Favourites : Tom Waits - Bawlers

In 2006 Tom Waits issued Orphans a sprawling 3 CD ser of lost songs and out takes.   It was subtitled Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards with each CD reflecting a different Waits' style - 

Brawlers being the noisy, cranky songs that have occupied much of Waits's output since Swordfishtrombones in 1983 (although the fantastic Road to Peace could probably have been included on any of the discs).  Bastards is a mix or weird covers (Heigh Ho from Snow White), Kerouac and Bukowski poetry readings, tall stories and jokes told at concerts.  

Bawlers however represents the more romantic and sentimental songs that Waits has always been so good at.   

Prior to the release I already had a few of these songs as they were released on sountracks that I had picked up in sale bins.  These included Jaynes Blue Wish, Long Way Home (from Big Bad Love),  Little Drop of Poison, (The End of Violence), and Walk Away (Dead Man Walking).   Waits even covered two Ramones' songs, The Return of Jackie and Julie on Brawlers and Danny Says on Bawlers.  I particularly like the latter. 

It is the schmaltziness of Bawlers that I am repeatedly drawn to with some of Waits' best latter day songs.  The aforementioned songs are great tasters and Norah Jones did a great cover of Long Way Home.  John Hammond did a great version of Fannin Steet but I always enjoted Tom's original.  The collection finishes on a great high with a great cover of Young at Heart, a song that Sinatra made his own.  While I like Sinatra's version I think I prefer Tom's.  

Re-assessments 1 : Tom T Hall - Nashville Storyteller - start with the song "Homecoming"

I am pretty sure my introduction to Tom T Hall was the same as many others in New Zealand, the early 70s cheesy country cross-over hit "Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine".  The next songs of his I heard were I Love and I Like Beer.   I never hated them but I never rated them either.  No need for further exploration - or so I thought.  

Never gave him or his music another thought for probably 20 years or so.  In the mid-90s I was exploring what at the time as being called alt-country.  A name that kept cropping up around that time was Buddy Miller, then the go to guitarist in Nashville.  He was lead guitarist in Emmylou Harris's Spyboy band and was also recording albums with his wife Julie and in his own name.  

Buddy's debut solo album, Your Love and Other Lies contained a song that I really liked.  That's How I Got to Memphis.  So reading the CD booklet I noted that it was written by none other than Tom T Hall.  Intrigued I did a little research and learnt that he was known as the Nashville Storyteller and had written a number of spongs that were rated by artists I liked.  An early song of his was Harper Valley PTA by Jeannie C Riley.  Knowing this I could see how he got his nickname.  

So I started listening and buying the occasional record - they werent much of an investment as you can usually pick them up for less than $10 and many for only $1 or $2.   One of the albums even had a song on it I Know Who I'll Be Seeing In New Zealand.  All very listenable.  

However one song in particular really stands out and is a great example of how sometimes it is what the lyrics don't say that is important. Homecoming is also one of the saddest songs I have heard.  It captures  how someone has lost touch with their roots and what is important and do not even appear to recognise it.  

I guess I should've written, dad
To let you know that I was coming home
I've been gone so many years
I didn't realize you had a phone
I saw your cattle coming in
Boy, they're looking mighty fat and slick
I saw Fred at the service station
Told me that his wife was awful sick
You heard my record on the radio
Oh, well, it's just another song
But I've got a hit recorded
And it'll be out on the market 'fore too long
I got this ring in Mexico
And no, it didn't cost me quite a bunch
When you're in the business that I'm in
The people call it puttin' up a front
I know I've lost a little weight
And I guess I am looking kind of pale
If you didn't know me better, dad
You'd think that I'd just gotten out of jail
No, we don't ever call them beer joints
Nightclubs are the places that I work
You meet a lot of people there
But no, there ain't much chance of gettin' hurt
I'm sorry that I couldn't be here with you all
When mama passed away
I was on the road and when they came and told me
It was just too late
I drove by the grave to see her
Boy, that really is a pretty stone
I'm glad that Fred and Jan are here
It's better than you being here alone
Well, I knew you was gonna ask me
Who the lady is that's sleeping in the car
That's just a girl who works for me
And, man, she plays a pretty mean guitar
We worked in San Antone last night
She didn't even have the time to dress
She drove me down from Nashville
And to tell the truth, I guess she needs the rest
Well, dad, I gotta go
We got a dance to work in Cartersville tonight
Let me take your number down
I'll call you and I promise you I'll write
Now you be good
And don't be chasin' all those pretty women that you know
And by the way
If you see Barbara Walker, tell her that I said "hello"

