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Chip Away Boy
= Cult of Ray =
914 Posts |
 Posted - 01/01/2003 : 18:27:07
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| i hear frank is influenced by him, or likes him. i havent heard any of his stuff, can anyone suggest a good CD to start with? |
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matt
- FB Fan -
12 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2003 : 21:34:10
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"Rain Dogs" is one of my all-time favorite albums. Or, for something a little more accessible, check out "The Heart of Saturday Night." Both are must-haves, IMO. I would also highly recommend "Mule Variations."
The song "Black Rider" which FB recently covered comes from the album of the same name, but it's not an easy listen. Waits is the one living artist I would most like to see live, but have not. Pity he doesn't seem to tour much anymore. He's great! Good luck! |
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Dave Noisy
Minister of Chaos
Canada
4496 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2003 : 23:05:08
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| I'm a big fan of 'Bone Machine' as well, a very different sound from his previous albums, but fantastic..i was hooked the first few seconds into this album... |
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johndietzel
= Cult of Ray =
Burkina Faso (Upper Volta)
464 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2003 : 23:38:18
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Yeah. Second Bone Machine very loudly. That's his best work, for my money. Raindogs is also beautiful--every song is amazing. "Jockey Full of Bourbon" was plagiarized by Squirrel Nut Zippers (or homaged) with the "in the afterlife" hit they had a while back.
Tom is one of the few artists that I would call incredible, but would also totally "understand" if other people can't get into the music, mostly due to his peculiar delivery. Like I remember trying him out back in high school and thinking "wow, this is annoying." Now he is my god.
A lot of people really swear by his earlier, more straightforward ballady loungy delivery, but for my money, I like everything from Swordfishtrombones (early 80s) onward. Mule Variations is REALLY great too. Filipino Boxspring Hog!
Oh, and I actually took the oft criticized route of buying a compilation right off the bat (Beautiful Maladies) and then I filled in the cracks. Now I own the records of nearly everything represented on that disc, except for a few relative rarities that I may never buy.
He's also a pretty good character actor, usually appearing in FF Coppola movies, but also in Mystery Men as basically himself--a reclusive inventor living on the premises of an abandoned carnival lot, who hangs out at the nursing homes to pick up on old ladies.
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"Lance Hunt wears glasses. Captain Amazing doesn't wear glasses."--William "the Shoveler" Macy |
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mattkendall
- FB Fan -
USA
52 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2003 : 00:18:10
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While I wouldn't at all say Tom Waits is my favorite musician, it's an objective, provable fact that there's nearly no musician better than he.
It's too hard to recommend one starting album. "Rain Dogs" might be his most accessible record, although "Blood Money" made a good run. Speaking of which, I don't largely buy into the belief that listening to music on vinyl is somehow sacred, but "Blood Money" really does sound pretty phatalicious with a needle.
"And when you get blue and you've lost all your dreams, there's nothin' like a campfire and a can full of beans." |
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mattkendall
- FB Fan -
USA
52 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2003 : 00:42:24
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I'd totally forgotten what my signature said. What a coincidence.
"And when you get blue and you've lost all your dreams, there's nothin' like a campfire and a can full of beans." |
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Chip Away Boy
= Cult of Ray =
914 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2003 : 10:17:53
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guess i'll go with rain dogs then, thanks all
oh, and what time period is he from? started out in 70's? was he ever in a band? |
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ramona
"FB Quote Mistress"
USA
3988 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2003 : 10:23:03
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| No one else likes Closing Time??? That is my very favorite - I listen to it all the time. I believe he started in the early 70's (Closing Time is from 73) but as for the band, I don't know. |
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MIRV
- FB Fan -
178 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2003 : 10:37:36
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tom waits...for a better voice.
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mereubu
= FB QuizMistress =
USA
2677 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2003 : 12:04:02
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Hee-hee. He actually started out with a lovely voice and then wilfully did this to himself. Go figure. . .
My favorite old ones are Blue Valentine and Heart of Saturday Night. Also love that Bone Machine. Need to catch up my TW collection.
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ramona
"FB Quote Mistress"
USA
3988 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2003 : 12:07:17
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| too many cigarettes? Who knows. I like him and his spiky hair! |
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Atheist4Catholics
= Cult of Ray =
USA
925 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2003 : 12:36:43
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I really like the new stuff. There are a couple of MP3's available on amazon.com that are amazing. It also sounds like his voice is more smooth now that it was before.
www.mp3.com/clootie |
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ObfuscateByWill
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1887 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2003 : 13:19:55
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I bought my first Tom Waits CD after seeing him on none other than Austin City Limits. It was Tom, his piano, a full ashtray, and an old streetlight.
I'd go for Mule Variations and/or Blood Money.
*Take a bite of the chocolate coffin. |
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mdisanto
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1140 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2003 : 13:41:43
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the only waits cd i have is Alice which i got after hearing plenty of good things about it. its pretty enjoyable though i only really want to listen to that style of song in certain moods, so i wouldnt say i listen to it as much as some of my other cds. carsonwerner recomended raindogs to me so ill probably get that eventually.
-miked |
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Leah
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
314 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2003 : 05:05:53
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Can I just wade in and say that I love this guy for being so cacophonous, and yet addictive in much the same way as I love the very early pixie stuff - for trying to experiment with the barrier between sheer uncoordinated noise and actual music. Thats part of Bone Machine's charm in my eyes.
I also am a big fan of the Gavin Bryars CD which features Tom Waits providing backing vocals to a tramp and an orchestra.
On a separate note, anyone else here think that Kramer from Seinfeld based his look on Tom?
