Customer Reviews

Swordfishtrombones (Vinyl)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

By the early 1980's, Tom Waits had perfected his style. His beatnik-barroom persona was clearly defined, his throaty voice familiar to a very dependable, if not especially large, fan base. This is the point at which most popular musicians reach an apex, enter "legendary" status, and release a string of albums that often simply pastiche their earlier successes. But Tom Waits is not an ordinary "popular musician."

Consequently, he re-invented himself in 1983 with Swordfishtrombones. Choosing to jettison his record label and produce the new album himself, he also left behind the combination of strings and piano that had backed so many of his previous songs, replacing them with scratchy electric guitars (often plucked), bizarre organs, glass harmonicas, and most of all, a huge variety of drums. The result is a CD full of arresting soundscapes in which his voice, always distinctive, becomes an instrument in its own right.

The lyrics are different also. Though he is still most certainly singing about life's unfortunates, the typical references to hookers, bars, and closing time are replaced with mystifying, often nightmareish story-lyrics in which the listener more often gets the gist, rather than the details, of the circumstances described. Though "Frank's Wild Years" is a spoken song and might at first seem similar to the spoken-word masterpieces of, say, Nighthawks at the Diner, this song is not about your typical drunkard but rather a psychopath who, unable to stand his suburban existance, burns down his house and drives away laughing.

In fact, discontent with the city is prevalent on the songs here; there's the unflatteringly depicted seaport in "Shore Leave," a "Town With No Cheer," and the suburban nightmare of "In The Neighborhood," which sounds like a Fourth-of-July anthem with a hangover. Of course, Waits himself would eventually move to the country, a move reflected in 1993's Bone Machine.

All in all, this disc is unbeatable. Waits's voice, sounding amazingly young and cocky compared with his recent releases, is in top form. His poetry, though considerably more obscure than what he has written afterward -- sometimes to the point of complete mystification -- is evocative and startling, and as always, sounds great when sung with Tom's unusual phrasing. And the music itself, ranging from the brutally percussive opener "Underground" to the wild blues-rock of "16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought-Six," to the acerbic organ on "Frank's Wild Years," and the obligatory gorgeous ballads "Johnsburg, Illinois" and "Soldiers Things," is among the best Waits ever composed.

Swordfishtrombones, which was both an important career move for Waits and an album on which every song matters and is well placed, should not be missed by anyone interested in some of the best American popular music of all time.

I have arrived at Tom Waites at the age of 52, and find myself wondering why the hell I never discovered his music before. This is not for the timid, it's a mixture of primal and raw music. It
is jarring, discordant, grainy and addicting. There is more than a hint of Kurt Weill to the whole album, and the ensuing mixture strikes a chord that sets my own soul buzzing with sympathetic vibrations. I think you have to have a dark and twisted streak to appreciate this album. You have to know the taste of too many cigarettes, the pounding of Scotch induced hangovers, and the scent of cheap perfume on a cold, empty pillow. I love it..................

Swordfishtrombones is a collection of raps & recitals, bluesy & jazzy excursions, diner torch songs and instrumentals with spare backing plus one lavishly backed melodious ballad in the style of Jersey Girl on Heartattack and Vine. Underground is a brooding recital while 16 Shells From A 30-6 is a type of emphatic spoken blues in a voice more gravelly than normal. Examples of other talking styles include Frank's Wild Years where Hammond organ and acoustic bass provide edgy backing; the percussive title track where the vocal hovers between talking & singing, and the jittery Trouble's Braids on which Waits's semi-whispered vocal is backed by African talking & Parade bass drums plus acoustic bass.

He sings on the boisterous Down Down Down with its jazzy texture and on atmospheric art songs like the lament Town With No Cheer, the short love song Johnsburg, Illinois and the moving Soldier's Things, tender moments that interrupt the rough pieces and jazz raps. Of the instrumentals, the gentle Rainbirds brings to mind Leonard Cohen's Tacoma Trailer on The Future. For those who prefer their Waits in more traditional style there's the magnificent ballad In The Neighborhood, reminiscent of his early 1970s masterpieces like Ole 55 and I Hope that I Don't Fall in Love with You.

Predominantly experimental, Swordfishtrombones may not appeal to all fans as the album is dominated by minimalist raps resembling the quirky work of Captain Beefheart. Moreover, it takes some time & patience to understand and appreciate the other, more delicate compositions with their melancholic emotional tone. It's definitely worth the effort though, since a gem like Soldier's Things must ultimately be counted amongst Tom's most accomplished and memorable work.

