The Album Club: "One From the Heart" OST by Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle
 

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Hope this goes down better than my last choice!

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I'll just make the point that it's incorrect to consider this a duet album. Of the eleven tracks here (the twelfth being an instrumental) only three are duets. The rest are either Waits or Crystal singing on their own.

This is obviously the worst music Crystal Gayle has ever been involved in. The song writing is hackneyed and cliche. It's completely soulless, connect the dots coloring book with all the artistry of putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Waits is a disgusting talentless hack. Nothing about him is genuine. He's like a self-conceived boy band except he apparently has the gall to take his obviously premeditated musical failures seriously. How it is that so many people lack the intuition to see through this garbage is beyond me. If you like this please do some soul searching. It's that bad. Tiger Army from last week is bad but not offensively bad like this. If you can't see through Waits you have work to do. Make it a goal of yours to understand why this sucks so bad.

Meet me out back and bring some weapons cos you're gonna need them!
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Jazz for people who feel threatened by the freedom that defines jazz worth listening to. I love Tom Waits' later material and think that anyone who can listen to Real Gone without becoming a fan should reconsider their lives, but I've never been into the earlier, schmaltzy fart in a smoke filled lounge, side of Waits (yes, that includes Closing Time). Crystal Gale adds nothing to this record, as she takes a very safe approach to complement the dullness of this record. If I had to say anything positive about her performance, I'd say that Old Boyfriends doesn't fail in terms of melody. Instrumental Montage had cool sax, Little Boy Blue had a nice outro, and You Can't Unring a Bell had great percussion. Then there are the rest of the tracks that are ridiculously corny. It makes me sad that there are people out there who can listen to a song like Take Me Home and be touched.

There was no need to make this record. It's competent enough to abide by well-established rules, but it clings to them so firmly that it gives us nothing to look for. I only listened to this once because I've already heard this album 1000 times from other artists and I'm not exactly excited to return to them either. I was disappointed and honestly thought that your last pick was better. 2/10

I'm going to listen to Bad As Me to wash this album out of my ears.

A few things from the posts above I don't quite agree with: a) I wouldn't call Tom Waits a talentless hack, but I would say he is very fake. Whether that's a bad thing depends on how you take it. I don't think he intends to deceive anyone. I just think he loves the aesthetic of smokey old jazz of a particular kind, so he tries to evoke that kind of vibe. His vocal style and voice is obviously 100% affected, so it's really up to how you take it as a listener. Is he successfully evoking a style or is he unintentionally parodying it? You be the judge.
B) The notion that the only kind of jazz worth listening to is the kind that is built around improvisation. I happen to quite like vocal jazz of the kind that was popular before jazz became too weird for mainstream audiences. It's just a problem that a lot of jazz like that is incredibly, offensively dull.

And that kind of brings us to this record. It's not quite horribly dull, but I'm not exactly riveted by it either. It's very mannered, very controlled, very carefully manicured to sound in a very particular way. Old Hollywood romanticism and exactly that kind of romantic ideal of jazz that Waits was all about in his early years. I kind of like it from a conceptual standpoint and could mention a couple records of a similar style that do it right, but One From The Heart really threatens to put me to sleep. Aside from a few scattered moments, the music is pretty much just... there.

I'm not too sold on either vocalist either. Waits can do better, but I don't know anything about Crystal Gayle. I'd guess she's a country singer, but I don't know. She doesn't sound like a jazz singer to me.

If I was watching the movie that this is the soundtrack for, I'd probably find the music perfectly fitting, but as an album experience, it doesn't quite work for me. I'm finding it nearly impossible to stay attentive for more than a couple minutes at a time. I'm just bored out of my mind long before the 42 minute mark, where the album bows out.

So what to make of it? In small doses, it's perfectly pretty and well made, but I'm also bored and can't really be bothered with paying much attention to most of the material on the album. That's not a good sign. What good is it going to do to defend it by pointing out how well made it is, if it just doesn't do much to move me? Music should be involving. I think my conclusion will be that this album is probably pretty good, but not my cup of tea. If I want to hear something similar, with a similar vibe, I'll put on the Joni Mitchell album Both Sides Now.

4/10. Just below average. Sort of nice, but also sort of boring. Like a wedding celebration with a bunch of people you don't really have anything in common with. Waits can do better - and in a similar style too.

I think that the jazz that this album calls back to like Holiday and stuff can be incredible. I was saying this album is for people who think that even traditional jazz is scary.

Ok, so I understand what you mean now. Like One From the Heart is the training wheels version of vocal jazz. Like Norah Jones. Superficially similar, but smoothed out to the point where it becomes sort of toothless.

Well said. Fantastic retort.

The problem with him, and I've said this before, besides the one song, Heart of a Saturday Night, he completely lacks substance. Everything about him. His voice, his song structures, the percussion he uses, and especially posing as somehow experimental or avant garde. Nothing about him is sincere, not even his falseness. He's hollow. Fool's gold. All facade.

I'm cool with being a fool if it means that I get to enjoy Waits.

