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Amazon.co.uk Review
With a career work ethic that would shame the slackest slacker--or even Randy Newman--this 2002 release marks just the second album by inveterate LA music fixture Chuck E Weiss (and subject of Rickie Lee Jones's 1979 hit, "Chuck E's in Love") in 18 years. And unlikely as it seems, this follow up to his 1999 rough-cut jewel, Extremely Cool, finds Weiss on a creative, if typically slapdash, roll. This gleefully haphazard cocktail of blues, swing, bebop and Dixieland still can't escape comparisons with old pal Tom Waits, except that Weiss's self-dubbed "alternative jungle music" is typically more accessible--and infinitely more hilarious--than that of his better-publicised peer. Typically (and gratifyingly), Weiss approaches this music with all the dignity of a lush at an open bar: slave chants rub shoulders with middle-aged Jew hoodoo ("Congo Square at Midnight"); the tale of "Sweetie-O" swings to a spare hipster groove laid down by guitarist Tony Gilkyson; the patent falsetto-weirdness of "Piggly Wiggly" segues like old grease into the 50s trash-can-rhythm shuffle of "Two Tone Car". The toy piano of "Anthem for Old Souls" and loopy rhymes of "Sneaky Jesus" may also recall the Waits connection, but the goofily heartfelt lament of "No Hep Cats" and smoky jazz of "Blood Alley" argue that Weiss holds his distinctly American bohemian traditions, musical and otherwise, in high regard. As if to underscore the point, Weiss has included "Down the Road Apiece", his 1970 duet with blues legend Willie Dixon, a track that's perhaps the album's most jarringly normal. Also included is a video enhanced bonus track of "Cub Scout Suit (With the Butt Cut Out)" recorded live at LA's Viper Room. This makes for a compelling argument that strong roots can nonetheless yield a spectacularly twisted tree. --Jerry McCulley
Review
The Chuck E Weiss legend overshadows his music. Hardly surprising considering Old Souls & Wolf Tickets is only his third album in three decades. Considered royalty in Hollywood's less salubrious quarters, Weiss made his mark in LA during a long-term residency at the infamous Tropicana Motel along with Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones. Waits wrote a song about Weiss's car. Jones went one better and immortalised him in "Chuck E's in Love". Opening the Viper Room with Johnny Depp in 1993 transformed the club Weiss had played in for years into the Hollywood hotspot du jour, and in all that time he managed to stay well clear of a studio. Chuck E's second album materialised 18 years after the first. A collaboration with Waits, the Zydeco-flavoured Extremely Cool (1999) had few problems living up to its name.
Weiss wanted the follow-up to be "more melodic". There may less growling this time round, but Old Souls & Wolf Tickets still retains the previous record's good-time stew of jazz, blues and rock and roll. Backed by his long-time aiders and abettors the G-d Damn Liars, the milieu is somewhere between a Los Angeles late-night lounge and a New Orleans block party, with memories of old friends and youthful miss-adventure surfacing on many tracks. "I want to go back to when things were so simple" sings Weiss in a high-pitched hillbilly squeal on "Piggly Wiggly". Echoes of the past reverberate most on "Down the Road Apiece". Willie Dixon recorded this nugget of Dixie-fried boogie-woogie in 1970 with "little" Chuck E Weiss providing backing vocals. It says a lot about big Chuck E's sensibilities that the rediscovered cut fits perfectly on this record.
Beyond the nostalgia there's also a lot of fun. Who else is going to tell you about the 60-year-old Al Jolson's honeymoon or enthuse so passionately about his car? Chuck E may not be venturing far beyond Los Angeles anytime soon, but it would be a shame if he stays shy of a recording studio for long. --Nigel Smith
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
chuck e weiss has the misfortune to be taken for blues, when in fact what he does is much cooler and more interesting than that - he makes a really swampy dirty sound for example on Congo Square at Midnight, with lighter almost comical moments on Sneaky Jesus. It really shows that he is one of Tom Waits' best friends, with both his vocal work and instrumental backing using innovative and off-the-wall techniques. Well worth a listen for those who like music.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Chuck E is back in love!
