Customer Reviews

Mule Variations

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

 

 

Mule Variations is perhaps one of Tom Waits best albums in many years. The songs "Hold On" "Cold Water" and "House Where nobody Lives" suggest a blend of two earlier CDs, "Closing Time" and "Rain Dogs". This CD contains Buzz Fletterjohn, as well as Big Face Money (co written by Tom's son Casey, and Casey plays drums on it). This CD is perhaps my favorite of Tom Waits works, challenged only by Rain Dogs. The music is beautiful, and the lyrics moving. Tom at his best!! The only thing better was seeing him live in Minneapolis, at 9th and Hennepin!!

Waits' jazzy sound often betrays his real influence on popular music. Some of the guest stars on this album are not jazz musicians in the slightest, like Primus frontman Les Claypool for example. The diverse guest list on MULE VARIATIONS is just as well, seeing as how MULE VARIATIONS is one of Waits' most varied efforts.
Those who remember ZZ Top before the ELIMINATOR-era will see their influence on Waits' music with such songs as "Big In Japan", "Cold Water" & "Filipino Box Spring Hog". Instead of the focus being on piano like Waits' earliest songs, it's placed on guitar, which helps the songs rock, instead of just swing.
This album may be Waits' chance to rock out, but his old songs of sadness & heartbreak are still evident on somber ballads like "House Where Nobody Lives", "Picture In A Frame" & "Georgia Lee". The music on these songs is so faint, you're practically jolted out of your seat as soon as Waits' gravel-voiced self arrives on the scene.
A few songs have Waits experimenting with a sort of tribal rhythm that would not have been out of place on Paul Simon's GRACELAND album. "Lowside Of The Road", "Eyeball Kid" & "Chocolate Jesus" all have drums so high in the mix, you're just waiting for some natives to come dancing out of your stereo.
No singles were released from this album I don't think, but the best candidate would have been the heartfelt ballad "Hold On". At first listen, I thought this was an outtake from Bruce Springsteen's NEBRASKA album. Springsteen fans, however, might enjoy this rare chance to see Waits in an almost clear-voiced croon.
I've always been a critic of why some artists take an eternity to record a new album. Some people say it's a matter of getting the music on tape the way they like it, or that their inspiration occasionally runs dry for long periods of time. But unlike such famous perfectionists like Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder & Tom Scholz (Boston), Tom Waits doesn't keep his fans waiting for something new while trying to make things sound absolutely perfect. Acting may be Waits' forte nowadays, but MULE VARIATIONS is proof that whenever Waits does get into the groove of making music again, he doesn't disappoint his fans & is well worth the wait.

Mule Variations is perhaps one of Tom Waits best albums in many years. The songs "Hold On" "Cold Water" and "House Where nobody Lives" suggest a blend of two earlier CDs, "Closing Time" and "Rain Dogs". This CD contains Buzz Fletterjohn, as well as Big Face Money (co written by Tom's son Casey, and Casey plays drums on it). This CD is perhaps my favorite of Tom Waits works, challenged only by Rain Dogs. The music is beautiful, and the lyrics moving. Tom at his best!! The only thing better was seeing him live in Minneapolis, at 9th and Hennepin!!

Mule Variations opens with Big In Japan, a humorous number in bluesy style with brilliant guitar and innovative arrangement, which is followed by the slow, eerie Lowside Of The Road, a real hangover song with striking imagery.

Hold On is a typical sad Waits ballad, which means it's beautiful, tuneful and moving. It has an unusually light rhythm and melody though, unlike some of his other masterpiece ballads like for example In The Neighbourhood or Saving All My Love For You. House Where Nobody Lives is unique too, another gripping ballad with moving words and images. It makes me think of both Mansion On The Hill by Springsteen and the old classic Satisfied Mind.

All Waits' styles are in glorious display including the talking blues of Get Behind The Mule and the deep bluesrock of ballads like Come On Up To The House and Cold Water. For someone who prefers his ballads and his singing voice, I find both quite appealing. The next track, Pony, is another one of my favorite slow melodic numbers embellished with exquisite pump organ, dobro and harp.

This album certainly lives up to its name with its astonishing variety, like the spooky spoken track What's He Building and the story songs Black Market Baby and Eyeball Kid with its innovative samples and percussion. Waits even explores his Beefheartian side on Filipino Box Spring Hog. There's also the gentle love song Picture In A Frame with its elegant piano and the sorrowful country song Georgia Lee.

This import version contains two additional songs: Buzz Fledderjohn and Big Face Money, the second a very brief snippet. Mule Variations is a masterpiece of an album that contains impressive, timeless songs of great lyrical depth, melodic beauty and stylistic variety. Whether you like Waits as a phenomenon by himself or whether you like only certain of his styles, this album will not disappoint as it offers enough brilliance for everybody.

Ok I must admit it, it's not "his finest hour", but even so you won't regret the money, there's a couple of fine tunes around, cool lyrics and cool cover art. If you 're a beginner in Tom Waits music, this album will make you look for more...

If you are going to buy Mule Variations, one of Waits' weakest albums, don't waste the extra money to get this import. It has two extra tracks: "Buzz Fledderjohn" and "Big Face Money." The first is one of the better songs on the entire CD, but that isn't saying much. The second is 39 seconds long and sounds more like a clip from some longer song. I don't understand all the great reviews Mule Variations has received. There are a couple of amusing tracks, but they lack originallity. In my personal opinion, the best thing about this album is it's cool Dave-McKean-esque artwork (which again lacks originallity as it is mimicing the style of another artist) I recommend Mule Variations only to curious fans and this import should be purchased exclusively by those obsessive completists.

It was 2:00 a.m. I heard a horrible sound it was my older brothers radio blaring that horrible horrible music told him to stop that music. It was Horrible.