Tom Waits- Orphans: Brawlers, bawlers and Bastards

direwolf74
direwolf74 Posts: 1,622
edited November 2006 in Other Music
Picked this up yesterday. The first disc is amazing, and I'm currently making my way through disc 2. This might be the best album released this year by anybody. It's incredible. 54 songs (30 of them new), beautiful artwork & packaging, and a 90-page lyric booklet. It doesn't get much better than that. This is definitely Mr. Waits at his finest, and I highly recommend checking it out.
"I try my best to chug, stomp, weep, whisper, moan, wheeze, scat, blurt, rage, whine, and seduce. With my voice I can sound like a girl, the boogieman, a Theremin, a cherry bomb, a clown, a doctor, a murderer. I can be tribal. Ironic. Or disturbed. My voice is really my instrument."

-Tom Waits
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Comments

  • StoneG82
    StoneG82 Posts: 806
    you took the words right out of my mouth.

    album of the year, without a doubt.

    Bawlers is currently my favorite disc. There's some really beautiful stuff on there. (Widow's Grove, Never Let Go (best song on the whole thing, imo), Take Care of My Children)

    Bastards is just weird as hell.
    "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
  • direwolf74
    direwolf74 Posts: 1,622
    StoneG82 wrote:
    Bastards is just weird as hell.

    Agreed. And I love every second of it. I've only listened to the first few tracks on that disc, but so far I'm really digging "Children's Story" and "Army Ants".
    "I try my best to chug, stomp, weep, whisper, moan, wheeze, scat, blurt, rage, whine, and seduce. With my voice I can sound like a girl, the boogieman, a Theremin, a cherry bomb, a clown, a doctor, a murderer. I can be tribal. Ironic. Or disturbed. My voice is really my instrument."

    -Tom Waits
  • StoneG82
    StoneG82 Posts: 806
    direwolf74 wrote:
    Agreed. And I love every second of it. I've only listened to the first few tracks on that disc, but so far I'm really digging "Children's Story" and "Army Ants".

    I love "What Keeps Mankind Alive"
    "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
  • off_the_record
    off_the_record Posts: 843
    yeah, the thrid disc is a bit of a stretch but the 1st 2 are excellent.
    Cheat the odds that made you
    Brave to try to gamble at times
  • direwolf74
    direwolf74 Posts: 1,622
    Did you guys notice the two hidden tracks at the end of "Bastards"? They're both spoken word bits- just Tom telling stories, and they're funny as hell. The first one sounds like a bootleg from a recent show.
    "I try my best to chug, stomp, weep, whisper, moan, wheeze, scat, blurt, rage, whine, and seduce. With my voice I can sound like a girl, the boogieman, a Theremin, a cherry bomb, a clown, a doctor, a murderer. I can be tribal. Ironic. Or disturbed. My voice is really my instrument."

    -Tom Waits
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    direwolf74 wrote:
    Did you guys notice the two hidden tracks at the end of "Bastards"? They're both spoken word bits- just Tom telling stories, and they're funny as hell. The first one sounds like a bootleg from a recent show.

    Are you sure you're not referring to the Jack Kerouac spoken word pieces, one of which is titled 'On the road'?
  • LifeWasted21
    LifeWasted21 Posts: 149
    unbelievable how good this is.

    ive been changed, aint goin down, road to peace, lowdown, widows grove, never let go, long way home are some of the best fucking things ive ever heard.
  • StoneG82
    StoneG82 Posts: 806
    LifeWasted21 wrote:
    unbelievable how good this is.

    ive been changed, aint goin down, road to peace, lowdown, widows grove, never let go, long way home are some of the best fucking things ive ever heard.

    yep.

    Waits is like a fine bottle of wine.....he gets better with age.

    That alone puts him far above any of his peers. Look at Bob Dylan's recent work. I love it, but it's nothing compared to his old stuff. Same with Neil Young. It's good, but doesn't hold a candle to his 70's records.

    Tom Waits on the other hand....just keeps getting better and better. The man has yet to put out a bad record. It's stunning.
    "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
  • StoneG82
    StoneG82 Posts: 806
    Well, ring the bell backwards and bury the axe
    Fall down on your knees in the dirt
    I’m tied to the mast between water and wind
    Believe me, you’ll never get hurt
    Now the ring’s in the pawnshop, the rain’s in the hole
    Down at the Five Points I stand
    I’ll loose everything
    But I won’t let go of your hand

    Now, Peter denied and Judas betrayed
    I’ll pay with the roll of the drum
    And the wind will tell the turn from the wheel
    And the watchman's making his rounds
    Well, you leave me hanging by the skin of my teeth
    I’ve only got one leg to stand
    You can send me to hell
    But I’ll never let go of your hand

    Swing from a rope on a cross-legged tree
    Signed with the one-eyed Jack’s blood
    From Temple and Union, to Weyley and Grand
    Walking back home in the mud

    Now, I must make my best of the only way home
    Marley deals only in stones
    I’m lost on the midway, I’m reckless in your eyes
    Just give me a couple more throws
    I’ll dare you to dine with the cross-legged knights
    Dare me to jump and I will
    I’ll fall from your grace
    But I’ll never let go of your hand
    I’ll never let go of your hand
    "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
  • direwolf74
    direwolf74 Posts: 1,622
    Byrnzie wrote:
    Are you sure you're not referring to the Jack Kerouac spoken word pieces, one of which is titled 'On the road'?