Every time I get to in a stop in music ( When I think there is nothing left to discover except for overatted artists like Dylan), I find someone else. Well, Tom Waits is the latest in my evolution of music interest. I heard about him from the wierdest source, which would be... yes,, Primus of all bands. Tom appears in thier video "Over The Falls" and does the voice for "Tommy The Cat". I Downloaded a ton of Tom's songs and one stood out, "Swordfishtroubones". I traded in some cd's and got three Waits cds, "Small Changes", "Swordfishtrombones" and "Blood Money". I like all of them very much and this is just downright awesome

For someone who prefers Waits' singing voice on those big tuneful ballads, this album is a bit of a shock. In The Neighbourhood, although a spectacular example of aforementioned style, is the only representative on Swordfishtrombones. With its beautiful melody line and gripping chorus, it ranks with other Wait greats like Old 55, Saving All My Love For You and I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You.

The rest of the album is an exploration of his talking vocal style, with jazzy or bluesy arrangements providing the backdrop to his Beat poetry. Of the three instrumentals, I prefer Just Another Sucker On The Vine with its lovely interplay between harmonium and trumpet. The gentle Soldier's Things and Town With No Cheer are also lovely ballads, but with a lounge jazz feel.

Many of the songs have a theme of travelling and being out of place and out of time. Swordfishtrombones is certainly a very accomplished album on which Waits honed many of his inimitable styles, but besides Neighborhood I do not find many of the songs personally appealing, thence the three stars. For those of his fans that like his rasping voice and spoken style, this is a five star album.

This is the album that really marked Tom Waits' transformation from boozy bar crooner to inspired composer of twisted arrangements. The subject matter of his songs is still losers and dreamers. He has staked out a distinctive musical and lyrical territory that has become unmistakeably his. Standouts tracks here include "Soldier's Things," "Gin Soaked Boy," and "Town With No Cheer."

i may be a die-hard metalhead who gets his kicks out of bands like Bloodbath and Cryptopsy, but there is no way i can deny the genious of tom waits. possibly the best lyricist in the music industry, he connects with you in a way few musicians can. songs like "shore leave" and "soldiers things" leave you in a state of awe; in fact all the songs on this album do. get this, then get "raindogs" and "bone machine". you wont regret it.

After spending the first decade of his career partially in the realm of normalcy, 1983's Swordfishtrombones, features think-throated singer/songwriter, Tom Waits, engineering a style that has to be experienced to be believed. Acid rock-ish twinkling, vaporous blues riffs, Captain Beefheart-style wackiness and sounds that could have only come from a minstrel show from Mars all mix with Mr. Waits' abrasive grunts and brutal growls for an entirely unadulterated and truly distinctive disc. His expanded sense of musical experimentation does not hinder Mr. Waits' ability to write solid songs (One could argue that it strengthens it). Swordfishtrombones contains some of his best-written tunes such as the bluesy rollicker, "Down Down Down," the wry monologue, "Frank's Wild Years," the somber, grumbling "Town With No Cheer" and its flipside, the sumptuous tribute to small-time life, "In the Neighborhood," all of which are as vividly worded song-poems as one could ask. Swordfishtrombones is undoubtedly one of the definitive Tom Waits albums.

Tom Waits output from the seventies was very good. His Beat influenced barfly personna playing a blues/jazz/Tin Pan Alley hybrid made him a unique artist. With Swordfishtrombones he took unique to a new level. Employing odd instrumentation, bare bones percussion and Marc Ribot's dirty guitar sound, Waits created the sound of a demented carnival. The lyrics also take a giant step forward. Johnsburg, Ill., A Soldier's Things and Frank's Wild Years show the for detail of a great fiction writer. 16 Shots(From a 30:6) and Gin Soaked Boy sound like authentic blues from the delta. This is the sound of a master bringing his art into focus. And this was only the beginning (See Raindogs, Bone Machine and his two latest efforts Alice and Blood Money). One of my all time favorites.

To say that the music of Tom Waits is an acquired taste is an understatement. His combination of spacey jazz, blues, spoken word poetry and down-and-out lyrics are combined with vocals that sound like Bob Dylan's barfly older brother. The epitome of "Swordfishtrombones" come on the two minute rant "Frank's Wild Years," in which Waits calmy recounts a gruesome tale of a husband murdering his wife with a genrous dose of tongue-in-cheek humor. Other highliughts include the (relatively) rocking "16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six" (and the memorable refrain "I'm gonna whittle you into kindling"), the spare "Johnsburg, Illinois" and the instrumental "Just Another Sucker on the Vine." It should be emphasized, however, that hearing this album for the first time will be jarring for those unfamiliar with Waits's music.

Overall, a wonderfully weird album from an truly eccentric and original artist.