Tom Waits and why I find him to be one of the best artist
09-09-08, 10:23 AM
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Tom Waits and why I find him to be one of the best artist
I had a discussion with my brother (for those wondering why I bring that up a lot, my bro plays guitar and has been in a lot of bands in his short life and his opinion with music is generally spot on) about Tom Waits. My brother doesn’t find him to be musically relevant because of his voice. Although I find that to be a cop out, I started to dissect why I like him.
To begin, there are three very distinct parts to his musical body of work (four if you count the soundtrack work). In the beginning part of his career you have the somewhat world weary beat poet with jazz leanings. It starts with Closing Time and goes to about Small Change. Thematically (and sonically) those albums remain pretty consistent. Around Foreign Affairs through Heartattack and Vine, there is a shift. His voice (although it started to change around Small Change) starts to turn it the Tom Waits everyone knows and musically there is a little more blues and balladry splashed in. Again things stay consistent for the most part.
Swordfishtrombones starts what most people know Tom Waits for. The sea shanties, the experimental songs, the sermon like lyrics. Everything here points to a new and exciting direction. Rain Dogs however, is where Tom hits it out of the ball park creatively. Everything he put forth on Swordfishtrombones is amplified and taken to extremes on Rain Dogs. Frank’s Wild Years keeps this streak going (and contains two of my favorite Waits songs “Way Down In The Hole” and “Cold Cold Ground”). And finally to end this portion of his musical work, Bone Machine starts to point to where he would go with his critical lauded (and Grammy winning) next album.
As we enter phase three of Waits’ career, Mule Variations leads the charge. Tom envokes a “garbage man blues” type sound. We here little trinkets and dings all over the place. Lyrically more sermon like madness in songs like “Eyeball Kid”, “Lowside of the Road”. "Filipino Box Spring Hog", and a spoken word passage that would feel right at home in a Tim Burton film, “What’s He Building?” Real Gone continues with the garbage man sounds, but lyrically Tom approaches things for a political aspect. Although this is not present in every song (two to be exact), it makes one wonder what if Waits focused on this more…would it change the way people view him? I digress though.
Lastly, we have the excellent box set, “Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards”, a cornucopia of material that most Waits fans had never heard before. The first disc “Brawlers” being more or less an extension of his work (Real Gone & Mule Variations). There is even a gospel moment or two there and another political song (told vividly about the war in the Middle East). This one could easily stand out on its own. “Bawlers” is more of the ballads Waits is known for. Not your typical “I love you” top 40 radio stuff, but more like a love song between a man and his booze. “Bastards” is all the forgotten (and very interesting) Waits tracks. There are quite a few spoken word passages, a rendition of a Snow White song, and for what I feel was something long overdue, a Daniel Johnston cover. This boxset has something for everyone and it may even surprise long time fans (like myself, in fact aside from one track on the first disc, I had never heard any of these, so this was a real treat for me).
And so ends the Tom Waits journey. Each part of his career distinct, and each different (and stranger) than the last. To complete my post here, I am going to rank my favorite albums with the “key” track for each* (I am not going to include Blood Money, Alice, or any of the “soundtrack” work here. Although I have them and enjoy them, I want to stay focused on Tom’s body of work aside from those).
1. Heartattack & Vine – Key track “Mr. Siegal”
2. The Heart of Saturday Night – Key track “The Ghosts of Saturday Night”
3. Rain Dogs – Key track “Clap Hands”
4. Frank’s Wild Years – Key track “Way Down In The Hole”
5. Swordfishtrombones – Key track “16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought-Six”
6. Mule Variations – Key track “Eyeball Kid”
7. Bone Machine – Key track “Goin’ Out West”
8. Closing Time – Key track “Ice Cream Man”
9. Real Gone – Key track “Clang Boom Steam” & “Make It Rain”
10. Nighthawks At The Diner – Key track “Emotional Weather Report”
11. Small Change – Key track "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (an Evening with Pete King)"
12. Foreign Affairs – Key track "Muriel"
13. Blue Valentine – Key track “Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis”
14. Orphans: Brawlers – Key track “Lie to Me”
15. Orphans: Bastards – Key track “Heigh Ho” & “On the Road”
16. Orphans: Bawlers – Key track “Young at Heart”
Feel free to post your comments and rankings. I am looking to do Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds next.
