Customer Reviews

Frank's Wild Years

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I first heard this back in college. At the time, it blew away antything else I was hearing & I think it single handedly changed my tastes in music. 15 years later I never tire of it. Which is probably why I'm writing this review.

Critics would have you believe this is the third installment of a trilogy that started with SWORDFISHTROMBONES. If anything, it stands as a precursor to the work he later did with Robert Wilson. This album is the music from a performance piece Waits wrote with his wife & collaborator, Kathleen Brennan. It played to sold out performances at the Steppenwolf Theatre in the mid 80's & if I had known who the hell Tom Waits was then, I'd certainly be in the 1st row.

"Hang On St. Christopher" comes off as a reckless itinerary for a fugitive of justice. The sparse use of horns coupled with Mark Ribot's signature guitar aid & abet for a long day's journey into night.

"Temptation" has to be one of my favorite Waits'tunes featuring a demented falsetto & chorus as seductive as the subject matter. If Stephen Foster wrote a song based off William Kennedy's IRONWEED, it might have sounded like "Innocent When You Dream". An undeiable classic, right up there with the likes of "Time " & "Tom Traubert's Blues".

Without a doubt, there's a pervading sense of gloom overiding this album but every song is a gem if you take the time to dust it off. From the drunken "RAWHIDE" trappings of "Yesterday Is Here" to the delerious Film Noir of "Telephone Call From Instanbul" , this album is a virtual mugshot of Waits at his height of his powers. If anyone could write a musical of Eugene O'Neill's ICEMAN COMETH, it's Tom Waits. And I have to say, FRANK'S WILD YEARS is the sonic equivalent. Its certainly one of the most ambitious records of his career. A roadtrip movie for the damned.

One of the few five-stars in my book. This was the second Waits album I bought and it has remained with me lo these many years later.

Waits' songwriting has already been rightfully praised by other reviewers. What I want to talk about is the music and arrangements that create the atmosphere that sustains this album. The accordion on "Blow Wind Blow" that sounds like it was lifted straight from a 1930's era Popeye cartoon. The clanking, squawking, grinding guitars and the eerie wobble of the Optigan, a toy organ that Waits uses in ways its makers never intended. (The rooster on "I'll Be Gone" is actually from the Optigan.)

There's more I could mention. The Albert Ayleresque intro to "Temptation." The dark, spare resonance of "Yesterday is Here" which sounds like it's being played by a bum with a broken guitar at a deserted railroad crossing. "Please Wake Me Up," (a plea not to be awakened during a dream) drowned in waves of wobbling pump organ with Waits' vocal sounding as if it was recorded over the phone. The frightful apotheosis of "Straight To The Top (Vegas)" and "I'll Take New York," which sounds like the soundtrack to the crucifixion of a bad lounge singer.

Nothing is normal here, which fits in with the theme of dreams. And underlying everything is the same kind of sorrow that motivates the best American music; the blues, in short. It's about wandering, whether in your mind or in reality or both.

If you have to be lost, it might as well be with Tom Waits, who can tell a shaggy dog story better than anyone.

Tom Waits is an oddity, complete unto himself, and probably one of the greatest artists America has ever produced, although most Americans don't realize it. This is one of his best and most completely realized pieces of art.

One of the greatest - maybe the greatest - album Mr. Waits has given us. Scratch that, one of the best albums anyone has given us.

A harrowing, modern opera with a pathetic Everyman for a hero, Frank's Wild Years has been burnt into many of our musical memories for almost 20 years. From initial desperate disappearing act to the giddy leave taking of one's senses, helpless resignation and ultimately tragic denouement this album has haunted me from its first, nearly incomprehensible hearing to today. A remarkable achievement that has not lost a drop of its power or relevance. You're innocent when you dream . . .

I love this album. Tom Waits is a genius in my book. And this is one of my favorites of his. Every song shines with beauty, sadness, and the very essence of life. Each song is different yet they flow together and form a story for all time.

The story is about a man named Frank, and it's a rags to riches kind of story. It starts out this kid named Frank wants to go "Straight up to the Top" and he is very earnest and innocent, because you are "innocent when you dream," and he goes on to face some of life's sadness in songs like "cold cold ground." That is what I love about Tom Waits; that he can paint a story like this through music.

