Rock legends

Press, 3 December 1987, Page 26

Rock legends

TOM WAITS “Frank’s Wild Years” (Island, L 38955.) JOHN HIATT “Bring The Family” (A and M L 38784.) Here are two men with dreams on their minds. With Tom Waits, instead of a dozen different characters on one LP, such as on "Swordfish Trombones” and “Rain Dogs,” there is only one — Frank. Taken from a play that Waits and his wife, Kathleen, worked on last year, the album traces the rise and fall of Frank — from hotel bar to nightclub and back. At first Waits’ gravelly voice makes the whole album appear monotonous, in the usual way but be warned it is packed with a lifetime of experience. The climb on Act I takes in the rhumba of “Straight To The Top” and the bar-room of “Innocent When You Dream,” with a shattered reprise on side two. By side two on "Way Down In The Hole,” Frank is at an evangelical meeting, and it’s the downhill slide, but what a fall. “Straight To The Top” is now in Las Vegas, and this is followed by the LP’s highlight, “I’ll Take New York.” It’s the most breathtaking take-off of Sinatra since Sid Vicious did the cover of “My Way.” "I’ll Take New York” sums up the American dream and how difficult it is to attain if you ain’t got the do re mi, as Woody Guthrie once sang. “Some day they’ll name a street after me.” Fat chance. “I fell down at the derby/ And now the night’s as black as crow.” He’s back where he began. But, in between is a superb album, filled with

value for money. Definitely the best Waits has done since “Swordfish Trombones,” without the quirky mixture of styles associated with that album.

While Waits seems to give his characters the flaws for John Hiatt it has been a personal thing. However, the slightly eccentric musician has come back with one of the best albums released this year. Surrounded by such luminaries as Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner, Hiatt’s 10 rhythm and blues songs mesmerise the ears. Like Waits, the album on first introductions, seems to have that sameness — except for the chugging, upbeat, “Memphis In The Meantime,” a mean opening track, with Cooder twisting his guitar as tight as the character whose “head’s goin’ to explode.” Hiatt’s vocals take on the same hints as Waits’s — a pack a day and a bottle of Jack Daniels. In amongst all that is some superb songs. The best example being the quiet urgency of “Have A Little Faith In Me,” while close behind is the rock and blues mixture of “Thank You Girl.” Personally, I don’t believe that Cooder has played so well since “Bop ’Til You Drop.” Hiatt’s song, “Lipstick Sunset,” has the guitarist weaving a little string magic on top of some fine lyrics.

“Bring The Family” home. It is a classic R and B album with some deft mods to country rock as well. The tunes that linger long after the music’s over. — NEVIN TOPP.