Customer Reviews

Glitter & Doom Live

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is easily Tom's best album in years. Doing what he does best, but too rarely - play live -his latest effort sparkles and pulses with a ferocity of life that leaps out of your sound system - and pulls you - screaming or willingly - into the live freak show that is "Glitter and Doom." Recorded over the course of his 2008 tour, the two discs are separated and mixed into a sort of hybrid (one singing/one talking) that somehow feels perfectly natural and in all reality plays exactly how most listeners will want it, rather than breaking up the songs with too-long narratives that play well in a club, but tend to drag down a purely aural experience.

The 17 songs of Disc One play out at over 70 minutes of electrifying music with Waits and his band running the gamut from his own unique version of "high energy" carnival music to full on, break your heart ballads all delivered in that inimitable voice that season-after-season increases its rasp and its grasp on his audience.

It would be impossible to single out a "best" number, but there are several that - on first hearing - stood out a bit above the rest. "The Part You Throw Away" (recorded in Edinburgh) from the album "Blood Money" with its pizzicato strings and the endless pathetic waltz undulating, beneath and a old world Spanish-style guitar solo is one of those timeless numbers that could have come from the Jacques Brel Songbook - or written a century ago.

In similar fashion, Disc One's closer, "Lucky Day" (recorded in Atlanta) is a gooseflesh and teary-eyed finale that has that Waits ballad operatic feel

Along the way there is that Waits prose that paints pictures in the mind more than almost any songwriter in the last 50 years. For instance, who but Mr. Waits could come up with lyrics like those in Circus Lyrics ((here, "Live Circus"):

"Topping the bill was Horse Face Ethel

And her 'Marvellous Pigs In Satin'"

The ambient audience noise feels natural and non-intrusive - and Waits feeds off their respective energies like a vampire at a blood orgy. Everybody wins with "Glitter and Doom."

So you see this album and you think "A live Tom Waits album? It's got to be good," because you know Tom Waits is one of the most incredible performers of our time, and he's certainly going to have some pretty amazing musicians in tow. And on these two points, you're right. But, unfortunately, this set is a pretty lackluster record of Tom's latest tour. It's not that the performances are underwhelming; quite the contrary, actually. The music is amazing. Unfortunately, the entire album sounds like it was bootlegged by an audience member. Tom's vocals are so flat and full of low end as to be unintelligible and, at times, distorted. As for the rest of the band, I can't bring myself to believe that the instruments were actually tracked seperately, as they bleed into each other so heavily you often can't discern anything more than the general harmonic structure of the tune. When anyone solos, it only makes what's already a piss poor job all the more painstakingly obvious. In fact, the applause and shouts of the audience often sound clearer and more distinct than the music itself, to the extent of sometimes drowning it out, lending even more credence to my impression that the show was recorded by an external source rather than a direct soundboard.

Surely an artist as successful and committed to their art as Tom could have afforded a better production than this. I would have given this one star, had Disc 2 not come to the rescue. The second half of this 2 disc set is a single track titled simply "Tom's Tales", which threads together a half hour's worth of Tom's musings, shared with the audience between songs, all packed to the brim with Zen-like absurdity and dark humor. This alone makes the set worth buying; just don't expect much from the music.

if I knew when the world was gonna end, I'd wanna be in a diner with Tom Waits (he likely'd have other thoughts) with Allie K after a proper booze up in time to get the first rasher of bacon off the grill before heading to the sheets for the big climax. Until then, there is his music and this is as pure a Waitsian joy as you'll ever hear. At times a burr mixer, at times the last Nighthawk out before dawn, Waits surveys the landscape of his catalogue and comes up strong with each selection. I hope like he#@ there is a DVD on the way. And the Tom's Tales is sheer genius.