And what music it is! Each song has its own distinct personalty. From a calypso vibe in "Temptation" to a rooster crowing in " I'll be Gone," to even more experimental tracks. Other highlights include "Yesterday is Here," "Train Song," and gosh darnit, every song! So, really, if you are looking for quality music that makes you think and feel, this is it. And if you like this album, Tom Waits has many more that are just as good, and original. A fascinating musical voyage.

At the age of 20, I was introduced to the world of Tom Waits with this album. It remains one of my favourites of his.
FWY did get some lukewarm critical response at the time of it's release, and there are things to be aware of before you buy it. First, if you don't like Waits, you will most likely deteste this one. And if you like, or even love Tom Waits, this still could be more Waits than even you can handle.
You see, this is an album where Tom Waits sounds like himself, and no one else. It's predecessor, "Rain Dogs", did have some radio friendly material. On FWY however, there is nothing that Rod Stewart could have turned into a hit.
The album was recorded and released in the mid 1980's. Tom Waits' calendar however, must have frozen around the year of 1955. Elvis, Beatles, psychedelia, folk rock, punk/New Wave, name any category of pop and rock music, no matter how obscure. When listening to this album, it is like none of that had ever happened.
Of all the people working in the field of popular music, Waits most definetely has the strangest, most peculiar musical taste. His favourite band is Salvation Army. Even how much he detests (and I think he does!) the development of rock music from 1956 and on, he seems to have the deepest respect for it's roots, like blues, bluegrass and jazz. Mix this up with some warped, twisted version of a Weimar Republic cabaret, and Waits' musical landscape is set.
Waits was accused for sounding like a parody of himself on this album, and really, he is a bit over the top on some of the tracks. The fact that it's a concept album, telling the story of Frank, is the only way he can possibly get away with a song like "I'll take New York".
Sure, this music isn't for everyone. But if you're tired of mainstream music, and want to hear something completely different, very talented music, FWY is warmly recommended. If you can't appreciate it, then make like a hockeyplayer and get the PUCK outta here!

Among my favorite CDs ever -- I have about 1000 CDs and this ranks in the top 10. This is Tom Waits' tribute album to Frank Sinatra. "Straight to the Top" is Waits doing Sinatra which is hilarious. In general though, great orchestration and instrumentation -- why more artists don't exhibit this level of superior creativity surprises me as it is simply an amalgamation of numerous musical influences.

..but with Tom Waits, that's exactly how it should be. Frank's Wild Years was my first disc of his, and boy it had taken a while to reach the point where I got the courage to get it.

That has all changed.

The man is, as someone else said here: "...a genius, complete unto himself.." and even if you don't like his music, or try (and fail) to get it, I would still have to say the summation is right.

Tom Waits has created a musical universe all his own, and I personally still feel "Frank's Wild Years" is one of his greatest discs.

What underpin even his most way-out recordings are honesty, compassion, and, yes, innocence that bore right through the characters he embodies, and in turn, tear you apart when you play the disc. His beautifully broken voice, combined with the "don't mow the lawn' approach to recording give the songs a grubby yet epic quality hard to overstate or describe.

I feel "Tom's Wild Years", with its more "mainstream" (relatively speaking) approach, is a good entry point for newcomers. It also happens to be one of his masterpieces.

CC

When I first purchased this album a few years ago, I was captivated and have been ever since. This is a work of genius, and it's unfortunate that it seems like it is often overlooked in favor of some of some of Waits' other albums (which are good, of course, but this is high art!). My favorite tracks are "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here," and "Cold Cold Ground," but this isn't to exclude anything on this album, since it is a hugely brilliant concept. I love this man!

This cd is one of the best collections of songs from a true artist that you can get.Waits hits all aspects of his music on this album and almost every song should get a second listen.Get a drink and kick back this is a treat.Cold Cold ground is one of the most moving songs that has ever been recorded.

...turn to tom waits. all the problems in yourlife, tom will be right there, all you need to do is listen. human's are social creatures, tom waits is the genius mind, the friend and storyteller, who will make you feel better because you'll be able to relate to the music and stories he tells. tom understands that sadness is just another emotion in life that everyone needs to deal with. and he touches upon this, becomes your shoulder to cry on, all you need is his lyrics and music. this is a very melancholy album. but i guarantee if you're blue, start singing along to "innocent when you dream". shout it! it's a victory song. listen to the lyrics of "more than rain". this heals the wounded soul.

i don't review many things any more. i don't want to be critical, just way too much negative energy. don't trust my opinions and formulate your own. if anything, trust tom. he's got what will make you feel better.