Best Urban Folk
This collection goes far beyond a simple career retrospective, with over thirty songs, from his own versions he gave to other artists to things recorded in the garage with his kids. Also includes Tom's unique interpretations of songs by such diverse talents as The Ramones, Daniel Johnston, Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht, and Leadbelly. Each of the three CDs is separately grouped and sub-titled "Brawlers", "Bawlers" and "Bastards" to capture the full spectrum of Waits' ranging and roving musical styles. "Brawlers" is chock full of raucous blues and full-throated juke-joint stomp, "Bawlers" contains Celtic and country ballads, waltzes, lullabies, piano, and classic lyrical Waits' songs, while "Bastards" is filled with experimental music, stories, and jokes. The set offers everything from the amped-up rockabilly hiccuping of "Lie to Me" to the breathtaking perfection of "Shiny Things," and from the outraged political reporting of "Road to Peace" to the closing-time lament of "Little Man."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"That said I think if I was to recommend something to a total Waits noob it would be this box set. I usually dont take to his maudlin stuff all that well but the tracks here are really quite beautiful, so tender and handled with a lovely delicate touch. I don't think people appreciate just how musically accomplished Waits is as a composer and conductor. The two discs together represent the yin and yang of Waits' personality perfectly. Not since Alice and Blood Money have we been so blessed with an abundance of Waits."
"For the first two discs, this doesn't sound like a collection of tracks ranging from all over Waits' career that have been sitting on the butcher's floor--at least, other artists' collections of stuff that never made it onto previous albums have come across as inconsistent, for obvious reasons. It would seem odd that Waits could overcome such shortcomings in such a collection, for the man has had such a long and artistically varying career, but there are at least two things working in Waits' favor for _Orphans_, aside from his ungodly level of talent: first, many of these tracks are not simply ones that didn't make the final cuts of his other albums. I will readily admit that Waits' work defines easy categorization, and so a disjointed collection like Bastards readily admits with its own title that this kind of disconnection should only help define this man's work, but it always seemed that Waits himself found ways to offer cohesive albums, whether through storylines as in _Frank's Wild Years_ or a simple tonal connection like there is among the songs on _Real Gone_."
"...not so much because the music reflects every single phase of Tom Waits' distinguished history (it doesn't really have anything that sounds like his first few albums), but because it's very hard to believe that such a massive and diverse collection of songs could simply be Waits' latest release."
"Essential to everyone who enjoys this "outside the box" musician."
"This cd is fabulous!"
Walking Guthrie's World War II-era lyrics into the 20th century's second, rock & roll half, Bragg and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy take turns on lead vocals, and the entire group collaborates on a sound that draws on folk- and country-rock, from Bob Dylan and the Band to Gram Parsons and Uncle Tupelo .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Modern UK activist singer Billy Bragg and Chicago roots-rock band Wilco are the perfect combination to breath life into a trove of unrecorded Woody Guthrie songs."
"My husband loved the catchy tunes, and I loved the fact it wasn't country music, so I ordered it right up!"
"If this record is a bit uneven due to the stylistic differences between Wilco and Billy Bragg, it is only a temporary feeling that a song shuffling to your taste will fix."
"This is a wonderful album."
"Most tribute recordings are remakes with maybe a twist on genre but this one is totally abnormal in that the songs were never recorded,only penned, by the artist."
"Absolutely met my husband's expectations, he loves it."
"I consider this an eclectic effort between bragg, wilco, and nora."
With the charge of the Clash and the social consciousness of Woody Guthrie, Billy Bragg has left behind a truly stunning body of work.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"But Billy Bragg hasn't lost any of his passion and his singing voice is still up to the the task of projecting that passion. His passion is equal parts political and poetic."
"Used to listen to Billy Bragg as a teen and had a sudden need to hear his music again."
"Great collection of Billy Bragg songs."
"great collection, bonus disc was a surprise."
"who doesnt love this smooth singing communist?"
"While his neo-socialist underpinnings seem at times dated ("Great Leap Forward"), you need to keep in mind that it was no accident that he should turn to Woody Guthrie and in partnership with WILCO essay some of America's heartland-poet's unfinished songs in so compelling a manner. Fatcats of either white or blue collar are pilloried, their efforts at exploiting those who have entrusted them with power are stripped of the rhetoric designed to feed people what they want and laid open as lies meant to enrich the prevaricators. For all the rhetoric, he can turn around and write something as emotionally honest as "Somedays I See The Point," one of the greatest songs ever written."
"All "best ofs" should be this good."
Best Post-Punk
Palm Pictures is proud to present the groundbreaking Talking Heads concert film "Stop Making Sense." The staging--and Demme's filming of it--builds toward an orgasmic release of music, rising from the bare-stage simplicity of Byrne, accompanied only by a boom box on "Psycho Killer," to the ecstatic crescendo of "Burning Down the House," by which time the Heads and additional personnel have all arrived on stage for a performance that seems channeled from heaven for the purpose of universal uplift.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This documentary is an electrifying thrill ride featuring one of the most original bands of all time."
"I have owned this on VHS and decided to get it on Blu Ray as the tape got hissie after a couple of viewings."
"If you are a Talking Heads fan or have the least bit of musical curiosity- you will certainly not be disappointed by perhaps, one of the greatest live concert films- ever."
"This 1984 disc is the one to get, unless you're looking for the included CD in the newer one that I understand exaggerates the Blues on the original video..."
"In particular, I love how well the editing captures the instrumentation, such as highlighting the percussion in specific parts of songs, keyboards when certain sounds come up, individual guitar sounds and everything."
"Love it!"
"I have always enjoyed the Stop Making Sense CD, but the extra material shown in the film helps to flesh out this great bands creative juices and more than just the hits."
"I can see why they call this the best concert on film."
Best New Wave
No Description Available. No Track Information Available Media Type: LP Artist: STROKES Title: IS THIS IT Street Release Date: 09/11/2001. Domestic Genre: ROCK/POP.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I miss good solid bands like this!"
"I can watch the DVD part of this all day, love it so much."
"Great if you like The Strokes."
"Arrived in perfect condition..."
"Excellent album and the sleeve and vinyl were in new condition."
"I think it's such a feel-good album... whenever I feel down I just play this through and it always makes me feel better."
"I was super excited to get the record, but it skips."