Glitter And Doom Live
by Tom Waits
  • Record Label: Anti
  • Release Date: Nov 23, 2009
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. The A.V. Club
    91
    As usual, it’s worth any amount of trouble to hear Waits live.
  2. Paste Magazine
    88
    For those who self-identify as Tom Waits Fans, Glitter and Doom Live succeeds on pretty much every level.
  3. Filter
    86
    The best live music doesn’t attempt to just mirror the recordings, but expands upon them, highlighting a performer’s chemistry with the band and audience. When Waits does that, the illusion works; when he doesn’t it’s like seeing the cards tucked up a magician’s sleeve.
  5. Boston Globe
    80
    If this is as close as you get to hearing Waits live, it’s an illuminating snapshot of an artist whose concerts are increasingly rare and compelling.
  6. Pitchfork
    80
    Glitter and Doom Live is not simply a souvenir of a tour most fans didn't attend but a de facto greatest hits of Waits' fourth decade of music, during which his gnarly adventurousness didn't wane but only intensified.
  7. Slant Magazine
    80
    The usual thrill of a live album comes from slightly tweaked familiarity, but Waits treats his songs like old cars in need of new engines. It's a decision that's ultimately more rewarding, turning Glitter and Doom into an album that basically amounts to 80 minutes of new material.
  8. NOW Magazine
    80
    The 17 tracks emphasize the latter half of his career, but he’s toned down his more avant-garde tendencies somewhat and injected a bit of R&B swing and jazz vibes.
  9. No Ripcord
    80
    Glitter and Doom doesn’t include a pocket-sized Waits who sings and dances atop your candelabra with a pawn shop marimba, but it provides you with the tools to imagine such a sight.
  10. PopMatters
    80
    It would have been nice if Glitter and Doom included a few more buried treasures from Orphans, but ultimately that’s nitpicking, since what’s here does a more-than-ample job soaking up the raunchy, scrappy heart this album sets out to spotlight.
  11. Uncut
    80
    Glitter And Doom Live is an admirable document of yet another stage in his continually engrossing career.
  12. Drowned In Sound
    80
    There’s only one test a live album has to pass, and this one stands up to it: if you were there you’ll be prompted to bask in the memory, and if you weren’t you’ll be wishing like hell that you had been.
  13. Hot Press
    80
    A sophisticated gentleman does a poo.
  14. cokemachineglow
    76
    Waits is still an impassioned and awe-inspiring performer; here we can still hear, as invigorated as he was before I was born--or so I can guess.
  15. The Boston Phoenix
    75
    the Waits of Glitter and Doom Live values theatricality as much as storytelling. As on his previous live album, 1988’s "Big Time," Waits often borders on playfulness.
  16. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    Waits tends to inspire love-it-or-hate-it reactions; those who don't dig him will probably be mystefied by the over-the-top cheers captured here. [27 Nov 2009, p.71]
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  17. Rolling Stone
    70
    Waits' second live retrospective plumbs his later LPs, especially 1992's Bone Machine and 2004's Real Gone; it misses classics like "Time" but shows off a deep oeuvre and a brassy, mischievous sextet.
  18. Under The Radar
    70
    At times surreal, at times laugh-out loud funny, but always captivating, "Tom's Tales" alone are worth the price of the album. [Holiday 2009, p.79]
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  19. Mojo
    60
    The good news, however, is that admirers of the later albums such as Bone Mahcine, the Black Rider and Real Gone are very well served. [Jan 2010, p. 91]
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  20. Q Magazine
    60
    A live document of his wildly acclaimed 2008 tour, Glitter And Doom further amplifies that uniqueness, backed up by an entire second disc of surreal storytelling. [Jan 2010, p. 126]
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 24
  3. Negative: 1 out of 24
  1. robertf
    Dec 4, 2009
    10
    I just wanted to say the person doing the summary wrote "antidotes" by Tom Waits and it should be "anecdotes". I find it really funny when I I just wanted to say the person doing the summary wrote "antidotes" by Tom Waits and it should be "anecdotes". I find it really funny when I hear someway say that and it's even more embarrassing to see it printed. Tom Waits is amazing though., get Rain Dogs, if you've never heard of him.… Full Review »
  2. MikeM
    Dec 2, 2009
    5
    A decent performance that has a horrible audio quality. The poor recording quality makes the performance feel distant and lacking any A decent performance that has a horrible audio quality. The poor recording quality makes the performance feel distant and lacking any emotional punch. A masterpiece this is not!… Full Review »
  3. JoshS.
    Nov 29, 2009
    9
    The reworkings on this album show Waits isn't content resting on his laurels. One for the fans.
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