Friday, December 2, 2022

Tom Waits- Before & After

 

 

By the time both "Blood Money" and "Alice" were released, I had grown just a little impatient with Tom Waits and the blacksmith percussion and his fondness for marimba that seemed to be utilized relentlessly on every record since he signed to Island Records in 1983. Yet, if I had to make a short list of my favorite Tom Waits records, "Rain Dogs" and "Mule Variations" would top the list.

Everything in moderation, I always say.

So when I revisited "Blood Money" just a few days ago, it wasn't that much of a surprise that it hit me in all the right ways. I remembered very little of it, and I went in the old-fashioned way, with inner sleeve in my hand so I could follow along.

Underneath the clanking and the growling are some of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching ballads I have ever heard, as well as three and four minute songs that are just as engrossing as epic films. And I would defend his sandpaper growl to those who find it all kinds of maddening, by saying that these songs would not work without it.

I can't say I listened to "Blood Money" as it was intended, as the soundtrack to Georg Buchner's novel, "Woyzeck." I just listened as another Tom Waits album and it is a new favorite.

Waits's wife Kathleen Brennan began getting writing credit on "Rain Dogs," and every record since has been credited to both. I am not certain who writes what, or if they collaborate on all, but lyrically, "Blood Money" is something to behold.

"Pretend that you owe me nothing And all the world is green We can bring back the old days again When all the world is green
 
The face forgives the mirror The worm forgives the plow The questions beg the answer Can you forgive me somehow?
 
Maybe when our story's over We'll go where it's always spring The band is playing our song again All the world is green"
 
That is from "All The World Is Green."
 
This is from "The Part You Throw Away."
 
I want that beggars eyesA winning horseA tidy Mexican divorce
St. Mary's prayersHoudini's HandsAnd a Barman who alwaysUnderstands
 
Will you lose the flowersHold on to the vaseWill you wipe all those teardropsAway from your faceI can't help thinkingAs I close the doorI have done all of thisMany times before
 
The bone must goThe wish can stayThe kiss don't knowWhat the lips will say
Forget I've hurt youPut stones in your bedAnd remember to neverMind instead
 
From a closed down cabaretIn a Portuguese SaloonA fly is a circling aroundThe roomYou'll soon forget theTune that you playFor that is the partYou throw awayAh, that is the partYou throw away"
 
I've read the inner sleeve a number of times already without the accompanying music. It's hard to put down.
 
I wouldn't advise having a Waits binge on these later records, especially if you're either unfamiliar with the records, or just a casual fan. It can be unnerving. But if you have the mettle for one demanding 45 minute movie at a time, you will be rewarded with some of the best music of the last 40 years. 
 
Tom Waits reinvented himself once given the freedom to do so by Island Records. Some prefer the down and out, piano bar singer-songwriter over the carnival barker and "Ironweed" extra. I say, why not have both?
 
 

 

 

 

 


 

 


 

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been meaning to revisit these albums since they were remastered. Neither of them made an impression with me when they were released, and I haven't listened to them much over the ensuing years. Time to give them another spin.

And I count myself amongst the Clatter and Doom crowd.

Bill

pmac said...

Huge Waits fan. Blood Money is on my top 5 list of his albums.

Anonymous said...

I'm a fan of both versions of Tom Waits. I started with Rain Dogs (I recall a record of the month review by Steve Simels in Stereo Review prompted me), then worked backwards and continued forward. The thing that really clinched my fandom was seeing him in concert. That is a truly special treat.
Like you, Sal, I haven't given Blood Money or Alice enough spins, though I recall enjoying Alice a lot when it first was out. Thanks for the reminder.

For those that haven't dipped into Tom's work, he is unique.

Paul in DK

Sal Nunziato said...

@Paul In DK

Saw Tom Waits three times--"Rain Dogs" in '85, "Frank's Wild Years" on Broadway in '87, and again for "Mule Variations" in 1999, and all three were as you say "a truly special treat." Nothing like it.

Honest Ed said...

I also saw him 3 times, also the Rain Dogs Tour (Edinburgh), FWY (Toronto) and Edinburgh again on the Glitter And Doom tour, which looks like it was one of his last ever shows. Sensational every time, enhanced by having seats at the front of the stalls for the Edinburgh shows. I'm in the latter half of his career camp, though I can hear the seeds of the Island records in pretty much all his earlier albums after The Heart Of Saturday Night.

Very much a Marmite record, almost all the women in my life have hated his voice with a passion, so sometimes it's only being a Tom Waits fan.

Anyone heard the version of Shenandoah he did with Keith Richards or Bella Ciao with Marc Ribot. Lover them.

Anonymous said...

Three shows for me, too. A late 80's new year's eve gig in San Francisco, the 1999 tour at Fox Theater (Oakland), and a benefit show (also at the Fox) for the Raven Theater in Healdsburg where he lives (at least at the time). When he sued and won over a company using a sound-alike voice in an advertisement that he'd earlier refused to participate in, he had enough money to buy a small ranch in that town. All of the gigs were unique. Just the stories he told between songs and the banter with hecklers were worth the admission.

Paul in DK

Anonymous said...

This Waits thread reminds me of his visit to the last week of the Letterman show. The interview segment is hilarious, of course, but this song is even better:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEi5b6nUQQs

Bill

cmealha said...

Moderation is for p******s. Bring on the bagpipes!

cmealha said...

The one thing I really have to thank you for is pressing me on Tom Waits. It took a while but one day it all made sense and I haven;t looked back. The lyrics you posted are among my favorites. He's a brillian story teller.

Michael Giltz said...

The closest I got to seeing Tom Waits live was a production of The Black Rider. I came to him later but he always felt of a piece to me, not a big change from the beatnik days to the gravelly voice days. Like Dylan, his voice got even more eccentric, but in a good way. But then I started with the later, more cacophonous albums and then worked my way back. My god it's been 11 years since he put out an album. But boy Bad As Me is great. I broke some people's hearts by playing them the track "Last Leaf" from that gem. What a talent. Hopefully he and kathleen are in good health and puttering around in the garden or something.

ken49 said...

I definitely looked forward to Tom's visits on Dave Letterman. Elvis Costello and Tom Waits are two of the greatest lyricists of the last 50/60 years. They may be the only two that I actually read their lyrics while listening.

M_Sharp said...

I like both Toms. I wish his voice wasn't shot, but it fits with the music. I haven't seen him live since the second album, and yes, he was always great on Letterman. He's a great photo subject too.