Grateful Dead Music Forum

Just bought my second Tom Waits album today. I already had Closing Time for a while, and just picked up Heartattack and Vine tonight

The guy is really growing on me. Closing time showed me he was something special, but I didnt really "get" it. With this though, I finally have it figured out (Well as figured out as possible when speaking of tom waits)

I'm really digging his stuff. Even my girlfriend is starting to like him. She previously thought he looked like a bum and sounded like a chainsmoker with strep throat, but after I showed her "I dont Want to Grow up" and 'Day after Tomorrow' performed on the daily show, I really think she's starting to like him.

What amazes me the most about him is that he works backwards. Most artists start out with something insane and completely new, and as they age they settle down and start putting out "conventional" albums. Waits worked the other way around, with his most conventional album first and seemed to slowly lose his mind as his career went on.

Tom Waits is brilliant!! Pick up Heart of Saturday Night - you'll love that too. Enjoy! you got YEARS of Waits to discover.

A friend of mine is really into Tom Waits and has lent me some of his stuff.

Excellent song writer, although a bit wierd at times.
Great lyrics telling stories about many of life's losers.

Can be seen as depressing lyrics sometimes but as my friend says although the lyrics are about losers they are written 'looking up from the gutter' and there seems to be that element of hope in many songs

Also has had a few songs covered and made into big hits by Rod Stewart and Bruce Springsteen.

Well worth a listen.

i love his song "the piano has been drinking(not me)"

Read Charles Bukowski while you listen to Tom Waits.

Well, if you're just getting into Tom Waits, you might give a listen to Small Change. I consider this to be his best overall album. Songs like The One that Got Away, Tom Traubert's Blues, and Invitation to the Blues. Yes, they are all very dark songs, but great poetry and blues.

Fuzheng wrote:Read Charles Bukowski while you listen to Tom Waits.

this is an excellent idea

Panda Licker wrote: What amazes me the most about him is that he works backwards. Most artists start out with something insane and completely new, and as they age they settle down and start putting out "conventional" albums. Waits worked the other way around, with his most conventional album first and seemed to slowly lose his mind as his career went on.

What about the Beatles? I don't think its that rare to start kind of "normal" and explore/experiment with the weird stuff later.

That being said, I didn't know shit about Tom Waits until reading this thread which made me curious. Thanks for the suggestion! I'm poking around on youtube now liking what I see, probably gonna get one of his albums later.

just watched Chocolate Jesus. cool song and loved his performance. complete with a speakerphone for vocal effects and a dance that totally bugged me out, in a good way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wfamPW3 ... re=related[/youtube]

im partial to "Nighthawks at the Diner" prolly my fave Waits effort. and maybe a little partial to it cuz its live. still havent heard a Waits album/song that i didnt enjoy to the utmost. Hes a one of a kind talent. you just dont pass it up when he comes to your town.

I'd love to see that man live. My favorite album is definitely Closing Time...which I'm listening to as I write this. I also really enjoyed Orphans:Brawlers, Ballers and Bastards. His crazy stuff can be hard to listen to sometimes, but it shows his talent well none the less.

Benthegoodbum wrote:I'd love to see that man live. My favorite album is definitely Closing Time...which I'm listening to as I write this. I also really enjoyed Orphans:Brawlers, Ballers and Bastards. His crazy stuff can be hard to listen to sometimes, but it shows his talent well none the less.

so is Orphans worth picking up?


I was looking for that last night when I bought HA&V, but they didnt have it. I actually didnt think they had any Waits at all, since it was somewhere up in the Y section, behind some Yeah Yeah Yeah's cds

Ilove waits happy to see him getting love here, Raindogs would have to be my favorite album.

waits is without a doubt one of my favorite musicians.

i'm with lazy on nighthawks at the diner being a great album, small change, as mentioned before, is also excellent.

i do like orphans, some real good tracks on there

raindogs is great as well, tango 'til they're sore is one of my favorite waits tunes, and i wouldn't have chosen anything else to end the movie down by law, which stars waits and is directed by jarmusch.

its tough to say just a little about the guy, i mean just so much great music. come on up to the house from mule variations is great and christmas card from a hooker.. off blue valentines is another favorite. alright, i'll stop now. listen to all the waits you can!

I love Tom Waits. He's one of the great originals in all of music and great guy too.

If you haven't already you need to read the book called 'Innocent When You DreamTom Waits - The Collected Interviews.' His wit, intelligence and unique world view all come through. Plus all the great stories, real and fake(you never know the difference sometimes!) Such a quotable man...

Orphans is definitely worth picking up.

I have just really started listening to Tom Waits in the last year or so. I love Orphans. There is so much there!!!