Every choice human being strives instinctively for a citadel and a secrecy where he is saved from the crowd -
Nietzsche |
Edited by - Leah on 01/03/2003 05:07:34 |
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bazza
* Dog in the Sand *
Ireland
1439 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2003 : 05:28:20
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if you want a tom waits album that is soooo different from the others - but still really excellent - try closing time. its not everyones cup of tea - but its top dog in my humble opinion (and made it into my top 10 album list here!). as for bone machine - earth died screaming is one disturbing song!
fear the mullet. |
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johndietzel
= Cult of Ray =
Burkina Faso (Upper Volta)
464 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2003 : 23:50:04
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I used to own "Closing Time." Maybe I gve up too early.
I can see the Kramer thing with the hair pretty much, but the face is, sadly, that of Ron Perlman.
I forgot to mention that part of Tom's music that is so endearing, which is his arrangement of the music and the "instruments" he employs. Yeah, some of them are actual instruments you might see at a bluegrass festival, but not too often. And I never thought I could love Marimba so much, and in rock n' roll!
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"Lance Hunt wears glasses. Captain Amazing doesn't wear glasses."--William "the Shoveler" Macy |
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jimmy
= Cult of Ray =
USA
876 Posts |
Posted - 01/05/2003 : 22:08:41
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The first TW record that I got is still my favorite.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS is the best record to play while you drink gin, smoke, and watch the snow fall at night.
Great sad songs like MURIEL and FOREIGN AFFAIRS
and happy songs like JACK & NEAL and I NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS
It doesn't get much better than that. |
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mattkendall
- FB Fan -
USA
52 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2003 : 04:49:31
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I just love Tom's pseudo-falsetto opera wail on "Blow Wind Blow".
"Just the Right Bullets" is an outstanding little ditty as well. |
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matt
- FB Fan -
12 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2003 : 13:11:49
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| Another interesting Waits project is "Wicked Grin" by John Hammond. TW produced (and performs on) the album, on which Hammond - a great blues guitarist - covers all Waits tunes. It's fantastic stuff, and showcases some very different takes on Waits' great song-writing. Well worth checking out... |
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Dave Noisy
Minister of Chaos
Canada
4496 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2003 : 14:41:32
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| That sounds very cool.. |
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mattkendall
- FB Fan -
USA
52 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2003 : 18:20:23
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| And I'm sure many of you have seen "Fishing With John"? If not, find a copy of it on DVD. It's a fishing show with Jim Jarmusch as the host and it's kind of a bizarre, tongue in cheek sort of affair in a Mystery Science Theater 3000 kind of way. Anyways, one episode has Tom Waits fishing in Jamaica, and his city slicker "I'm from California!" comes out. It's pretty funny stuff. Tom has some pretty funny fish stories and makes up some songs to sing along the way, it's a bizarre experience if nothing else. |
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Dave Noisy
Minister of Chaos
Canada
4496 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2003 : 00:36:59
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| Are they actually fishing?? I couldn't watch that.... Well, maybe if they don't catch anyone..eeek...sometimes it's better if they just stay on the stage... |
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mattkendall
- FB Fan -
USA
52 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2003 : 19:57:14
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave Noisy
Are they actually fishing?? I couldn't watch that.... Well, maybe if they don't catch anyone..eeek...sometimes it's better if they just stay on the stage...
Well it's satire. Comedy. Bizarre comedy, I might hasten to add, but comedy nonetheless. Again, kind of the quasi-esoteric Mystery Science Theater 3000 brand of humor that not everyone appreciates.
"And when you get blue and you've lost all your dreams, there's nothin' like a campfire and a can full of beans." |
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Chip Away Boy
= Cult of Ray =
914 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2003 : 00:30:40
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| well if anyone cares, i wanted to get rain dogs but best buy didnt have it so i got Foregin Affairs, i'm about to pop it in now. |
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Chip Away Boy
= Cult of Ray =
914 Posts |
Posted - 01/12/2003 : 21:10:39
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Burma Shave
California Here I Come
and Muriel are my fav's so far
sounds good
Sight for sore eyes sounds too much like "Noel" the xmas song to me |
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Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5155 Posts |
Posted - 01/12/2003 : 21:42:03
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i really enjoy blue valentines
-brian
as breathing flows my mind secedes... |
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ProverbialCereal
- FB TabMaster -
USA
2953 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2003 : 11:51:16
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I don't know where to start with how awesome Tom Waits is. I'm trying to build up a catalog of his albums. I'm probably only half-way there.
People probably already know this, but as well as the Pixies, Tom Waits also has a song in Fight Club.
Tom Waits is classic.
Derek |
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concreteworld
- FB Fan -
Yemen
1 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2003 : 13:31:37
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waits a minute here! ...these reactions read just just my experience to a "t".
i recently, this year, got into waits after never really giving him much thought... i could have never goten into him without the garish nudge of 'bone machine'... only after that could i put his other work in perspective and... if you look at his body of work in relative terms: confidence, creativity, the guitar work of marc ribot, the old school fava and the brutishness and the pizazzz and the nightmare burlesque, damn, just accept him as it is and i'd think it best to realize that his vocals, with THOSE words in THOSE songs, would sound no better sung in any other fashion, (or with a different reference point). the way he sings it is appropriate for that old old song he is trying to write. his falsetto is raw and great, but you cannot gorge on head voice alone. i'd say closing time and bone machine are still my faves... it's really interesting, you should force yourself to like it even if you can hardly muster it. it'll make you more well-rounded, if you'd like to think about it that way.
-paul
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