| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| blue cadet3 |
Posted - 03/01/2004 : 18:12:22
I've always heard so much about tom waits but don't have one of his albums. What are some good songs or albums to start out with of tom's collection to pop this cherry? |
| 35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Alpha Soixante |
Posted - 05/04/2004 : 15:31:09
My favorite Tom Waits albums are Bone Machine and Black Rider, but Frank's Wild Years, Alice, Swordfishtrombones, and Rain Dogs are great too. Actually, I have mixed feelings about Rain Dogs--the first half of the record is superb, the second half is kind of disappointing.
Depending on where you start in the catalog, you'll get radically different impressions of Tom Waits. If you're looking for croony, sometimes bluesy, sometimes jazzy, cry-in-your beer music, go for the albums prior to Swordfishtrombones. (Not my cup of tea.)
If you're looking for something a little more peculiar--say, drunken cowboy midget carnival munster cabaret--then stick to the later stuff (Swordfish and after).
Oh, and Fishing With John is an absolute must-see. |
| Carl |
Posted - 05/04/2004 : 12:34:12
Did'nt know 'bout that, but yer post prompted a l'il search;
www.nme.com/news/108356.htm
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| ProverbialCereal |
Posted - 05/04/2004 : 12:25:16
I'm very excited about this new Tom Waits album as well. Especially hearing Tom talk about it... "The same ol' dirty business."
Just quit a cult / going through withdrawal |
| prozacrat |
Posted - 05/04/2004 : 02:26:42
I'm quite stoked about this new Waits album. And I believe I read somewhere that he got the Bone Machine album title from the Pixies song because he thought it sounded cool. I could be way off, though, so don't quote me on it.
 |
| ProverbialCereal |
Posted - 05/02/2004 : 20:09:31
After the Pixies. Bone Machine was released in 1992 I believe.
The Eagles also butcher cover "Ol' 55" (off Closing Time) and I heard it in a supermarket one day. Damn them.
Just quit a cult / going through withdrawal |
| rockmusic84 |
Posted - 05/02/2004 : 16:49:03
I saw him on VH1's "Storytellers" in the late 90's. That's how I found out he was the writer of "Downtown Train". I always thought that was a Rod Stewart original. In fact, he even makes a joke about it before he plays it, something to the effect of "This is a song I gave to Rod Stewart", or something like that. He's got a very gravelly voice, which suits his songs well. I haven't heard too much of his stuff. A guy I used to work with suggested "Closing Time" and "Blood Money". And it's interesting to know that he's got an album called "Bone Machine". When did that come out? Before or after The Pixies?
Join The Cult of U-MASS - IT'S EDUCATIONAL!!! |
| Newo |
Posted - 05/02/2004 : 10:36:01
Wow thanks for the news! And Marc Ribot too! He´s prolly my alltime favourite guitarist (check out Muy Divertido) and Brain on new Waits too - Primus have really sucked since he left.
-Owen |
| ProverbialCereal |
Posted - 05/02/2004 : 09:57:15
I hope he tours too. As my friend always says:
"I just need to see Tom Waits live, then I can die happy"
Just quit a cult / going through withdrawal |
| Coldheartofstone |
Posted - 05/02/2004 : 09:32:13
Awesome!!!
If you get a chance the Dime Store Novels V.1 is a great live album...
for sure one of my favorites.
That weren't no D.J. that was hazy cosmic jive. |
| NimrodsSon |
Posted - 05/02/2004 : 06:46:08
Holy shit, I've been waiting on some news for this. Thanks!!!
Hopefully a tour to follow. I hate it that he doesn't tour anymore.
ˇViva los Católicos! |
| ProverbialCereal |
Posted - 05/01/2004 : 22:45:58
Tom freaking Waits is freaking recording a new freaking al-freaking-bum right now.
http://www.anti.com/news.php
Join the Cult of ... to be continued |
| mereubu |
Posted - 05/01/2004 : 19:00:54
My favorites are Blue Valentine and Heart of Saturday Night. Bone Machine is way good too.
