"Heartattack And Vine" by TOM WAITS – October 1980 US Seventh Album on Asylum Records featuring Roland Bautista (Guitars), Michael Lang and Ronnie Barren (Keyboards), Plas Johnson (Horns), Jim Hughart, Greg Cohen and Larry Taylor (Bass), "Big John" Thomassie (Drums) with Victor Feldman (Chimes and Percussion) and Strings Conducted and Arranged by Bob Alcivar and Jerry Yester (March 2018 UK Anti Records CD Reissue in Digipak Packaging – Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan, Karl Derfler and Peter Lyman Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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This Review and 209 more are in my E-Book

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LET'S GO CRAZY - 80ts Music On CD

Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters

Classic Albums, Compilations, 45s

All In-Depth Reviews from the Discs Themselves

Over 1,650 e-Pages of Info

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"...Billy Joe Remarkable Looks On In Disbelief..."

 

Last reissued May 1993 in the UK by Elektra Records in a CD jewel case with reasonable Terry Dunavan Mastering (Elektra 7559-60547-2) – this new March 2018 variant of "Heartattack And Vine" by Tom Waits (originally issued October 1980 on Vinyl) now comes at us on Anti Records with a brand new Waits/Brennan Remaster – Anti Records being home to his music since the much-praised "Mule Variations" album in 1999.

 

You get a matt card digipak, a 16-page booklet and best of all - a new upgraded Remaster (with artist involvement) done at Infrasonic Mastering in California by Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan, Karl Derfler and Peter Lyman that gives this brilliant album a genuinely improved audio scrub-up. Everything on here is magnificent – structurally and sonicaly. "Heartattack And Vine" is his usual mishmash of ragged guttural vocals with fantastic street-hustler lyrics running alongside pretty ballads that will floor you. I loved to death (and still do) his "Blue Valentine" album on Asylum Records in 1978 – but October 1980's "Heartattack And Vine" was equal to it in every way - his last album for Asylum Records before he went to Island Records for "Swordfishtrombones" in 1981.

 

Of the nine cuts - Bob Alcivar arranged and conducted the strings on two genuine masterpieces - "Saving All My Love For You" (legendary sessionman Victor Feldman adds Chimes and Percussion to this gut-wrenching beauty) and on the Billy Joe Remarkable "On The Nickel" – a song Waits wrote for a movie of the same name done by Ralph Waite. The other arranger on the album is Jerry Yester of The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Association and the much-revered "Farewell Aldebaran" album with Judy Henske in 1969 on Straight Records – he does strings on two as well – the magnificent double-whammy of "Jersey Girl" and "Ruby's Arms".

 

In fact 1980’s "Heartattack And Vine" is probably the album that made Tom Waits more money from famous cover versions than its actual LP sales did. Bruce Springsteen has almost made "Jersey Girl" his own (people believe he wrote it – Soul singer Corrine Bailey Rae also did a version) - while Screaming Jay Hawkins ripped the title track "Heartattack And Vine" that was used in a Levi's advert. Country singers Nancy Griffiths and Patty Griffin have both done "Ruby's Arms" – a song that was also featured on the Asylum Years Best Of CD compilation "Used Songs" from November 1981 on Rhino. Brilliant - let's get to the details...

 

UK released Friday, 23 March 2018 - "Heartattack And Vine" by TOM WAITS on Anti 7571-2 (Barcode 8714092757125) is a straightforward CD Remaster of the 9-track 1980 LP and plays out as follows (44:29 minutes):

 

1. Heartattack And Vine [Side 1]

2. In Shades

3. Saving All My Love For You

4. Downtown

5. Jersey Girl

6. 'Til The Money Runs Out [Side 2]

7. On The Nickel

8. Mr. Siegal

9. Ruby's Arms

Tracks 1 to 9 are his seventh album "Heartattack And Vine" (sixth studio set) - released October 1980 in the USA on Asylum Records 6E-295 and October 1980 in the UK on Asylum K 52252. Produced by BONES HOWE - it peaked at No. 98 in the USA but didn't chart in the UK. Track 7 "On The Nickel" written for the motion picture "On The Nickel" by Ralph Waite.

