The Tom Waits Thread

4080 said:
This seems like the place to ask, I've had Tom Waits on my "to listen to" list for what seems like forever and have dipped in here or there but never fully committed, I'm planning on changing that so I'll ask you all here, where do I start?
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@avecigrec covered the phases.
early waits: nighthawks at the diner
Weird waits: Frank's Wild Years / Rain Dogs / Big Time
Elder waits: mule variations or glitter & doom

I would start middle period, Frank's Wild years or big time.

If it must be a comp, "beautiful maladies" is the best of them.
 
I started at the beginning just figured it was the best way and holy hell, Closing Time BLEW ME AWAY!!! What is this? I guess I always thought of Tom Waits as a goblin spitting stream of consciousness poetry over circus music and boy was I wrong, I mean from a few other tracks I've heard I'll eventually be right, this album is BEAUTIFUL! It drew me in and captured my attention in a way I haven't experienced in ages! Just hitting that perfect singer songwriter 70's sweet spot! The next album, The Heart of Saturday Night was more of a mix of the beauty of the first record and a little jazzy lounge lizard vibe, really enjoying it as well, feels like he's finding himself which brings us to Nighthawks at the Diner! What a wonderful fun weird record! Love the loose poetry and storytelling over lounge-y jazz, would be the type of show you walk into not knowing what to expect and have one of those nights you talk about for years!!

Going to jump back in today and see where it goes from here! As I get deeper and start looking at vinyl availability how disappointed am I going to be?

Thanks for all the replies, I still might jump around if things don't go as well as the first few but so far so good!
 
4080 said:
I started at the beginning just figured it was the best way and holy hell, Closing Time BLEW ME AWAY!!! What is this? I guess I always thought of Tom Waits as a goblin spitting stream of consciousness poetry over circus music and boy was I wrong, I mean from a few other tracks I've heard I'll eventually be right, this album is BEAUTIFUL! It drew me in and captured my attention in a way I haven't experienced in ages! Just hitting that perfect singer songwriter 70's sweet spot! The next album, The Heart of Saturday Night was more of a mix of the beauty of the first record and a little jazzy lounge lizard vibe, really enjoying it as well, feels like he's finding himself which brings us to Nighthawks at the Diner! What a wonderful fun weird record! Love the loose poetry and storytelling over lounge-y jazz, would be the type of show you walk into not knowing what to expect and have one of those nights you talk about for years!!

Going to jump back in today and see where it goes from here! As I get deeper and start looking at vinyl availability how disappointed am I going to be?

Thanks for all the replies, I still might jump around if things don't go as well as the first few but so far so good!
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the island years stuff (the middle weird years) is hard to find. Frank's Wild Years, Big Time, Rain Dogs are all hard to find and pricy when you do. I frankensteined a FWY from two discogs sales -- one had no cover and the other had a warp that only someone with a vinylflat could love -- and it still cost me about 50ish all-in.
 
mitchwagz said:
Nighthawks at the Diner might be his best off the early stage. That or Small Change imo. Then Rain Dogs and Swordfishtrombones in his middle years, Mule Variations or Bad As Me for later years. Really nearly all his albums are worth checking out.
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Small Change has Shelly Manne, iconic swing drummer, too - great band on that album (not that Tom ever has a bad band)
 
4080 said:
I started at the beginning just figured it was the best way and holy hell, Closing Time BLEW ME AWAY!!! What is this? I guess I always thought of Tom Waits as a goblin spitting stream of consciousness poetry over circus music and boy was I wrong, I mean from a few other tracks I've heard I'll eventually be right, this album is BEAUTIFUL! It drew me in and captured my attention in a way I haven't experienced in ages! Just hitting that perfect singer songwriter 70's sweet spot! The next album, The Heart of Saturday Night was more of a mix of the beauty of the first record and a little jazzy lounge lizard vibe, really enjoying it as well, feels like he's finding himself which brings us to Nighthawks at the Diner! What a wonderful fun weird record! Love the loose poetry and storytelling over lounge-y jazz, would be the type of show you walk into not knowing what to expect and have one of those nights you talk about for years!!

Going to jump back in today and see where it goes from here! As I get deeper and start looking at vinyl availability how disappointed am I going to be?