To begin, there are three very distinct parts to his musical body of work (four if you count the soundtrack work). In the beginning part of his career you have the somewhat world weary beat poet with jazz leanings. It starts with Closing Time and goes to about Small Change. Thematically (and sonically) those albums remain pretty consistent. Around Foreign Affairs through Heartattack and Vine, there is a shift. His voice (although it started to change around Small Change) starts to turn it the Tom Waits everyone knows and musically there is a little more blues and balladry splashed in. Again things stay consistent for the most part.
Swordfishtrombones starts what most people know Tom Waits for. The sea shanties, the experimental songs, the sermon like lyrics. Everything here points to a new and exciting direction. Rain Dogs however, is where Tom hits it out of the ball park creatively. Everything he put forth on Swordfishtrombones is amplified and taken to extremes on Rain Dogs. Frank’s Wild Years keeps this streak going (and contains two of my favorite Waits songs “Way Down In The Hole” and “Cold Cold Ground”). And finally to end this portion of his musical work, Bone Machine starts to point to where he would go with his critical lauded (and Grammy winning) next album.
As we enter phase three of Waits’ career, Mule Variations leads the charge. Tom envokes a “garbage man blues” type sound. We here little trinkets and dings all over the place. Lyrically more sermon like madness in songs like “Eyeball Kid”, “Lowside of the Road”. "Filipino Box Spring Hog", and a spoken word passage that would feel right at home in a Tim Burton film, “What’s He Building?” Real Gone continues with the garbage man sounds, but lyrically Tom approaches things for a political aspect. Although this is not present in every song (two to be exact), it makes one wonder what if Waits focused on this more…would it change the way people view him? I digress though.
Lastly, we have the excellent box set, “Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards”, a cornucopia of material that most Waits fans had never heard before. The first disc “Brawlers” being more or less an extension of his work (Real Gone & Mule Variations). There is even a gospel moment or two there and another political song (told vividly about the war in the Middle East). This one could easily stand out on its own. “Bawlers” is more of the ballads Waits is known for. Not your typical “I love you” top 40 radio stuff, but more like a love song between a man and his booze. “Bastards” is all the forgotten (and very interesting) Waits tracks. There are quite a few spoken word passages, a rendition of a Snow White song, and for what I feel was something long overdue, a Daniel Johnston cover. This boxset has something for everyone and it may even surprise long time fans (like myself, in fact aside from one track on the first disc, I had never heard any of these, so this was a real treat for me).
And so ends the Tom Waits journey. Each part of his career distinct, and each different (and stranger) than the last. To complete my post here, I am going to rank my favorite albums with the “key” track for each* (I am not going to include Blood Money, Alice, or any of the “soundtrack” work here. Although I have them and enjoy them, I want to stay focused on Tom’s body of work aside from those).
1. Heartattack & Vine – Key track “Mr. Siegal”
2. The Heart of Saturday Night – Key track “The Ghosts of Saturday Night”
3. Rain Dogs – Key track “Clap Hands”
4. Frank’s Wild Years – Key track “Way Down In The Hole”
5. Swordfishtrombones – Key track “16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought-Six”
6. Mule Variations – Key track “Eyeball Kid”
7. Bone Machine – Key track “Goin’ Out West”
8. Closing Time – Key track “Ice Cream Man”
9. Real Gone – Key track “Clang Boom Steam” & “Make It Rain”
10. Nighthawks At The Diner – Key track “Emotional Weather Report”
11. Small Change – Key track "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (an Evening with Pete King)"
12. Foreign Affairs – Key track "Muriel"
13. Blue Valentine – Key track “Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis”
14. Orphans: Brawlers – Key track “Lie to Me”
15. Orphans: Bastards – Key track “Heigh Ho” & “On the Road”
16. Orphans: Bawlers – Key track “Young at Heart”
Feel free to post your comments and rankings. I am looking to do Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds next.
