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Tom Waits, anybody?

brandon_scott9brandon_scott9 Posts: 10
edited January 2007 in Other Music
Any of you guys like Tom Waits? Im a college student in KY and i sort of stumbled on to his music by first hearing cover songs and such, and i was interested enough to give him a listen. I soon discovered that he is brilliant. Ive been a big Pearl Jam fan for several years and since all of my peers and friends at college and back home seem to think he is horrific, and I started wondering how many pearl jam fans like tom waits? What are some albums of his i should look into, or songs?
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  • TransplantedNewfTransplantedNewf Posts: 805
    Tom Waits is the man!
    My favs are The Early Years discs.
    <a href="http://www.last.fm/user/Krisdababe/?chartstyle=Krisdababe"><img src="http://imagegen.last.fm/Krisdababe/recenttracks/Krisdababe.gif&quot; border="0" /></a>

    "To is a preposition.
    Come is a verb"

  • cuyler41cuyler41 Posts: 383
    "Closing Time" is a good place to start, not as out there as experimental as the stuff that comes after. More of a bare bones things, Its a beautiful record, very moving.

    Another great one is "the heart of saturday night"
  • CharliePCharlieP Posts: 1,035
    Been a huge Waits fan for many years. My faves are Heart of saturday night and Mule variations. The ladder is probably the most experimental, but a perfect record nonetheless.

    Start with Closing time or heart of saturday night. Don´t start out with black rider, swordfish trombones or Frank´s wild years. They are crazy, but good in the end! (:

    Roskilde 2000, Berlin 2006, Athens 2006, Dusseldorf 2007, Copenhagen 2007, New York NY 1 + 2 2008, Berlin 2009, London 2009, London 2010, Berlin 2010, Manchester 2 2012, Berlin 1 2012, Stockholm 2012, Oslo 2012, Copenhagen 2012, Amsterdam 1 + 2 (EV solo) 2012, Amsterdam 1 + 2 2014, Stockholm 2014, Oslo 2014, Leeds 2014, Milton Keynes 2014, Heartland Festival DK (EV solo) 2017, Berlin 2018, Barcelona 2018, Copenhagen 2022, Prague 2022 (Cancelled)



  • trammeustrammeus Posts: 124
    brandon_scott9 wrote:
    Any of you guys like Tom Waits? Im a college student in KY and i sort of stumbled on to his music by first hearing cover songs and such, and i was interested enough to give him a listen. I soon discovered that he is brilliant. Ive been a big Pearl Jam fan for several years and since all of my peers and friends at college and back home seem to think he is horrific, and I started wondering how many pearl jam fans like tom waits? What are some albums of his i should look into, or songs?

    Blue Valentine, a masterpiece, comes first.
    Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs, immediatly after.
    Closing time, heart of sat night.
    Bone Machine (let's see who knows which song of it was covered by PJ on stage), the best of the recent years.

    Waits is a maestro.

    T
    Verona 93 - Milan 96 - Barcelona 96 - Verona 00 - Milan 00 - Turin 06 - Berlin 06 - Lisbon 07 - Madrid 07 - Katowice 07 - London 07 - Werchter 07
  • Scratchin a LetterScratchin a Letter Posts: 2,303
    He's the man. Superb songwriter with a terrific haunting voice.
  • wavescamecrashingwavescamecrashing Posts: 440
    i like tom waits. my brother hates his guts, thinks hes a shambles, but i think he writes poetically, and i dont throw tht around lightly..

    i will try soem of the mellower stuff, i have real gone, bone machine and blue valentine...

    bastard never plays live though!
  • orig_long redorig_long red Posts: 2,029
    after years of meaning to get around to listening to him, a friend gave me Orphans....i havent listened to anything else in 2 weeks....and now i have made it my personal mission to obtain every single one of his records...after reading a bunch of reviews, i think i'll go with "Alice" next....great man, great words, great sounds in general. The song "Road to Peace" is one of the best i've ever heard.
    Jam out with your clam out.
  • Todd76Todd76 Posts: 1,469
    Beautiful Maladies - a greatest hits disc of some of his earlier albums....including "Swordfishtrombones" (1983) up to "The Black Rider" (1993). A good place to start - it will point you in the right direction.
    In my world everyone is a pony,
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  • BuruBuru Posts: 8,473
    brandon_scott9 wrote:
    Any of you guys like Tom Waits? Im a college student in KY and i sort of stumbled on to his music by first hearing cover songs and such, and i was interested enough to give him a listen. I soon discovered that he is brilliant. Ive been a big Pearl Jam fan for several years and since all of my peers and friends at college and back home seem to think he is horrific, and I started wondering how many pearl jam fans like tom waits? What are some albums of his i should look into, or songs?

    He's brilliant and I love him
    I was thrilled when PJ did Picture in a Frame

    LOVE LOVE the man!!!
    :D
    y la banda de Guille... cuando toca?
  • jwillmojwillmo Posts: 470
    I finally bought Orphans a few weeks ago, but for a while couldn't get past the first two songs (I mean in a good way, I kept listening to them over and over). Then I realized if I didn't keep going i had just paid $40 for 2 songs.
    I couldn't help it, Lie to Me and LowDown are so fucking cool!

    My faves are Closing Time, Rain Dogs and Mule Variations.
  • adam42381adam42381 Posts: 2,505
    Just stumbled across him about a month ago. I like many songs but some of them are almost unlistenable for me. Not sure why, but he either leaves me aching to hear more or dying to turn it off. There's really no in between for me. I think the slower songs are incredible but the loud banging sounds drive me crazy.
    I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me.
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  • matlightmatlight Posts: 5
    Gun Street Girl!
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  • Pearl Jam and toastPearl Jam and toast Posts: 4,475
    trammeus wrote:
    Bone Machine (let's see who knows which song of it was covered by PJ on stage),
    T
    In the Colloseum... in the colloseum... in the colloseum tonightt...

