Tom Waits - Foreign Affairs

Welcome to the hipster blues. By the time of this 1977 recording, Tom Waits had fully transformed himself into a musical character actor from another era, caught somewhere between Raymond Chandler and the Beat Generation. His vocals here are some of the most mannered performances this side of Bukowski (and probably had something to do with the movie roles he won in the coming years). His use of strings on some of these tracks can occasionally drift dangerously close to schmaltz, but that's easily compensated by such highlights as his duet with Bette Midler on "I Never Talk to Strangers" and the breathless melodrama of "Burma-Shave." Cool. --Steve Appleford Amazon.com

I'n Not A Bad Guy Once You Get To Know Me!

Yes TW really nailed Small Change in '76. Everything including the cover.......ESPECIALLY THE COVER, marked Waits's masterpiece. It was a tuff act to follow for sure. Foregin Affair released in '77 was almost as good, but not quite as sharp. Yet I've come back to it of late, and it really is a worthy follow-up. Cindy's Waltz is the opener, (just as Waltzing Matilda is the first track off Small Change. Barber Shop also sounds like Step Right Up from SC, only it's not as manic. Foregin Affair is a beautiful ballard and allows TW to really show off his pipes.... Well almost. Foregin Affair, the title track explores Waits's most universal theme, that of wonderlust. Here he really nails, what might be considered the quintessential Tom Waits song...Just beautiful! Much has been written here of the wonderful duet with Bette Midler, I Never Talk To Strangers. I'll tell you not even Louis Armstrong and Villma Middleton could have had more fun with this number. Overall FA ranks pretty high in the Tom Waits catalog. It's kinda' like Tom says in Never Talk To Strangers, "I'm not a bad guy once you get to know me".

May 10, 2008

Classic pre-"Swordfishtrombones" Waits

FOREIGN AFFAIRS is one of Waits's most engaging jazzy albums...its lyrics are so dark and poetic, you'll be drawn in instantly, recognizing immediately within yourself the heartache these characters are going through. If nothing else, you can fall back on the hometown hopelessness of "A Sight For Sore Eyes" (which opens with "Auld Lang Syne"), or the gin-soaked romantic banter between Waits and Bette Midler on "I Never Talk to Strangers" (a tune which would inspire the future Tom Waits-Chrystal Gayle masterpiece ONE FROM THE HEART album). There's the cool "Burma Shave" and the catchy "Jack & Neal" (that sax intro will grab you by the ears and haul your butt in). FOREIGN AFFAIRS is one of the best "early" Waits albums, and showcases why this masterful singer/songwriter deserves a pedestal in the Musicians Hall of Fame. We'd better put him in a far, back corner, though...he might scare off the uninitiated. February 25, 2007

Tom Waits and Bette Midler

This CD is beautiful. And it features Tom Waits with Bette Midler in track 3. February 22, 2006

A slight hint of change

Foreign Affairs seems to be a very fitting title for Waits' 4th studio album. As I noted earlier, Tom Waits perfected his shtick on Small Change. Foreign affairs is actually the start of the metamorphosis that would continue on his next two albums until a full fledged transformation with Swordfishtrombones(1983).
The first part(side 1 on the old vinyl record) finds Waits sticking to his guns. Cinny's Waltz is an is an instrumental, but this time we also see the addition of violins.
Muriel is another Waits song about a lost love. Although nothing is wrong with the song per- se it doesn't match Waits' earlier songs touching this subject.
I Never Talk To Strangers is a singles bar duet with Bette Midler and has a clever and funny text. Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassidy is remembered on the track Jack & Neal. One of the albums highlights comes next. A Sight for Sore Eyes starts with an intro that uses the notes from Auld Lang Syne and then catches on as one of Waits' most memorable bar stool ramblings of his career.
Then there is a change in direction. The almost 9 minute long Potter's Field is a quite different song a kind of jazz noir. On Burma Shave we find a traditional scenario: girl meets mysterious stranger and takes off with him in his Ford Mustang. But the roles are blurred. You're not really sure about who is leading and who is following. A great song with a tragic end. Barber Shop is a jazz beat song. Foreign Affair is a song that sounds like Bad Liver and a Broken Heart.
A lot of critics accused Waits of repeating himself on Foreign Affairs. I think they overlooked a new approach by Waits. This is especially apparent from Potter's Field and on. Waits seems to pick up on this new approach as it is followed up on his next album Blue Valentines.
Foreign Affairs isn't as strong as his previous albums. It might be that Waits, too, was a little tired of sticking to his old act. That is why the album seems a little confused. Any transitionally period is hard and despite the flaws Foreign Affairs is still a great album June 13, 2003

A slight hint of change

Foreign Affairs seems to be a very fitting title for Waits' 4th studio album. As I noted earlier, Tom Waits perfected his shtick on Small Change. Foreign affairs is actually the start of the metamorphosis that would continue on his next two albums until a full fledged transformation with Swordfishtrombones(1983).
The first part(side 1 on the old vinyl record) finds Waits sticking to his guns. Cinny's Waltz is an is an instrumental, but this time we also see the addition of violins.
Muriel is another Waits song about a lost love. Although nothing is wrong with the song per- se it doesn't match Waits' earlier songs touching this subject.
I Never Talk To Strangers is a singles bar duet with Bette Midler and has a clever and funny text. Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassidy is remembered on the track Jack & Neal. One of the albums highlights comes next. A Sight for Sore Eyes starts with an intro that uses the notes from Auld Lang Syne and then catches on as one of Waits' most memorable bar stool ramblings of his career.
Then there is a change in direction. The almost 9 minute long Potter's Field is a quite different song a kind of jazz noir. On Burma Shave we find a traditional scenario: girl meets mysterious stranger and takes off with him in his Ford Mustang. But the roles are blurred. You're not really sure about who is leading and who is following. A great song with a tragic end. Barber Shop is a jazz beat song. Foreign Affair is a song that sounds like Bad Liver and a Broken Heart.
A lot of critics accused Waits of repeating himself on Foreign Affairs. I think they overlooked a new approach by Waits. This is especially apparent from Potter's Field and on. Waits seems to pick up on this new approach as it is followed up on his next album Blue Valentines.
Foreign Affairs isn't as strong as his previous albums. It might be that Waits, too, was a little tired of sticking to his old act. That is why the album seems a little confused. Any transitionally period is hard and despite the flaws Foreign Affairs is still a great album June 13, 2003

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