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1 Burnside Music- 33 1/3 Series
6 Local Warehouse Music- Rock History
2 Remote Warehouse Music- History and Criticism

Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones (33 1/3 Series)

by David Smay

Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones (33 1/3 Series) Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

33 1/3 is a series of short books about a wide variety of albums, by artists ranging from James Brown to the Beastie Boys. Launched in September 2003, the series now contains over 50 titles and is acclaimed and loved by fans, musicians and scholars alike.

Review:

"It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom Exile on Main Street or Electric Ladyland are as significant and worthy of study as The Catcher in the Rye or Middlemarch. The series... is freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebration." The New York Times Book Review

Review:

"Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just aren't enough." Rolling Stone

Review:

"One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planet." Bookslut

Review:

"These are for the insane collectors out there who appreciate fantastic design, well-executed thinking, and things that make your house look cool. Each volume in this series takes a seminal album and breaks it down in startling minutiae. We love these. We are huge nerds." Vice

Review:

"A brilliant series... each one a word of real love." NME

Review:

"Religious tracts for the rock 'n' roll faithful." Uncut

Review:

"We... aren't naive enough to think that we're your only source for reading about music (but if we had our way... watch out). For those of you who really like to know everything there is to know about an album, you'd do well to check out Continuum's 33 1/3 series of books." Pitchfork

Synopsis:

The opening salvo in Tom Waits' Frank Trilogy, Swordfishtrombones marked a radical shift in the career of one of America's most original singer-songwriters. Here, David Smay investigates and celebrates the album in equal measure.

About the Author

David Smay has co-edited two books on music with Kim Cooper: Lost In the Grooves: Scram's Capricious Guide To The Music You Missed, and Bubblegum Music Is The Naked Truth. He's a regular contributor to Scram, has an upcoming piece in Oxford American and has occasionally dithered about pop music on NPR, French Television and documentaries only shown at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two children, Emmett and Matilda.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
JohnnyC, April 28, 2008 (view all comments by JohnnyC)
David Smay has done his homework. He's been able to dispel a few myths surrounding the life and work of Tom Waits, and still make him mysterious nevertheless. Waits is a unique musician whose song writing and production techniques rarely reveal the man himself. Without saying too much, Smay has written one of the best books in the series so far. It's a great read offering everything you need to know about one of Waits's most important albums yet asking the reader to open one's imagination on the same plane as Tom Waits. Now that's great writing!
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780826427823
Author:
Smay, David
Publisher:
Continuum
Subject:
History & Criticism - General
Subject:
Genres & Styles - Rock
Subject:
Waits, Tom
Series:
33 1/3
Publication Date:
February 2008
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
129
Dimensions:
6.67x6.98x.36 in. .37 lbs.

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