Tom Waits - Small Change
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Tom WaitsBrand: WAITS,TOM
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Import
Published: 1990
CD Release Date: 1990-10-25
Music Label: Elektra / Wea
Product features:
- Tom Waits - Small Change
- Tom Traubert's Blues
- Step Right Up
- Jitterbug Boy
- I Wish I Was in New Orleans
- The Piano Has Been Drinking, (Not Me)
- Invitation to the Blues
- Pasties and a G-String
- Bad Liver and a Broken Heart
- One That Got Away
- Small Change
- I Can't Wait to Get Off Work
Free Music Notes for Small Change
Free Music Review: His masterpiece - chances are you already know that.
Hit: 5 Stars
I don't think I can conjure up anything great to say about "Small Change" that hasn't already been said. And that's a sad thing because there are so many great things to say about this masterpiece and Waits deserves way more recognition then he gets (which is still a lot, admittedly).
Okay, so here goes. First off, if you like Tom Waits and you don't have this album, just buy it. You've probably heard some of the songs anyway but trust me having this thing around really gets you through emotional catastrophes, and those of Homeric proportions. What I'll do now is simply go through the ones you'll want to hear over and over again.
"Tom Traubert's Blues" - This is that "Waltzing Matilda, go waltzing Matilda with me" song that always gets a lot of pre-performance applause once the audience members hear the familiar opening chords. It's big time, string-powered stuff that brings up a lot of sadness and feeling and whatnot, but really it's just a beautiful song that Waits himself has said is about "throwing up in a foreign country."
"Step Right Up" - You know those guys who stand on soapboxes and hawk cheap jewelry and junk at you as you walk down the sidewalk? That's what Tom does here. The hawking, not the walking. The song is all repeated bass line, drums and Waits' voice--his voice is something else entirely, don't let me get into it--and at about seven minutes or so w/r/t length, it might get tiresome for listeners unfamiliar with Mr. Waits' style, voice and... the that makes his music what it is. But it's a fun one and humorous at times.
"The Piano Has Been Drinking" - You've probably heard this one. It's four chords that sound kind of drunk and glass-eyed and runs primarily on the lyrics. It's funny, sad, heartbreaking, etc. Kind of those laughs that you sort of feel bad about laughing, y'know? Here Waits describes what sounds like a ratty lounge with shag carpeting, annoying patrons, disdainful waitresses, a vertically-challenged owner and other stuff you'd probably want to avoid but all of which Waits finds recognizable and harrowing all at the same time. Now go on YouTube and find his performance of this song on "Fernwood Tonight," a spinoff talk-show with a script and wacky hosts. They're not really funny but Waits is hilarious and if you like his on-stage antics then you'll like this video, I guarantee. There are also some rare versions of this song that sound a little more harrowing and skeptical floating around on the net, all of which are very interesting as well.
"I Wish I Was in New Orleans" - Now I know I'm nobody okay, sure I get it, but for about as long as I can remember I've hated piano because it was too, I don't know, traditional or something for me. Well, this song got me playing piano. For enjoyment. And I taught myself. Okay, enough self-promotion. This song is magic. It's slow and sort of Louis Armstrong-sounding (Tom's voice on "Small Change" definitely brings Satchmo to mind) and it's simply a great song. Piano, strings, saxophone, bass, drums. Oh, and the Voice.
"Pastries and a G-String" - Don't know what to say about this one except it's funny and it's sort of like "Step Right Up" in the way that's primarily about the Voice. There's that, a drumset and not much else. Mildly inappropriate for children, but what the hell.
"Invitation to the Blues" - A lot of people will tell you "Tom Traubert's Blues" is Waits' epic, grand concert hall magnum opus song or whatever, but really, I think "Invitation..." is better. Generally speaking, I feel that if "Tom Traubert's Blues" is Waits' ballroom diamond, then this track here is the one he plays at the nightclubs and gets everyone feeling pretty much the same way the other one does. Beautiful song. And it's not even really my favorite Waitsian song, it's just one of those longer songs that usually gets a lot of attention.
"I Can't Wait to Get Off Work (And See My Baby)" - The song that got me addicted. Up to that point I'd enjoyed Waits' music very much but when I heard this song, I was hooked. Everything I wanted to hear in music exists in that song. Well, okay, I don't know, but it's a sweet, simple, relatively short track comprised of piano, the Voice, and maybe some bass. Yes, some bass, but lightly; it doesn't stick out and form the backbone of the song as in "Step Right Up." The song is about Waits' experience working in a pizza joint a time ago.
I skipped a few tracks for convenience but they're all good--"Bad Liver and a Broken Heart," "The One That Got Away," "Jitterbug Boy," and the title track--and simply, if you're a fan of Waits, chances are you probably already have this one and are imagining yourself bashing my brains in because I didn't duplicate exactly what you think about each of the tracks or I skipped your favorite or I said "Invitation" was better than "Tom Traubert," and if you don't know the songs on this album and would like to hear more of Waits, buy this one for sure. If you're completely new to Waits, go to confession first and then buy this album because first of all it's a great place to start and secondly you're wasting time already.
Small Change Poster
Limited vinyl LP repressing. Released in 1976, Waits recorded Small Change at Wally Heider's studio in Hollywood. The album opens with "Tom Traubert's Blues," one of the singer's most enduring songs, and features memorable cuts such as "I Wish I Was In New Orleans," "Bad Liver And A Broken Heart" and "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)." Warner.Classic Rock Music CDs
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