Thanks for all the replies, I still might jump around if things don't go as well as the first few but so far so good!
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also, "Swordfishtrombones" is the line of demarcation between "lounge lizard" and "tom does weird things". Essentially, he meets Kathleen Brennan at a party and went on a 24 hour date with her, which is presumably still going on because they got married and had kids. Which the upshot is that she sort of settles him down from his "the piano has been drinking, not me" lush lounge lizard thing and encourages his leaning into the weird stuff, which winds up being his first album on Island records, "Swordfishtrombones". It's weird and wanders around a bit, but it's definitely a transition piece between "here's a ballard I'm singing with Bette Midler" and "Weird and Wacky Waits".
 
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4080 said:
The Heart of Saturday Night was more of a mix of the beauty of the first record and a little jazzy lounge lizard vibe
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That's my favorite early-era Waits. The writing and vibe is so sad and beautiful, which has always been a talent of his.
New Coat of Pain is SUCH a great album opener, the title track is sublime, and Please Call Me Baby has so many great lines.
"If I exorcise my demons, well my angels may leave too. When they leave, they're so hard to find."

Blue Valentine is another top album from the earlier era, imo.

I love the entire mid-era. Swordfish, Rain Dogs, Frank's and Bone. What a run. Of course those (and Black Rider) are the toughest to find on vinyl.
 
He really is the king of poignant one-liners (and in-between-songs live chatter. I am basing my recommendation for Big Time at least partially on the anecdote about the civil war soldier)

 
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Finished off the early years, and here are my thoughts:
Small Change - WOW, now this is more of the Tom Waits I thought I was getting into! Just an amazing album where it seems he's getting drunker as each song goes by and somehow is getting better lyrically as you stagger to the next bar with him trying to lend a hand not realizing your just as wasted!

Foreign Affairs - was not expecting it to start with an instrumental track! A very good boozed soaked jazz album that again has me wondering how much I'm not catching lyrically on my first listen, it seems like a lot is going on and you catch things upon repeated listens! The unexpected Bette Midler "feature", sorry rap music was my first love, was a pleasant surprise!

Blue Valentine - not expecting a cover of a song from West Side Story to start this off! I'm not familiar with the original and I like to think he just did a straight cover of it! Again the lyrics are a standout but it's not like the music is just in the background it really blends well with the lyrics. $29.00 is just a monster!

Heartattack and Vine - if this is how he's ending this jazzy bluesy period he really goes out with a bang! Really enjoyed this musically it was fantastic really set the mood and again melded with the offbeat poetry!

Ok so far so good, not really any clunkers, these are the type of records you can just throw on and get lost in!

Now the fun begins! Sorry this was a little longer than I thought but I figured this was the right place to share my thoughts!
 
4080 said:
Finished off the early years, and here are my thoughts:
Small Change - WOW, now this is more of the Tom Waits I thought I was getting into! Just an amazing album where it seems he's getting drunker as each song goes by and somehow is getting better lyrically as you stagger to the next bar with him trying to lend a hand not realizing your just as wasted!

Foreign Affairs - was not expecting it to start with an instrumental track! A very good boozed soaked jazz album that again has me wondering how much I'm not catching lyrically on my first listen, it seems like a lot is going on and you catch things upon repeated listens! The unexpected Bette Midler "feature", sorry rap music was my first love, was a pleasant surprise!

Blue Valentine - not expecting a cover of a song from West Side Story to start this off! I'm not familiar with the original and I like to think he just did a straight cover of it! Again the lyrics are a standout but it's not like the music is just in the background it really blends well with the lyrics. $29.00 is just a monster!

Heartattack and Vine - if this is how he's ending this jazzy bluesy period he really goes out with a bang! Really enjoyed this musically it was fantastic really set the mood and again melded with the offbeat poetry!

Ok so far so good, not really any clunkers, these are the type of records you can just throw on and get lost in!

Now the fun begins! Sorry this was a little longer than I thought but I figured this was the right place to share my thoughts!
Click to expand...
It's truly exciting to witness someone diving into Waits for the first time. No apologies for the length of the post, I could read about this all day!
 
