Two entwined narratives run through the creation of Swordfishtrombones andform the backbone of this book. As the 1970s ended, Waits felt increasing...
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reviews
Feb 12, 2012
Shan
rated it: 
http://youtu.be/ciBAMhLiwyQ
In between reading huge chunks of Infinite Jest I read a lot of these. Some of them are great and a few are quite poor (the editing, for instance, can sometimes be embarrassing, especially considering what slim volumes they are), but I won’t bother reviewing the ones that disappointed me.
http://youtu.be/WdgpvwAKS2I
I delight in musical eccentricity (Try putting this on at a party http://youtu.be/T1WDv1H-OW0 and see what happens. It’s gen More...
In between reading huge chunks of Infinite Jest I read a lot of these. Some of them are great and a few are quite poor (the editing, for instance, can sometimes be embarrassing, especially considering what slim volumes they are), but I won’t bother reviewing the ones that disappointed me.
http://youtu.be/WdgpvwAKS2I
I delight in musical eccentricity (Try putting this on at a party http://youtu.be/T1WDv1H-OW0 and see what happens. It’s gen More...
33 comments
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May 22, 2008
Paul
rated it: 
Like Captain Beefheart and at various times Bob Dylan, Tom Waits invented himself a "character" as deliberate as anything you find in a Broadway production and stuck to it, both onstage, in his songs and patter, and offstage, in his interviews. It was a radical idea. In the 70s he was the Last of the Holy Beat Barroom Singers, and if there was genuine melancholy in his art there was also a thick air of affectation hanging like Los Angeles smog over the whole enterprise, from the Edward
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(6 people liked it)
Jan 14, 2009
Jack
rated it:
Good addition to the 33 1/3 series examining Tom Waits' classic album Swordfishtrombones as a turning point in his career. The author, David Smay, dissembles and plays with facts as much as Tom Waits does, both in his songs and in his interviews, meaning that the story of the album that Smay tells takes on the same sort of rambling, mythic quality that the album does. It's not reportage, there aren't many interviews, and he can't actually back up anything that he says (except that Tom Waits we
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Jan 29, 2009
Jedidiah
rated it:
Eh. I enjoyed reading it to some extent--it's about Tom Waits, after all--but this book is exactly what you'd expect from some hack writing about Tom Waits. Not that Smay is a hack, but this book makes him sound like he's trying too hard to emulate Waits' style as prose, and trying to hard to paint a picture of Waits based on his lyrical imagery. There isn't really much insight to Swordfishtrombones here either. Smay manages to say a lot without really saying anything of value. There is a paragr
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Apr 04, 2009
Frank
rated it:
This book presents an interesting historical perspective on Tom Waits, noting that at the beginning of his career he was classed in the same group as Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen. According to Smay, "nobody in 1974 would've put money on Tom Waits's career being the one that would be producing vital work in the twenty-first century. He was too nostalgic, too sentimental, too hokey in his beatnickery, his voice too limited. Even the most generous projection of Tom's career from 1974 would
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Dec 21, 2008
Kenneth
rated it: 
'Two stars' here does not necessarily mean Smay's book is terrible, but I can't help but to be, almost always, disappointed with the 33 1/3 series. I love the idea, and a few in the series have been remarkable (the volumes on Trout Mask Replica & Double Nickels on the Dime), but I found most of the others I've read not well-written in the least. Smay's weakness is that he tends to over-write, though I quite liked his analysis of Swordfishtrombones as a seminal, pivotal turn in Waits' career, & I
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Aug 02, 2008
Joe
rated it: 
This could have been a great little book but falls way short. It claims to be a source of information on Tom Waits’ life and inspiration during the time he wrote and recorded the album that was the broad turning point in his career, Swordfishtrumbones. That recording saw him shift from being a folky piano troubador to an experimental beat genius.
I bought the book because I wanted to hear about what caused such an inspiring change, some of which I knew had to do with meeting his wife Kathl More...
I bought the book because I wanted to hear about what caused such an inspiring change, some of which I knew had to do with meeting his wife Kathl More...
Mar 22, 2008
Greg
rated it: 
Coincidentally bought and read this on a March 21, though it wasn't at all miserable, really, nor was I particularly thirsty.
If that sentence doesn't make sense to you, you may not have the least interest in this brief analysis and reaction to Tom Waits's groundbreaking 1983 album, "swordfishtrombones." It's mostly for geeks who have heard the album enough times that they will recognize little references to it and the rest of his works, but it's really a nice considerati More...