If you are new to Tom Waits, then you need to start with his earlier recordings. My recommendation is either 'Closing Time' (if your preferences run to country or jazz-blues) or 'Swordfishtrombones' (if you are into alternative rock). From those two albums, you can begin to branch out. When you start to get into Tom's more contemporary albums (1999 to present), there is a lot of raw blues, more than his earlier records, and his voice is even rougher than before. But his songwriting is, as always, brilliant. With 'Glitter & Doom' there is alot to like, and some that is not so good, as is typical with a Waits album. Actually, in this case, there isn't much that isn't good. This is really a great album. The first six tracks are fantastic. Some are reinterpreted, like 'Such a Scream,' which took me by surprise, because I didn't really like the original version (on 'Bone Machine'). Here it is very tight and sounds awesome, largely because of the band, which really has done their share of the work for these shows. 'Going Out West' and 'Make It Rain' are always highlights of a great Tom Waits show, and its good to see them included here. There are some so-so songs here, like 'The Part You Throw Away,' and'Trampled Rose,' but thats only my opinion. Some will like those songs, as they are pretty good in their own right. Then there's 'Circus,' which I've heard before, but I believe this is the first time it's been released officially. This is one of Wait's stranger numbers, reminescent of a Kerouac/Ginsberg style ramble. It's amusing, but it is kinda weird. Basically, if you enjoyed Orphans, this set is a great companion to that piece. If youre a Waits fan, don't hesitate. Its worth it.

I think the amazing thing about Tom Waits music over the years is his ability to change and transcend to different levels. I have everything he has ever released and would not still be buying if it was all Closing Time and Blue Valentine stuff, which would become very boring. Every single album, right down to the ethereal Alice and the stomping of Orphans is mind-blowing. This brings me to Glitter and Doom - aahh, what an album Lucinda off this Glitter and Doom is a rollicking pirate song, Going out West makes you want to get in the car and drive, down to the gentle Lucky Day and I'll Shoot The Moon, he has something for every grateful fan. Alas he will never tour again to Australia or ever even get to New Zealand, but this is the next best thing for us down here and I savour every minute - he makes the world a far more interesting place. This is an album and an artist who stretches all musical boundaries with consummate skill and ease - and his fans appreciate it - if you want boring and mainstream go away and listen to Ronan, Rod or whoever - if you want interesting, upbeat and mindblowing, buy this album and have a blast, its awesome.

You either love Tom Waits or you don't get him at all. A dear friend introduced me to Tom's music and I was hooked. Waits is a melodic mad scientist; he is forever experimenting with words, instruments, arrangements, and voice. Others have tried to take Tom's music and make it their own. In "Glitter and Doom Live," Tom takes his music and re-makes it his own all over again.

Listening to some of my favorite Waits songs re-arranged on G&D, hearing something hauntingly familiar and yet oh so different, was like finding out a delicious secret about someone I've known all my life. Yes, I liked them the old way, but they are more interesting with the new dimension. I am reminded yet again - life is full of even more possibilities than I ever dreamed.

The second disc is Tom in conversation with who ever will listen. It's just Tom - take him or leave him. I especially like it while driving home late at night. Tom keeps me company and I'm the designated driver.

Tom Waits is one of the most inventive and original singer songwriters in the last thirty years to the extent that he's become his own genre; no one else that I can think of sounds remotely like him. He has incredible stylistic range, spanning everything from blues, rock, jazz, vaudeville, saloon, cabaret, tin pan alley, and even circus or carnival styles, sometimes all in the same song, and often blended together with unusual and obsolete instruments that include waterphones, pump organs, bagpipes, chamberlins and even assorted animal and mechanical sounds thrown in for good measure. Add to that a voice that can alternate between a demonic Louie Armstrong on steroids, only two octaves lower, to a down and out, bourbon soaked, buddy-can-you-spare-a-dime rasp, and you have what is arguably the most singular and eclectic sound in modern music, and we haven't even gotten to his lyrics, which like everything else about him, are in a category all their own.

Unfortunately, this CD captures little of this diversity and comes off like one long monotone roar. He redlines his voice from the onset and hardly lets up, straining for all he's worth, like he's at very edge of blowing out his vocal cords. It's a shame because for all his rasp and growl, he's capable of nuance and genuine emotion. With only a few, welcome exceptions, he keeps it maxed out from beginning to end, yelling out ballads and up-tempo songs with equal intensity, drowning out his band in the process, and creating about as much sonic interest as a Harley at full throttle. Unless you already know the songs, you won't understand half the lyrics, which aren't included in package - another disappointment considering the talented wordsmith that he is.

The second, untitled CD is Waits' attempt at stand-up comedy, and it fails miserably. To give you an idea, one of the best lines involves a miserly shrimp being "shellfish". Get it? Hardy har har. You might listen to it once, but never twice. That might even hold true for the music CD, but more likely you'll pick out 3 to 5 highlights for repeat listening and skip the rest.

Tom Waits is often considered one of the most influential artists of the last four decades. Although his voice sounds like a demon with a sore throat, Waits' songwriting and completely unique style make this look back at a sold out United States and European tour an entertaining adventure.