Last edited by macnorton; 09-09-08 at 12:04 PM. Reason: Edited the format there, my apologies for having that all run together
09-09-08, 11:00 AM
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A couple of extra formatting keystrokes would have made that entire tirade much more readable. As it is, most of your paragraphs are all crammed in together.
That having been said, I've never been a Tom Waits fan, but I appreciate your explanation as to WHY you like him. Most people I know who profess to be fans, when pressed, are completely incapable of naming more than 2 songs, working under the pretension that its "cool" to identify yourself as a Waits aficionado. Same with Miles Davis.
That having been said, I've never been a Tom Waits fan, but I appreciate your explanation as to WHY you like him. Most people I know who profess to be fans, when pressed, are completely incapable of naming more than 2 songs, working under the pretension that its "cool" to identify yourself as a Waits aficionado. Same with Miles Davis.
09-09-08, 11:21 AM
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That having been said, I've never been a Tom Waits fan, but I appreciate your explanation as to WHY you like him. Most people I know who profess to be fans, when pressed, are completely incapable of naming more than 2 songs, working under the pretension that its "cool" to identify yourself as a Waits aficionado. Same with Miles Davis.
09-09-08, 12:01 PM
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A couple of extra formatting keystrokes would have made that entire tirade much more readable. As it is, most of your paragraphs are all crammed in together.
That having been said, I've never been a Tom Waits fan, but I appreciate your explanation as to WHY you like him. Most people I know who profess to be fans, when pressed, are completely incapable of naming more than 2 songs, working under the pretension that its "cool" to identify yourself as a Waits aficionado. Same with Miles Davis.
That having been said, I've never been a Tom Waits fan, but I appreciate your explanation as to WHY you like him. Most people I know who profess to be fans, when pressed, are completely incapable of naming more than 2 songs, working under the pretension that its "cool" to identify yourself as a Waits aficionado. Same with Miles Davis.
You are spot on there. I see that a lot with people who claim to be "fans" of a specific group or artist. Liking two hit songs does not a fan make. I own all but two albums (physically speaking, I have digital copies from iTunes of the missing ones). More importantly, I have heard everything, which is vital to an informed opinion.
09-09-08, 12:12 PM
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Wanted to add something. Waits doesn't have a lot of live material available, but if you go back a little (I think a month or so ago), there is an excellent concert from NPR up for free download. The show is two and a half hours long and was recorded in Atlanta. Highly recommended.
09-09-08, 12:59 PM
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I'll give Tom Waits credit for being a true original, and a good songwriter, much like Bob Dylan. Personally, however, I can't stand listening to him. Doesn't mean I don't respect him as an artist, though.
09-09-08, 01:29 PM
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Tom Waits is my all-time favorite musician. Great review of his career. The few you left out of your listing (The Black Rider, Alice, and Blood Money) are at the top of my list.
09-09-08, 01:57 PM
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This past year I have heavily been discovering Tom Waits. I'm now a major fan.
My favorites: Jersey Girl (one of the best love songs ever)
World Keeps Turning
That Feel
Hold On
Good Ol' World
Bottom Of THe World
My favorites: Jersey Girl (one of the best love songs ever)
World Keeps Turning
That Feel
Hold On
Good Ol' World
Bottom Of THe World
09-09-08, 02:09 PM
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Not sure if you knew this, but most people (even so called journalists) think Springsteen wrote Jersey Girl. Granted Bruce does perform it a lot (it is on that live box set), but a little research will tell you who the true writer of the song is. Glad you are a fan and those are great songs.
