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Tom Waits

skippybrewskippybrew Posts: 283
edited November 2009 in Other Music
Can't sleep, so I'll start a thread...

Tom Waits is desperately in need of some more mainstream exposure that doesn't involve Rod Stewart or Scarlett Johansson (with all respect, but come ON..). He's a brilliant songwriter, and I'll take his music as-is, but I think most of the world could benefit if they heard his tunes through another filter. And maybe, just maybe, they'd pick up one of HIS albums and the light would suddenly turn on.

So come on, fellow Waits lovers, let's brainstorm some fantasy covers. Who would do him justice, and for which songs? (Forgive me, I'm a bit obsessive, especially when I can't sleep. :) )

Here's my two cents:

PJ (of course) - Hoist That Rag
Queens of the Stone Age - Ice Cream Man
Portishead - Jockey Full of Bourbon
Post edited by Unknown User on

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    ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    Tow Wait's isn't an easy one to cover as his songs are so 'Tom Wait's'.

    But I wouldn't mind hearing someone try their hand at 'Bottom of The World', 'Georgia Lee', or 'Come on Up To The House'.

    Edit: I reckon Neil Young could pull of a Tom Wait's song.
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    skippybrewskippybrew Posts: 283
    "Come on up the house" is one of my top favorites.

    Eddie covered "Picture in a frame" in... Italy, I think? (there's a youtube video) And it sounded pretty damn good, which is what got me thinking about this (and on the Verona bootleg he starts chanting "In the Coliseum"..).

    You're right, it's all so "Tom Waits" which is what I love about it, but there's a lot of really solid writing and tunes in there that get overshadowed by everything else. I think a lot of mainstream artists really dig him, so they should help to make him more palatable to the, shall we say, "less refined tastes". :)

    Of course, certain songs just wouldn't work without his presence in them ("Shore leave", "Rain Dogs", "Murder in the Red Barn"...), and that's what makes this topic interesting to me: who could best find the song underneath all the "Tom Waits"?
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    JordyWordyJordyWordy Posts: 2,257
    The first Waits song i heard was Screamin Jay Hawkins version of "Heartattack & Vine", which is a great cover btw.

    Ideal covers would be...
    DeVotchKa - Chocolate Jesus
    DeVotchKa - November

    and then,
    Antony & The Johnsons - The Piano Has Been Drinking
    Damien Rice - How's It Gonna End?
    Easy All Stars (raggae cover band) - Pasties & A G String
    Imogen Heap - Cold Cold Ground
    Mark Lanegan - Innocent When You Dream
    My Morning Jacket - Dead & Lovely
    QOTSA - Earth Died Screaming
    Wilco - Jesus Gona Be Here
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    mavimavi Posts: 941
    From The Berkeley Place Blog
    1. Picture in a Frame-Pearl Jam.

    2. I Don’t Wanna Grow Up-Cold War Kids. An illogical tune: Great song + Great band = Not so great cover. But cool for the curious or completist. For a great cover of this song, check out The Ramones version. Or . . .

    3. I Don’t Wanna Grow Up-Petra Haden and Bill Frisell. From another great album, all duets, available on emusic.

    4. Jesus Gonna Be Here-the EELs.

    5. Way Down in the Hole-Blind Boys of Alabama. Also known as the theme to The Wire, the greatest TV show in history that nobody’s watching.

    6. Johnsburg Illinois (Tom Waits cover)-Josh Ritter

    7. Hold On-Redbird. If you can get your hands on a copy of Redbird’s (only) album, do it. It’s revelatory, one of my favorite albums of recent history.

    8. Heart of a Saturday Night-Holly Cole. My absolute favorite TW song, from my absolute favorite TW album. Brilliant.

    9. Jersey Girl-Holly Cole. A HC two-fer, and it ain’t even Tuesday!

    10. Jersey Girl-Bruce Springsteen with Tom Waits. Last but not least, the man and the boss.

    So many gorgeous songs by Tom Waits... I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You, Hold on, Georgia Lee, it'd be great to have good artists cover them.
    "He who hears music, feels his solitude peopled at once" R. Browning
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    Stephen FlowStephen Flow Posts: 3,327
    I'd love to hear Ed do a cover of Hold On by Tom Waits.
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    skippybrewskippybrew Posts: 283
    mavi wrote:
    From The Berkeley Place Blog

    ...

    So many gorgeous songs by Tom Waits... I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You, Hold on, Georgia Lee, it'd be great to have good artists cover them.


    That's awesome. Haven't heard of some of these and I'm always looking for new bands. And the Ramones covered I Don't Wanna Grow Up? How did I not know this??

    Thanks!
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    InHiding19InHiding19 Posts: 2,385
    Stephen Flow wrote:
    I'd love to hear Ed do a cover of Hold On by Tom Waits.