Jouney through the Past : Controversial Opinion : Neil Young's Best Period

For someone who has been releasing music for approaching 60 years now most Neil Young fans would point to those early years and then add in Rust Never Sleeps as his golden period.  I do enjoy that period and the quality is undeniable.  My favourites from that era being Rust,  Zuma,  After the Goldrush, Tonight's the Night and, in particular On the Beach.   

However, and to be a bit controvesial I believe he was at his best when he rediscovered his muse in the late 80s and produced the run of albums that I keep coming back to.  Later releases of live albums from this period also show that he was on fire on stage as well.  

I think the resurgence started with his return to the Reprise label (Geffen must have been really pissed off) with This Note's For You.  The songs on that were genrerally pretty solid even if the arrangements did not seem to bring them to life.  That took the quadruple live album (Bluenote Cafe) released years later.  Things were definitely looking up. 

Then, following the Japan, Australia and NZ only EP Eldorado, came Freedom, now my most played Young album.  Terrific songs and arrangements.  He repeated the Rust Never Sleeps trick of opening and closing with acoustic and band versions of Rockin' in the Free World.  Between those songs were some great originals like Crime in the City, Don't Cry, Someday and the Emmylou covered Wrecking Ball and then a nice bluesy version of the Goffin/King classic On Broadway. 

After the mix of acoustic and band tracks on Freedom,  Young reconvened Crazy Horse for what I now think of the definitive Crazy Horse album - Ragged Glory.  What an aptly named album - typical Horse sound, sloppy, driving and glorious.  A key question was whether it was inspired by or inspired grunge and it was after this and the accompanying tour that Neil was dubbed the Godfather of Grunge.   We are very lucky that the tour is so well documented with both Weld and Way Down in the Rust Bucket 

After such a great hard rocking album, clearly recorded in the ditch,  you could probably have put money on Neil returning to the middle of the road.  However whether you could have anticipated just how well he would do that.  Calling his next album Harvest Moon clearly referenced his much loved earlier album.  The songs reflected an older Young looking back on how he got to where was at that stage in his life.  It was a big success.  The band he assembled even resembled the band for Harvest with the addition of Spooner Oldham (if there a keyboard player with a better feel and who can make such a big contribution by playing so little?)  

The next album, Sleeps with Angels, was another curve ball, back with Crazy Horse but with only one song, the 14 minute epic, Change Your Mind,  recalling the grunge sound of Ragged Glory.   In much the same way that Hey Hey My My (out of the blue/into the black) was inspired by Johnny Rotten with its "Better to burn out that to fade away" line  the title track and
Prime of Life was inspired by the death of Kurt Cobain who quited that line in his suicide note.  

While not my most played Young album it is my favourite as I think, apart from the god awful and aptly titled song Piece of Crap, is his most cohesive thematically and lyrically. To me it seems like his reflection of the breakdown of the American Dream, whether it is the ghost like image of the abandoned  "Safeway Cart" rolling down the street,  the songs bookending of the album My Heart and A Dream that can Last or the reflection on the Western Hero.   