    Spodek, Poland 2000 I believe.

    WOO!

    One of my favorite shows too.

    Love love love love Tom Waits..

    Anyone see Beck cover Clap Hands? He does it with his band playing percussion on a dinner set (cups, dishes, glasses, forks and spoons, etc). It's amazing.
    Come on pilgrim you know he loves you..

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  • trammeustrammeus Posts: 124
    Pearl Jam and toast wrote:
    In the Colloseum... in the colloseum... in the colloseum tonightt...

    Spodek, Poland 2000 I believe.

    You're right!
    I meant the version they did in Verona, 2000.

    [/quote]

    Anyone see Beck cover Clap Hands? He does it with his band playing percussion on a dinner set (cups, dishes, glasses, forks and spoons, etc). It's amazing.
    [/quote]

    Never saw it. Anyway Clap Hands is a song that suggest the action of its title :-)

    T
    Verona 93 - Milan 96 - Barcelona 96 - Verona 00 - Milan 00 - Turin 06 - Berlin 06 - Lisbon 07 - Madrid 07 - Katowice 07 - London 07 - Werchter 07
  • jwillmojwillmo Posts: 470
    Pearl Jam and toast wrote:
    In the Colloseum... in the colloseum... in the colloseum tonightt...

    Spodek, Poland 2000 I believe.

    WOO!

    One of my favorite shows too.

    Love love love love Tom Waits..

    Anyone see Beck cover Clap Hands? He does it with his band playing percussion on a dinner set (cups, dishes, glasses, forks and spoons, etc). It's amazing.

    Ed creeped me the fuck out when he did that. And it's a feat to out-creep Tom Waits. He was Renfield in Dracula, for God's sake!

    I also saw Beck do the dinner table percussion thing last year. Pretty sweet. Even better were the marionettes that mimicked the band's every move.
  • Smarter_Than_USmarter_Than_U Posts: 515
    Tom Waits is top notch. His new triple CD is fantastic. I have Closing Time on vinyl and it gives me shivers every time I give it a listen. Two thumbs way up for Waits.
    "Goddamn Romans. Sure know how to make a ... drum room." --Matt Cameron
  • dharma69dharma69 Posts: 1,275
    brandon_scott9 wrote:
    Any of you guys like Tom Waits? Im a college student in KY and i sort of stumbled on to his music by first hearing cover songs and such, and i was interested enough to give him a listen. I soon discovered that he is brilliant. Ive been a big Pearl Jam fan for several years and since all of my peers and friends at college and back home seem to think he is horrific, and I started wondering how many pearl jam fans like tom waits? What are some albums of his i should look into, or songs?
    Waits boggles my mind.

    But in that really good way that only mad geniuses can.
    "I'm here to see Pearl Jam."- Bono

    ...signed...the token black Pearl Jam fan.

    FaceSpace
  • RyFlyRyFly Posts: 42
    Check out this drawing I did of him.

    http://www.daytrotter.com/reviews/436/tom-waits-neighbors-of-the-spiders
    Ryan F.

    Indianapolis 00, Chicago 03, Alpine Valley 03, Toledo 04, Grand Rapids 04, Chicago 06, Chicago 06, Grand Rapids 06, Cleveland 06, Milwaukee 06, Lollapalooza 07, Chicago 09, Chicago 09, Philadelphia 12, Brooklyn 13, Moline 14, New York 16, Brooklyn (Rock Hall of Fame) 17,
  • dharma69dharma69 Posts: 1,275
    RyFly wrote:
    Check out this drawing I did of him.

    http://www.daytrotter.com/reviews/436/tom-waits-neighbors-of-the-spiders
    Well done. The expression on his face, the tilt of the hat...they're perfect.
    "I'm here to see Pearl Jam."- Bono

    ...signed...the token black Pearl Jam fan.

    FaceSpace
  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    tom waits is arguably the greatest songwriter of all time.

    the man has never made a bad record.
    "What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
  • Jeremy1012Jeremy1012 Posts: 7,170
    I first got into Waits a few months ago and am now a HUGE fan. I have Small Change, Blue Valentine, swordfistrombones, rain dogs, bone machine, mule variations, blood money, real gone and orphans (which is just stunning). So far Mule variations and bone machine (plus orphans) are my favourites. He's the only singer songwriter of his generation who has gotten better with age and is making his best music now.
    "I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead, I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land — every colour, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike — all snored in the same language"
  • AnonAnon Posts: 11,175
    so far i have Early Years vol. 1, Rain Dogs, Swordfishtrombones (my fav), Small Change, Mule Variations and Orphans. all amazing.

    get em all!
  • evenflow82evenflow82 Posts: 3,891
    waits has always been too ragged for me. As far as low, raspy voiced singers, I'll take Mark Lanegan any day.
    I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.
    -Christopher Walken

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  • adam42381adam42381 Posts: 2,505
    This video (and the others from this concert) is what made me start listening to Tom Waits about a month ago. So good.

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=sH5MoffAx-k
    I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me.
    __________________________________________________________
    Shameless beer-related plugs:
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  • merkinballmerkinball Posts: 2,262
    Waits is great. I've been listening to a lot of his early stuff recently, specifically the 'Used Songs 73-80' collection.

    OK, specifically Tom Trauberts Blues. Absolutely beautiful. Amazing how rough and aged his voice was even back then.
    "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
  • elmerelmer Posts: 1,683
    trammeus wrote:
    Bone Machine (let's see who knows which song of it was covered by PJ on stage), the best of the recent years.

    Waits is a maestro.

    T
    In the Colliseum.............covered in Verona in 2000
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