 "Join the Cult of Derek/Lest you incur his Tubbycizing wrath" |
| Brackish Girl |
Posted - 05/01/2004 : 16:39:32
all i have is bone machine and black rider, but my dad has a lot of the others, but i'm too lazy to listen to 'em. my mum leaves blue valentine and closing time in the car though, so sometimes i stick them on. |
| apl4eris |
Posted - 05/01/2004 : 16:05:33
Woohooo! Thanks for the heads up on "Coffee and Cigarettes" Nimrod! Here's a trailer for all you fans. All sorts in this 'un.:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/mgm/coffee_and_cigarettes/
I like people who glue macaroni on to a piece of cardboard and paint it gold. That's what I aspire to basically. - Tom Waits |
| NimrodsSon |
Posted - 05/01/2004 : 14:20:33
I'd get Closing time just because it's his first album and it's very good. Bone Machine is also very good and probably his "weirdest" album ever along with Black Rider, which I don't own an actual copy of.
By-the-way, I believe that Coffee and Cigarettes movie is coming out May 14, but I think it's the same segment with Tom Waits and Iggy Pop that was recorded in 1991 or '92. You can download the Waits segment off Soulseek as well as the Roberto Benigni one and the one with the guy and the girl at the cafe in Memphis (I don't know who they are).
ˇViva los Católicos! |
| paintmeister |
Posted - 05/01/2004 : 13:37:05
quote:
Originally posted by ProverbialCereal
You know, you are gonna get about 10 different opinions on what to start on. Just pick one of these albums... eventually you want to buy them all anyway:
Why do you have to be so right? I started with Raindogs, now I have Swordfishtrombones and Small Change,too. I think my next move is either Closing Time or Bone Machine.
Is Black Rider good? I spotted it in a used bin.
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| i_bleed |
Posted - 03/20/2004 : 11:14:58
I'd suggest maybe starting with "Beautiful Maladies", then if you like, fan out from there...
"when you look at the sky in a poetic kind of way..." |
| paintmeister |
Posted - 03/19/2004 : 19:41:59
I stopped by the CD shop on the way home with two choices in mind, either Rain Dogs or The Best of Van Morrison. I couldn't decide so I got both. I have never heard any Waits before. You folks are always talking about him so I had to check him out. |
| blue cadet3 |
Posted - 03/15/2004 : 08:11:48
Thanks for all the help. I've heard a couple of songs so far and they are very interesting. I'm not sure which cd to get yet but, it seems a lot of people suggested starting with Rain Dogs. |
| Carl |
Posted - 03/04/2004 : 10:22:33
Two faves are Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs, but most of his other albums are terrific. I only heard 'recent'albums Mule Variations, Blood Money and Alice one time each, maybe, but I'd like to give 'em another listen....a friend is a big fan, and has nigh-on all his stuff.
CARL.
 "ME TOO!"
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| ProverbialCereal |
Posted - 03/03/2004 : 12:06:18
I love that song. Sounds like a Civil War song.
 Join the Devil's Workshop / Looking for idle hands to work second shift |
| NimrodsSon |
Posted - 03/03/2004 : 12:04:59
In The Neighborhood!! That song's stuck in my head a lot
ˇViva los Católicos! |
| Frog in the Sand |
Posted - 03/03/2004 : 09:13:46
Yeah, buy what you want but DON'T FORGET SWORDFISHTROMBONES. It is, and will remain, my favorite TW album. (Aaaah, '16 Shells' - what a song!!!)
Btw, Rain Dogs is f***ingly good too.
 "Welcome back to the 10th grade!" |
| offerw |
Posted - 03/03/2004 : 07:58:23
Yes, I agree with you guys that Tom Waits is definitely an artist whose music becomes a part of your life. I am just wondering why there are so few mentions of Swordfishtrombones? Maybe it is just because it was my first Tom Waits experience but still I think Underground and Shore Leave are among his best songs. Frank's wild years is also brilliant. So if you're exploring Tom Waits, don't forget Swordfishtrombones |
| frank_black_francis |
Posted - 03/03/2004 : 05:28:15
I've got all of Tom Waits albums....I'd have to say that the ones I listen to most often are in order of popularity but not necessarily the best are:
Frank's Wild Years (Great on a walkman on a rainy day walk)
Small Change
Bone Machine
Black Rider
Closing Time (Great Dinner Music)
Heart of Saturday Night
Mule Variations
Rain Dogs
'Night on Earth' Soundtrack
Alice
Blue Valentine
Bone Machine (can either really impress or repel your friends)
Blood Money
....the rest I only listen to once in a long while
Here is my suggestion if you are just getting into Tom Waits; buy one of those Asylum Years compilations i've been seeing in the stores recently (its seems to be a great collection of his 70s stuff) and maybe buy Bone Machine or Rain Dogs.
....by the wy, 'One From The Heart' was also released on a double dvd in the last three weeks or so.
