Review of Orphans by Tom Waits
3 Discs that Will Add Value to any Music Collection
Waits' latest release is a kaleidoscope of sound, all of it his own, all of it distinct. It was also one of the best things to come out in 2006.
As of late 2006, it had been 2 years since Real Gone had come out and made something less than a splash. But rumors swirled last year about a monster of a release: Tom Waits was releasing a multi-disc compilation album.
The rumors were true, but it could only be a compilation by the strictest of standards: Orphans is a 3-disc, 56-song, and 3-hour thrill ride through the wasteland of Americana, blues, and balladry. The 3 discs each have a name, too: one is Brawlers, two is Bawlers, and three is Bastards. This segregation is appropriate and divides the work into palatable listens based on style.
Brawlers
Brawlers is the pulp novel hero of the album, a stomp rocker that runs the gamut of Waits' evolutionary history. Every single song on this disc is brilliant, from the opening barroom anthem "Lie to Me" to the blues dirge "Rains on Me." In between are some of the finest performances Waits has ever given: the trash-rock love of "Lowdown," the soft gospel of "Lord I've Been Changed," and the punkish folk of "Buzz Fledderjohn."
And those aren't even the best. "Fish in the Jailhouse" is paced with bongos and saxophone; it's a get-out-of-jail farewell address, as Waits sings, "The bars are iron, the walls are stone/ All I need me is an old fishbone."
The next song is "Bottom of the World," and this might be the best song: accompanied by drums, banjo, and steel guitar, Waits moans, "My daddy told me, lookin’ back/ The best friend you'll have is a railroad track."
But the showcase of Brawlers is "Road to Peace," a 7 and a half minute free-verse topical song that is about as candidly political as Waits has ever been. It's written partly from the perspective of a Palestinian suicide bomber and alternates between omniscient commentary and this subject. It's affecting, and it makes a bold statement at the end: "Maybe God himself is lost and needs help…/ And he's lost upon the road to peace."
Bawlers
Disc 2, Bawlers, is piano-based and chock full of booze-induced moanings and lounge rock ballads. While not as immediate as Brawlers, this disc does boast more terrific songs. "You Can Never Hold Back Spring" and "Goodnight Irene" are highlights, while "Young at Heart" is a perfect closer.
"World Keeps Turning" is an existential love song: "Now the sun, it falls into the sea/ And around the only one for me." Hope bounds on "Never Let Go," while "Danny Says" is a lonely, however sweet, desolation tune. Bawlers is a sometimes innocent, sometimes bitterly sad record; it's drunk on pain and painkillers. If Disc 1 was the pulp novel hero, then Disc 2 is the lethargic man he's trying to help.
Bastards
Finally, there’s the appropriately-titled Bastards. There are several spoken-word pieces here, like "The Pontiac" or "Missing My Son." But these are hardly the strangest things offered here.
First off, there's "What Keeps Mankind Alive," a Bertolt Brecht poem set to music: "You gentlemen who think you have a mission/ To purge us of the 7 deadly sins," he sings, "Should first sort out the basic food position/ Then start your preaching, that's where it begins."
In the disturbingly funny category, there’s "Children's Story”; while in the just plain weird category, “Army Ants” awaits the listener. "Redrum" is a standout as a brief instrumental. The cover of "King Kong," originally by Daniel Johnston, is probably the best song on this disc, though that's disputable.
"Two Sisters" and "Altar Boy" are also standouts, the latter sounding like it could've been recorded in the 30s. Bastards is too aptly named to elaborate on it -- these tunes are exotic foods, equally good in taste but a little less tasteful to be eating.
Orphans, despite its 3-hour running time, is not a magnum opus; this is not the culmination of years of work and evolution. This is the sound of a man who's full of surprises and comforts. Tom Waits is nowhere near finished spinning these surrealist tales from back alleys and dust-covered front porches.
But if one hesitates, wondering if this is the place to start – being such a massive release – then be assured this is probably the best place to start. It's not as good as Rain Dogs or even Swordfishtrombones, but it is Waits' most diverse set of songs, and there's something for everyone.
Rating: 5 out 5 stars
