This is my 50th post since I started writing Carnival Saloon last September. My previous attempt at blogging yielded just three posts before I ran out of steam so I feel justified in raising a virtual bat in recognition of my half century. To any of you now offering polite applause, thank you. Thanks also to anyone who's left a comment or said something nice to me about anything I've written here.
It seems appropriate to mark the occasion with the Tom Waits song that I took the blog's name from - Time.
Well, the smart money's on Harlow
And the moon is in the street
The shadow boys are breaking all the laws
And you're east of East St Louis
And the wind is making speeches
And the rain sounds like a round of applause
Napoleon is weeping in the Carnival saloon
His invisible fiance is in the mirror
The band is going home
It's raining hammers, it's raining nails
Yes, it's true, there's nothing left for him down here
MP3: Tom Waits - Time
Until recently the only other version of this I knew was by Tori Amos. It's a sombre reading from Strange Little Girls, her peculiar album of covers by male artists.
MP3: Tori Amos - Time
A few weeks ago I heard a new rendition by Irish folk singer Heidi Talbot on The Waiting Room's brilliant three-hour podcast of Tom Waits covers.
MP3: Heidi Talbot - Time
I'd never heard of Talbot before, and now only know what I've gleaned from her official site and MySpace. Her associations with John McCusker, Kris Drever and Boo Hewerdine suggest she's well-regarded by the folk fraternity and the New York Times reckon she "sings with a voice that's both awestruck and tender".
I prefer this version to the Tori Amos one. Listen when Talbot sings, "And things are pretty lousy for a calendar girl". It may not have you weeping into your Guinness but her Irish lilt does suit the song's melancholy.
As usual, please play compare and contrast yourself and leave a comment below.
Related Posts
Tom Waits Covers #1: Solomon Burke - Diamond In Your Mind
Tom Waits Covers #2: Bruce Springsteen - Jersey Girl
Related Links
www.myspace.com/toriamos
www.myspace.com/heiditalbotmusic
Amazon
Tori Amos - Strange Little Girls
Heidi Talbot - In Love & Light
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
3 comments:
Nice work!
Thanks Rick Dog - that's very kind.
Tori Amos version is really amazing. Pretty much, because it doesn't even sound like the original song. I love it! She's so cool and besides, she loves Kamagra Jelly on her bread!
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