Track Listing

1. 16 Shells From A 30.6
2. Red Shoes
3. Underground
4. Cold Cold Ground - Tom Waits
5. Straight To The Top
6. Yesterday Is Here
7. Way Down In The Hole - Tom Waits
8. Falling Down
9. Strange Weather
10. Big Black Mariah - Tom Waits
11. Rain Dogs
12. Train Song - Tom Waits
13. Johnsburg, Illinois
14. Ruby's Arms
15. Telephone Call From Istanbul
16. Clap Hands
17. Gun Street Girl
18. Time

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25789 in Music
• Released on: 1997-03-24
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Live, Soundtrack
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 68 minutes

CD Description
Backed by a coterie of accomplished players, including the guitarist Marc Ribot, the bassist Larry Clark, and the drummer Richie Hayward, Tom Waits growls, warbles, and clowns hisway through a succession of freewheeling live performances,recorded throughout Europe and the U.S. as part of a characteristically idiosyncratic concert film released in 1988. Included are songs from his three groundbreaking early '80s albums, SWORDFISHTROMBONES, RAIN DOGS, and FRANK'S WILD YEARS.

Customer Reviews

A blisteringly good live performance.
If you are a fan of Tom Waits, or have even dabbled slightly, then this CD is recommended to you. Slotting neatly into Wait's post Jazz experimental phase (between Frank's Wild Years and the Black Rider, as I recall) this is a whistlestop tour of Waits' best moments. Guiding the crowd through anecdotes between songs, and instantly being able to switch moods between Preacher-Rock (Down in The Hole) and achingly sad blues (The Train Song). This performance is nothing short of fantastic. There are reinterpretations of some of his favourites (16 Shells and Clap Hands) that are a little rough, but otherwise, this is unreservedly recommended.

Hits the mark
This is a thoroughly enjoyable twisted mess, just as you would want a Tom Waits live album to be. Worth getting if you enjoyed the Swordfishtrombones/Rain Dogs/Franks Wild Years trilogy. It's just a shame there aren't more spoken clips: when he tells the story about the soldier and the pregnant girl, it makes you realise he could pretty much wipe the floor with most stand-up comics.

As one reviewer pointed out, the sound quality isn't great and you may find yourself lungeing for the volume control sometimes.

Great live show
Fantastic live set by the modern master of lyrical ballads and Harry Partch style microtonal madness.

-1 star for sound quality