This is Tom Waits' third live album since his arrival on the music scene in 1973. His first two, Nighthawks at the Diner, a live album of new material, and Big Time were both brilliant retrospectives of his evolution and Glitter and Doom is no different; pulling the majority of the material for this album from his work in the 2000s.

Although the songs are oddly engaging with Waits raspy voice, the real feature of this record is the song/story writing duo of Waits and his wife, Kathleen Brennan. The spoken song "Live Circus" with imagery perfectly set by the music calmly playing in the background balances comedy with storytelling only Waits could pull off. Instantly following "Live Circus" is "Goin' Out West," a darker, but equally captivating track and one of Waits' best known of the last decade.

As if his songs didn't provide enough enjoyment, a bonus thirty-five minute track titled "Tom's Tales" splices together many of the stories told between songs during his tour. An odd mixture of humor, ramblings, and intriguing insight into his mind; "Tom's Tales" might be skipped by anyone new to Tom Waits, but could end up being the favorite track of longtime fans.

With an incredibly talented backing band and a perfect studio mix to give the feeling of being present for the performance, Waits once again provides his fans with a necessary addition to their collections. For listeners unfamiliar with his work, Waits voice will no doubt be hard to listen to, but at the same time, it seems to give his songs a great deal more emotion in the same way Joe Cocker's voice captured hearts with "You Are So Beautiful."

Similar Artists: Neil Young, Keith Richards

Track Suggestion: Metropolitan Glide

We have waited for this CD and boy did Tom Waits deliver! This is a CD of live performances that outshine each other as you proceed down the list. Taken in at one time, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit and the razzle dazzle of the man.

Disc One is packed with the best of the songs, all delivered in one city or another,a handful of southern states and European sites. He describes this tour as 'PEHDTSCKJMBA', an acronym for each of the tour's stops: Phoenix, El Paso, Houston, Dallas, Tulsa, St. Louis, Columbus, Knoxville, Jacksonville, Mobile, Birmingham and Atlanta. He has a group of renowned players backing him up. Seth Ford-Young (upright bass), Patrick Warren (keyboards), Omar Torrez (guitars), Vincent Henry (woodwinds) and Casey Waits (drums and percussion). 17 tunes pack disc one. 'Lucinda - Ain't Goin Down', proves that his voice is his instrument. A great version of 'I'll Shoot The Moon',' Make It Rain', 'Fannin Street' and 'Come On Up To The House' A great part of the CD is the stories he tells. He says,"now I'm telling my troubles to strangers" and "my friends think I'm ugly / I've got a masculine face. There is one tale on a track called 'Story' - a tale about how he bought "the last dying breath of Henry Ford" on eBay. Yells and cheers surround this CD from beginning to end.

And, then we come to disc two. 'Tom Tales' a long ramble of stories, interspersed with songs ,which range from I-pods, to China. We learn the origin of the phrase of 'graveyard shift', 'dead ringer'; we are told that "one out of every 10 men is important"; the laws of Oklahoma and some bad jokes that he says he is sorry, he went to far with that; "Shrimp -- they never give anything to charity. That always bothered me until someone told me, well, basically, they're shellfish." This is the disc where we learn more about Tom Waits and next to the music it is one of the best bits I have heard.

This CD is a Tom Waits fan's dream. It is filled with fun and rakishness, song and rhythm.

The whiskey coated drawl of the man we love. Lap it up and listen again. You'll love it!

Highly Recommended. prisrob 12-03-09

Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits

Rain Dogs

Closing Time

Okay,....if you have never heard Tom Waits before, do not buy this album. If you have never heard of Screamin' Jay Hawkins before, do not buy this album. If you do not like the voice of Bob Dylan, do not buy this album.

Okay, all that said, here we go. Tom Waits is an American treasure. He is a poet. Long after we are all dead, his lyics will be printed in books. Tom Waits sings about the lost, the weirdos,the losers, the dead, people not asscoiated with society. His band is tight and atuned to his songs and voice. These are songs that tell a story and tale that is all American. The fact that he has a following across the great Atlantic is amazing. I am not going to rate all the songs on this album because it would be only my opinion. Okay, whatever, this is my opinion, this may be the best album of 2009. This should win the Grammy of the Year. It will not. This man has been through hell and back and you can tell it through his voice and lyics. I did not see him through this tour although I wish I would have had the oppuntunity. One song I do have to point out is "Live Circus"...oh my god.....