Tom Waits • Page 2

I watch this all the time.

 

I love seeing you rep my favorite Waits album, man.

 

Been having a big ol' Waits session recently. I never really listen to much of his 70s stuff, but I gave Small Change a listen the other day and really dug it. Need to give his other stuff from that era another go.

Also, for a collection rarities and off cuts, Orphans really is a work of art.

 

For as much as I love his junkyard poet albums, The Heart of Saturday Night has always been and will always be my favorite.

 

Hoping to revive this thread because I'm in a major Waits phase right now.

Maybe because I always thought of Waits as the experimental wild junkyard dog, I never spent much time with his first few albums. But man those first few are great -- and listening through his discography in order is so much fun. The run up to Swordfish is like watching the romantic barfly of Closing Time leave the bar and see the world and slowly lose his damn mind.

Anyway to open this up a bit, what's everyone's favorite Waits lyrics? There's been so many great ones rattling around in my head the past few weeks:

It's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace,
and a wound that will never heal. (Tom Traubert's Blues)

My body's at home, but my heart's in the wind
where the clouds are like headlines on a new front-page sky.
My tears are salt water, and the moon's full and high. (Shiver Me Timbers)

How do your pistol and your bible and your sleeping pills go?
Are you still jumping out of windows in expensive clothes? (Who Are You)

 

Day After Tomorrow is prob my favorite Waits tune. Especially love this bit:


“You can't deny, the other side
Don't want to die anymore then we do
What I'm trying to say is don't they pray
To the same god that we do?
And tell me how does god choose
Whose prayers does he refuse?
Who turns the wheel
Who throws the dice
On the day after tomorrow”

 

I had notifications for this thread and the 'In Memorium' thread and I panicked haha

 

Early period waits is a straight up songwriting masterclass. Love those aforementioned lyrics. I'd love to get enough people in here to do a poll on their favourite waits songs.

 

Decided to do a full discography run, starting at the beginning. Listening to Closing Time now and it's good, but only a few of the jazzier, non folk songs have grabbed me so far. Not an album i'm likely to revisit too much, but still good.

 

"Ole 55" and "Martha" are so wonderful.

 

"I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" and "Midnight Lullaby" are two of my favourite Waits songs.

 

Old Shoes (and Picture Postcards) is my favourite deep cut from Closing Time.
That track, Ol' 55, Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You and Martha are all fantastic. I have a lot of time for Rosie and Grapefruit Moon too.
His songwriting chops and mature, smooth voice make me wonder just how popular he could have been had he not eaten 10 packets of cigarettes for breakfast each day for the next decade. He did very well for himself, and I wouldn't change a thing about his career. I just wonder if he could have been mainstream huge if he carried his smooth voice through the crooner years.

 

I’ve also never fully believed that his voice really sounded like that 100% and it wasn’t put on a little

 

I think he does it on purpose for sure, especially on the earlier 'my voice is gruff now' albums. You can hear him go cleaner or rougher on lots of tracks, especially after he quit smoking. I don't think he was still capable of sounding smooth like on Closing Time/Heart of Saturday Night, but he could wail without getting too throaty.
In a way though most singers' voices are put on to some extent. Not too many could pull off the Waits growl, at least not without blowing out their vocal chords.

 

Oh to be clear I don’t care if it’s put on one bit. “Authenticity” is overrated and puritanical

 

Yeah I figured, it's a fair and obvious thing to wonder about nonetheless. I mean the difference between Heart of Saturday Night and Nighthawks is immense.
I think his gruff voice peaked on Small Change. Tom Traubert's Blues is so gutsy and powerful. After not long it seemed like he really had to strain to achieve that.

 

Tom Waits is reportedly “writing again”

 

Christ, seeing this get bumped panicked for a second!

 

I've been having a Tom Waits "phase" since 2018 and I don't see it ending anytime soon. Happy this thread exists.

I love this clip of him casually playing Jitterbug Boy on the set of Buster Scruggs. Feel like he's playing it to himself and reminiscing of one his many past lives, which is in tune with the song. I think it may be my favorite of his.

 

Just used Rank Anything for Tom records. Choosing between Rain Dogs and Small Change was extremely difficult.

1. Rain Dogs (1985)
2. Small Change (1976)
3. Mule Variations (1999)
4. Franks Wild Years (1987)
5. Swordfishtrombones (1983)
6. Bone Machine (1992)
7. The Black Rider (1993)
8. Alice (2002)
9. Blue Valentine (1978)
10. Nighthawks at the Diner (1975)
11. Closing Time (1973)
12. The Heart of Saturday Night (1974)
13. Heartattack and Vine (1980)
14. Blood Money (2002)
15. Real Gone (2004)
16. Foreign Affairs (1977)
17. Bad as Me (2011)

 

This seems accurate:

1. Rain Dogs (1985)
2. Bone Machine (1992)
3. Swordfishtrombones (1983)
4. Mule Variations (1999)
5. Closing Time (1973)
6. The Heart of Saturday Night (1974)
7. Small Change (1976)
8. Franks Wild Years (1987)
9. Heartattack and Vine (1980)
10. Bad as Me (2011)
11. Blue Valentine (1978)
12. Real Gone (2004)
13. Alice (2002)
14. Blood Money (2002)
15. The Black Rider (1993)
16. Foreign Affairs (1977)
17. Nighthawks at the Diner (1975)

I have Rain Dogs first and Bone Machine not too far behind. Next two are in their own tier below. 5-7 are his early classics and then 8-11 I might have a new fav every day, depending on my mood. 12-14 are his post Mule Variations records that I struggle to enjoy but Real Gone belongs up top as it has the most great songs of the bunch. 15, 16 and 17 are my "love one song from each" Tier and of those songs Lucky Day is the best.

Also I'd have Night On Earth and One From The Heart below Nighthawks.

I'd have Orphans at 10. Maybe higher. Bottom of the World is amazing.

 

I had a big The Black Rider phase. Just The Right Bullets and The Briar And The Rose are incredible.

Orphans should probably be included in the discography. Lie To Me/LowDown/2:19 is such a strong start for a record. All jams. Bottom Of The World is indeed beautiful. Lucinda is top-notch Waits too for me (prefer the Glitter And Doom version to this one, obviously).

I have not listened to or watched Night On Earth. Tried watching One For The Heart and it didn't work for me but I should come back to the soundtrack.

 

Saw this thread bumped and immediately wanted to throw on "Come on Up to the House". So thanks for that.

 

Best song on Mule Variations for sure.

I think of Bone Machine to Real Gone as a second trilogy. Come On Up To The House perfectly occupies the same spot as Anywhere I Lay My Head.