For his next album he really embraced his new mantle as Godfather of Grunge and went into the studio (and then on tour) with Pearl Jam.  Many people did not like or rate Mirror Ball  the album that came from those sessions but I always thought it was a solid "Heavy Neil" album with a couple of really stand out tracks.  I particularly like I am the Ocean (which would easily be in my top 10 (or 20) Neil songs, Downtown and Throw your Hatred Down.   It would be good to get a release of a live album but I understand that is locked up in record company politics.  

The run of great albums then finished with the release of the good but not great Broken Arrow and Silver and Gold.  Following the heavy Crazy Horse then more acoustic country approach he so often takes and while these were maybe not to the same standard as to what came before they still included some excellent songs with Big Time and Music Arcade on the former and Silver and Gold, Buffalow Springfield Again and Razor Love on the latter.

After these I feel his efforts have been quite patchy - Three great albums (Le Noise, Psychedelic Pill and Barn), some patchy ones and some I never connected with.   But for me these five albums represent a real purple patch and a middle/late career resurgence/reinvention that perhaps only Bowie has matched with his last 5 albums - but that is another story. 

A (potentially) unwanted song sequel : Rita Wrote a Letter - Paul Kelly

"Hey Dan, it's Joe here, I hope you're keeping well,  

It's the 21st of December and they're ringing the last bell" 

The 21st of December is now known to many in Australia as "Gravy Day" as How to Make Gravy a song offering hope and redemption, while acknowledging human frailty captured the hearts of people across the world.  The song had a similar hopeful feel to it that his earlier To Her Door had where a couple appeared to survive setbacks.  

The version in the link made the song even more poignant by linking the story of someone in prison missing family Christmas to those caught out by Covid.  The song captured Christmas family dynamics really well.  No doubt because Kelly drew upon his memories of big family Christmases, with all their stresses and strains. 

The song included the verse 

"And you'll dance with Rita, I know you really like her
Just don't hold her too close
Oh, brother, please don't stab me in the back
I didn't mean to say that, it's just my mind it plays up
Multiplies each matter, turns imagination into fact"

I am not sure why and I am not sure how I feel about it but Paul Kelly decided we needed an update and as he said in concert last week Joe was right to be worried about his brother and Rita.  And on or before getting out of prison  Rita Wrote a Letter and then Joe's life did not really work out and he is singing from his grave.  As usual Kelly is able to capture some of life's realities in a few of the stanza's that make the dissappointment for wh

"The day I walked out of prison
I knew that I was still in stir
For the crime committed I was still doing time
Behind the walls between me and her"
 .......
Rita wrote a letter
And this is what she had to say
She said, 'Joe I'm really sorry
But me and Dan, our love is here to stay
With the kids it's getting better
And now a little baby's on the way'
........ 
She said, 'Joe, I gave you good chances
But half a year turned into two
You could never hold your temper
And you always made it all about you'
...... 

Yeah, Rita wrote a letter
I'm still hugging it under the clay
Rita wrote a letter
Deep down I know it's better this way
And maybe she and Dan feel guilty
And the children sometimes cry at night
But I made my bed, I'm lying in it
And I know they're gonna be alright

And then at the end he recalls the earlier song 

But Dan, I don't forgive you
Oh, I didn't mean to say that
It's just my mind it plays up
Multiplies each matter ......................................

Recent Additions : Sunflare by Alan Sparhawk with Trampled By Turtles

Sunflare with Trampled by Turtles has quickly become one of my favourite new releases of the year.   Sparhawk's 2024 release White Roses, My God had many fans scratching their heads with its mix of electronics and Chipmonks style vocals.  The match with modern bluesgrass/folk group for Sunfare seemed much more logical collaboration.  

My Spotify Release Radar playlist (which AI algorithms update each week based on my listening and favoured artists) highlghted a couple of songs (Stranger and Too High) in August and September which made me listen to the whole album.  

This album stands up well against anything that Sparhawk did with his wife with the much beloved  Low.  Low formed in 1993 and was a much loved band by critics and some super fans like Robert Plant (who seems to cover a Low song every one or two albums.  If you have not explored Low's catalogue I recommend you do - you are in for a treat.