Tom Waits: classic or dud/search & destroy

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"Cold Water" off that record is incredible also but yes, i forget that cd's playing when i pit it on.

― jed (jed_e_3), Monday, 1 December 2003 01:12 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah discovering bone machine at age 16 or so was a mind-blower!

haven't listened to him in quite a while though, I kinda overdid it there

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 1 December 2003 01:12 (twenty-two years ago)

im in love with him. ;-)

― jed (jed_e_3), Monday, 1 December 2003 01:13 (twenty-two years ago)

oh YOU.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Monday, 1 December 2003 01:13 (twenty-two years ago)

(can't fault your taste, though) :)

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Monday, 1 December 2003 01:14 (twenty-two years ago)

But Mule Variations has "Big In Japan" and "Hold On" and "Get Behind The Mule"! It may be a bit om-by-numbers in places, but there's this almost physical sense of weariness throughout which none of his other albums ever capture... it's a record where he shows his age.

The Black Rider is shit-scary... I still need to acquire Bone Machine.

TS: Alice vs Blood Money? I go with the latter, though "Alice" is possibly the best song from the two of them put together.

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 1 December 2003 01:15 (twenty-two years ago)

let's see. on frank's wild years we have "hang on st.christopher," "temptation," "innocent when you dream," "yesterday's here," "way down in the hole," "telephone call from istanbul," "cold, cold ground," and "train song."
if this record is underrated, it's more than curious - it's criminal!

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 1 December 2003 01:18 (twenty-two years ago)

yay! its his best record, i think. that and bone machine.

― jed (jed_e_3), Monday, 1 December 2003 01:23 (twenty-two years ago)

whats his worst?

― gaz (gaz), Monday, 1 December 2003 01:40 (twenty-two years ago)

franks wild years is the best, I think, and I have much much affection for the black rider

didn't really care for mule variations though, and his last two left me a little cold, though I think "blood money" is the better of the two

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 1 December 2003 02:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I just bought Black Rider, having been previously put off by the AMG review. To be honest, I've listened to it once and it's currently m fave since swordfishtrombones.

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 1 December 2003 02:34 (twenty-two years ago)

it's so good!

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 1 December 2003 03:09 (twenty-two years ago)

frank's wild years is definitely my favorite

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 1 December 2003 05:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, Mule Variations is great. I keep meaning to pick up Small Change from the bargain bins because of the band on it.

Also, Marc Ribot!!

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 1 December 2003 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Pictures in a Frame:

http://www.kicoz.nu/tom_waits/images/shoezko.jpg http://www.c-m-b.com/web/tom%20waits.jpg http://elsewhere.polydistortion.net/lib/cache/pics/music/2002-04-19-tom-waits.small.jpg http://www.e835.to.infn.it/people/fbertini/waits.jpg

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Monday, 1 December 2003 17:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Pleasingly feminine: http://www.front.net/gtausch/waits.jpg

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Monday, 1 December 2003 17:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Earth Died Screaming
http://www.sallykirkland.com/images/gallery/coldft2.jpg

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Monday, 1 December 2003 17:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Overrated. Not by much, but he seems to enjoy this sort of "if you like him, you're in the secret club" status more than almost anyone else. I haven't been especially moved by his last few records, but I was a huge fan from like Frank's Wild Years to Black Rider (in realtime, and I worked my back) I currently don't have any T.W. at home, but if I was to get anything, it would probably Nighthawks at the Diner.

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 1 December 2003 17:54 (twenty-two years ago)

franks wild years is the best of the later for me, and foreign affairs, the best of the earlier. the bette midler duet is possibly his best song!

― charltonlido (gareth), Monday, 1 December 2003 17:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Dud. I feel bad when I walk into a store or student-oriented take-out place and some poor misguided souls are playing his music.

― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 1 December 2003 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Ditto for Nick Cave.

― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 1 December 2003 17:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Rockist JOTO

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 1 December 2003 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Pish.

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Monday, 1 December 2003 17:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I've got nothing but admiration for those two misself, and consider Cave's "The Mercy Seat" the best J. Cash of the last 20 years. But they're both severely overrated. They're way too often token weirdness or worse, weirdness-worn-on-sleeve.

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 1 December 2003 18:02 (twenty-two years ago)

but the music is still good! who cares how other people wear it?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 1 December 2003 19:16 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.dking-gallery.com/pix/Waits/WaitsTu.jpg

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Monday, 1 December 2003 19:52 (twenty-two years ago)

six months pass...

From The Wire:

"The next generaton of an underworld American musical dynasty makes its debut on a new LP currently being worked on by Tom Waits. The singer's son Casey appears playing percussion and turntables on the album, working title Real Gone, slated for release this autumn on Anti Records."

― AdamL :') (nordicskilla), Sunday, 27 June 2004 17:13 (twenty-one years ago)

And yes, I know, there were turntables on Mule Variations. But they weren't played by his son!!!

― AdamL :') (nordicskilla), Sunday, 27 June 2004 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I really, really hope that this isn't a bad sign!

― AdamL :') (nordicskilla), Sunday, 27 June 2004 17:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Heh. I once read a quote from a musician who had worked with Waits to the effect of, "I think he would hire all six-year-olds for his bands if he could get away with it."

― Jordan (Jordan), Sunday, 27 June 2004 17:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Look at it this way, at least it's not DJ Logic.

― Jordan (Jordan), Sunday, 27 June 2004 17:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I know I'm chiming in late on this one - but absolute classic, def. one of my all time faves, though I need to be in the mood these days.

Best song: Who Are You from [i]Bone Machine[/i]. Does anyone else find this song to be the most perfect song/performance of his career. Reduces me to a husk every time.

