Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A disservice to one of America's greatest songwriters., December 24, 2000
I'm kind in giving this disc three full stars. I don't expect exact renditions of an original song when it's being covered. I do expect a little life in the arrangements and a little heart in the playing. The Violent Femmes version of "Step Right Up" is pretty bad, but worsened by the liner notes they dared include. Tindersticks reworking of "Mockingbird" is an admirable attempt, but the song falls flat. On the other hand, I don't know who Frente! is, but these folks really do justice to "Ruby's Arms". Pete Shelley's remake of "Better off Without a Wife" is a radical departure from the original Waits, but it hits the spot! There's a couple other cuts on the disc that are good, but sadly most of the bands are as flat as their efforts on this dics.
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21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
a very terrible disc, October 5, 2000
If you think Mr. Rod Stewart messed up "Downtown Train" and "Hang On, St. Christopher", the terrible covers in this collection should make Old Rod look like a talented prince. In this terrible anti-tribute, classic songs from Waits' early career are mocked and destroyed. The songs are covered without sincerity and in many cases, without any talents. If you're looking for covers of Tom Waits songs, may I suggest Temptations by Holly Cole or the 2000 tribute called New Coat of Paint. In these tributes, musicians such as Neko Case(an exceptionally good cover of "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis"), Carla Bozulich, Floyd Dixon, Eleni Mandell and Holly Cole not only gave a new spin to Waits' songs, in many cases, they gave a whole new dimension to the familiar tunes. As for "Step Right Up", plainly put, it sucks.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
gets better with a little time, August 22, 2002
Tom himself is weird, so it's actually appropriate that some of these covers sound a little strange at first. After listening to this album a few times, though, it starts to make sense. In fact, if you keep listening, it begins to make a lot of sense. I actually listened to it so much that my roommate banned it when he was in the room, which illustrates both aspects of this album: it is a little weird, but quite addictive if you take the time to listen carefully.
Tom is always playing around with new or different versions of his own music, so it seems appropriate for other musicians and bands to play around with his music, too. This album covers the whole range of Tom's styles: some of the songs are simply and sentimentally beautiful, i.e., Dave Alvin's rendition of old 55 or Tim Buckley singing Martha (this song alone is worth the price of the entire album), while others are just plain creepy, like the Archers of Loaf's Big Joe and Phantom 309; and the best are somewhere in between: I'm thinking most specifically of Jersey Girl as played by Pale Saints, one of my all-time favorites, cover or otherwise.
A few songs don't quite measure up, such as Downtown by Alex Chilton, but as a whole, the range of artists and approaches illuminates Tom's strengths as a songwriter: even if not every song is a gem, the songcraft of his music still shows through. And when someone gets it right, it's an almost transcendent experience, as in the case of Tim Buckley's Martha, or Frente!'s cover of Ruby's Arms, or Pale Saints' Jersey Girl.
In short, it is a slightly uneven album, but the best is so good it just doesn't matter. If you buy this album, let it air out, so to speak, before you make any hasty judgments. It's well worth the wait.
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~ Various Artists - Alternative
~ Tom Waits (Tribute)
~ Tom Waits
~ Tom Waits
~ Bob Dylan
is mainly Dream Pop, with hints of Americana”
