Tiny Tim

...Wow ! three reissues of Tiny Tim at once, after a long time of not being available on CD at all. I had one LP called “Concert in Fairyland” which with each action of fun with his voice he had the audience mixed in, very funny, and a compilation CD called “Tiptoe through the tulips/resurrection” with his “big hits”. From the liner notes of the last one I learned how his mother said to him on his 40 birthday : “you’ll never be anything” because the “boy” just listened to old records, and was a living jukebox. He was an excentric with peasant dresses, patouchili oil and exotic cigarettes. He started to sing with his ukulele in Greenwhich village, bringing in soon every celebrity in town, and Warner Bros with a checque book, to release two albums. He also sang duets with himself in soprano and baritone voice. His first gig paid him 50$ a week, in 1965 it was more like 10,000$ a week. He got married when he was 42 and got a daughter called Tulip. By the time of his divorce in 1977 he was bankrupt. Luckily he had a small comeback in the late ‘80s and ‘90s, also thanks to people like Steven Stapelton who invited him to do an album with him. Somehow he claims, and I agree it must be “the voices speak through me”, it is because he IS that music.

Audio : http://www.counterpoint-music.com/specialties/tinytim.html

Zero Comm.Tiny Tim : Stardust (UK, 1976-1995, pub.2007)****°

“Stardust” (referring to a saying from Michell Paris, 1929 : “Sometimes I wonder why I spend the lonely night dreaming of a song. The melody haunts my reverie and I am once again with you. When our love was new and each kiss an inspiration, but that was long ago. Now my consolation is in the stardust of a song”). This is a collection of outtakes. Some songs are with ukulele. A song like “I’ll be your baby tonight” sounds to me like Josephine Foster on helium. Often he’s presenting funny songs while he laughs; it is hard not to go with that feeling. A few tracks are with a chamber orchestra, while the most recent ones are with a rock band, playing rather hard, but he manages quiet well to get an expression within this context too. It reminded me slightly of the rock versions of yma Sumac who came from the ‘40s and ‘50s, which seemed to push her to survive with this idea in the 70s. Also Tiny Tim’s rock band basically is one from the entertainment industry, as if these songs are imprisoned in the genre, while the bands from the ‘80s and ‘90s are simply more primitive and hard and could never capture anything of the earlier spirit. But Tiny Tim manages well, and his voice there becomes like a brilliant cry-out from these borders, more like rock star and with somehow true feelings, a bit more serious. There he became the -absent of a sex choice- big daddy / mommy / grandmother / old legend who sings with the survival voice of the old days. On the 1995 version of Satisfaction/Yellow Submarine the arrangements almost deafen the song version, which is almost sad, thinking of how these days we look at the past and in different ways of what is so easily fashionable these days. Oddly enough, Tiny Tim manages even to capture the true old song spirit, with humour and with much emotional variation, even when using Beatles and Rolling Stones songs, bringing the originals out of the context and give a new meaning to the songs. Elsewhere he sounds like Frank Sinatra but without distraction of feelings, going deeply into them, like a master’s voice on its own, completely unique in his way like there won’t be any alternative for years, but I hope it will still give ideas.

The album is compiled with love and respect for the music. I also will say already that there is a 27th surprise track which perfectly concludes the spirit (but I won’t say more). And I love the funny back cover by Martin Sharp, based upon the famous Japanese print.

Audio : "Highway To Hell", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "I Am I Said/Sidewalks Of New York (East Side, West Side)", "Stardust (finale)"

& on http://www.secondlayer.co.uk/tracks/p3841.htm

Zero Comm.Tiny Tim : Chameleon (UK, 1979, pub.2007)**°°°

The album shows somehow the slightly more serious voice of Tiny Tim, still original in its own way. Here he shows a decent, often slightly vibrating baritone voice, singing in a slightly bluesy/jazzy way (on “St.Louis Blues” there are parts that really has that true jazz swing), accompanied by a jazzy combo, here and there with also some slide guitar combined with piano and band. On the official album, like always, the choice of songs is great. Hearing this seriousness, makes me think about the hidden face behind the clown, who even when he does not always have an easy life prefers to show the funny side. In this case often it is hardly funny, doing also more earnest versions of previously recorded fun tracks. The last two tracks of the official release might be the most distinctive ones. “Stayin’ alive” (Bee Gees) has bits of dog barking didgeridoo (reminding me just once that these tracks were recorded in Australia), besides a brass combo, and additional female vocals, piano, violin, is also a more energetic and inspired version. “My Way” seems to have been sung without teeth, and makes for another brilliant new version, as if he’s singing how it is hard to loose teeth. It refers in the notes to Jacques Revaux, Claude François, Gilles Thibaut and Paul Anka, which versions, and especially Claude Francois's (more than Frank Sinatra) showed more the surreal dramatic side of figures presenting and partly loosing themselves by playing their game in entertainment industry. Tiny Tim with a big band cannot present all his aspects with it, but still remains himself.

From the bonus tracks, when a few times going completely for the uptempo jazz swing, while elsewhere it was convincing, this sounds a bit disappointing and overdone. “Tiny Bubbles” is sung as if he doesn’t believe in the well experienced fun of it all any more, but he sings it in such a more blasphemous way it became another unserious and original version.

Audio : "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?", "The Song Without A Name"

Bonus track : "St Louis Blues","Dancing In The Street (Take 2)"

Zero Comm.Tiny Tim : Wonderful World Of Romance (UK,1979 & 1980, pub.2007)****'

This album are two charming, romantic radio-like sessions introducing and singing songs from 1918-1932, accompanied mostly by piano, but also ukulele and some (old time) cello recorded in 1979 and 1980. One of both sessions was pressed in 200 copies only, and without a cover. Also here the songs are presented like in a serious documentary, with conviction. He’s calm and serious, perhaps slightly tired like in the other 1979/1980 recordings. It is a great tribute to the original writers. A terrific collection of romantic, pre-world war II songs, 33 in total, of which a few appear twice, in a slightly different version. A must for lovers of the phonographic period of memorable and romantic songs.

Audio : "Prisoner Of Love"