Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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110 of 115 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth waiting for, 6 Nov 2006
Three discs, fifty-four songs, thirty new and previously unheard recordings sounds like pretty standard fare for an artist box set, and yet, Orphans has as much in common with a simple career retrospective as Tom Waits does with the average singer songwriter.
The three discs are divided by genre: Brawlers is chock full of raucous blues and full-throated juke-joint stomps, Bawlers contains a selection of Celtic and country ballads, waltzes, lullabies, piano, and classic lyrical Waits' songs, while Bastards is filled with experimental music, stories and jokes.
The first disc, Brawlers, sees Waits channel The Rolling Stones, Captain Beefheart, Muddy Waters and T-Rex. The first of the new songs, LowDown, is in pure garage rock mode, with his 20-year-old son, Casey, on drums and San Francisco's blues icon, Ron Hacker, on guitar. A cover of The Ramones's The Return Of Jackie And Judy rubs shoulders with more traditional numbers like Bottom Of The World and Rains On Me.
Stealing the show, however, is Road To Peace, Waits's staggering condemnation of the Bush government and a companion piece to Day After Tomorrow from his previous album, Real Gone. It is, without question, one of the finest anti war songs ever penned.
The lonesome ballads and tender songs of innocence and hope on Bawlers come in sharp contrast to the other two discs and showcase Waits at his most romantic. The plaintive laments of Tell It To Me and Fannin Street meld poignantly with saloon songs of betrayal and despair like The World Keeps Turning. The bitter cabaret of Little Drop Of Poison (originally from the soundtrack to End Of Violence and, later, Shrek 2) explores what the heart gives and what it takes away.
It's the indefinable diversions into Waits's experimental side that are the hallmark of Bastards. The disturbing bedtime fable that is Children's Story, precedes a maniacal version of Heigh Ho, from Disney's Snow White & The Seven Dwarves and a cackling take on Daniel Johnston's King Kong. The poignant reminiscence of car ownership on The Pontiac and the spoken word Army Ants ensures that Bastards is anything but predictable.
Ever the stylistic nomad, Waits takes on the roles of inventive vocalist, literary lyricist, barking preacher, rabid poet, romantic melodist, innovative arranger and pioneer of sonic worlds as he scats, wheezes, blurts, rages, weeps, whispers and chugs through the three discs. Orphans will move the heart, shake the body and expand the soul.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Classic, 1 Jan 2007
I have been a fan of Tom Waits since 1973 when 'Closing Time' was released. I have just about everything he has released since then and I have had the privilege of twice seeing him perform live.
Like all great songwriters with extensive back catalogues, there has been the occasional blip but overall the quality has remained high and 'Orphans' has raised the bar even higher by being an absolute classic.
Brilliant songs and musings to make you laugh, cry and rock. And all beautifully presented in a quality package.
If you are not yet into Tom Waits then I recommend that you listen to this album and discover a genius.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tom Waits on top form again, 24 Nov 2006
The scale of this album is pretty intimidating. I wasn't sure when I bought this whether someone even of the calibre of Tom Waits could pull off a triple album and make it consistently good throughout. Has he managed it? Yes...with flying colours. 'Orphans' is a masterpiece. I have just about everything the man has ever recorded and this stands alongside his best ('Rain Dogs, 'Swordfishtrombones', 'Closing Time' if you want my opinion).
Orphans is divided into three CDs, each of which could have been released on its own as a perfectly good album. What Tom Waits has done though is ensure that fans of ALL aspects of his music go home happy. This is important when you remember that there is and never has been anyone to match Waits' musical versatility (Neil Young comes about the closest). So CD1 is Waits in rock music mode, CD2 is Waits the balladeer and CD3 is everything else. Its pointless listing the songs that are good here, there are just too many to mention. Instead it's best to look at the the three faces of the album.
CD1 (Brawlers) starts off with Waits doing an old fashioned rock 'n' roll/rockabilly number, "Lie To Me" - I must admit this isn't exactly a musical style that I'm into big time but nevertheless it is rather good. The highlight of 'Brawlers' for me though is 'Road To Peace', a Tom Waits commentary on the lunacy of the Middle East. This is as close to politics that Tom Waits is ever likely to get.
CD2 (Bawlers) is, I must admit, my favourite part of the album. Tom Waits for me has always been at his best when singing ballads. These bear comparison with anything he has performed before. Standout tracks are "Widow's Grove" (one of his best ever) and "It's Over" while the mad tango of "Little Drop Of Poison" could have come straight out of 'Rain Dogs'.
CD3 (Bastards) is Waits doing his experimental bit. In the press I read a review suggesting that this was purely for Waits diehards. I don't agree. There really is some excellent and tuneful (if that's the right word when talking about Tom Waits) stuff here. "Two Sisters" is superb as is "Home I'll Never Be". You also get several tracks of Waits' storytelling. For those who haven't heard him before, nobody tells a story like Waits. From the mad entomological listing of "Army Ants" to the untitled story at the end about the woman in the supermarket it's all here.
Fantastic stuff. Waits as ever glories in his stories of the American dark underbelly. Characters appear in these songs that have no place anywhere else. This really is the sound of 3 a.m. after a heavy night in a backstreet bar. Beautiful stuff, buy it!
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