Yourself Go ” helps anchor vibes reminiscent of Los Lobos , the Doors , and the Grateful Dead . While not adding a classic single on par with “ Refugee ” or “ American Girl " to Petty ’ s catalog (“ I Should Have Known It ” comes closest ), Mojo showcases solid songwriting with a great feel . The evident camaraderie proves more satisfying than 2002 ’ s disgruntled The Last DJ . The Heartbreakers revisited Mojo ’ s aesthetic on the final album , Hypnotic Eye , in 2014 .
Mojo makes a good counterpart to albums like The Rolling Stones ’ 2016 blues homage Blue and Lonesome . Neither album represents the bands ' songwriting apex , but fans can enjoy the sound of seasoned players leaning into time-tested bonds while celebrating their roots .
– Jeff Elbel
6
TOM WAITS Island ’ 83- ’ 93
LP Reissues ( Island / UMe ) Ten years into his recording career , Tom Waits began a significant stretch of work and creative reboot that continued for another decade and helped cement his reputation as a singularly unclassifiable and consistently engaging artist . This key middle-period run of Waits ’ eighth through twelfth albums for Island Records is newly remastered and reissued on heavyweight vinyl , CD , and digital formats . Titles include the trilogy of 1983 ’ s Swordfishtrombones , 1985 ’ s Rain Dogs , and 1987 ’ s tragicomic stage musical Frank ’ s Wild Years . Five years later , Waits returned with 1992 ’ s Bone Machine and 1993 ’ s dark musical fable The Black Rider . Arriving for its 40th anniversary , Swordfishtrombones represents a particular breakthrough and development of Waits ’ character as an unhinged sage and sonic cubist , with ample credit going to partner Kathleen Brennan . Gone were the boozy piano balladry of Waits ’ nonetheless excellent prior work , now favoring abstract expression , skewed moods , and found sounds . Waits drew upon delta blues , Captain Beefheart ’ s outsider art , and early 20thcentury composer Kurt Weill . The sound was such a departure that Waits ’ former label rejected the album . Elektra-Asylum ’ s loss became Island ’ s gain as the album racked up accolades . Waits referred to his
new sound as a “ junkyard orchestral deviation ,” evident in the clanking percussion , drawling guitar , and disquieted drone of the lurching “ 16 Shells from a Thirty- Ought Six .” The ramshackle “ In the Neighborhood ” describes everyday chaos around the hometown streets , set to prewar brass and field snare . Accompanied by marching boots , marimba , trombone , and twisted guitar , “ Underground ” imagines a bustling and industrious unseen world below our feet . “ Johnsburg , Illinois ” is a comparably gentle ode to Brennan . As alien as the musical landscape often is , nearly everything is rooted at home in a pastiche of American styles and immigrant folk . The results reveal Waits as a PhD-level musicologist . Rain Dogs pushed the sound even further afield while also capturing lasting and memorable songs . Rendered here in Waits ’ rasping , exaggerated growl , the moving “ Downtown Train ” is co-written with Brennan and eventually hit the pop charts in tuneful cover versions by Scandal singer Patty Smyth and Rod Stewart . It ’ s something of an outlier with its nearly straightforward arrangement and accompaniment by studio aces G . E . Smith on guitar , drummer Mickey Curry , and bassist Tony Levin . “ Singapore ” sounds like a pirate ’ s final shore leave , preparing to leave port with a madman captain and sailing into turbulent waters . “ Cemetery Polka ” may have been influential on Oingo Boingo ’ s Danny Elfman when approaching the grim-grinning soundtracks for films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Corpse Bride . Marc Ribot ’ s guitar dances to Michael Blair ’ s calypso percussion during “ Jockey Full of Bourbon .” “ I ’ ve been stepping on the devil ’ s tail ,” whispers Waits . The album ’ s first half leans on guitarist Ribot with guest spots by compatriots , including Bob Dylan double bassist Tony Garnier on “ Clap Hands .” Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards slots right into bluesy tracks like “ Big Black Mariah ,” painting the scene of a hard-bitten felon who ’ s finally been caught by the law . William Schimmel ’ s accordion lends pathos to the wistful “ Time ,” as Waits sings about downtrodden characters and the most precious commodity of all . “ Hang Down Your Head ” is mournful but propulsive , carried by Blair ’ s drums and Wait ’ s reedy harmonium as Waits sings about a once true love torn asunder when a beloved bride finds another lover . Wild brass fills the cinematic instrumental “ Midtown .” The album was primarily written in a two-month blast in 1984 after Waits and Brennan moved to lower Manhattan , and the songs became a collec-
18 illinoisentertainer . com december 2023