It's hard to find someone comparably ****ty but you managed with Norah Jones.

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You don't like that ****. You just think you do. You're so far past it. I'm not hearing that.

He's no Beefheart but that's not a sin.

You like a lot of good stuff but you lack the ability to weed the garden. I'm not surprised you can't discriminate between Waits and something genuine.

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I've listened to the record before. I got it on CD-R somewhere in my collection. **** that record.

What's the real version of Waits?

Hawk, I could write a long and detailed defence of Waits and his music, challenge your assertion that he is fake, and accuse you of all sorts of biases (you clearly don't like him so you were never going to like this album even if it was his best ever) but I'm not going to waste my time on such ignorance. Instead, I think this articulates my thoughts best:

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A scarecrow stuffed with manure in Chula's closet.

Look at that gun bouncing around. Hold that ****er correctly and you might hit your target.

Hunting Hawks.

One From the Heart OST - Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle

This was pretty good and generally unobjectionable in my opinion except the girl, Crystal, didn't do much for me. It would be three stars if there was more Tom Waits and less Crystal Gayle.

Two and a half stars.

When I first heard of this album I was dubious. Waits and country songstress Crystal Gayle? I mean, I like Gayle, but the fit didn't sound right. But then, Waits seldom duets or shares the limelight with anyone, so if he felt Crystal would complement his music then who was I to say no? This album marks a very significant period in Waits's life, as he met his future wife Kathleen Brennan on the set of the movie for which this is the soundtrack. Not only that, but she introduced him to the music of Captain Beefheart, and thus his whole sound and approach to music changed with his very next album, Swordfishtrombones. This, then, stands as the “intermediate” album between Waits's previous sound and his later, more experimental music. It's a clear demarcation, and without this album it might never have happened. This is one of my top ten Waits albums now.

1. What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in?

n/a

2. What did you think of the opening track?

I love the montage. If you have seen the movie, it sets the scene perfectly, with the sound of traffic and crowds, which then segues into Tom's lone vocal which is then joined by that of Crystal, and the piece ends again on the sound of traffic and street sounds. Perfect intro.

3. What did you think of the next track?

I love the fact that Crystal takes some of the songs solo, and this for me is one of the four best tracks on the album. The idea of a woman being trapped in, what she had expected to have been a fairytale, which is now crashing down around her ears: the idea of “escaping from the dream”, rather than the nightmare, is, I feel, very clever writing on Waits's behalf, though no more than I would at this point expect from him. I love Crystal's voice; so clear and yet so yearning. A real legend in the country scene, it's nice to see she can adapt to blues/jazz so well.

4. Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions? (see note 1)

I love Waits, of course, and I also love Crystal, so there's your answer. I feel both give stellar performances, and the rest of you haters can all just **** off.

5. Did the music (only) generally appeal to you, or not? (see note 2)

Yeah, it did. I'm not a fan of jazz but this was smoky, down and dirty at times and very evocative of a relationship falling apart.

6. Did the album get better or worse as you listened to it (first time)?

n/a


7. What did you think of the lyrical content?

I love all of Waits's lyrics, and I think just about everything here is perfect. I particularly like the sentiments in “You Can't Unring a Bell” (even though it's not my favourite) and I am in awe of his lyrical prowess on “Broken Bicycles”.

8. Did you like the instrumental parts? (see note 3)

Very much so, fits in with the overall feel of the album.

9. What did you think of the production?

Insert answer here

10. Did you know of this artiste prior to listening to the album, and if so, did that foreknowledge colour your perception of this album?

Of course, and yes, though I did worry (needlessly, as it turned out), about the inclusion of Crystal Gayle.

11. Is this, generally, the kind of music you listen to or not?

Jazz? No. Waits? Absolutely.

12. Assuming you listened to the album more than once, on repeated listens, did you find you liked the album more, or less?

n/a

13. What would you class as your favourite track(s), if you have any?

The Holy Quartet: “Is There Any Way Out of This Dream?”, “Old Boyfriends”, “Broken Bicycles” and “Picking Up After You”.

14. And the one(s) you liked least?

Nothing really, though “Take Me Home” is a little twee, and I could have done without the instrumental version at the end, right after it.

15. If the album in question is a debut, did that fact allow it, in your mind, any leeway, and if so, was that decision justified or vindicated? (see note 4)

n/a

16. Are you now looking forward to hearing more from this artiste, if you have not heard any of their other material?

Always

17. Were you surprised by your reaction - positive or negative - to the album?

n/a

18. Did the album end well?

I would say no. See question (14) above

19. Do you see any way the album could have been improved?

A better closing track.


20. Do you think the album hung together well, ie was a fully cohesive unit, or was it a bit hit-and-miss?

Hung together very well.

You can all screw yourselves. This gets a 9.5/10 from me.

Thank. God.

I really think I would enjoy the music if I was watching the movie. On it's own, I'm not really feeling drawn into it.

Don't know if the movie is any good.

Despite being directed by FFC, it's pretty **** to be honest.

