Tom Waits

So, another "help with music" thread, this time on Tom Waits.

I love the album "Nighthawks at the diner", and admire his vocals on Tommy the Cat,  but i bought "Swordfish Trombone" and found it a little too american-patriotic sounding (no offence my US brethren!), so my question is, does anything else compare with Nighthawks, or am i doomed to just the one album?

tom waits is one of the best american song writers out there. most of his stuff is good. except that one album with bett midler

I think you might be misreading Swordfishtrombones. Yes, it has a definite sonic resemblance to John Philip Sousa in the use of brass, bass, and percussion, but it's a very mournful record, not at all a rah-rah military march. The album is all about misfits, who never quite fit into the idealized visions of Britain's old colonies, either in America or Australia.


If I were to recommend any other Tom Waits album, it would be Rain Dogs. That one is a masterpiece.

He has no album with Bette Midler, but he did the music for Coppola's One from the Heart with Crystal Gayle. That's the one record of his I wouldn't really recommend.

Other than that, I'd say you should get Small Change next. Then Rain Dogs, then Bone Machine, then Orphans, and then fill the gaps. Good luck!

Well, pretty much everything he released up until Heartattack and Vine.
I'd recommend Closing Time / The Heart of Saturday Night, two pretty much perfect and very accessible albums where his vocals are still pretty clean, and Small Change / Blue Valentine, where his vocals sound more like they're "soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car".

PincheJoto


He has no album with Bette Midler, but he did the music for Coppola's One from the Heart with Crystal Gayle. That's the one record of his I wouldn't really recommend.

Other than that, I'd say you should get Small Change next. Then Rain Dogs, then Bone Machine, then Orphans, and then fill the gaps. Good luck!

Tom Waits and Bette Midler did a track called I never talk to strangers.

My dad is a huge Tom Waits fan, so I've been hearing his stuff all through my childhood and teens. I never got around to buying his stuff myself, but whenever I hear something I recognise from those formative years, it really puts me in a special state of mind, and I absolutely love all of those songs.

My favourite track of his is definitely his amazing version of "Waltzing Matilda". That one gives me goosebumps every single time, and I can listen to it over and over for hours.

Man, I really need to start buying some old Tom Waits records.

My love for Tom Waits is on par with my love for Frank Zappa, Metallica, and Queen.

Which is to say, boundless. I've only been a fan of his for a couple of years now, ever since one of my best friends turned me onto him, but...yeah. WOW. Fucking amazing stuff this guy turns out. My personal recommendations would be Nighthawks at the Diner, Small Change, Rain Dogs, Bone Machine, Mule Variations, Orphans - Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards, Alice, Blood Money, Blue Valentine, and Heartattack and Vine.

Also a big fan of him as an actor as well.

And YES, Naigewron, thank you for mentioning Waltzing Matilda. That song, as well as The House Where Nobody Lives (from Mule Variations) damn near bring me to tears every time I hear them. Fucking beautiful pieces of work.

Get the new live album Glitter & Doom Live as soon as possible. Rain Dogs and Bone machine are my favorite studio albums of his.

SWORDFISHTROMBONES

rearranged my DNA

P.S. he is so cool in "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" ;)

intoc
Get the new live album Glitter & Doom Live as soon as possible.

I've only ever heard "Goin' Out West" covered by a friend's band, and he told me exactly that...

intoc


Get the new live album Glitter & Doom Live as soon as possible. Rain Dogs and Bone machine are my favorite studio albums of his.

I think you need to be really into his work, before you can appreciate Glitter & Doom Live the fullest, you know. Same goes for Bone Machine and Small Change, they need some time to sink in, you know. But Rain Dogs is probably the best one to start with, combined with one of his older albums.

Thanks you guys, I'll take heed of your advice(s).


SWORDFISHTROMBONES

rearranged my DNA

P.S. he is so cool in "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" ;)
<message edited by Cassie5563 on Sunday, March 07, 2010 5:30 AM>


I gave my copy to a friend lol

Mephistory

I'd recommend Closing Time / The Heart of Saturday Night, two pretty much perfect and very accessible albums where his vocals are still pretty clean, and Small Change / Blue Valentine, where his vocals sound more like they're "soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car".

Yep, I'd recommend these as well. And from the 80s material, Rain Dogs is a classic.

Tom doesn't sleep...Tom waits!

Nah, seriously. Get Mule Variations. You'll like it.

With Tom, you gotta go with Bone Machine and Rain Dogs.

Cassie5563


SWORDFISHTROMBONES

rearranged my DNA

P.S. he is so cool in "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" ;)

Waits is a great actor. I love his performance in Cigarettes and Coffee, and while it isn't a favorite of mine, he does a great job in Francis Ford Coppola's version of Dracula.

BUMP.


I was going to start an appreciation thread for TW, but I thought I had better do a quick search first. I gave Swordfishtrombones a spin the other day and I had forgotten just how much I love that record. Since then I have been working my way through his catalogue and it raised some good memories for me. Such a talented songwriter, I really hope to see him live one day.

spikelineus

I really hope to see him live one day.

Yeah me too. Sadly he's not over here that often 

I still love Nighthawks, the combination of witty storytelling and deep lyrics just sucks me in every time. Even after the millionth listen.

It gets annoying on Last.FM though, where your favourite song ends up being "intro"

Mule Variations, Alice and Rain Dogs are definitely my favourite albums by Tom. From his earlier years (pre Swordfishtrombones), I'd recommend The Heart Of Saturday Night, Small Change and Closing Time. 

But basically I enjoy, and love everything good old Tom ever did, and is still doing. I'd recommend working through his discography and start with Closing Time and end with Glitter & Doom Live.

something_wicked

I still love Nighthawks, the combination of witty storytelling and deep lyrics just sucks me in every time. Even after the millionth listen.

Indeed, Nighthawks is a very interesting and enjoyable listening experience! It doesn't have the same effect on me as some of his other material does, but it is still brilliant nevertheless. 

One album of his I have never really been THAT crazy about is Foreign Affairs. It just doesn't seem to push any of my buttons. There is the odd track here and there - I quite enjoy Muriel and Potter's Field...rest of it though? Meh.

Hearing 'What's he building?' on Mule Variations for the first time was a very filmic experience for me:) What a totally strange track!

Angz


Hearing 'What's he building?' on Mule Variations for the first time was a very filmic experience for me:) What a totally strange track!

Lol, I remember my dad playing that track for me when I was 10 years old.  All I could think was "man, grown up music sure is strange.."