Gatefold packaging
All-analog recording, mixing, and mastering
Audio Quality: 5/5
Song Quality: 5/5
Packaging: 3.5/5
I'm told that Tom Waits isn't for everyone. I suppose I can see that... at times his vocal and production stylings are certainly a bit left of center. I guess if that's not the kind of thing you're able to get behind, then there's nothing I can say to you here that would change your mind. But
, I must inform you, you are missing out on some truly top-notch songwriting. Tom Waits is, without question, one of the great American songwriters of all time, and this LP contains some of the finest folk and blues music ever recorded... in your writer's humble opinion, of course.
It's actually hard for me to talk about the highlights of this record. This entire album is such an experience, and it's just relentlessly brilliant and wonderful. You've got some more experimental rock tunes in "Big In Japan" (which features the boys from Primus laying down a sweet, laid-back groove), "Eyeball Kid," and "Filipino Box Spring Hog." You've also got some classic sounding blues, such as "Low Side Of The Road," "Get Behind The Mule," "Cold Water," "Chocolate Jesus," and "Come On Up To The House." Then you've got some untouchably solid folk tunes, and for that we've got "Pony," "Georgia Lee," and "Hold On," the latter of which sounds like it could have been the best Bruce Springsteen song ever if Waits hadn't written it first. And let's not forget "What's He Building In There?," an incredibly compelling spoken word piece with a perfectly eerie backing track. Though there's a lot of diversity in these individual tracks, they come together to form such a cohesive, classic sounding effort that you almost don't notice. Really, this record is pretty untouchable. It's an overused expression, but it does sound like an instant classic.
Oh, Tom Waits, thank you SO MUCH for making this record. Not only is it an outstanding collection of music, but it was recorded with such care and integrity. This is what truly makes Mule Variations stand out as one of, if not THE, most wonderful pieces of vinyl I own. Nothing will make me more inclined to pick up a record than if I see, printed on the back, "This LP recorded, mixed and mastered in analog." This is only the second record I've reviewed with this increasingly rare quality, and, no offense to Ben Kweller, this album blows his out of the water sonically. It has so much depth and warmth to it, and it's wonderfully mixed and mastered with all the instruments sounding natural, clear, and sonically placed in a way that makes you feel like you're listening in to a live studio session. I'm not sure if that's the way this album was actually recorded (it must have at least some overdubs because Waits is often credited as a multi-instrumentalist), but being able to hear the creaks of Waits' piano bench and even the percussive sound of his fingers hitting the keys makes this feel like one of the most intimate records ever recorded. And, my god, his voice. It can change tremendously from track to track, both in performance and in mixing. Though it's always best suited to the track, hearing his voice just enveloping tracks like "What's He Building In There?," "Pony," "Georgia Lee," and "Come On Up To The House" is just wonderfully immersive.
While writing this review, I went back to the MP3s on my laptop to remind myself of which songs had qualities I was perticularly fond of. The thing is, I really couldn't do it. This record sounds SO much bigger and warmer on record, that all the things I loved about the tracks while listening to the record were completely lost when I tried to relocate them digitally. Truly, it is THAT different. If that doesn't make the case for you, I don't know what will.
A note to the reader: I know I've praised the recent DMM record releases such as Björk and The Fireman, and I do maintain that those sound as crystal-clear and hi-fi as any record I've heard. However, they can't really touch this in terms of sonic purity, depth, and warmth.
I'm not sure if that has more to do with the DMM process or the way those records were recorded in the first place, but just know that, while they both receive rave sound quality reviews from me, they are very different listening experiences.Packaging! Nothing super fancy... a very nice gatefold sleeve with the two records held in plain white sleeves. Lyrics are printed on the inside, which is great because is this a record that is great to read along with. No booklet, no CD, no digital download. It loses a couple points for this... but really, with a record this great it's pretty tough for me to complain.
Go out and purchase albums like this on vinyl. Show people from this failing industry and, far more importantly, show artists themselves, how much you appreciate the opportunity to have such a wonderful listening experience. Eventually, they'll take notice. Please support Tom Waits, as well as anyone else who goes out of their way to give you the best listening experience possible.
I only realized after finishing this review that this record is now out-of-print. Keep your eyes on the following for copies to become available... sorry!
Buy this LP from Amazon.com
Buy this LP from ElusiveDisc.com
Monday: Primus - Sailing The Seas of Cheese
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