09-09-08, 02:12 PM
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I like all three of those (Blood Money being #1), but I left them out due to the nature of the recordings...meaning they are thematically against someone elses work as opposed to being a Waits original. There is nothing wrong with that at all, to illustrate his career it was going to fit. Ironically though, Blood Money & Alice actually share more with the Island years than they do with his current body of work.
09-09-08, 02:19 PM
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If you don't mind my asking, who is the 3rd artist on your list?
09-09-08, 05:36 PM
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I'm a huge fan of Waits' stuff all the way through Mule Variations, at which point the music became a bit too "out there" for me. The Heart of Saturday Night is the perfect album for a slow, boozy night of self-reflection. Stock up on the Wild Turkey 101 and Marlboro Reds, and plop this platter on the record player. Waits is on a world tour right now, but unfortunately he is only playing obscure, middle of nowhere spots, which fits his character somehow, but doesn't help us fans.
Last edited by NoirFan; 09-09-08 at 05:39 PM.
09-09-08, 09:18 PM
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I think I'm actually the opposite of a lot of people who don't like him. I really like his voice, but I'm intimidated by his massive back-catalog. I've only heard 2 albums from him but I like what I've heard. I just don't have the time to go digging through the rest.
09-09-08, 11:06 PM
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Thank you for the compliment. Nick Cave & Tom Waits rank in my top 3 favorite artist (Waits being #1, Cave being #2, and Elliot Smith, who narrowly beats Leonard Cohen, #3 ) all time. The Nick Cave piece may be a little lacking because I do not have the new album (got to get that) and there isn't a lot of deviation like Waits have, but I will hopefully make it enjoyable for everyone.
If you don't mind my asking, who is the 3rd artist on your list?
If you don't mind my asking, who is the 3rd artist on your list?
The Nick Cave one should be interesting. i think theres more diversity in his work than some may think, at least musically, lyrically hes always been sorta the same. from the Birthday Party to Firstborn is Dead to From Her To Eternity and then the phase starting with Boatmans Call. but ill save all of that for the other thread.
09-10-08, 08:39 AM
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the other artist in my top 3 is Greg Dulli (The Afghan Whigs, The Twilight Singers, The Gutter Twins, solo).
The Nick Cave one should be interesting. i think theres more diversity in his work than some may think, at least musically, lyrically hes always been sorta the same. from the Birthday Party to Firstborn is Dead to From Her To Eternity and then the phase starting with Boatmans Call. but ill save all of that for the other thread.
The Nick Cave one should be interesting. i think theres more diversity in his work than some may think, at least musically, lyrically hes always been sorta the same. from the Birthday Party to Firstborn is Dead to From Her To Eternity and then the phase starting with Boatmans Call. but ill save all of that for the other thread.
I am going a little deeper with Nick Cave, his lyrics have always fascinated me (not that Waits doesn't, his stuff doesn't exactly call for dissecting because it is pretty clear what the intention is). But that one might be delayed because I don't have the newest Nick Cave yet.
09-10-08, 01:13 PM
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I do own, I think, about 4 albums by Tom Waits. Not sure if I really love him but I think of his music as a performance than just songs (if that makes sense). But there are certain times that putting on one of his albums is just perfect.
09-10-08, 02:16 PM
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Another would have been Downtown Train. Most think either Seger or Stewart wrote that song. Ah well.
I do own, I think, about 4 albums by Tom Waits. Not sure if I really love him but I think of his music as a performance than just songs (if that makes sense). But there are certain times that putting on one of his albums is just perfect.
I do own, I think, about 4 albums by Tom Waits. Not sure if I really love him but I think of his music as a performance than just songs (if that makes sense). But there are certain times that putting on one of his albums is just perfect.
And I understand what you are saying...I agree. He is one of those guys that even though it is just sounds, it gives you an amazing visual image of what it might look like if you were standing there with him. For some reason, I think of Indiana Jones when I listen to either Rain Dogs or Frank's Wild Years.
