This is sort of an odd album concept. However, 101cd.com is taking orders for an upcoming album entitled Tom Waits’ Jukebox: The Songs that Inspired the Man. The album is made up of songs from a variety of artists such as Ray Charles, Thelonious Monk and Howlin’ Wolf who have had an influence on Mr. Waits’ style. The CD also contains a 16 page booklet. The album will be released on the 6th of November.
Kathleen and I wanted the record to be like emptying our pockets on the table after an evening of gambling, burglary, and cow tipping. We enjoy strange couplings, that’s how we got together. We wanted Orphans to be like a shortwave radio show where the past is sequenced with the future, consisting of things you find on the ground, in this world and no world, or maybe the next world. Whatever you imagine that to be.
Source: ANTI- Album - Orphans
Additionally, it appears there may be two versions of the album. Amazon.co.uk
Finally, one version of the album is now listed on Amazon.com
Thanks to Jarlath and the Eyeball Kid.
Anti- has released a track from the upcoming Orphans album for free download. The track is entitled “Bottom of the World” which originally appeared on the soundtrack for the documentary film Long Gone.
In other Orphans news, the album is now available for sale at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca for £23.99 and 50.99 CDN respectively. There is no listing on Amazon.com yet.
Thanks for Jarlath and the Eyeball Kid for the heads up.
Back in 1990, Tom Waits was involved in an AIDS research tribute album featuring artists renditions of Cole Porter songs. Tom contributed a very unusual rendition of “It’s All Right With Me”. Other artists featured in the project include David Byrne, The Neville Brothers and U2. Along with the recordings there was a VHS release of music videos of the songs. Mr. Waits’ video was directed by Jim Jarmusch.
Well, now 16 years later, there is a new DVD release available which comes packaged with the original album recordings. As before, proceeds from all purchases go to AIDS research.
The music video for “It’s All Right With Me” is also available on the Criterion Collection release of Down By Law. Thanks to Jarlath for the heads up.
We’ve been hearing rumors about an album called Orphans for quite some time. Well, thankfully all of the rumors are true. The album, officially called Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, will be a three CD set and will be released on November 21st. It will encompass 54 songs including 30 new recordings. Additionally, it will include a 94 page booklet giving great detail about these recordings. Waits as described Orphans as:
“Orphans are rough and tender tunes. Rhumbas about mermaids, shuffles about trainwrecks, tarantellas about insects, madrigrals about drowning,” says Waits. “Scared, mean, orphans songs of rapture and melancholy. Songs that grew up hard. Songs of dubious origin rescued from cruel fate and now left wanting only to be cared for. Show that you are not afraid and take them home. They don’t bite, they just need attention.”
Source: ANTI- Album - Orphans
I think Mr. Waits will find many to take these songs under their wings.
Here is the track listing:
CD 1: BRAWLERS
CD 2: BAWLERS
CD 3: BASTARDS
It’s been five years since Sparklehorse last put out an album, but at long last a new recording will be released on September 25th. Also exciting, the album, which is titled Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain, will feature a guest performance by Tom Waits:
The new release also features guest appearances by a bevy of stars, including Dangermouse, Tom Waits, The Flaming Lips’ Steven Drodz and producer Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev), who was a major contributor to It’s A Wonderful Life.
[Via:Cult Favourite Sparklehorse Return After Five-Year Absence]
In related trivia, front man Mark Linkous produced Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered which featured the cover of King Kong by Tom Waits.
Billboard.com is reporting that an expanded edition of the Dead Man Walking Soundtrack will be released on February 7th. The new album will feature an unreleased studio recording of “Dead Man” recorded last year by Eddie Vedder along with Tom Waits’ haunting “The Fall of Troy” which appeared on the original soundtrack.
Combined with the new soundtrack will be a DVD of the related “Not in Our Name: Dead Man Walking — The Concert” which was held March, 29 1998 at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium. The DVD will contain the following performances:
I had previously reported that Tom Waits had donated a recording of “A Little Drop of Poison” performed with the Kronos Quartet to an upcoming Katrina benefit CD being produced by Filter Magazine and Urban Outfitters. Turns out, according to the track listing at the Filter Magazine website, that the actual track is a live recording of “What’s He Building?” still with Kronos Quartet. The CD is now available online at both Filter Magazine and Urban Outfitters.
Well, it looks like the CD/DVD release of the From The Big Apple to the Big Easy concert will be just in time for Christmas:
From the Big Apple to the Big Easy will continue to raise funds for the significant long-term costs of rebuilding the Gulf region through the sale of CDs, available on Rhino Records, and DVDs, on Warner Brothers. Both the CD and DVD will be available in December 2005.
However, apparently Stuart Ross has stated that there was no video made of Mr. Waits’ performance. Maybe there was audio recorded, we can only hope. However, after getting burned on the pay-per-view story, I’m taking a wait and see attitude on this one.
Sorry folks, got a little behind again but not to bad. In any case, the Eyeball Kid discovered an upcoming collection of Tom Waits interviews. The disc entitled “The Classic Interviews” is being released by Chrome Dreams who describes it as “a collection of exclusive interviews never previously heard. Includes rare and classic color and black and white photographs throughout. This Full color picture disc contains four separate chats with Tom from different eras of his career.” It is currently listed for several release dates. At Amazon.de the disk is listed for release on October, 24th, November 1st on Amazon.com and finally November 14th on Amazon.uk. So I’ll just say that it should be released sometime this month. 
The famous Sarah V, host of the Tom Waits Internet radio show over at Krankit.com, found an interesting little download. Audio Lunchbox is making the Anti promo CD, We’re All Mad Here: A Conversation with Tom Waits available for download. The album has some great interviews and stories from the great artist along with some tracks from Alice and Blood Money. Audio Lunchbox seems legitimate though I’m a little skeptical of a promo album being released by a label.
I reported back in August that Canadian brothel band The Silver Hearts were releasing their complete, live rendition of Rain Dogs. Well, I heard back today from James at their label, Banbury Park. The album is now available for both purchase and stream at CD Baby.
UPDATE (10/06/2005): After closer review, CD Baby lets you listen to up to two minutes of each song not the whole thing.
After closer review of the trailer, we can also now confirm that Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan will provide a new song for the soundtrack entitled “You Can Never Hold Back the Spring”. Thanks Eyeball Kid.
Well, things are looking up for a new Tom Waits box set. Pitchfork got confirmation from Anti- that there is a rarities box set coming out still tentetivly titled Orphans.
The roving Waits reporter Jarlath came across a new album that contains not only a rather rare Tom Waits track but a brand new cover song as well. We Get A Kick Out of Jazz (Verve-2005) contains the rare Tom Waits recording “Little Man” last seen on the late Teddy Edwards’ record Mississippi Lad. The album also contains a previously unreleased cover of “The Heart of Saturday Night” by Diana Krall. The album also contains tracks from Sting, Van Morrison and many others.
Has anyone picked up this album? Is it worth a listen?
