Tom Waits
skippybrew
Posts: 283
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
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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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.
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"?
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
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!
Or just hear him play there own song Hold On (nothing against the Tom Waits version).
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
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!
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
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...
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
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...
edit: didn't Steve Earle cover Way Down In The Hole?
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...
This is an awesome cover. Totally different take than Toms version, full of wide eyed innocence. The whole album is worth checking out.
http://www.last.fm/user/merkinball/
spotify:user:merkinball
Nighthawks was my first Waits album (after hearing Warm Beer, Cold Women), and it just spiraled out of control from there...
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?"
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.
If I knew where it was I would take you there.
http://kingsroadmerch.com/tom-waits/view/?id=11251&cid=59
It weighs five pounds and is 4" thick