The P and I hit our local flea market on Sunday, and while I came away with a few treasures (notably Neil Young’s Decade on LP [finally!] and Earl Hooker’s Sweet Black Angel), far and away my best find was a Russian pressing of Tom Waits’ classic album Swordfishtrombones.
Feast your eyes…
[here's the back cover]
[here's the label]
I couldn’t help but notice the production date on this record is 1991 (the album was originally released in ’83), more than likely making it a product of perestroika. In thinking about how this album made its way to Northern California, I decided that some impressionable Russian kid (‘Boris’ in my mind) picked up a bunch of American rock albums in the early 90′s, fixated on Tom Waits as his creative hero, and decided to move to the land where everyone was wacky and brilliant and talked through bullhorns like Tom Уэйтс.
Then, once he arrived here, Boris realized that this is the land of strip malls, bad tv, and village idiots. So he sold his records, bought a plane ticket to Moscow, and joined the KGB.
Or something like that…
Listen: 16 Shells From A Thirty Ought Six
*****
Check out Tom Waits’ Wikipedia page – in Russian!
Tags: flea market, perestroika, Russia, Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits
10 September 2008 at 8:58 pm |
And I bought a lovely flea market fire pit. Thanks for asking…
11 September 2008 at 6:38 am |
Fire pit. Meow.
12 September 2008 at 5:47 am |
odd
12 September 2008 at 8:47 am |
You say “odd” I say “Нечетно”…
12 September 2008 at 9:59 pm |
Stolichnaya?
12 September 2008 at 10:31 pm |
Да, с закруткой лимона!
14 March 2010 at 10:49 pm |
A few points to make:
Not only is Waits ‘Big in Japan’, he is rather big in Russia. Somehow the accordions and the rasp resonate with russian soul or something.
Also, that Boris could have been me. I moved to NorCal in 92 when I was 17, I had a pile of American rock albums with me and I liked Waits – Rain Dogs were my favorite, but I had this one, too. Actually, my copy might still be at my parents’ somewhere.
This label was very active in the early 90s – they appeared overnight, printed a whole catalog of great rock music, like for instance the first two Stooges albums (I even might have those somewhere, as well – real ugly sleeves, too). They all were printed on the cheap, on flimsy vinyl, in paper sleeves, and the whole business was a textbook bootleg operation. Also notable is the inscription on the LP label saying “Запись по трансляции” i.e. “Recorded over radio” which, I infer, let them exploit some law loophole.
The only point where your story goes wrong is the conclusion. You are very mistaken in how the land of strip malls compares to Motherland. Never in my worst nightmares would I think of going back.
And the bit on KGB is best left without comment…
15 March 2010 at 9:03 am |
This is terrific – thanks for filling in the details Boris. I’m so glad to hear that you didn’t end up with the KGB!
14 March 2010 at 10:52 pm |
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