Since it's hard—and possibly verboten—to say a bad word about Tom Waits, unholy shaman of whacked-out Americana, I'll content myself with expressing a few mild reservations. From the startling departure of Swordfishtrombones—over 20 years old now—Tom's every subsequent move has been worth following with avid fascination. But with 2002's simultaneously released Alice and Blood Money, it seemed he was veering off into wilfully art-wank Hal Willner territory.
Three-CD reissue of 1968 masterwork. Includes mono and stereo mixes, bonus singles and B-sides, plus obscurities previously only available on the long-deleted The Great Lost Kinks Album
In the dismal history of Rolling Stones '60s catalogue reissues, this is a first of sorts. This time, ABKCO... Universal... whoever... haven't got it completely wrong. Collected here, in their original European/US sleeves, are the thrashing, screaming baby Stones' first dozen 45s, including the three classic British EPs. Welcome as this is and despite the pretty sleeves, the '60s singles are far more conveniently housed in the long available Singles Collection.
The cross-cutting is seamless—'20s England, '50s California and presentday New York feeding off each other, resonating, as our disaffected heroines, played impeccably by Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep, flirt with total internal breakdown. And still, it's all about that nose. Kidman's prosthetic nose. Bumpy, spongy, and slightly off-colour. You either buy it, or you don't.