4080 said:
Finished off the early years, and here are my thoughts:
Small Change - WOW, now this is more of the Tom Waits I thought I was getting into! Just an amazing album where it seems he's getting drunker as each song goes by and somehow is getting better lyrically as you stagger to the next bar with him trying to lend a hand not realizing your just as wasted!

Foreign Affairs - was not expecting it to start with an instrumental track! A very good boozed soaked jazz album that again has me wondering how much I'm not catching lyrically on my first listen, it seems like a lot is going on and you catch things upon repeated listens! The unexpected Bette Midler "feature", sorry rap music was my first love, was a pleasant surprise!

Blue Valentine - not expecting a cover of a song from West Side Story to start this off! I'm not familiar with the original and I like to think he just did a straight cover of it! Again the lyrics are a standout but it's not like the music is just in the background it really blends well with the lyrics. $29.00 is just a monster!

Heartattack and Vine - if this is how he's ending this jazzy bluesy period he really goes out with a bang! Really enjoyed this musically it was fantastic really set the mood and again melded with the offbeat poetry!

Ok so far so good, not really any clunkers, these are the type of records you can just throw on and get lost in!

Now the fun begins! Sorry this was a little longer than I thought but I figured this was the right place to share my thoughts!
Click to expand...
You’re making me want to make this journey too
 
4080 said:
Finished off the early years, and here are my thoughts:
Small Change - WOW, now this is more of the Tom Waits I thought I was getting into! Just an amazing album where it seems he's getting drunker as each song goes by and somehow is getting better lyrically as you stagger to the next bar with him trying to lend a hand not realizing your just as wasted!

Foreign Affairs - was not expecting it to start with an instrumental track! A very good boozed soaked jazz album that again has me wondering how much I'm not catching lyrically on my first listen, it seems like a lot is going on and you catch things upon repeated listens! The unexpected Bette Midler "feature", sorry rap music was my first love, was a pleasant surprise!

Blue Valentine - not expecting a cover of a song from West Side Story to start this off! I'm not familiar with the original and I like to think he just did a straight cover of it! Again the lyrics are a standout but it's not like the music is just in the background it really blends well with the lyrics. $29.00 is just a monster!

Heartattack and Vine - if this is how he's ending this jazzy bluesy period he really goes out with a bang! Really enjoyed this musically it was fantastic really set the mood and again melded with the offbeat poetry!

Ok so far so good, not really any clunkers, these are the type of records you can just throw on and get lost in!

Now the fun begins! Sorry this was a little longer than I thought but I figured this was the right place to share my thoughts!
Click to expand...

I love Blue Valentine between the tile track and Christmas card. So good
 
Here we go:

I'm a tad obsessed with Swordfishtrombones at the moment! Holy shit is this a monster of a record! I'm again just flooded by this, I'm actually glad it took me this long to really dig into Tom Waits, I don't think I'd be as open it this 10 or 20 years ago but now it's just perfect! I am finally starting to understand why he gets so much praise, if this album was only 16 Shells from a 30.6 it would be perfect but fucking In The Neighborhood exists!!! What a fucking song, good god that one just gets in your head, in your bones and is like, well I'm here now, we are together forever, enjoy! Musically it seems like it shouldn't work sometimes but it does and boy does it hit, it's a little all over but no matter what road he travels down it works! The instrumental pieces are amazing for fuck sake, and the lyrics are again so dense you can listen over and over and still catch new lines and turns of phrases! I'm not sure what it says about me but this isnt all that weird, it's the perfect next step or evolution of him as an artist!

