Tom Waits

[EdwardWBjornson]

Tom Waits - a true music genius and/or legend. He has been suggested for a TMR green series on this board, he is currently in the studio working, and he was recently inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:


Being an artist for such a long time, his albums have changed during his career, and many argues that the earlier ones are the best, while his post-Mule Variations-albums are not nearly the same. Any thoughts on this?

He's also an actor in some of my favourite films (Coffee & Cigarettes, Down By Law) and has done enough stuff to deserve his own thread on this board. Any collectors out there?

[elduderino]

Tom Waits - a true music genius and/or legend. He has been suggested for a TMR green series on this board, he is currently in the studio working, and he was recently inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:


Being an artist for such a long time, his albums have changed during his career, and many argues that the earlier ones are the best, while his post-Mule Variations-albums are not nearly the same. Any thoughts on this?

He's also an actor in some of my favourite films (Coffee & Cigarettes, Down By Law) and has done enough stuff to deserve his own thread on this board. Any collectors out there?

i'm a tom waits maniac. maybe my favorite artist. his HOF acceptance speech was hilarious - "...this has been very encouraging..."

i pretty much love everything he's done, with the exception of his first two albums. he hadn't found his voice yet and was fumbling around sounding like a typical california singer-songwriter. i prefer his nighthawks thru heart attack and vine phase most of all, but i'll play just about anything of his. regarding post-mule variations, i really like real gone (no pun) and blood money. also, do you have the orphans box set? lots of great stuff in there.

pity that his voice is really starting to go. he's put it through a lot of stress (i think) over the years and it shows on the live album he put out last year (glitter and doom). although, i have to say he sounded great on the songs he sang during the HOF induction ceremony. loved seeing david hidalgo from los lobos - my OTHER favorite artist(s) - playing guitar with tom. and in movies - have you seen ironweed? jack nicholson flick. tom has a pretty substantial role in it.

[orangeshoeskid]

I'll be honest. I had never listened to Tom Waits but I watched all of the HOF video and I liked it.
The only song I had ever heard with him in it up to that point was this...


just hearing him sing makes me want a cough drop.

[elduderino]

I'll be honest. I had never listened to Tom Waits but I watched all of the HOF video and I liked it.
The only song I had ever heard with him in it up to that point was this...


just hearing him sing makes me want a cough drop.

far out. i had never heard that tune before. thanks for posting.

and regarding tom's voice - in 1988, tom successfully sued frito lay for apeing his voice in a commercial, without his permission. in court, his lawyer described his voice like this: how you'd sound if you drank a quart of bourbon, smoked a pack of cigarettes and swallowed a pack of razor blades. . . . Late at night. After not sleeping for three days. but, yeah, he's kind've an acquired taste.

[dylnfan]

Tom Waits - a true music genius and/or legend. He has been suggested for a TMR green series on this board, he is currently in the studio working, and he was recently inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:


Being an artist for such a long time, his albums have changed during his career, and many argues that the earlier ones are the best, while his post-Mule Variations-albums are not nearly the same. Any thoughts on this?

He's also an actor in some of my favourite films (Coffee & Cigarettes, Down By Law) and has done enough stuff to deserve his own thread on this board. Any collectors out there?

Tom would be the perfect/ideal Green Series release...make it happen Jack!

[EdwardWBjornson]

i'm a tom waits maniac. maybe my favorite artist. his HOF acceptance speech was hilarious - "...this has been very encouraging..."

i pretty much love everything he's done, with the exception of his first two albums. he hadn't found his voice yet and was fumbling around sounding like a typical california singer-songwriter. i prefer his nighthawks thru heart attack and vine phase most of all, but i'll play just about anything of his. regarding post-mule variations, i really like real gone (no pun) and blood money. also, do you have the orphans box set? lots of great stuff in there.

pity that his voice is really starting to go. he's put it through a lot of stress (i think) over the years and it shows on the live album he put out last year (glitter and doom). although, i have to say he sounded great on the songs he sang during the HOF induction ceremony. loved seeing david hidalgo from los lobos - my OTHER favorite artist(s) - playing guitar with tom. and in movies - have you seen ironweed? jack nicholson flick. tom has a pretty substantial role in it.

