Sheep Boy Appendix (2005), The Stage Names (2007), The Stand Ins (2008), I Am Very Far (2011), Golden Opportunities 2 (2011), The Silver Gymnasium (2013), Away (2016), In The Rainbow Rain (2018)
Sources
- Black Sheep Boy, Wikipedia
- Okkervil River, Wikipedia
- Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy at 10, Consequence (2015-04-06)
- Okkervil River, Black Sheep Boy, PopMatters (2025-04-03)