09-11-08, 06:46 PM
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Threadcrap!!! omg!!!
the music section is off limits when it comes to negative opinions.
nighthawks at the diner is my fav waits album but i disagree with your keytrack. although its a great "song" (more like spoken word) there are better songs on the cd. my picks would be...
warm beer an cold women
better of without a wife
eggs and sausage
not sure which would be #1 since i love them all so much.
as for "rain dogs" "union square" is clearly the best song.
the music section is off limits when it comes to negative opinions.
nighthawks at the diner is my fav waits album but i disagree with your keytrack. although its a great "song" (more like spoken word) there are better songs on the cd. my picks would be...
warm beer an cold women
better of without a wife
eggs and sausage
not sure which would be #1 since i love them all so much.
as for "rain dogs" "union square" is clearly the best song.
Last edited by chino77; 09-11-08 at 07:01 PM.
09-12-08, 05:51 AM
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Tom Waits is an amazing artist, but a heavily acquired taste. I remember I was on vacation in Canada, and found a place selling a bunch of Island albums for $8.99 Canadian (this was at a time when the U.S. dollar was stronger than the Canadian). I picked up a bunch of U2 albums and noticed Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs were also on sale. I had heard of Tom Waits before, but had never delved into his catalog. I bought them, and those U2 albums I got went untouched for a few weeks. 
As soon as I got home I tracked down the rest of his albums. I also picked up the remastered soundtrack to One From The Heart when the movie got re-released.
Probably the coolest Tom Waits moment I've experienced was seeing Woyzeck, the opera for which Waits wrote the songs which became the album Blood Money, live at UCLA. It wasn't Waits performing; it was the touring company doing the opera. But many of them did their best Waits impression, which I found kind of humorous. I'm still waiting for him to do a live show in LA so I can actually see him live.
As soon as I got home I tracked down the rest of his albums. I also picked up the remastered soundtrack to One From The Heart when the movie got re-released.Probably the coolest Tom Waits moment I've experienced was seeing Woyzeck, the opera for which Waits wrote the songs which became the album Blood Money, live at UCLA. It wasn't Waits performing; it was the touring company doing the opera. But many of them did their best Waits impression, which I found kind of humorous. I'm still waiting for him to do a live show in LA so I can actually see him live.
09-12-08, 08:52 AM
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Threadcrap!!! omg!!!
the music section is off limits when it comes to negative opinions.
nighthawks at the diner is my fav waits album but i disagree with your keytrack. although its a great "song" (more like spoken word) there are better songs on the cd. my picks would be...
warm beer an cold women
better of without a wife
eggs and sausage
not sure which would be #1 since i love them all so much.
as for "rain dogs" "union square" is clearly the best song.
the music section is off limits when it comes to negative opinions.
nighthawks at the diner is my fav waits album but i disagree with your keytrack. although its a great "song" (more like spoken word) there are better songs on the cd. my picks would be...
warm beer an cold women
better of without a wife
eggs and sausage
not sure which would be #1 since i love them all so much.
as for "rain dogs" "union square" is clearly the best song.
"Union Square" is a great track, but it is pretty straight forward song for Waits. "Clap Hands" is a little darker and certainly conjures up a very specific image. "Union Square" always made me think of Fat Albert and his crew playing in the junkyard, for whatever reason.
Lastly, my #1 Waits tends to shift. The Heart of Saturday Night was on the top for awhile, then Nighthawks, and now Heartattack & Vine. And with Heartattack, the reason I bought it (at the time) was because one of the songs was featured on my favorite show of all time, Homicide. Having no idea what to expect, I was surprised. I had heard "Jersey Girl" many times before (remember, I'm from Jersey so Bruce is a staple and I have seen Southside Johnny perform the song a few times as well) , but Mr. Siegal was the one that got me. When I factor all that in with the other stand out tracks, it rises to the top. But in six months, another one could be there. They are all good, so it really doesn't matter.