Tom Waits fans

[Aaron J]

Tom Waits, a long time favorite of mine, is coming out with a new album Oct. 5th called Real Gone. I can't wait Anyway, any other Waits fans out there? What are your favorite albums? If I HAD to pick two, I think it would be Alice and Closing Time. Let me know what you think.

[Against Will]

Rain Dogs and Bone Machine are my personal favorites. Both sublime records in my opinion, I was completely floored when I first heard Tom Waits; he is completely without comparison, a great artist.

I haven't gotten any of his stuff in a long time. My brothers have all his albums, so I always relied on them, but it looks like I'm on my own now.

[DigMe]

Bone Machine and Mule Variations. I like Alice too though! Waits is good stuff. I think I recently saw that he's going to be voicing a character in a new animated movie.

brad cook

[Josh Ryan]

Originally Posted by Against Will

Rain Dogs and Bone Machine are my personal favorites. Both sublime records in my opinion, I was completely floored when I first heard Tom Waits; he is completely without comparison, a great artist.

I haven't gotten any of his stuff in a long time. My brothers have all his albums, so I always relied on them, but it looks like I'm on my own now.

Add Black Riders to that and those are mine too. Bone Machine is without equal for me I guess.

[jammadave]

dude, I've got to definitely get behind the Mule... Variations. What an album.

[Aaron J]

Yeah...Mule Variations and Rain Dogs are incredible too.

[supermonkey]

Bone Machine, Black Rider -- killer. The 70's stuff is great too.

I anjoyed Alice -- don't think I heard Mule.

[funkmuffin]

Don't have a favorite Waits album, but I could listen to Ol' 55 all day, every day.

[Wil Davis]

Well… Tom Waits - let me see now… in my total ignorance, I'd never come across any of his work until I watched a retrospective compilation of progammes from the BBC marking the 30th anniversary of "The Old Grey Whistle Test". Full of really interesting stuff such as the first BBC appearance of "The Police"; an amazing performance by Emmylou Harris (what a great voice, what a gorgeous woman!); Edgar Winter band - live version of "Frankenstein"); and lots of other goodies! Then I came across a performance by Tom Waits - and at first I thought he was sending up some of the old blues-men, in what I thought to be a very taste-less "piss-take" - and then it occurred to me that he was dead serious - that's exactly how he sings. So, the question is why does he sing in that peculiar style? I can't believe that he really thinks it's original - it always sounds to me as if he's trying to parody something. OK - perhaps I've got it wrong, but enlighten me someone, please - am I the only person who thinks "parody" every time I hear Tom Waits.

(ducks for cover…)

- Wil

[rulyøngo]

Waits is an acquired taste.... BTW my favorite Waits albums are SWORDFISHTROMBONES and MULE VARIATIONS...

[DigMe]

Originally Posted by Wil Davis

I can't believe that he really thinks it's original - it always sounds to me as if he's trying to parody something. OK - perhaps I've got it wrong, but enlighten me someone, please - am I the only person who thinks "parody" every time I hear Tom Waits.

(ducks for cover…)

- Wil

He's just making music the way he wants to. Music is subjective and it sounds like your holding his music up to some standard of your own. If you listen to one of his albums you will find that they are very original with a number of different sounds and styles represented. Tom Waits is always unmistakably Tom Waits.

brad cook

[Mike Flynn]

Originally Posted by Wil Davis

Well… Tom Waits - let me see now… in my total ignorance, I'd never come across any of his work until I watched a retrospective compilation of progammes from the BBC marking the 30th anniversary of "The Old Grey Whistle Test". Full of really interesting stuff such as the first BBC appearance of "The Police"; an amazing performance by Emmylou Harris (what a great voice, what a gorgeous woman!); Edgar Winter band - live version of "Frankenstein"); and lots of other goodies! Then I came across a performance by Tom Waits - and at first I thought he was sending up some of the old blues-men, in what I thought to be a very taste-less "piss-take" - and then it occurred to me that he was dead serious - that's exactly how he sings. So, the question is why does he sing in that peculiar style? I can't believe that he really thinks it's original - it always sounds to me as if he's trying to parody something. OK - perhaps I've got it wrong, but enlighten me someone, please - am I the only person who thinks "parody" every time I hear Tom Waits.

(ducks for cover…)

- Wil

Will, That's a perfectly valid take on what he does - I don't like some of it as I think it takes away from the songs - but Tom is also a 'performer' which means he does find the charaters in each song and gets into the role - hence some of the sounds he makes are pretty ugly!

Saying that I discovered Waits because of <b>Les Claypool</b> - I bought Bone Machine, because being a huge Primus fan at tha time (I'm not so into them now) I thought that Bone Machine sounded cool - and if I listened really close I might hear Les' Bass! I couldn't as it happens - but I discovered an amazing album - and having interviewed John Hammond - the guys whose dad discovered Hendrix and Dylan - when he made a brilliant album of Waits covers, called 'Wicked Grin' I can assure you that according to Hammond Waits is one heck of a muso and a genuine talent - plus he really does record in a chicken shack at his house...I have to admit though I really have to be in the mood to listen to his stuff - but Bone Machine is in my top 10 of all time

[Aaron J]

Wil, to each his own. I personally find Tom Waits extremely original and very touching at times. I really cannot classify him, except his music just sounds like...well...Tom Waits. In my experience, not many people take the middle ground with Waits; it's almost a love it or hate it thing. I also have seen Waits grow on many people. If you can stomach him, check out some of his stuff from the library. His most accessible stuff is from the 70s, so you might want to start there.

[Palomorado]

Frank's Wild Years and Black Rider are absolutly killer!