Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom Live
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
From the first strangulated “aaargh” to its final, rumbling growl 16 songs and 73 minutes later, Tom Waits’ first official live album since 1988’s Big Time captures every oblique aspect of the singer/songwriter’s funhouse mirror persona. This 2008 tour document cherry-picks superb performances from his European and American dates (with two tracks recorded at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre on July 5, 2008) as Waits’ gargled-with-razor-blades voice slices through highlights and obscurities predominantly derived from his more recent catalog. A multitalented, five-piece band brings ragged yet sophisticated energy as the singer ignites audiences with his edgy carnival barker/drunken pirate vocals and tattered ballads of humanity’s forgotten everyman wandering down life’s darkened, seedy backstreets. While a DVD of his very visual style would have been a most appreciated addition, a bonus 40-minute disc of hilarious spoken patter helps provide a fuller representation of a typical Waits show in all its magnificently loopy glory. (Anti-) 5 out of 5 stars
Best considered as a warm-up for U2’s next album, the classic The Joshua Tree, 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire finds the quartet retreating from the overt commerciality of War and, with the help of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, gradually shifting to a more ambient sound. The Eno-Lanois production team would later be the key that pushed U2 toward experimental waters. Although that approach is apparent on a bonus disc of B-sides, non-album rarities, live tracks and extended remixes, songs such as “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and “Bad” still aim for the stadium back rows. An accompanying DVD includes all the album’s videos as well as the band’s performance at Live Aid. A half-hour documentary shows the group and its producers laboriously recording “Pride” with all the repetition, second-guessing and sheer boredom of piecing together the song, practically guaranteeing you’ll never want to hear it again. (Mercury/UME) 4 out of 5 stars
The most popular male duo in music history (easily besting Simon & Garfunkel and the Everly Brothers, at least in terms of sales) Daryl Hall and John Oates get the belated yet extremely comprehensive box set tribute they deserve. There have been plenty of other blue-eyed soul men, but none have tapped into the zeitgeist with as much pure pop savvy as H&O. They effortlessly captured the smooth soul of their Philly hometown and even though over the years (this set starts with material recorded back in 1966) the twosome dabbled in folk, harder-edged rock, and schlocky ’80s synth-heavy rock, they kept the R&B current bubbling underneath the other trappings. Four discs, packed with 74 tracks — including 16 previously unreleased rarities, about half of them live — and a glossy 60-page book with track-specific information, details Hall & Oates’ crossover appeal, longevity and somewhat unexpected resurgence in recent years. (RCA/Sony Legacy) 5 stars out of 5
This isn’t the career overview the late Atlanta blues guitarist deserves, and might still get in the future. It is, however, a terrific recap of Sean Costello’s earliest years, from his 1996 debut at the age of 16 until 2002. That makes it of particular interest to those in the Atlanta blues community who followed him during these years as he was finding his voice, style and stage presence while holding court at Northside Tavern and other local clubs. More than half of the 20 tracks are previously unreleased and every one is a worthy addition to Costello’s existing catalog. Label owner Michael Rothchild’s informative liner notes are tinged with bittersweet memories of the personal and professional relationship he and Costello shared. But it’s the music included here that backs up his claim that the guitarist was one of the country’s finest, most talented and committed contemporary bluesmen. (Landslide) 4 stars out of 5