When I've got the time, I will certainly look into even more of his albums, as I only know about 40-50% of his records. (My parents both have a lot of the old LP presses)
And the Orphans box set is on my shopping list, and I reckon I can afford it around May
I thought his voice sounded surprisingly great in the HOF clip as well, so if he does another tour, I will certainly get me some tickets!
And I should probably see Ironweed as well.. *Writing a long to-do-list*

(Regarding the N.A.S.A. clip - it was fantastic, and I just saw that the video for "Money" consisted of Shepard Fairey artwork. Might have to look into that as well.)

[elduderino]

i'm a tom waits maniac. maybe my favorite artist. his HOF acceptance speech was hilarious - "...this has been very encouraging..."

i pretty much love everything he's done, with the exception of his first two albums. he hadn't found his voice yet and was fumbling around sounding like a typical california singer-songwriter. i prefer his nighthawks thru heart attack and vine phase most of all, but i'll play just about anything of his. regarding post-mule variations, i really like real gone (no pun) and blood money. also, do you have the orphans box set? lots of great stuff in there.

pity that his voice is really starting to go. he's put it through a lot of stress (i think) over the years and it shows on the live album he put out last year (glitter and doom). although, i have to say he sounded great on the songs he sang during the HOF induction ceremony. loved seeing david hidalgo from los lobos - my OTHER favorite artist(s) - playing guitar with tom. and in movies - have you seen ironweed? jack nicholson flick. tom has a pretty substantial role in it.

When I've got the time, I will certainly look into even more of his albums, as I only know about 40-50% of his records. (My parents both have a lot of the old LP presses)
And the Orphans box set is on my shopping list, and I reckon I can afford it around May
I thought his voice sounded surprisingly great in the HOF clip as well, so if he does another tour, I will certainly get me some tickets!
And I should probably see Ironweed as well.. *Writing a long to-do-list*

(Regarding the N.A.S.A. clip - it was fantastic, and I just saw that the video for "Money" consisted of Shepard Fairey artwork. Might have to look into that as well.)

what albums do you already have of tom's? and what albums do your parents have? i hope one of them is bone machine, as it's out of print and expensive to buy - and a great, great, great album. regarding orphans, i know this will sound heretical, but the cd set is a much cheaper option than the 7 album box set.

if he tours near you, definately go see him. he doesn't do it that often anymore, and tickets are usually really hard to come buy, even on the secondary market (pricey). even with his voice being not much more than a growl, HOF performance notwhithstanding, he puts on a helluva show. he's like a dervish up there. and maybe he will be touring, as he's currently in the studio working on a new record.

[dylnfan]

>i hope one of them is bone machine, as it's out of print and expensive to buy - and a great, great, great album.

Been trying to get my hands on a clean (inexpensive) copy for years...definitely hard to come by.

>Regarding orphans, i know this will sound heretical, but the cd set is a much cheaper option than the 7 album box set.

Cheaper, but damn that LP set is gorgeous! Plus it's got a few bonus tracks to make it worth your while.

>If he tours near you, definately go see him. he doesn't do it that often anymore, and tickets are usually really hard to come buy, even on the secondary market (pricey). even with his voice being not much more than a growl, HOF performance notwhithstanding, he puts on a helluva show. he's like a dervish up there. and maybe he will be touring, as he's currently in the studio working on a new record.

Amen Dude! Saw Tom in Chicago a few years back...one of my favorite shows ever. Pure theater.

[elduderino]

>i hope one of them is bone machine, as it's out of print and expensive to buy - and a great, great, great album.

Been trying to get my hands on a clean (inexpensive) copy for years...definitely hard to come by.

>Regarding orphans, i know this will sound heretical, but the cd set is a much cheaper option than the 7 album box set.

Cheaper, but damn that LP set is gorgeous! Plus it's got a few bonus tracks to make it worth your while.

>If he tours near you, definately go see him. he doesn't do it that often anymore, and tickets are usually really hard to come buy, even on the secondary market (pricey). even with his voice being not much more than a growl, HOF performance notwhithstanding, he puts on a helluva show. he's like a dervish up there. and maybe he will be touring, as he's currently in the studio working on a new record.

Amen Dude! Saw Tom in Chicago a few years back...one of my favorite shows ever. Pure theater.

did you see him in 2006? i saw him at the ryman here in nashville that year. outstanding show, we had third row seats that we paid an arm and a leg for, but it was worth it.