If that sentence doesn't make sense to you, you may not have the least interest in this brief analysis and reaction to Tom Waits's groundbreaking 1983 album, "swordfishtrombones." It's mostly for geeks who have heard the album enough times that they will recognize little references to it and the rest of his works, but it's really a nice considerati More...
Apr 16, 2010
Jonathan
rated it:
You don't so much read about Tom Waits as scrape through a bin looking for good tchotchkes. The author goes off- hinge a bit too much, stylistically, but manages to weave enough actual critical interest in Waits and his sound and world to keep you reading through the gaggy bits. It's a good thing these 33 1/3 books are relatively short, because I can never quite shake the "why am I reading this instead of listening to the music" feeling.
Nov 27, 2010
This book is far more than I ever expected it to be so far. Smay is a talented and extremely gutsy writer who's willing to extend himself linguistically to bring you further into understanding. I love Tom Waits and I'm really enjoying Smay's contemplations of the man and this album especially.
Nov 01, 2009
Nathan
rated it:
This book only proves that Tom Waits writes music for carnies. Not that I mind carnies, but it's just not for me really. All that aside, this book was really well-written, and the stylistic touches made it all the more enjoyable to go through. Twas a good Sunday morning read.
Jan 16, 2009
Vince
rated it:
Awesome little book about the recording of this album, plus little snapshots of Tom Waits' life. This whole series is excellent, I also recommend OK Computer and Loveless.
Jan 22, 2008
Justin
rated it:
Have you ever read a book and thought: "This is a person who enjoys the sound of his/her own voice?" Welcome to such a book.
I receive the 33 1/3 books for review on most occasions and this has to be the worst of the bunch--not because it's not informative (on a primitive level) or almost fun to read but due to the author trying desperately to turn phrases, to be witty, to be cute, to be poetic.
When describing songs, it's always hard to find new adjectives and p More...
I receive the 33 1/3 books for review on most occasions and this has to be the worst of the bunch--not because it's not informative (on a primitive level) or almost fun to read but due to the author trying desperately to turn phrases, to be witty, to be cute, to be poetic.
When describing songs, it's always hard to find new adjectives and p More...
Dec 15, 2011
Joshua
rated it:
I digged it but the author injects too much of his own Tom Waits-esque storytelling style into it.
Nov 07, 2008
Charlie
rated it:
The writing in this book is so full of literary quotes and poetic descriptions at times it is almost too much.
Smay covers far more than just the songs themselves in this book, he covers Tom's life loves career and a great deal of detailed analysis of his other albums particularly his early work and other parts of the so called 'Frank trilogy'
Brilliantly written, fascinatingly informative this is surely one of, if not the best book in this series.
Oct 09, 2008
Jennifer
rated it:
Music journalism can tend towards the pompous and overblown, wallowing in its own intellectualism and self-congratulatory morass. This, unfortunately, was no different. I mean, really, it reads like there was a contest to tie Tom Waits songs to obscure literary references and this guy won.
So, why did I still give it 3 stars? Because, in between all of the ridiculous fodder and masturbatory elitism, it was still about one of the best albums in the world.
So, why did I still give it 3 stars? Because, in between all of the ridiculous fodder and masturbatory elitism, it was still about one of the best albums in the world.
May 14, 2008
Probably one of the most exceptional albums by my favorite musical artist. To read about its creation and get a more personal look at the Waits/Brennan collaboration would be a treat. According to his website he's touring maybe a dozen cities this summer. Lucky you, if you live somewhere between Phoenix and Atlanta. I saw his last tour in Eugene, OR in 2000. I paid $60 then for a ticket and got the worst seat in the house. Worth every penny.
Aug 26, 2008
Emu
rated it:
Good insight into Tom's writing process and life, but dang, could this author's writing style be any more obnoxious? I wanted to slap him when he started doing these free-associative stories about Tom walking through a field full of hats and disaster and picking crow feathers from the bell of a dirty trombone or whatthefuckever. Nobody needs to read that. We want to read the Truth of Swordfishtrombones. That is the sum total of all we want.
Sep 09, 2008
ElenaP
rated it:
This has been the best of all the 331/3s so far. It's a little Lawrence Weschler-y, even.
Dec 22, 2010
Josh
rated it:
Average book about an amazing album.
Would've liked more info on the recording of the album.
Would've liked more info on the recording of the album.
Feb 08, 2012
Jan 24, 2012
