Swordfishtrombones

Amazon.com essential recording
The first album of the loose trilogy that also includes Rain Dogs and Franks Wild Years, Swordfishtrombones marked a radical departure for Waits, whose avant-garde ambitions became plain not so much in his lyrics or subject matter--the songs here deal, as do his older albums, with hard life on the wrong side of the tracks and dreams of escape and transcendence--but in the music, a sound somewhere between German cabaret music from between the wars and contemporary Manhattan rush hour. Odd time signatures, unusual instrumentation (glass harmonicas and brake drums, among others), and Waits's barked vocals make this one of his most individualistic and challenging albums. --Daniel Durchholz

Swordfishtrombones,Tom Waits,Island,Album Rock,College Rock,Experimental Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter,United States of America

Swordfishtrombones

Average customer rating:

Heller. Say it with me.
Tom rules!
A revolutionary record
Waits fans are a diverse bunch
A change in the winds....

Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
Manufacturer: Island
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Rain Dogs
Franks Wild Years
Bone Machine
Small Change
Blue Valentine

ASIN: B000001FTJ
Release Date: 1990-06-15

Tracks:

Underground
Shore Leave
Dave The Butcher
Johnsburg, Illinois
16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six
Town With No Cheer
In The Neighborhood
Just Another Sucker On The Vine
Frank's Wild Years
Swordfishtrombone
Down, Down, Down
Soldier's Things
Gin Soaked Boy
Trouble's Braids
Rainbirds

Amazon.com essential recording

The first album of the loose trilogy that also includes Rain Dogs and Franks Wild Years, Swordfishtrombones marked a radical departure for Waits, whose avant-garde ambitions became plain not so much in his lyrics or subject matter--the songs here deal, as do his older albums, with hard life on the wrong side of the tracks and dreams of escape and transcendence--but in the music, a sound somewhere between German cabaret music from between the wars and contemporary Manhattan rush hour. Odd time signatures, unusual instrumentation (glass harmonicas and brake drums, among others), and Waits's barked vocals make this one of his most individualistic and challenging albums. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews:

Heller. Say it with me........2007-06-13

I've had a cassette copy of this album since college. From day one it was noisy and scratchy, I take a pervese pleasure in the idea that Tom would almost prefer it that way. After being a companion on countless roadtrips the tape had become so worn that I had to replace it. The CD was like hearing it for the first time, there are sonic nuances I've missed for years. This is an iconic work from an American original. The dark pictures he paints in songs like Shore Leave and Soldier's Things are bracing and bitterly refreshing in an age of increasingly shallow and meatless pop culture prefab "musicians".

Tom rules!.......2007-01-05

Tom is like a part of your genetic makeup, you either have it or you don't, some try to suppress it like curly hair but it's always there. Anyway the symptoms are you love everything this man says or does and forgive all if ever you need to, watch down by law or listen to his interviews, I dont get to have many emotions being an office worker but the closest I came was when I found out Tom had been on tour and I missed it, worst day of my life.

A revolutionary record.......2007-01-02

You've heard nothing like SWORDFISHTROMBONES, unless you've listened to other Waits records. This is the one that truly kicked off his evolution into "musical genius" territory. The lyrics are still similar to what came before, but the sonic landscape is brand new. Diverse instrumentation and melodic structure give way to an album that defies categorization.

From bluesy romps "Down, Down, Down", to country ballads "In the Neighborhood," to caberet maladies "Underground," SWORDFISHTROMBONES has it all. The title track is a disturbing ballad of a soldier returning from war (a similar theme reappears in other songs). "Frank's Wild Years" is a recitation about a young man apparently driven insane by his wife's Chihuahua." Overall, this album features a highly-disturbing lyric--yet the listern comes away with a sense of awe, even hope. Maybe it is a musical hope--hope that other artists will take a lesson or two from the Tom Waits handbook, and learn the value of being unique. Tom Waits certain has.

Waits fans are a diverse bunch.......2006-09-28

I guess Waits fans have to be diverse and maybe a tad strange, or, they wouldn't be Tom Waits fans. However, I look at some of these lukewarm reviews and I just scratch my head. I think this is one of Tom's greatest albums and certainly one my favorites. It has the accesable songs like "16 Shots" etc. and the truly strange, a real nice mix. Oh well, to each their own, but I think this is a nice starter album for Tom Waits novices.

A change in the winds...........2006-05-08

Tom Waits went changed his whole sound for this album, changing incredibly from his previous 1980 release "Heart Attack and Vine" (not including the soundtrack to "One from the Heart" which was released in 1982). This album marked a turning point in his career; he strayed from the piano a little, and focused a lot on percussion. This album marks the beginning of his famous trio of albums hailed by most Waits fans to be his best work (Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs, and Franks Wild Years). This marked the first drastic change in style and even lyrics in his body of work thus far. With eerie carnival sounding instrumentals, to fast hard hitting percussion, to slow piano work, this album was one of his first to show how diverse his music is. It is also his first solo album released after marrying his wife Kathleen Brennan, and this changes many themes of his music, gearing less towards loneliness and more towards eccentric stories.
Overall this is a landmark in Tom Waits' career and an essential to any fan.

Average customer rating:

Mostly talking blues

Swordfishtrombones

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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Rain Dogs

ASIN: B000H5TY6Y
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Customer Reviews:

Mostly talking blues.......2007-07-25

For someone who prefers Waits' singing voice on those big tuneful ballads, this album is a bit of a let-down. In The Neighbourhood, although a spectacular example of aforementioned style, is the only representative on Swordfishtrombones. With its beautiful melody line and gripping chorus, it ranks with other Wait greats like Old 55, Saving All My Love For You and I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You.

The rest of the album is an exploration of his talking vocal style, with jazzy or bluesy arrangements providing the backdrop to his Beat poetry. Of the three instrumentals, I prefer Just Another Sucker On The Vine with its lovely interplay between harmonium and trumpet. The gentle Soldier's Things and Town With No Cheer are also lovely ballads, but with a lounge jazz feel.

Many of the songs have a theme of travelling and being out of place and out of time. Swordfishtrombones is certainly a very accomplished album on which Waits honed many of his inimitable styles, but besides Neighborhood I do not find many of the songs personally appealing, thence the three stars. For those of his fans that like his rasping voice and spoken style, this is a five star album.