I'll probably give it a go sooner or later. Coppola is pretty hit and miss, but sometimes he hits it spot on. Like Sofia Coppola. She's as uneven as her father.

When it started off I thought I was listening to the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Not too original if you're ripping off Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Christmas special soundtrack. Kinda sad if you ask me. Then a few seconds in he drops a slug or a washer, probably too cheap to use a real quarter. Wow, how hipster of him do that! But seriously is he bouncing a "supposed" quarter on a bar top as a tip? ... or did he flip a coin in the air and it fell to the floor? ... or was he too drunk to put a quarter in the jukebox. Kinda leaves you wondering why. Then he started singing and I had enough. Never cared for him to begin with and this didn't change my mind.

I looked at the songs on the album. Looks like he was starved for ideas and began ripping off song ideas from other artists, like Joe South's song Rose Garden which is commonly know by the chorus "I Beg Your Pardon..." Joe South's song was a hit for Lynn Anderson (see video below). So I checked the song just to see if it was the same song, and I was creeped out by the way he sang "scarecrow." I had to stop the song there. He also almost rips off Leo Kottke's song title "Busted Bicycle" with "Broken Bicycle" - that I just consider that a half-rip-off, not a full fledged rip off. "Take Me Home" by Phil Collins is another one. :rolleyes: Tom must be a Phil Collins fan. Kudos to you Tom if you are. Then I guess he takes Anita Ward "Ring My Bell" and he just reverses the idea in "You Can't Unring a Bell." Whatever Tom. :rolleyes:

Lynn Anderson - I Beg Your Pardon

This video is probably the kitschiest thing I ever saw in my life. However I can tolerate this throw-away pop song much, much more than any thing I heard from Tom Waits.

In the end I had a bunch of ear worms of songs that either had the same song title or almost same song title as on this album.

Not much to see here.
Rating: 0

A-****ing-men

Bland piano ballads that I can only accept around Christmas time on the radio. Sorry, but it's not for me. The female vocals are good, Tom Waits grates on me as usual but whatever, it can't really be helped. Some of the compositions are interesting or slightly entertaining but most of them are too melodramatic and gaudy to really enjoy that much. I've never listened to much of Tom Waits' early stuff, and this is precisely the reason why. His compositions are just so, so straight-laced. About halfway through this album I got an urge to put on Rain Dogs that never went away. 6/10

The Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head
Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle - One From the Heart OST
Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow

Kind of surprising to see the negative reception for this album. I thought it was going to be more of an "eh, it's allright" concensus.

It's definetely not bad music in my eyes, but just not very interesting to me either. Seems Tom Waits annoys people in here quite a bit more than I realized.

This is one of the most hated albums in the club yet, if I'm not mistaken?

Nah. That distinction is held by Casanova and Colours.

Can you link to the most despised? I wonder what I wrote...

I tried to UTFSE

What is the goal of The Album Club, to pick the best or the worst album you can think of? I really don't know. I wasn't involved in the TAC club in the beginning cause back when you started this club my computer crashed and I couldn't really participate in it then. So is Colours by Nadia Oh winning or something?

Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle - One From The Heart OST

Not bad, but not great either. Waits's vocals never worked that well in vocal jazz and Gayle is just so-so. Not an ideal pair...and this is coming from a guy who loves GRP smooth jazz and the lounge jazz sound to hell and back again. I can adore the **** out of the cheesiest stuff if there's something cool going on in the overall arrangement, certain production details, etc, but there's not enough "color" here overall and it weakens the end result. That being said, I enjoyed the solo on 'This One's From The Heart' so that's got to count for something. I got a strong Claus Ogerman vibe at times on some of the orchestral touches, which oozes class.

5 out of 10

Better Albums With A Similar Vibe

Mario Biondi - Handful Of Soul
Bobby Caldwell - Come Rain Or Come Shine
Michael Franks - Sleeping Gypsy
Nicky Holland - Nicky Holland
Chris Rea - The Blue Jukebox

For me, this album highlighted the weakness of Tom Waits as a vocalist. He's doing his usual subpar Louis Armstrong vocal impersonation combined with a Bukowski/Kerouac type image, topped off with a fedora. It just sounds like too much contrived shtick to my ears. Paired with a top-notch vocalist like Crystal Gayle, he's outclassed by a country mile. It's like pairing a $2 bottle of rotgut bum wine with a $200 bottle of single malt scotch.

The following quotes from MicShazam and TechnicLePanther, pretty much sum up the rest of my reactions to this album...

I actually listened to this album 4 times just to make sure I wasn't missing something but I think that was probably 3 times too many. My reaction to this album didn't change after the first listen. I thought the songs featuring Crystal Gayle singing solo were the only ones that really impressed me and that had more to do with her stellar vocals than the material she had to work with.

Not an awful album but (except for Crystal Gayle's vocals) unremarkable.

5.5/10

God I used to feel so alone when I said that

XOXOX

I think I voted "meh" on Colours.

I regret that because I actually kinda hate it.