Tom Waits - Heartattack and Vine
#355
Reviewed by George Chastain Jr.
September 9, 1980
Tom Waits
Heartattack and Vine
Genre: Bar Room Growl Jazz
Allen’s Rating: 3 out of 5
George’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Highlights:
Heart Attack and Vine
Till the Money Runs Out
On the Nickel
By George Chastain Jr. I went into this album with great anticipation. While I have heard of Tom Waits, I never sat down to listen to his music. My brother, I know, likes him, and so my expectations were high. Keep in mind, I had no idea what to expect other than I knew Mr. Waits had a very unique voice and singing style. First, I was very surprised by the small venue, jazz club vibe. Mr. Waits’ gravel voice is hard to deny. It could easily be picked out of lineup if he ever committed a verbal crime.
Now, I don’t proclaim to say Mr. Waits has quality singing voice. He doesn’t. In fact, I think I sound better, and as I have ranted before, if I can sing better, then I’m nine times out ten going to torpedo your album, but Mr. Waits is so distinct, so unapologetic that I am nevertheless drawn to listen.
Heart attack and vine is the epitome of “cool”, and if you haven’t gotten this from my past reviews, “cool” goes along with me. There is nothing complicated here. The subject matter is dark, but the reverence, gusto and dare I say “joy” that Mr. Waits brings to the tune is palpable.
There are some amazing lyrics here. “Boney's high on china white, shorty found a punk, don't you know there ain't No devil, there's just god when he's drunk, well this stuff will probably kill You, let's do another line, what you say you meet me down on heartattack and Vine.” Or “See that little jersey girl in the see-through top, with the peddle pushers Sucking on a soda pop, well I bet she's still a virgin but it's only twenty- Five 'til nine, you can see a million of 'em on Heartattack and vine.” Brilliant. The more times I listened to this song, the more transfixed I became. Mr. Waits follows this tune with In Shades, a purely instrumental tune. I felt like I heard this a million times before and was reminded of Night Train by Jimmy Forrest (an influence I must thank my Dad for).
Of course, Night Train is far superior. I was unimpressed by In Shades, and it seemed very out of place as a follow-up to Heartattack and Vine. Saving All My Love for You is a slow jazz love song. While the song sounds nothing like this, I was reminded of Billy Joel’s Piano Man. Not because there is any musical similarity, but because I felt the content of Piano Man reflects how I visually perceive Mr. Waits singing this song. Sitting in some secluded, off-the-path bar with a real-estate novelist and Davy from the Navy all sharing a drink called loneliness. As for the song itself, I feel the quality of Mr. Waits’ voice gets in the way of this tune. It’s a strange mix of apology mixed with desire mixed with “I’m misunderstood.” Whoever the “I” is in this song, they are not a greatest of individuals, yet Mr. Waits requires no sympathy or understanding, but rather a simple acknowledgement – “This is who I am.” To be honest, I’m not sure what I think of this song. I find it disturbing, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Downtown. Here’s a song about a world I know nothing about.
Often, this can be a good thing. Again, and I think it bears repeating, Mr. Waits sings about the people who inhabit the seedier places of life with reverence, without apology, and even with love. Having said all that, the song is not particularly moving or inspirational. It reminds of a Robert Altman movie, which I generally hate. A slice of life look at people in a specific moment in time. As Allen would say, “not my cuppa.” I found Mr. Waits’ voice grating here, and the keyboards, in particular, were annoying. In this next tune, Mr. Waits’ voice had a Springsteen quality that fit very well with the tune.
Jersey Girl is another love song which is all-around better than previous tunes. Unfortunately, it was just another song, nothing truly inspirational. I found it dated – even for an 80’s tune. Something my Grandma would have listened to. It also seemed out of place with the jazz, bar room sound of the other tunes.
‘Till the Money Runs Out has a great bass and drum intro. Reminded me of the tune played in From Dusk Till Dawn when Salma Hayek does her snake seduction dance. It’s seedy. It’s down and dirty, and I like it. Here, Mr. Waits’ voice fits the song. I really enjoyed this tune although I didn’t understand half of the references. Wow! What a change. A lullaby. Violins and Cellos. What a surprise, but I good one. On the Nickel was a good surprise and a nice change-up, and it felt not only adequately placed, but part of a proper continuum of the earlier bar room, jazz tunes. I thought Mr. Wait’s voice was perfect here, and he even added a little lament, desperation, and sadness to his growl. I found this song to be totally depressing. It’s about homelessness and helplessness. Some powerful lyrics. “If you don't get my letter Then you'll know that I'm in jail.” And “You'll find out where the scarecrows sit Just like punchlines between the cars I know a place where a royal flush Can never beat a pair And even Thomas Jefferson Is On The Nickel over there.” I moved this song to my Spotify playlists.
Mr. Siegal is the kind of tune I expected the entire album to consist of – bar room jazz of the wild west. The lyrics are interesting and the vocals fine. While the song is not bad, I just found the whole thing been there, done that. I’m going to try and explain something that might be hard to do (and it could also be completely wrong – I leave the more musically knowledgeable to judge), but I felt like the music was a rip-off of every other bar room jazz song – just different words. I feel this way with a lot of blues music as well. Same music, chords, notes – just different words. I’m probably wrong, but it’s my impression.
And finally, Ruby’s Arms, horns. HORNS! It was a cool start. Then violins kicked in and the horns went bye-bye. I was sad. Another slow song about a less than stellar person who is lovin’ and leavin’, but again unapologetically, which at least brings some honesty to the song which is missing from so much of today’s music – except for maybe rap. It’s a sort of love song, but it feels more like an “excuse” song. The vocals are fine and fitting. As a whole, it is obvious that Mr. Waits celebrates the downtrodden and more seedier elements of our society. As a culturalist, I’m glad he does so. I just have a hard time celebrating the lead “character” of this song. I could go on and on about my issues with TV series like “Breaking Bad” and “The Sopranos”. I find it hard to root for bad guys as protagonists, and that’s where this song sits with me.
Overall, I feel like this album was hit or miss. I really enjoyed a couple of tunes and loathed a few of the others. Sometimes, Mr. Waits’ voice was spot on, and other times, it was a huge distraction. Sometimes the instruments were annoying, especially the organ sounds of the keyboards. I enjoyed the piano, and Mr. Waits’ lyrics were always interesting. Unlike my other reviews, I had a really hard time rating this album. I pulled Heartattack and Vine, Till the Money Runs Out, and On the Nickel into my playlists. Much of the rest was garbage. Since it was so hit or miss for me, my rating splits the difference.
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