Moving on finally, next up is Rain Dogs, this was actually the record that started this whole thing. I signed up for the 1001 album generator thing and when this came up I actually got excited, he's been on my to listen to list forever and this was the nudge I needed and after listening to it I was like, where to next? This is a problem I see sometimes when I find an artist and want to dig into their work but there's so many records you just don't know where to start! I usually start at the beginning but sometimes that's a bad idea because artists can take time to find their sound or get into a grove or even find themselves, this wasn't the case here, as I said that first record really floored me! This record starts with a sea shanty and follows it up with one of the most catchy songs I've heard in ages! Clap Hands is still running through my head! Back to the sea and he's really cooking, lyrics just painting such a vivid picture you feel like you're right there with him, you're a little scared but you aren't going anywhere, you're staying until the end! The storytelling on this is just amazing, it's almost like he took a leap so far forward that you just smile and say, oh I'll eventually catch up to you just give me a couple hundred more listens, and don't worry I'll enjoy the hell out of all of them! Can we just stop for a second and just all listen to Tango Till They're Sore?!?! That horn, those lyrics, Jesus! It's on repeat at the moment! Goes on a really nice run after that, great tracks a few different styles, musically it's just so good, like I'm not sure who his band is, if he even has one but whoever is playing is just killer! Time is hitting right now, good lord! It just gets better and better with each song, I don't feel like I can write enough words to explain how much this is blowing me away! I feel like I've used a lot of words so far and still haven't scratched the surface! Oh you want poetry, here you go, let that just take up a permit residency in your brain! I like how the back half of the record he is just going through different styles and nailing them all! My wife just asked "why do I know this song?" It's fucking Downtown Train and here I thought this was a Rod Stewart song all my life until today! Holy shit, that one two punch to end the record is just perfect!!! This got a little out of hand but as you can tell I'm really enjoying this!
 
4080 said:
Here we go:

I'm a tad obsessed with Swordfishtrombones at the moment! Holy shit is this a monster of a record! I'm again just flooded by this, I'm actually glad it took me this long to really dig into Tom Waits, I don't think I'd be as open it this 10 or 20 years ago but now it's just perfect! I am finally starting to understand why he gets so much praise, if this album was only 16 Shells from a 30.6 it would be perfect but fucking In The Neighborhood exists!!! What a fucking song, good god that one just gets in your head, in your bones and is like, well I'm here now, we are together forever, enjoy! Musically it seems like it shouldn't work sometimes but it does and boy does it hit, it's a little all over but no matter what road he travels down it works! The instrumental pieces are amazing for fuck sake, and the lyrics are again so dense you can listen over and over and still catch new lines and turns of phrases! I'm not sure what it says about me but this isnt all that weird, it's the perfect next step or evolution of him as an artist!

Moving on finally, next up is Rain Dogs, this was actually the record that started this whole thing. I signed up for the 1001 album generator thing and when this came up I actually got excited, he's been on my to listen to list forever and this was the nudge I needed and after listening to it I was like, where to next? This is a problem I see sometimes when I find an artist and want to dig into their work but there's so many records you just don't know where to start! I usually start at the beginning but sometimes that's a bad idea because artists can take time to find their sound or get into a grove or even find themselves, this wasn't the case here, as I said that first record really floored me! This record starts with a sea shanty and follows it up with one of the most catchy songs I've heard in ages! Clap Hands is still running through my head! Back to the sea and he's really cooking, lyrics just painting such a vivid picture you feel like you're right there with him, you're a little scared but you aren't going anywhere, you're staying until the end! The storytelling on this is just amazing, it's almost like he took a leap so far forward that you just smile and say, oh I'll eventually catch up to you just give me a couple hundred more listens, and don't worry I'll enjoy the hell out of all of them! Can we just stop for a second and just all listen to Tango Till They're Sore?!?! That horn, those lyrics, Jesus! It's on repeat at the moment! Goes on a really nice run after that, great tracks a few different styles, musically it's just so good, like I'm not sure who his band is, if he even has one but whoever is playing is just killer! Time is hitting right now, good lord! It just gets better and better with each song, I don't feel like I can write enough words to explain how much this is blowing me away! I feel like I've used a lot of words so far and still haven't scratched the surface! Oh you want poetry, here you go, let that just take up a permit residency in your brain! I like how the back half of the record he is just going through different styles and nailing them all! My wife just asked "why do I know this song?" It's fucking Downtown Train and here I thought this was a Rod Stewart song all my life until today! Holy shit, that one two punch to end the record is just perfect!!! This got a little out of hand but as you can tell I'm really enjoying this!
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yeah, the tom waits covers that other artists do are so all over the place. van halen's "ice cream man" still makes me laugh becauseit was so unexpected for me. tori amos does one on her covers record from rain dogs IIRC
 
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