Tom Waits’ Glitter and Doom Live Album - Review

Before August 1st 2008, I can’t think of a time I was truly starstruck. I was a bit tongue-tied when I met Gay Byrne two years ago, but apart from that, I don’t think I’ve ever come close to being starstruck.

When Tom Waits stepped out on stage, he looked ten feet tall. A combination of the rapturous cheers, the perfectly targeted spotlights and Waits’ natural charisma made him the most alluring man on the planet at that moment. I was in awe. I’m not sure if I cheered - I may have just stared. Of course, I was not as overcome as the American guy behind me who screamed uncontrollably and looked close to tears. Understandable!

All this, before the man sang a single note.

But that’s the thing about Tom Waits. I’m not sure anyone can really claim to be there purely for his singing ability. His croaking growl and haphazard disregard for his own melodies is trademark. If the pop divas of yesteryear made you soar high above the clouds with their voices, then Tom Waits grabs you by the throat and drags you through the muddy swamp with his.

However, that was his concert. How does the live album compare? Released last week, the two-disc set captures Waits’ Glitter and Doom tour, hitting a handful of cities in the US, as well as a few European stops, including a stint last August in the Ratcellar (a marquee in Phoenix Park).

From the first howl of the disc’s opening track, Lucinda/Ain’t Goin Down, Waits proves his signature gravelly, whiskey-soaked and utterly unique vocal delivery hasn’t waned over the years. I saw Dylan in the O2 earlier this year and his own guttural vocal has all but disappeared to a whisper, saved only by his superb band. Waits, however, seems to have gotten better with age. In fact, though Dylan is only 8 years older than Waits, who turns 60 next week, they are generations apart.

My first impression of Tom Waits’s gig last year was that it could never be captured on disc. It was so visual, so of-the-moment. I thought it impossible to truly repeat it in 17 audio tracks. But as I worked through Singapore, Get Behind the Mule, the wonderful Fannin Street and one of the highlights Dirt In The Ground, I closed my eyes and I was back under the marquee, reliving the greatest gig I’ve ever been to.

As I listened to other favourites of mine, Falling Down and The Part You Throw Away, I knew this would be an album I would listen to time and time again. But it’s not simply a ‘Best of’ collection. In fact, for the most part, there is nothing remotely resembling a hit on it. Instead, we skirt the edges of the Waits catalogue. Sure, I’ll Shoot The Moon was a crowd pleaser at the gig, but it’s a tough track to hear on the CD if you’re not a Waits fan. Similarly, Metropolitan Glide, Goin’ Out West and Such a Scream are not among his better known tracks.

It is a shame that tracks like Hoist That Rag, which had people dancing in the aisles, and the genius Eyeball Kid didn’t appear on the collection. Two of the greatest moments from the gig were Waits’ beautiful version of Tom Traubert’s Blues (a song that Waits seemed to sing purely for his own enjoyment) and the showstopping Make it Rain, neither of which are on the album. For Eyeball Kid Waits wore a ‘mirrorball hat’ which lit up the entire marquee and was a visual spectacular. Make it Rain closed the show (prior to a lengthly encore) and was punctuated by glitter raining down from above, as the crowd went crazy. Even the opening track Lucinda was a marvel to behold as Waits stomped his way through the song kicking up white powder and turning the stage and much of the first few rows into a white circus.

Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom

There lies the problem with the album - it can never capture the visual aspects of the show, the energy, the spectacle of it all. But though you miss the visual dynamic of watching the twisted Waits bend and contort himself into his songs, what you do get is the rasp of his well-worn singing voice and the near flawless playing of his backing band (a group that even features Waits’ son Casey on drums).

Disc two features a 35-minute comedy bit entitled Tom Tales, which is a collection of his chatter between tracks, his funny musings recited while Waits performed at the piano. It’s a fantastic addition to the collection.

Overall, this is Waits’ strongest live album so far. For Waits fans, it’s an excellent entry into his catalogue. For those who having only a passing acquaintance with the man’s music, it may be tough to grasp. But for those who were at any of the 2008 concerts, this album is a vital piece of nostalgia. Go buy it immediately.

Tracklisting

1. Lucinda / Ain’t Goin Down (Birmingham 03/07/08)
2. Singapore (Edinburgh 28/07/08)
3. Get Behind The Mule (Tulsa 25/06/08)
4. Fannin Street (Knoxville 29/07/08)
5. Dirt In The Ground (Milan 19/07/08)
6. Such A Scream (Milan 18/07/08)
7. Live Circus (Jacksonville 01/07/08)
8. Goin’ Out West (Tulsa 25/06/08)
9. Falling Down (Paris 025/7/08)
10. The Part You Throw Away (Edinburgh 28/07/08)
11. Trampled Rose (Dublin 01/08/08)
12. Metropolitan Glide (Knoxville 29/06/08)
13. I’ll Shoot The Moon (Paris 24/07/08)
14. Green Grass (Edinburgh 27/07/08)
15. Make It Rain (Atlanta 05/07/08)
16. Story (Columbus 28/06/08)
17. Lucky Day (Atlanta 05/07/08)

Disc 2: Tom Tales stories from various concerts.

For more on Tom Waits, visit his website. Glitter and Doom Live is available from Amazon and iTunes. If you’re interested in my original review of the gig it’s on DarrenByrne.com.