[dylnfan]

>i hope one of them is bone machine, as it's out of print and expensive to buy - and a great, great, great album.

Been trying to get my hands on a clean (inexpensive) copy for years...definitely hard to come by.

>Regarding orphans, i know this will sound heretical, but the cd set is a much cheaper option than the 7 album box set.

Cheaper, but damn that LP set is gorgeous! Plus it's got a few bonus tracks to make it worth your while.

>If he tours near you, definately go see him. he doesn't do it that often anymore, and tickets are usually really hard to come buy, even on the secondary market (pricey). even with his voice being not much more than a growl, HOF performance notwhithstanding, he puts on a helluva show. he's like a dervish up there. and maybe he will be touring, as he's currently in the studio working on a new record.

Amen Dude! Saw Tom in Chicago a few years back...one of my favorite shows ever. Pure theater.

did you see him in 2006? i saw him at the ryman here in nashville that year. outstanding show, we had third row seats that we paid an arm and a leg for, but it was worth it.

Sounds about right...was just before Orphans was released.

[sjcapps07]

Rain Dogs: best album ever made...maybe?

[elduderino]

Rain Dogs: best album ever made...maybe?

maybe... frankly, i can't decide on a favorite waits album. at best, i can maybe narrow it down to my top 5 or 6.

[MuleSkinner]

New Tom Waits song:

http://soundcloud.com/antirecords/tom-waits-bad-as-me

and a preview of the new album to be released in October

[elduderino]

New Tom Waits song:

http://soundcloud.com/antirecords/tom-waits-bad-as-me

and a preview of the new album to be released in October

haha. love it.

[MuleSkinner]

From the Tom Waits website:

Tom Waits Crashes His Own Listening Party And Trends Globally On Twitter

Waits generated lots of cyber enthusiasm and twitter waves with the announcement of his new album and the internet premiere of his satiric “Private Listening Party.” The event crashed the server on his label and official website for a brief period August 23rd,, the morning of the launch, and also trended worldwide –sandwiched oddly between Momar Gaddafi and Kate Winslet. More, than 3,000 blogs ran the clip in the first 24 hours.

The majority of critics and viewers caught on to the devious nature of Waits’ intentions, which previewed songs from his upcoming release while addressing his frustration with the perils of the internet. “Tom Waits blasts the internet on the internet…an ingenious ploy, as might be expected from the acclaimed maverick.”

The video was shot days before some online sites revealed album details days ahead of Waits’ anticipated official announcement. Some critics assumed the video was filmed in response to the internet leak. While it does not take a prophet to see the future when it comes to online security, Waits’ assault on those “few bad apples” who ruin it for everyone” was even more provocative after the leak.

Catching the spirit of Waits’ sarcasm, USA TODAY highlighted two of the video’s most visceral remarks: “What if you had a root canal and I asked you to gargle with raw sewage? Would you be ok with that? Or would it be safe to jump rope with a live electrical wire? No.” ‘It’s nice to know Tom Waits is back in fine form.”

MSN while noting the “hilarious video” focused on the music cuts heard “which sound like some of his most accessible fan-friendly music since the brilliant Mule Variations.”

…The new album is called Bad As Me, and the single of the same name is available for sale at your preferred digital retailer. You can still view the video and stream the single at http://www.tomwaits.com/.

Coming out on October 25, Bad As Me is Tom Waits’ first studio album of all new music in seven years. This pivotal work refines the music that has come before and signals a new direction. Waits, in possibly the finest voice of his career, worked with a veteran team of gifted musicians and longtime co-writer/producer Kathleen Brennan. From the opening horn-fueled chug of “Chicago,” to the closing barroom chorale of “New Year’s Eve,” Bad As Me displays the full career range of Waits’ songwriting, from beautiful ballads like “Last Leaf,” to the avant cinematic soundscape of “Hell Broke Luce,” a battlefront dispatch. On tracks like “Talking at the Same Time,” Waits shows off his soulman falsetto ;while on blues burners like “Raised Right Men” and the gospel tinged “Satisfied” he spits, stutters and howls.

Like a good boxer, these songs are lean and mean, with strong hooks and tight running times. A pervasive sense of players delighting in each other’s musical company brings a feeling of loose joy even to the album’s saddest songs.