 

TOM WAITS –Vocals (All Tracks), Piano (Tracks 3 and 9), Electric Rhythm Guitar (Tracks 1, 2 and 4), Electric Guitar (Tracks 5 and 8)

ROLAND BAUTISTA – Electric Lead Guitar (Tracks 2, 4, 6 and 8), 12-String Acoustic (Tracks 5 and 9)

PLAS JOHNSON – Tenor and Baritone Saxophone (Track 1)

HAROLD BATTISTE – Piano (Tracks 7 and 9

RONNIE BARRON – Hammond Organ (Tracks 2, 4 and 6) and Piano (Track 8)

MICHAEL LANG – Piano (Track 7)

LARRY TAYLOR – Bass (Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8)

GREG COHEN – Bass (Tracks 5 and 9)

JIM HUGHART – Double Bass (Track 3)

VICTOR FELDMAN – Chimes, Keyboard Glock and Percussion (Tracks 3 and 5)

"Big John" THOMASSIE – Drums (Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8)

BOB ALCIVAR – Conducted and Arranged Strings (Tracks 3 and 7)

JERRY YESTER – Conducted and Arranged Strings (Tracks 5 and 9)

 

The 16-page booklet gives you those all-important and all-consuming lyrics as if it’s a newspaper reporting different articles that ends in two pages of musician credits - no new photos or critique unfortunately. But we do get a new Remaster supervised by TOM WAITS, KATHLEEN BRENNAN and KARL DERFLER with mastering done by the award-winning PETER LYMAN at his Infrasonic Mastering Studios in California. In keeping with the lush production values Bones Howe gave the album in the first place - this transfer sounds beautiful in every way. There's very little hiss (if any at all) but loads of presence and body and at times the intimacy is spine tingling - a gorgeous job done...

 

"Liar! Liar! Pants on fire..." he roars as the opening title track comes a mooching in like a cop with a hangover on a murder scene - and then of course you are hit (not for the first time either) with his famously funny turns of phrase - "...don't you know there ain’t no Devil, there's just God when he's drunk..." The audio is tremendous.

 

"Downtown" is typically witty Waits – Americana Rock with a twist. How many artists will have lines like these in their songs "...Montclaire de Havelin doin' the St. Vitus dance, lookin' for someone to chop the lumber in his pants..." But it’s the beauty of "Jersey Girl" where he strips it all down to an ordinary fellow looking forward to seeing his gal on the weekend – no time for the corner boys anymore – it's deeply moving to me. "On The Nickel" goes even further in sparse – just Waits singing, Michael Lang on Piano and Bob Alcivar arranged strings – the effect is balladeer magic at its most poignant.

 

I could rabbit on about Tom Waits till the proverbial cows think – it's time for home boys. Because that's what he's always felt like to me – a weird American home that tingles and thrills and makes you laugh and cry – and I love that about him and his musical legacy. I have reviewed the entire 'Anti Records' Reissue Series because they are all fabulous.

 

Start your journey into his songs – mad, moving and ultimately enriching like a Skinnybone Tree or Hobos in the Freight Yard howling at the moon...

 

TOM WAITS

March 2018 Reissue Series of CDs, LPs and Downloads on Anti Records

All 7 CDs are in Card Digipaks, come with Booklets and Pic CDs, but No Extras

 

"Closing Time" and "The Heart Of Saturday Night" released 9 March 2018 

- The others all released 23 March 2018

 

1. "Closing Time" (1973) - Anti 7565-2 (Barcode 8714092756524) - CD/LP is Anti 7565-1 (Barcode 8714092756517)

2. "The Heart Of Saturday Night" (1974) - Anti 7566-2 (Barcode 8714092756623)/LP due May 2018

3. "Nighthawks At The Diner" (1975 Live Double onto 1CD) - Anti 7567-2 (Barcode 8714092756722)/LP due May 2018

4. "Small Change" (1976) - Anti 7568-2 (Barcode 8714092756821)/LP due May 2018

5. "Foreign Affairs" (1977) - Anti 7569-2 (Barcode 8714092756920)

6. "Blue Valentine" (1978) - Anti 7570-2 (Barcode 8714092757026)

7. "Heartattack And Vine"(1980) - Anti 7571-2 (Barcode 8714092757125)