| Name | Artist | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Somewhere | Tom Waits | 3:52 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
2 |
Red Shoes By the Drugstore | Tom Waits | 3:14 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
3 |
Christmas Card from a Hooker In Minneapolis | Tom Waits | 4:33 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
4 |
Romeo Is Bleeding | Tom Waits | 4:52 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
$29.00 | Tom Waits | 8:15 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
6 |
Wrong Side of the Road | Tom Waits | 5:14 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
7 |
Whistlin' Past the Graveyard | Tom Waits | 3:17 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
8 |
Kentucky Avenue | Tom Waits | 4:49 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
9 |
A Sweet Little Bullet from a Pretty Blue Gun | Tom Waits | 5:36 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
10 |
Blue Valentines | Tom Waits | 5:50 | $2.19 | View In iTunes |
| Total: 10 Songs |
Album Review
Two welcome changes in style made Blue Valentine a fresh listening experience for Tom Waits fans. First, Waits alters the instrumentation, bringing in electric guitar and keyboards and largely dispensing with the strings for a more blues-oriented, hard-edged sound. Second, though his world view remains fixed on the lowlifes of the late night, he expands beyond the musings of the barstool philosopher who previously had acted as the first-person character of most of his songs. When Waits does use the first-person, it's to write a "Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis," not the figure most listeners had associated with the singer himself. The result is a broadening of subject matter, a narrative discipline that makes most of the tunes story songs, and a coherent framing for Waits' typically colorful and intriguing imagery. These are not radical reinventions, but Waits had followed such a rigidly stylized approach on his previous albums that for anyone who had followed him so far, the course correction was big news.
Customer Reviews
Great bluesy tunes.
Tom Waits is a man of many talents. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and sometime actor, he has created a musical world all his own, which can be weird and wonderful at times. Even if you haven't heard him, you may have heard some of his songs sung by others, such as Jersey Girl or Downtown Train.
Tom Waits has a bit of a cult following, and I am a devotee - at last count I had 11 of his albums nestling in my iPod. Which brings me to Blue Valentine.
In some ways this is the easiest entree into the world of Tom Waits and his music - Blue Valentine, while definitely quirky, is not quite as eccentric as some later albums - indeed it begins with a lushly orchestrated version of Somewhere, from West Side Story. The first indication that this might be something different is when you hear Tom's gravelly, husky voice - with a sound somewhere between Louis Armstrong and a lion's roar.
The rest of the album is a mix of bluesy tunes, and songs with a strong narrative lyric, such as Red Shoes by the Drugstore, Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis, $29.00, and Romeo is Bleeding. These songs evoke the seedier side of life- hoodlums, wastrels and drug addicts. The instrumentation is sparse, loose and incredibly hip.
Waits' has a finely honed blues sensibility- his vocals are exquisitely timed, and delivered with a lot of soul.
The final song on the album- Blue Valentines, is a wonderful Jazz ballad, and a fine way to end what is truly a great record, that repays much listening.
Biography
Born: 07 December 1949 in Pomona, CA
Genre: Rock
Years Active: '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s
Top Albums and Songs By Tom Waits
| Name | Album | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You | Closing Time | 3:54 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
2 |
Going Out West | Bone Machine | 3:20 | $2.19 | View In iTunes |
|
3 |
Downtown Train | Rain Dogs | 3:50 | $2.19 | View In iTunes |
|
4 |
Christmas Card from a Hooker In Minneapolis | Blue Valentine | 4:33 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
Jersey Girl | Heartattack and Vine | 5:11 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
6 |
Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind In Copenhagen) | The Asylum Years | 6:35 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
7 |
Hold On | Mule Variations | 5:33 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
8 |
Blue Valentines | Blue Valentine | 5:50 | $2.19 | View In iTunes |
|
9 |
Come On Up to the House | Mule Variations | 4:36 | $1.69 | View In iTunes |
|
10 |
Way Down In the Hole | Franks Wild Years | 3:30 | $2.19 | View In iTunes |
- $8.99
- Genres: Rock, Music, Blues-Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Arena Rock
- Released: Oct 1978
- ℗ 1978 Elektra Entertainment for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company.