Fave albums are [i]Closing Time, Swordfishtrombones, Franks Wild Years[/i] and [i]Bone Machine[/i]. [i]Mule Variations[/i] and [i]Alice/Blood Money[i/] I like very much, though a little patchy. Given what albums I love, should I get [i]Black Rider[/i]?

― PT, Sunday, 27 June 2004 22:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Please ignore dodgy HTML work there!

― PT, Sunday, 27 June 2004 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

i'll bet the turntables are hand cranked 78's!

― gaz (gaz), Sunday, 27 June 2004 23:04 (twenty-one years ago)

wick-wick-wicked!

― AdamL :') (nordicskilla), Monday, 28 June 2004 00:09 (twenty-one years ago)

<crossed fingers>please please please be good</crossed fingers>

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 28 June 2004 00:14 (twenty-one years ago)

We've all jinxed it by even thinking about it!

― AdamL :') (nordicskilla), Monday, 28 June 2004 00:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Has anyone heard that Ramones cover he did? Apparently his kid plays drums on it.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 June 2004 00:22 (twenty-one years ago)

if it's bad i will hold you personally responsible, Adam.

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 28 June 2004 00:25 (twenty-one years ago)

NO!

"The Ramones cover" is probably "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" - on Bone Machine.

― AdamL :') (nordicskilla), Monday, 28 June 2004 01:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Nah, it's "The Return of Jackie & Judy" on this.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 June 2004 01:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Oooh.

― AdamL :') (nordicskilla), Monday, 28 June 2004 01:58 (twenty-one years ago)

"Tom Waits was a bit stunned when he heard the news of his latest Grammy nomination for “Best Male Rock Vocal Performance” for “Return Of Jack & Judy,” his contribution to We’re A Happy Family: A Tribute to the Ramones (Columbia Records), which also featured tracks performed by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rob Zombie, Eddie Vedder/Zeke, Metallica, John Frusciante, Kiss, Marilyn Manson, Garbage, Green Day, The Offspring, Pretenders, Rancid, Pete Yorn, Rooney and U2.

According to Johnny Ramone, “It took the Ramones 30 years to be eventually nominated for a Grammy. Thanks to Tom Waits for finally getting us there.”

Tom Waits recorded the track for the tribute album with his son Casey Waits on drums and Les Claypool of Primus on bass, while Brett Gurewitz from Bad Religion and Epitaph Records founder co-produced and played guitar. “The only honor possibly greater than producing and playing on a Tom Waits track would be to do it for The Ramones,” said Gurewitz. “The fact that it’s nominated for a Grammy makes it all the more surreal.”"

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 June 2004 02:02 (twenty-one years ago)

ENOUGH WITH THE PRIMUS!

(Les Claypool is on the new record again, I know at least one ILXer will be delighted at this. *hint* it's not ME)

― AdamL :') (nordicskilla), Monday, 28 June 2004 02:06 (twenty-one years ago)

It would be me if my name started with an N and ended with an ick! Really though, he's never sounded at all identifiable on Waits records, which is to his credit.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 June 2004 02:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Going back real quickly to the C/D thing, I love most all of what I have of Waits' catalogue (which is now a little over half of it). After reading this thread, I really regret not owning Frank's Wild Years, Black Rider, and Blue Valentine. I'll have to check them out. I was introduced to Waits last year by a professor who has a bit of a Waitsian persona himself.

Of what I've heard, I enjoy the Swordfishtrombones and later material more than pre-SFT. On the Swordfishtrombones vs. Rain Dogs point, somebody previously said they favored Rain Dogs on the basis that by then he had more time to grow into the new sound he was crafting and that Rain Dogs was less patchy (which I'm not sure if they meant in terms of consistancy of sound or just consistancy of performance), the lesser consistancy of sound of Swordfish is what is so great about that album to me [Holy run on sentence, sorry folks]. He pulls out the mush balladry of In The Neighborhood right next to the smoky storytelling of Frank's Wild Years right next to the xylophone jazz of Swordfishtrombones, I love it. Alice vs. Blood Money, the extreme theatrics of Alice (not to say that most Waits isn't big) win me over (and like someone said earlier, 'Alice' is just such an amazing track).

― Reed Rosenberg (reed), Monday, 28 June 2004 02:46 (twenty-one years ago)

'Alice' = a rewrite of (or at least v. v. similar to) 'You Don't Know What Love Is'. Jordan, back me up.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Monday, 28 June 2004 03:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I find him easier to admire than enjoy. An occasionally great lyricist but lyrics are not a big thing for me. There are a handful of earlier tracks eg (Blue Valentine, Invitation to the Blues) that I do genuinely love, but I don't much care for the sonic experimentation of Swordfishtrombones and beyond - there are occasional flashes of beauty but too much of it sounds contrived or forced. I'd still much rather listen to Waits than Nick Cave, though (or P J Harvey who also springs to mind in this context).

― frankiemachine, Monday, 28 June 2004 08:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic classic classic. But with a new album due out this autumn, will he at last play a British gig?

― Mog, Monday, 28 June 2004 09:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Will he play any gigs AT ALL?

'Alice' = a rewrite of (or at least v. v. similar to) 'You Don't Know What Love Is'

Interesting! I haven't listened to Alice in awhile, but you might be OTM. There are lots of Waits songs that I've wanted to do jazz versions of since the changes are so standard-y.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 28 June 2004 11:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 59 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Well what do you know?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByMi1Yii9ek

― Now read it backwards. (dog latin), Saturday, 30 August 2025 11:07 (nine months ago)

Terrible quality mind

― Now read it backwards. (dog latin), Saturday, 30 August 2025 11:46 (nine months ago)

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