Twenty Twenty - The Essential T Bone Burnett

T Bone Burnett | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 16, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000F8DBDU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,391 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Nobody writes better about surface and depth, illusion and essence, through parable and paradox, than T Bone Burnett. Though he's had more influence as a producer and catalyst (from his days with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Review to his visionary masterminding of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack), this two-disc, 40-song retrospective dating back to 1977 celebrates his accomplishment as a unique recording artist. Burnett's range extends from the purest of plain-spoken country songs ("No Love at All," "River of Love," "The Bird That I Held in My Hand," "I'm Coming Home") to spoken-word enigmas such as "House of Mirrors" and "Hefner and Disney" (with the two switching identities as soulmates in Never Wonder Land) that challenge the listener to resolve the complexities. Among the other standouts are the surging rock of "I Wish You Could Have Seen Her Dance" and "Boomerang," the roadhouse rockabilly of "Driving Wheel," the teaming with Elvis Costello (as the Coward Brothers) on "The People's Limousine," and the deadpan reading of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." Rather than following a chronological or musical progression, the anthology dares fans to connect the dots and risk stylistic whiplash in the process. With the simultaneous release of The True False Identity, Burnett's first album of new material since 1992, listeners can discover where he's been as well as where he's going. --Don McLeese

Product Description

40-song retrospective spanning Burnett’s entire career of music-making. This 2-CD set is released simultaneously with The True False Identity, T Bone’s first album of new original songs since 1992. It is no coincidence that T Bone is releasing both a retrospective and a new album on the same day. In his liner notes for Twenty Twenty, he writes "This is they way I wanted to close the book on these songs from a dead man, and open the book on the new life I am beginning after forty years of wandering in the desert."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good from the Bone, May 19, 2006

By 

Gord Wilson "alivingdog.com" (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twenty Twenty - The Essential T Bone Burnett (Audio CD)

Not only has Van Morrison still not gotten the Nobel Prize, but T-Bone's Proof Through the Night and Trap Door albums aren't out on CD. Until that second faux pas is rectified, however, here's an eclectic look into his varied repertoire. It's a comment on T-Bone's prolific songwriting skill to note that most of my favorite songs didn't make the forty song cut.

Disc one starts off with "Humans from Earth" from the Wim Wender film Until the End of the World, which also appears on Criminal Under My Own Hat. "Born in Captivity" and "East of East" come from the second Alpha Band album, Spark in the Dark, with "The Dogs" from the band's first self-titled disc. "Monkey Dance", "Euromad" and "Image" come from The Talking Animals.

Songs from Truth Decay include "Hall of Mirrors" "Power of Love", "Boomerang" and "Drivin' Wheel". "River of Love" is best known in the version done by T-Bone's wife, song writer Sam Phillips on The Turning, her last album as Leslie Phillips. Trap Door was only a six song E.P. ("extended play" record) but it nevertheless contained some of T-Bone's best songs. A different album called Behind the Trap Door was released by Nick Lowe on his Demon Records label in Britain. From Trap Door here is T-Bone's talking blues take on "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," the title song "Trap Door" and "I Wish You Could Have Seen Her Dance".

From Proof Through the Night come "Shut it Tight" (originally the last song on the record), "Hula Hoop", "The Murder Weapon", "When the Night Falls" (covered in concert by John Hiatt) and "Hefner and Disney." What's missing? Two of my favorite T-Bone songs from Proof: "Stunned" and "The '60s". From Trap Door: "Poetry" and "Hold on Tight." The three Alpha Band albums are out as an import set, and fans will still want them as there's nothing in this collection at all from the third and best Alpha Band album, Statue Makers of Hollywood, not even "Rich Man" or "Back in My Baby's Arms". From The Talking Animals: Where's "The Wild Truth", drawn from a quote by G.K. Chesterton, or "The Strange Case of Frank Cash," a talking blues story with Tonio-K, sort of like Dylan's "Brownsville Girl" with Sam Sheppard on Knocked Out Loaded? Clearly, there are many musical gems buried and many bones yet to be unearthed.

In the liner notes T-Bone says he's been wandering in the desert for 40 years, but it seems the other way 'round. This collection is far more accessible than his new album, The True False Identity. He seems to have followed the lead of Sam Phillips who makes both accessible albums ("The Incredible Wow") and very avant garde ones (Omnipop). T-Bone can be arty and convoluted, but he can also make some very catchy roots music, and in concert he connects instantly with the audience. Most of his songs are far above standard radio pop and strong enough to be covered by other artists. At any rate, this album and not his new one, serves as the best introduction to the enigmatic and unique artist known as T-Bone Burnett.

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A decent compilation, but re-recordings of key tracks kill it, May 19, 2006

By 

David Pearlman "sound fanatic" (Arlington, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twenty Twenty - The Essential T Bone Burnett (Audio CD)

This is a decent compilation, which includes well-chosen tracks from most of the phases of T Bone Burnett's career. There's a lot to discover in his (modest but underheard) discography, and for a neophyte, this is surely a decent start. Some have complained that favorite tracks from his Warner Brothers releases aren't here (and I agree that some of the MIA tracks are among his best), but those omissions don't take away from the value of this anthology as a primer. Based on the track list alone, I'd give it four stars (though I do question why he chose not to include ANYTHING from his debut album, 1972's The B-52 Band and the Fabulous Skylarks).

But based on listening, it only gets two stars. Why? T Bone Burnett has committed the unforgivable sin of re-recording the tracks from his best album, Proof Through the Night. Burnett is on record as stating that he doesn't like the production of the original album at all, and I guess he took this as his chance to re-envision those tracks. BIG MISTAKE. The original album, whether or not Burnett likes it, is a classic, and these re-recordings are simply not as good. Given that Proof Through the Night has yet to be reissued on CD, these substitutions are criminal.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great ones, May 16, 2006

By 

DKDC (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twenty Twenty - The Essential T Bone Burnett (Audio CD)

Oh my! I have been waiting for this cd. There was a rumor and in fact a listing for "The Tooth of the Crime" a few years back - that was supposed to be his greatest hits - or was it a soundtrack to a play he was working on? But it never was released. Too busy producing other great artists. Now it is here.

I like all of T-Bone's cds - except for Talking Animals. I have heard each of these songs in their original forms on the previous cds and vinyl. This is a great collection. The re-recordings of the Proof songs are going to be a let down if you are used to the originals, though. Be forewarned. I think they are well done - we are all just so attached to the original versions. If the original is ever released on cd, this won't be a problem at all.

My one peeve - Trap Door was not available on cd up until now - here half of the songs are available. We need the other songs!

Trap Door (EP) Track Listing
----------
Hold on Tight - not on Twenty Twenty
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend - yes
I Wish You Could Have Seen Her Dance -yes
A Ridiculous Man - not on Twenty Twenty
Poetry - not on Twenty Twenty
Trap Door - yes

Same goes for Proof Through the Night - there are still GREAT songs not on cd!

(edited on May 19th, and June 1 2006)