this sounds a lot like "hoist that rag." even the guitar riff seems nearly identical. fortunately, i love "hoist that rag," and i can't wait to hear the whole song... and the whole album!
Such a shame - I think the whole album is already up on the torrents probably 2 months before the release date - from what I heard though, he sounds in great form :)
First impressions: - Heavy kick drum and horns á la ”Big In Japan” - Recycled phrase 'The thunder and the roar' from “Clap Hands” - It's that falsetto off-key vocal delivery again - Overall reminiscent of the style of both “Lie To Me” and “2:19” - Rawer recording ambience and, as a balancing act, what a guitar part! - The return of the rockabilly stut-t-t-ter, hah! - The final notes of the sample now fading out, the song does sound good.
I had this feeling that the hall of fame performance, where Tom sang in that shrill tremelo voice was a foreshadowing of perhaps a new voice styling. I figured that voice would be on the new record. I realize he's sung in a similar voice in the past (Lie to Me comes to mind), I guess. But it sounds new to me. Remember how he sang "Get Behind the Mule" at the Hall of Fame performance? I'm not sure how I feel about that particular voice. Regardless, it's Tom Waits! He always wins me over in the end, even if it takes a year or two for me to adjust. Musically, the Bad as Me snippet did sound Latin or more specifically Cuban, which goes all the way back to Jockey Full of Bourbon (more recently, Hoist that Rag). Fucking great, as far as I'm concerned. I love the beat in this song. The beat felt original to me. Anyway, I can't wait for the record . . .
Usually the singles isn't among my favourite numbers, and that goes for most artists. It's the smaller numbers that usually sneak up on me. I guess the more raw, complex numbers isn't considered to have mass appeal.
I find it interesting how Tom Waits uses some specific imagery and phrases over and over. Those small snippes is his orphans, the ones that don't seem to belong in any song, so they continue to travel. "the dish went away with the spoon" etc. It also gives me the feeling of getting a peak into his creative process.
Bad as me does remind me of Big in Japan in that it's a list of comparisons thrown at you. At the same time, it also reminds me of Make it Rain and Lie to Me. I prefer the latter, as the first is like a parody of the wounded blues singer talking about how lonely it is... which we have heard 5000 times before
Marco North: I always find it funny how Screamin' Jay hawkins' cover of Whistling Past the Graveyard sounds so tidy and mannered alongside Waits' own over-the-top performance. It's like they swapped sides on that one.
Does not disappoint - this sounds like vintage Tom Waits to me. Can't wait!
ReplyDeletethis sounds a lot like "hoist that rag." even the guitar riff seems nearly identical. fortunately, i love "hoist that rag," and i can't wait to hear the whole song... and the whole album!
ReplyDeleteVery Beefheart-y
ReplyDeleteI don't think his lyrics on the past couple of albums have been as strong as usual, but still looking forward to this!
Such a shame - I think the whole album is already up on the torrents probably 2 months before the release date - from what I heard though, he sounds in great form :)
ReplyDeleteIf that's the real cd cover though, that is disappointing.
ReplyDeleteFirst impressions:
ReplyDelete- Heavy kick drum and horns á la
”Big In Japan”
- Recycled phrase 'The thunder
and the roar' from “Clap Hands”
- It's that falsetto off-key vocal
delivery again
- Overall reminiscent of the style
of both “Lie To Me” and “2:19”
- Rawer recording ambience and,
as a balancing act, what a
guitar part!
- The return of the rockabilly
stut-t-t-ter, hah!
- The final notes of the sample
now fading out, the song does
sound good.
@agreen: what torrent are you talking about? (I would be very surprised if the album was already ou there)
ReplyDeleteI had this feeling that the hall of fame performance, where Tom sang in that shrill tremelo voice was a foreshadowing of perhaps a new voice styling. I figured that voice would be on the new record. I realize he's sung in a similar voice in the past (Lie to Me comes to mind), I guess. But it sounds new to me. Remember how he sang "Get Behind the Mule" at the Hall of Fame performance? I'm not sure how I feel about that particular voice. Regardless, it's Tom Waits! He always wins me over in the end, even if it takes a year or two for me to adjust. Musically, the Bad as Me snippet did sound Latin or more specifically Cuban, which goes all the way back to Jockey Full of Bourbon (more recently, Hoist that Rag). Fucking great, as far as I'm concerned. I love the beat in this song. The beat felt original to me. Anyway, I can't wait for the record . . .
ReplyDeletevery Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
ReplyDeleteSounds great! I can picture him, doddering about, slightly unhinged, as he cries out this delightful sounding number.
ReplyDeleteUsually the singles isn't among my favourite numbers, and that goes for most artists. It's the smaller numbers that usually sneak up on me. I guess the more raw, complex numbers isn't considered to have mass appeal.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how Tom Waits uses some specific imagery and phrases over and over. Those small snippes is his orphans, the ones that don't seem to belong in any song, so they continue to travel. "the dish went away with the spoon" etc. It also gives me the feeling of getting a peak into his creative process.
Bad as me does remind me of Big in Japan in that it's a list of comparisons thrown at you. At the same time, it also reminds me of Make it Rain and Lie to Me. I prefer the latter, as the first is like a parody of the wounded blues singer talking about how lonely it is... which we have heard 5000 times before
Marco North: I always find it funny how Screamin' Jay hawkins' cover of Whistling Past the Graveyard sounds so tidy and mannered alongside Waits' own over-the-top performance. It's like they swapped sides on that one.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for tomorrow!!!
ReplyDeleteyou can never go into the mood with 30 sec only... I have to hear the whole thing.
There it goes!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.somekindofawesome.com/journal/2011/8/22/listen-tom-waits-bad-as-me.html
On sale now! From both Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
ReplyDeleteBad as me tracklist:
ReplyDeletehttp://itunes.apple.com/us/preorder/bad-as-me-deluxe-version/id458386332