24 Jan 2002
Format:Audio CD
I was very delighted-no, overjoyed!-when I spotted Chuck E Weiss's low-key, no-publicity new album in a local music store. It wasn't displayed, it wasn't on the new-releases shelf, a single copy was simply and humbly filed next to his 1999 aptly titled LP "Extremely Cool". Chuck E is like one of your weird uncles who smokes and drinks too much, and nobody in your family likes him. But you don't mind chewing the fat with him, sipping a spiked lemonade on the porch while listening to his wild stories from the good old Bohemian days, or even occasionally taking some avuncular advices from the old man on women, cigarettes and various other un-kosher activities. The songs on this new collection call to mind many influences. Comparisons to his old pal, Tom Wais, are inevitable. Other people will probably talk to you about all the similarities, so I won't go into them. Instead, I'll tell ya how this new album is dissimilar to Tom Waits in many ways. First of all, it's not produced, co-wrote, or guest-stared by Tom. The songs are written almost exclusively by Chuck himself. Makes one wonder what the sources of his new-found inspirations are (after all, we are talking about a man with a disproportional 40-year career and a 3-LP catalog). Second departure from Tom is indicated by the ecstatic joy that can be found in the new songs. Bluesy and earthy, quite different from some of Tom's recent works which are thick, dark, theatrical, and Kurt Weill-esque (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Tom's recent stuff and hope he never stops making them. I'm just saying that Chuck's new songs have a different vibe.) The new set of Chuck E songs are raw, rowdy, playful, soulful, and definitely more accessible. A rich tapestry of different schools of Americana, reminiscent of the swampy Dr. John and Professor Longhair's Cajun brew. A wonderful album and arrived just in time, a nice mental retreat from the harsh Canadian winter. If you wish you were in New Orleans as well, I suggest you go buy the Wolf Tickets and ride the slow train with the Old Souls to the gay old Cajun country!
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Early Candidate for "Best of '02" List
1 Feb 2002
Format:Audio CD
To my ears, this is an amazing new release by Chuck E. Weiss, and one that actually has me starting my "Best Of" list only 31 days into '02. It fulfills the promise made last year on Weiss's first effort in almost two decades. How? By standing apart from (possibly, above!) his primary musical and lyrical influences.
What makes this CD especially memorable is the appearance of Mr. Willie Dixon. While most often Weiss is compared to his old running mate Tom Waits -- for prettydamngoodreason -- this time it's also impossible not to hear other strong influences reminiscent of Dr. John and Professor Longhair at their Cajun-gumbo-best.
Anyone who needs a shot of rhythm & blues can get a distillery-load off this disc.
The songs are sometimes simultaneously humorous and serious, but none are done simply to be clever. This is a display of the real crafts of songwriting and tunesmithing.
Maybe it's simply wishful thinking on my part, but in my mind, I can hear Van Morrison doing these songs. The relaxed and confident freeform style is so comparable. I wish-to-god Morrison would listen to this disc and re-ignite his dedication to original blues/jazz/rock roots.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Refreshing Blues With A Twist!
29 Mar 2002
Format:Audio CD
Chuck E. Weiss is the epitome of cool. As a teenager, Chuck E. toured various venues with the late Lightnin' Hopkins and Willie Dixon and in the late 70's he was the subject of Rickie Lee Jones top ten tune "Chuck E.'s In Love". His friends include Tom Waits and Johnny Depp. In fact, Weiss together with Depp founded the Viper Room in Los Angeles which is featured in the video enhanced track contained on the disc "Dixieland Funeral". Musically, Weiss recorded a solo album in the 70's which, for unknown reasons, received only limited distribution. So dismal were the results, Weiss opted to perform in clubs of his choosing and did not record another solo CD until coaxed back to the studio in 1999 by friend, Tom Waits who co-produced the exceptional "Extremely Cool". While, Waits does not play a role in the production of this disc, his influence is heard throughout, especially in tunes like "Congo Square At Midnight", "No Hep Cats" and "Sneaky Jesus". Overall, the CD is not blues in the more traditional sense. It is, however, heavily jazz/ blues influenced and some songs, like "Down The Road A Piece" and "Dixieland Funeral" would be at home in any Dixie bar. This is a musical experience not to be missed. Pick this up and then seek out "Extremely Cool".
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