We're a bit mixed on this final Mule Variations track, with Shelley questioning whether Waits completely captures the gospel sound and energy. We compare it with older revivalist music, talk about the earthly imagery in songs about the afterlife, and discuss the presence of onanism in the work of Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Come On Up To The House, Mule Variations, Tom Waits (1999)
This Train, The Authorised Sister Rosetta Tharpe Collection (recorded live in Manchester, UK), Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1963)
This Train, TV recording live in Manchester UK via YouTube, Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1963)
Basket Case, Dookie, Green Day (1994)
Pachabel's Canon feat. Green Day, via YouTube (2012)
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