    Or just hear him play there own song Hold On (nothing against the Tom Waits version).
    Out of the Blue and Into the Black................Uncle Neil Philly 08 here I come!!!!
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    dcfaithfuldcfaithful Posts: 13,076
    Tom Waits is awesome. The epitomy of an original artist IMO. However, asking for mainstream exposure might be a bit. You have to admit his style isn't something of everyone's taste...
    7/2/06 - Denver, CO
    6/12/08 - Tampa, FL
    8/23/09 - Chicago, IL
    9/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT (11 years too long!!!)
    9/03/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 1
    9/04/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 2
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    skippybrewskippybrew Posts: 283
    dcfaithful wrote:
    Tom Waits is awesome. The epitomy of an original artist IMO. However, asking for mainstream exposure might be a bit. You have to admit his style isn't something of everyone's taste...

    Don't I know it... But a man's gotta have dreams. Like when Riot Act came out at the same time as Audioslave, and I fantasized that they'd tour together so they could also do Temple of the Dog. I knew there wasn't a chance in hell, but DAMN it would've been sweet.
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    dcfaithfuldcfaithful Posts: 13,076
    skippybrew wrote:
    dcfaithful wrote:
    Tom Waits is awesome. The epitomy of an original artist IMO. However, asking for mainstream exposure might be a bit. You have to admit his style isn't something of everyone's taste...

    Don't I know it... But a man's gotta have dreams. Like when Riot Act came out at the same time as Audioslave, and I fantasized that they'd tour together so they could also do Temple of the Dog. I knew there wasn't a chance in hell, but DAMN it would've been sweet.

    Touche! I was unaware of the parallel release of those two...that would've been a dream come true!
    7/2/06 - Denver, CO
    6/12/08 - Tampa, FL
    8/23/09 - Chicago, IL
    9/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT (11 years too long!!!)
    9/03/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 1
    9/04/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 2
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    dcfaithfuldcfaithful Posts: 13,076
    Bumping this because Tom Waits is fucking brilliant.

    Been spinning 'The Heart Of Saturday Night' non-stop lately....what an awesome album!!!

    Really loving "Nighthawks at the Diner" too.

    Warm beer, cold women... 8-)
    7/2/06 - Denver, CO
    6/12/08 - Tampa, FL
    8/23/09 - Chicago, IL
    9/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT (11 years too long!!!)
    9/03/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 1
    9/04/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 2
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    UKDaveUKDave Posts: 5,557
    I've had a bit of a Waits week...

    Played the Trilogy the other day, Swordfish & Rain Dogs simply superb & Frank's Wild Years nearly as good.

    My personal fave at the moment is Small Change, going to revisit some more though... 8-)

    edit: didn't Steve Earle cover Way Down In The Hole?
    Astoria Crew
    Troubled souls unite, we got ourselves tonight...
    Astoria, Dublin, Reading 06
    Katowice, Wembley 07
    SBE, Manchester, O2 09
    Hyde Park 10
    Manchester 1&2 12
    This is just g'bye for now...
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    mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,776
    I'm fine with his current exposure, it's hard enough trying to see him live.
    350x700px-LL-d2f49cb4_vinyl-needle-scu-e1356666258495.jpeg
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    merkinballmerkinball Posts: 2,262
    mavi wrote:
    From The Berkeley Place Blog
    ...
    3. I Don’t Wanna Grow Up-Petra Haden and Bill Frisell. From another great album, all duets, available on emusic.
    ...

    So many gorgeous songs by Tom Waits... I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You, Hold on, Georgia Lee, it'd be great to have good artists cover them.

    This is an awesome cover. Totally different take than Toms version, full of wide eyed innocence. The whole album is worth checking out.
    "You're no help," he told the lime. This was unfair. It was only a lime; there was nothing special about it at all. It was doing the best it could.

    http://www.last.fm/user/merkinball/
    spotify:user:merkinball
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    skippybrewskippybrew Posts: 283
    dcfaithful wrote:
    Bumping this because Tom Waits is fucking brilliant.

    Been spinning 'The Heart Of Saturday Night' non-stop lately....what an awesome album!!!

    Really loving "Nighthawks at the Diner" too.

    Warm beer, cold women... 8-)

    Nighthawks was my first Waits album (after hearing Warm Beer, Cold Women), and it just spiraled out of control from there...
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    skippybrewskippybrew Posts: 283
    mookeywrench wrote:
    I'm fine with his current exposure, it's hard enough trying to see him live.

    No shit. I live in Oregon. I had to fly to Detroit to see him '07. He just did Glitter and Doom (preordered!) but that didn't come anywhere near me and went mostly through Europe.

    I'm just tired of having to explain him when people say "WHO?"
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    -Buru--Buru- Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 1,292
    Love Tom Waits. I wish I could see him live, sometime.
    As for covers, there are some pretty decent ones in the Female tribute to Tom Waits.

    Heart of saturday night, closing time, small change, night-hawks... all favorites.
    I am just a dreamer, but you are just a dream...
    If I knew where it was I would take you there.

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    jjflashjjflash Posts: 4,859
    New, limited edition hardcover book by Tom and other artists and musicians, Stories for Ways & Means, up for pre-order here:
    http://kingsroadmerch.com/tom-waits/view/?id=11251&cid=59
    It weighs five pounds and is 4" thick :open_mouth: Just wish they'd specify how "limited" is it.
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    jjflashjjflash Posts: 4,859
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7LnJLoQUcs
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