Warm & Cool

Tom Verlaine | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 11, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thrill Jockey
• ASIN: B000A87KKU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,450 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent re-release of an unfortunately overlooked album, November 24, 2005

By 

somethingexcellent (Lincoln, NE United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Warm & Cool (Audio CD)

Tom Verlaine is likely already cooler than most people will ever be in their lives. He entered the music scene as a member of the Neon Boys, and later helped write a couple classics as part of the band Television. Warm And Cool is a much different record than what one might expect from Verlaine, though, as it's not only instrumental, but also stylistically much different than the work he did with either of his other bands. Originally released back in 1992, it's one of those albums that seems oddly timeless, with a style that dips into rock and jazz without taking on the baggage of any particular era.

Verlaine is joined on the album by Television bandmates Fred Smith and Billy Ficca, as well as Jay Dee Daugherty (who played with The Church, the Patti Smith Band, and others), and interestingly enough, the album is largely improvised. In most cases, Verlaine would play a basic melody on his guitar beforehand, the players would talk about a beat or tempo, then they'd roll with it. The result is an album that's loose and inspired without being sloppy in the slightest. It's also more varied than one might guess.

The album starts with a slow-burner in "Those Harbor Lights" as Verlaine lays down some smokey coils of guitar over brushed drums while "Sleepwalkin'" shuffles with a healthy swagger while "The Deep Dark Clouds" gets downright atmospheric with sparse, reverbed guitar notes and distant rumbling percussion. A good portion of the opening section of the album actually feels like soundtrack work (a film adaptation of an Elmore Leonard book immediately comes to mind) as the musicians toy with dark alleys and smokey club themes.

Of course, then the release goes and throws you for a loop, with tracks like the downright bubbly "Boulevard" (which features some deliciously playful guitar from Verlaine) and the hooky warmth of "Little Dance." There are three different versions of the track "Depot" and each one feels like it's gradually cracking the basic elements apart even further. Heck, they even rock out on the more freestyle "Lore," which runs almost seven minutes and features some crashing cascades of cymbals and luscious guitar shredding. Eight bonus tracks not included on the original round out the release and range in variety much more than the actual release, but there are enough good tracks to warrant them. At twenty two tracks and almost seventy minutes total, Warm And Cool is just about what the title states in terms of musical content, and it's a great document of excellent musicians teaming up and falling into sync with one another.

(from almost cool music reviews)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very cool, April 19, 2006

By 

Hank Schwab (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Warm & Cool (Audio CD)

This is one of those strange little albums that is hard to categorize, like the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, or Moondog. This is NOT a Television album, nor does it fit in with his works that include vocals. The tone of the guitar is more of a deep, Dick Dale or Duane Eddy sound, and it all has a noirish, film-score sound. You'll recognize several cuts as filler on public radio. Not the most amazing album ever recorded, but very good indeed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "SAUCER CRASH", December 6, 2009

By 

D. Eaton "Deranged Loner" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Warm & Cool (Audio CD)

I own the original Ryko CD and have no idea how the Thrill Jockey reissue compares. I love most of the songs on this cd, but there are a few that are just so-so. The cd gets 5 stars for the song Saucer Crash. I've been a fan since Marquee Moon was released, annd for me this track is not only the greatest thing Verlaine has ever done, it is THE GREATEST PIECE OF MUSIC IN THE HISTORY OF PLANET EARTH!!!