    Nope. Keep listening after "On the Road" ends, and you'll hear 2 more tracks which aren't listed on the CD cover. The first one was obviously recorded live in concert somewhere, and the second one is Tom telling a story about a woman he encountered at the grocery store.
    "I try my best to chug, stomp, weep, whisper, moan, wheeze, scat, blurt, rage, whine, and seduce. With my voice I can sound like a girl, the boogieman, a Theremin, a cherry bomb, a clown, a doctor, a murderer. I can be tribal. Ironic. Or disturbed. My voice is really my instrument."

    -Tom Waits
  • StoneG82
    StoneG82 Posts: 806
    yeah they are titled "Dog Treat" and "Missing my Son"
    "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
  • Sandruwa
    Sandruwa Posts: 239
    Haven't heard it yet ... hmmmmm!!
    RIP Syd ... Shine on you crazy diamond ...
  • Azwethinkweiz
    Azwethinkweiz Posts: 547
    i really want to get into this guy's music.

    which album(s) should i start out with ?

    thanks!
  • StoneG82
    StoneG82 Posts: 806
    Azwethinkweiz wrote:
    i really want to get into this guy's music.

    which album(s) should i start out with ?

    thanks!

    probably Closing Time.

    You're gonna wind up getting every one of his records anyways.....it's cool to see how his sound evolved over the years.
    "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
  • Todd76
    Todd76 Posts: 1,469
    Azwethinkweiz wrote:
    i really want to get into this guy's music.

    which album(s) should i start out with ?

    thanks!

    "Beautiful Maladies" is a good place to start - greatest hits collection from 1983 - 1992

    ....everybody has a favourite album - "Rain Dogs" is AMAZING, "Mule Variations" (1999) is the one i've been really into lately. I also love "Alice" (2002) and "Real Gone" (2004). I dont have alot of his early stuff - kinda used the greatest hits album to cover those bases (and save some dough)...but I had to get "Rain Dogs" - based on StoneG82's suggestion (i think).
    In my world everyone is a pony,
    and they all eat rainbows and pooh butterflies!
  • StoneG82
    StoneG82 Posts: 806
    Todd76 wrote:
    "Beautiful Maladies" is a good place to start - greatest hits collection from 1983 - 1992

    ....everybody has a favourite album - "Rain Dogs" is AMAZING, "Mule Variations" (1999) is the one i've been really into lately. I also love "Alice" (2002) and Real Gone (2004). I dont have alot of his early stuff - kinda used the greatest hits album to cover those bases (and save some dough)...but I had to get "Rain Dogs" - based on StoneG82's suggestion (i think).

    Tom has so many great records, ya know?

    his best is Rain Dogs in my opinion. You really can't go wrong with any of em.

    depends on what you're into.

    Mule Variations has a little bit of everything. very bluesy, some weird stuff, some rockers, some beautiful piano tunes. I personally think it's a great starting point since it covers all of the bases.

    If you're into piano/jazzy stuff, check out his early records. Closing Time is a masterpiece, same with Small Change and Blue Valentine.

    Bone Machine is really dark and experimental. It's where I started. It's a phenomenal record but it's hard to get used to at first.
    "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
  • Azwethinkweiz
    Azwethinkweiz Posts: 547
    okay, thanks guys.

    i'm gonna start out with Rain Dogs and Mule Variations. (not a big fan of 'greatest hits')
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    direwolf74 wrote:
    Nope. Keep listening after "On the Road" ends, and you'll hear 2 more tracks which aren't listed on the CD cover. The first one was obviously recorded live in concert somewhere, and the second one is Tom telling a story about a woman he encountered at the grocery store.

    O.k, will do. Cheers.
  • StoneG82
    StoneG82 Posts: 806
    here's something cool to do....make your current "best of Orphans" mix. must be 18 tracks, with songs from each disc. Here's mine:

    1) Lie to Me
    2) Lowdown
    3) Long Way Home
    4) What Keeps Mankind Alive?
    5) Little Drop of Poison
    6) Widow's Grove
    7) Danny Says
    8.) Walk Away
    9) Road to Peace
    10) Take Care of My Children
    11) Bottom of the World
    12) I Know I've been Changed
    13) Never Let Go
    14) Children's Story
    15) Sea of Love
    16) If I Have to Go
    17) You Can Never Hold Back Spring
    18.) Rains on Me
    "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
  • Cropduster84
    Cropduster84 Posts: 1,283
    StoneG82 wrote:
    yep.

    Waits is like a fine bottle of wine.....he gets better with age.

    That alone puts him far above any of his peers. Look at Bob Dylan's recent work. I love it, but it's nothing compared to his old stuff. Same with Neil Young. It's good, but doesn't hold a candle to his 70's records.

    Tom Waits on the other hand....just keeps getting better and better. The man has yet to put out a bad record. It's stunning.

    As ever, you're spot on. These 3 discs Im afraid to say piss all over Dylan's latest.

    Tom Waits is probably the greatest American singer songwriter today.
    'The more I studied religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself.' - Sir Richard Francis Burton

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