Post by petea on Aug 16, 2020 9:42:34 GMT
I had a few albums in mind for my choice this month, but this was not at first one of them. You have Martin to blame in part for this due to is his "Best Male Singer" thread, which got me think about the evolution of Tom Waits' singing style.
"Heart Attack and Vine" received mixed reviews on its release and I think that is because it was the beginning of his transition from the style that starting with Closing Time" and, in some ways' peaked with "Foreign Affairs" and "Blue Valentine". And it is in those latter albums that his lyrics found the form that would become his signature in many ways. It was always there, but the stories had evolved and by "Heart Attack and Vine", as the review in Rolling Stone Magazine stated, it was certainly true that "Tom Waits finds more beauty in the gutter than most people would find in the Garden of Eden,".
I first saw Tom Waits touring this album in either 1980 or 1981 and by then he was developing his theatrical style of delivery (apparently inspired / encouraged by his relationship with Kathleen Brennan). He appeared alone on stage with just a piano and was then joined by a single, upright bassist. A saxophonist appeared for one or two songs, but mostly you were alone with Tom Waits. The finale was a performance of "Potter's Field" performed from a park bench under a tree, with Mr Waits regaling the audience with its story while sipping from a half-empty bottle of wine fished out of a bin beside the bench: riveting! This tour also saw me departing with my relationship with NME. I had bought it every week since I was about 13 and was keen to read the review of the concert by Mr Waits. It was a travesty and the journalist had clearly not even gone to the concert as his description was completely inaccurate in almost every respect and I realised it was made up; as were many more I had read over the years I suspected. I never bought another copy and, when I moved house a short time later, I even got rid of all of my back-issues (something I now regret, but...).
There is more information about Tom Waits and this album on Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Waits
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartattack_and_Vine
I like all of the albums by Tom Waits, having first heard him on a TV special, "An Evening with Tom Waits" on which he performed "Blue Valentine" from start to finish, complete with a back alley set. I then sought out his back-catalogue and bought every subsequent release. In this way I grew up with his stylistic shift and so, although, "The Black Rider" was a bit of surprise, I still find immense beauty in albums such as "Glitter and Doom". Now, if I was starting anew and that was my first experience of him, I'm not sure I would 'get it' quick enough to enable me to go back through his work. So, if he is new to you I would suggest starting with his early albums before diving into "Alice" and the like.
Like many great singer / songwriters his songs have been covered, especially "Jersey Girl" (by Bruce Springsteen) and "Downtown Train" (by Rod Stewart), but I have yet to hear a performer get the timing just as right as Mr Waits does. This is why I chose him as my 'greatest male' singer and he is certainly one of my favourite songwriters and performers (and is a pretty good actor too!). Let me know what you think.
Enjoy!
"Heart Attack and Vine" received mixed reviews on its release and I think that is because it was the beginning of his transition from the style that starting with Closing Time" and, in some ways' peaked with "Foreign Affairs" and "Blue Valentine". And it is in those latter albums that his lyrics found the form that would become his signature in many ways. It was always there, but the stories had evolved and by "Heart Attack and Vine", as the review in Rolling Stone Magazine stated, it was certainly true that "Tom Waits finds more beauty in the gutter than most people would find in the Garden of Eden,".
I first saw Tom Waits touring this album in either 1980 or 1981 and by then he was developing his theatrical style of delivery (apparently inspired / encouraged by his relationship with Kathleen Brennan). He appeared alone on stage with just a piano and was then joined by a single, upright bassist. A saxophonist appeared for one or two songs, but mostly you were alone with Tom Waits. The finale was a performance of "Potter's Field" performed from a park bench under a tree, with Mr Waits regaling the audience with its story while sipping from a half-empty bottle of wine fished out of a bin beside the bench: riveting! This tour also saw me departing with my relationship with NME. I had bought it every week since I was about 13 and was keen to read the review of the concert by Mr Waits. It was a travesty and the journalist had clearly not even gone to the concert as his description was completely inaccurate in almost every respect and I realised it was made up; as were many more I had read over the years I suspected. I never bought another copy and, when I moved house a short time later, I even got rid of all of my back-issues (something I now regret, but...).
There is more information about Tom Waits and this album on Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Waits
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartattack_and_Vine
I like all of the albums by Tom Waits, having first heard him on a TV special, "An Evening with Tom Waits" on which he performed "Blue Valentine" from start to finish, complete with a back alley set. I then sought out his back-catalogue and bought every subsequent release. In this way I grew up with his stylistic shift and so, although, "The Black Rider" was a bit of surprise, I still find immense beauty in albums such as "Glitter and Doom". Now, if I was starting anew and that was my first experience of him, I'm not sure I would 'get it' quick enough to enable me to go back through his work. So, if he is new to you I would suggest starting with his early albums before diving into "Alice" and the like.
Like many great singer / songwriters his songs have been covered, especially "Jersey Girl" (by Bruce Springsteen) and "Downtown Train" (by Rod Stewart), but I have yet to hear a performer get the timing just as right as Mr Waits does. This is why I chose him as my 'greatest male' singer and he is certainly one of my favourite songwriters and performers (and is a pretty good actor too!). Let me know what you think.
Enjoy!
