Tom Waits Live

BG -- Thu, 08/10/2006 - 15:36

I had the notable priveledge of seeing Tom Waits last night, and he and his quartet put on a phenomenal display. Waits embodies, not just vocally, but physically, the characters that populate his songs. Everything from his hand motions to sometimes-frightening facial expressions bestow the songs with several levels and degrees of meaning that they have on record. And what a voice. Of special note, his son did a fantastic job on drums and percussion. Mr. Waits is mostly retired from touring--he's played just 2 shows in the last several years before this brief 9-city outing--but he's the kind of performer that should tour often. Which is more than I can say for many of the formerly big acts touring this fall.

neil.gader -- Sun, 08/13/2006 - 17:45

How far back in his catalog did he go? And did he premiere anything new, perhaps from an upcoming album?

Thanks, Neil Gader

Neil Gader Associate Editor The Absolute Sound

BG -- Mon, 08/14/2006 - 11:07

He went pretty deep, though he obviously skipped over several albums (i.e., Heart Attack and Vine) given he has so many records from which to draw. I'd say two of the hands-down highlights were "Tom Traubert's Blues," beautifully played on piano and folded in with pieces of "Waltzing Matilda," and a texture-rich "What's He Building In There?"

Waits also played tracks from his four recent records, among the selections a roaring "God's Away on Business."

No new tracks, and no news of any forthcoming album. But what a pleasure to see.

Bob Gendron
Music Editor, TAS and Playback

BG -- Thu, 08/17/2006 - 15:05

Well, Neil, ask and you shall receive. Mr. Waits will be releasing the biggest project of his career--a 3CD set called "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards" on November 21. 54 songs, 30 new recordings, and a 94-page booklet. Wow.

Bob Gendron
Music Editor, TAS and Playback

neil.gader -- Thu, 08/24/2006 - 17:10

Bob,

So this will be a combination career retrospective plus thirty new tracks? Do you have any idea whether they are considering a Dual Disc format. That would be a truly brilliant move for an artist that understands the power of the theater.

Neil Gader

Neil Gader Associate Editor The Absolute Sound

BG -- Fri, 08/25/2006 - 11:59

I don't think a DualDisc is in the offing. That seems mostly to be a Sony format.

Also, this is career-spanning yes, but I think it much different than a retrospective in that more than half of the tracks are unreleased. Should be quite cool, considering the presence of a 94-page book.

Bob Gendron
Music Editor, TAS and Playback