Beautiful Maladies - The Island Years

Album Review

Tom Waits' brilliance is messy — he has so many ideas that sometimes unrealized songs are juxtaposed with moments of greatness on his albums. That may make for the occasional uneven record, but each album has its own distinct tone that makes it a unique listening experience, whether it's a masterpiece or a missed opportunity. And that's the reason why his work, especially his sprawling Island albums, doesn't easily lend itself to retrospectives like Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years. The single disc features 22 tracks from Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs, Franks Wild Years, Big Time, Bone Machine, and The Black Rider, including such familiar and celebrated items as "Hang on St. Christopher," "Innocent When You Dream," "I Don't Wanna Grow Up," "16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six," and "Downtown Train." Some fans might spot missing favorites, but it's hard to fault the selections themselves. Because of this, Beautiful Maladies functions as a primer for neophytes. The collection may not give the full scope of Waits' talents, but for the curious, it works well as a sampler.