danggoodrecord!!
They thankfully lack the Eagles-esque polish of "Closing Time" and the formulaic LouisArmstrong-goes-hobo shtick of "Blue Valentine". These barebones demos are far superior to other 'official' early albums. The songs are simple and charming, I would even call them elegant if they weren't so raunchy. For diehard Waits fans, these two discs are worth it just to hear the man's voice sound so clean and untarnished by the years of abuse that had surely already started. But never mind the diehards, these are just solid records that should be listened to.
Back in the day...
Granted, these songs are all well-written and performed; yet they lack something of the latter work. This album consists of demo songs, some of which have never previously seen the light of day, taken from Tom Waits's early years (duh), before he become the musical genius that he's considered today. Nevermind, though; THE EARLY YEARS, VOLUME 1 serves as a good introduction to the pre-SWORDFISHTROMBONES years of Waits career, and is also a fine addition to already-exististing Waits collections. The sparse arrangements offer a sense of intimacy; some of the recordings, such as "Little Trip to Heaven," are even better than the versions that made the record.
More "Closing Time" please....
At first listen I enjoyed it, but thought that it's just a little more Closing Time material. This compilation of early Tom Waits songs/demos, are very interesting to me. And true 4 of the 13 songs are early versions of songs on Closing Time. But a few more listens gave me a much deeper appreciation. I really get into the first half of the album especially, the first two tracks might be my favorite, but what's unique about this album is how minimal it is. Most songs are just Tom's voice and his guitar, or his piano, with virtually no accompaniment; this with his very heart-warming sounding early 70's voice (before the growl) make this "album" sound very personal.
Mostly, I feel that this "album" should be pursued by those who are interested in Tom Waits, and already have the "staples" of his collection, especially Closing Time. I can't see someone outside of fans really seeing the significance of these recordings.
Lastly, I find it almost weird listening to it, because he felt so strongly about not releasing these recordings, I almost feel like I am invading his privacy. But it's released, so I try not to feel too bad.
picked me from the crowd
still from a listener's standpoint there is a lot of value and enjoyment from hearing this balladry and then turning on real gone and liking and likening both, yes?. i keep coming back to that thing someone said about woody allen (maybe woody allen) about how it's sad that ageing artists always have their current stuff compared to their old stuff, and maybe the story i heard that waits didn't ever want this stuff to see the light of day isn't apocryphal.
Ok, I'm a massive fan. A gotta have for us. For everyone else? after you get his official albums.
There's a whole world out there of tape/cdr traders (no money exchanged) who have, for decades, traded for live, demo and outtakes of their favorite bands. It's a treat to hear his least gravely voice recordings. Typically, this is done by pretty fanatic fans. In my case, I can only bear to hear the same exact studio recordings for so many years for most bands.
Often I'll take a 1 to 5 year break from listening to a particular favorite group (BEATLES, BAD BRAINS, MINOR THREAT, ROCHES, CREAM etc. ) but will get my hands on alternate versions when I can including tribute albums. There's nuttin' like hearing a well crafted reinterpretation of a favorite song. Least for me.
Some bands release previously unreleased material of demos, live songs and/or outtakes, particularly now adays, rounding out cd versions of old lps they previously released. SUPERCHUNK and X have dug through their musical archives and released cds of such previously unissued, b-sides or other non-album songs. That also includes songs that only appeared on a compilation with other groups. It's amazing how many great songs a band can record that never get officially released. Another source is in studio radio broadcasts.
DAN HICKS and HIS HOT LICKS, actually I think just DAN HICKS, did an album called Early Muses of songs he recorded prior to the release of his first official album. His was, it appears, an offically sanctioned release. Just like this album and vol. 2, it offered songs recorded by the artist quite early in his career. Both guys sound younger because they are. These early recordings are typically more like early demos. ELVIS COSTELLO included a handful of his songs just like these from before his first album, as bonus trax on reissues of his first and second albums. As on this album and DAN HICKS', they were demo songs recorded solo on acoustic guitar (or piano). One gets to hear stripped down versions of some favorite songs and even, particularly on this album, several songs never otherwise released.
A pure treat for the fan. Sure, there's 1 or 2 songs that are a touch less than they could be but most of the songs remind me of whenever JOHNNY CASH did a cover in his last period of just him singing and accompanying himself on guitar. He tears the song down to it's emotional essentials. He actually is able to bring new emotional meaning to some songs he covers simply by changing the pacing or his voice inflection or the feeling he brings in singing the lyrics.
TOM WAITS may not have wanted this and vol. 2 to be released, for whatever perfectly legitimate artist or business reasons he had, but for the fan these two albums are a real treasure trove. It's roots of WAITS, the beginning years of an esteemed national and internationally respected artist. His song writing ability shines through, his ability to sing with emotion is plain here. The songs are simply performed yet are complex in their texture of feeling and story telling.
Yes, I'd purchase each of his 70's albums before buying these two volumes. And I'd certainly recommend both of these records because there is great joy in listening to well recorded early demos of an artist who has remained robust in his musical creations for over 3 decades now. Go Tom. chrisbct@hotmail. com.
You can see a complete list of all Tom Waits discography, or go back to the Tom Waits tabs
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