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Tom Waits eh? He crazy. I tried singing like Tom Waits; I can do it, but only for one song. Listen to Come On Up To The House, it's very wonderful.
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Tom Waits
Mule Variations
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AMG Review of Mule Variations
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music GuideTom Waits grew steadily less prolific after redefining himself as a junkyard noise poet with Swordfishtrombones, but the five-year wait between The Black Rider and 1999's Mule Variations was the longest yet. Given the fact that Waits decided to abandon major labels for the California indie Epitaph, Mule Variations would seem like a golden opportunity to redefine himself and begin a new phase of his career. However, it plays like a revue of highlights from every album he's made since Swordfishtrombones. Of course, that's hardly a criticism; the album uses the ragged cacophony of Bone Machine as a starting point, and proceeds to bring in the songwriterly aspects of Rain Dogs, along with its affection for backstreet and backwoods lues, plus a hint of the beatnik qualities of Swordfish. So Mule Variations delivers what fans want, in terms of both songs and sonics. But that also explains why it sounds terrific on initial spins, only to reveal itself as slightly dissatisfying with subsequent plays. All of Waits' Island records felt like fully conceived albums with genuine themes. Mule Variations, in contrast, is a collection of moments, and while each of those moments is very good (some even bordering on excellent), ultimately the whole doesn't equal the sum of its parts. While that may seem like nitpicking, some may have wanted a masterpiece after five years, and Mule Variations falls short of that mark. Nevertheless, this is a hell of a record by any other standard. Waits is still writing terrific songs and matching them with wildly evocative productions; furthermore, it's his lightest record in years -- it's actually fun to listen to, even with a murder allad here and a psycho lues there. In that sense, it's a unique item in his post-Swordfish catalog, and that may make up for it not being the masterpiece it seemed like it could have been.
Big In Japan
Tom Waits in Chicago
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Yuppers. Got my tickets. I'll be seeing Tom in Chicago. Boo ya.
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You don't meet nice girls in coffee shops
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One of my favorite ways to find out about music that I have never heard is to hear about it from a band or artist that I already love.Case in point, while at one of the gazillion Pearl Jam shows I attended during the mid-90's they played 'Daughter' and during the interlude Eddie threw in these amazing lyrics that I had never heard before! I spent the next three weeks on a mission to find out wh...
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Speaking of Sunday
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Church, whats that?
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Been Beesy
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I've been away for awhile, and after all the problems MOG's been having, i suppose i am lucky to have missed the worst of it (we hope!). As the picture above relates, I've been a bee-sy guy. I've just bought a nice little house on the East coast to retire to. Unfortunately I won't be retiring for 10-12 years, so will be renting it out. I know it's a crappy pic, but it was taken right off the ML...
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Mmmm... cocoa.
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"Does Flavanol Intake Influence Mortality from Nitric Oxide-Dependent Processes? Ischemic Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes Mellitus, and Cancer in Panama."Which is a fancy way of saying, "Is Cocoa Good For Your Brain?"Why, yes. Yes it is.
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It's my life...
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so i've posted a new widget over on the side called "Albums that Changed My Life." i saw Groon's and figured i'd steal the idea for my Mog... though everyone has made this list at some point. my list ranges from music i first heard as a kid, to music i heard a few years ago that started something new deep inside me, to music in high school that told me there's something completely different o...
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Art Imitates Waits
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Looks like someone's been listening to this song a little too much.
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Tom Waits in Chicago
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Yuppers. Got my tickets. I'll be seeing Tom in Chicago. Boo ya.
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Big In Japan
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Tom Waits eh? He crazy. I tried singing like Tom Waits; I can do it, but only for one song. Listen to Come On Up To The House, it's very wonderful.
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 "Mule Variations")