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| ProverbialCereal |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 21:49:41
For the big Tom Waits fan, the soundtrack from the movie One From the Heart was just rereleased with two bonus tracks. Yes! I have only listened to it twice, but it's good. He has some duets with Crystal Gale.
Join the Devil's Workshop / Looking for idle hands to work second shift |
| apl4eris |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 20:28:52
Alright, I'm sold. Thanks Derek!
Another Tom Waits-ish group is The Tiger Lilies. (http://www.tigerlillies.com/2003/index.php) We had the great luck to see them perform in the f*cking brilliant play "Shockheaded Peter" (http://www.shockheadedpeter.com/). They're wonderfully twisted fun, and great musicians. If you like the quirkier/darker side of Waits, you'll probably really get into their stuff too.
666 Dunkin' Donuts, a 20-inch veggie pizza from Gumby's, extra jalapenos on the side. And a case of Asahi Dry - |
| ProverbialCereal |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 20:12:42
My girlfriend has netflix and we rented "Down by Law" from it. 20 bucks a month ain't bad. Rent 5 movies a month and it's already cheaper than Blockbuster.
Join the Devil's Workshop / Looking for idle hands to work second shift |
| apl4eris |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 18:38:41
Spudboy, you forgot, there's one more "oogly boogly"... 
I just saw the "Fishing with John" episodes are available on DVD. That show was amazing.
bluecadet3, all I can do re: your question is repeat what the others have said - Small Change, Rain Dogs, Mule Variations, any really, all good places to start. I can't remember how I first ran into his music, but it clicked on a visceral level.
If you can find "Night on Earth" instead of "Down by Law", you can get a taste of Tom Waits' music that way too. Good movie, and it also has Roberto Benigni (he's in Down by Law too, and is funnier than sh*t).
There was talk here on the forum several months ago about Tom and Jarmusch and "Coffee and Cigarettes", etc. - I don't think anybody knew what was up - imdb.com says "to be released 2003". Arrrgh. I'd love to see a new movie from him.
On a related note, if you have a monthly movie addiction, you might be well-served to try the netflix thing - it's 20 bucks a month, unlimited time for each movie, it's like a revolving account, and free shipping. Nope, I don't work for 'em, I've just been seriously thinkin' about trying it out myself.
666 Dunkin' Donuts, a 20-inch veggie pizza from Gumby's, extra jalapenos on the side. And a case of Asahi Dry - |
| ProverbialCereal |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 18:30:06
Except Beautiful Maladies is only from his Island years (his old record label). It's definitely a good compilation though. It almost seems like it could be an album.
Join the Devil's Workshop / Looking for idle hands to work second shift |
| i_bleed |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 18:12:20
I'd recommend getting Tom Waits, "Beautiful Maladies" CD. It's sort of a "Best of" type of album...
"when you look at the sky in a poetic kind of way..." |
| SpudBoy |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 17:09:15
Yep - I highly recommend Fishing With John. The Tom Waits episode is great - any musician willing to stuff a live fish down his pants for something to do when drifting off the coast of Thailand is alright with me.
"The Andamon Sea, the Andamon Sea....oogly-boogly, the Andamon Sea."
Man I need a drink just thinking about it.
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| BLT |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 08:29:39
quote:
Originally posted by ProverbialCereal
Best Buy.com has Down by Law for 34.99 (w/ free shipping), but... that's freaking expensive for a DVD. I never pay anymore than 18 dollars for a DVD, but I'd pay 21 for this movie. 35 bucks seems a little steep though. It's a great movie nonetheless.
Has anyone heard of or seen "coffee and cigarettes"? it's also a jarmusch film with Tom Waits. I don't know if it's been released.
Haven't seen "Coffee and Cigarettes," though I'm looking for it. I just saw the first episode of "Fishing With John"-- John Lurie BSes with Jim Jarmusch as they go shark fishing off Long Island. It's hilarious in a weird way that only they could pull off. All the episodes of it are on one DVD. The reason I bring this up is that one of the episodes features Lurie and Tom Waits.
deepdiscountdvd has "Down By Law" for $29 including shipping:
http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=HVD000425 |
| Bartholomew |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 07:15:09
“Frank’s Wild Year” tops my list. But the best album of his to get if you can only get one is “Mule Variations”. It’s the only one with a balanced mix of both old (traditional) and new (crazy shit) styles. |
| ivandivel |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 05:59:36
Rain dogs is beatyfull. I dig Black Rider too though. The russian dance track always blows my mind. |
