I’ve heard a few tracks on the radio lately that make me want to explore this slightly weird chap’s back catalogue.

Can any uber fans point me in the right direction in terms of which albums to listen out for, which to avoid etc. Even a play-list of recommended tracks would very much be cool and appreciated?

Leaving shortly for a night ride so if I don’t thank you swiftly and profusely it’s not cos I’m being ignorant or ungrateful, I’m just out…

Closing Time is pretty conventional by Waits standards, but it’s fantastic IMHO.

Allmusic.com would point in the right direction for other suggestions.

Frank’s Wild Years is a good one from 1987.
RainDogs from 1985 also very good.
As a big fan, i can’t really fault anything he has done 🙂

These:

[img]http://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/covers/orphans-brawlers-bawlers-bastards.jpg[/img]

And my personal favourite but probably not his best

I could go on and on

There’s some compilations about which are a good toe in the water and will point you at specific albums. I think one is ‘The Island Years’ which is a lot of earlyish stuff.

If you like them then have a look at John Hammond Jnr – he did an album of Tom Waits covers a few years back which is great.

I much prefer his early stuff so i’d recommend the asylum years,its like a greatest hits of the first 3 albums.

iain

I have Tom Waits autobiography. Never read it but it fits perfectly into the gap on the outside of my dog flap to stop the dog busting out in the middle of the night!

The best way to get the full low down is to get

Asylum Year, then Beautiful Maladies, then Orphans. Pretty much covers his works and styles to date.

Only album I can’t stand is One From the Heart, everything else pretty much rocks IMO, obviously

‘Bone Machine’ is fantastic and has some of my favourite Tom Waits songs on it, including ‘Black Wings’, which I reckon is his equivalent of Nick Cave’s ‘Red Right Hand’.

I believe Beautiful Maladies is the name of the compilation you want, covers the Island Years and has lots of great tunes on there.

I think he’s one of those very rare artists who has got better over time – so many seem to burn out early. My favorite Waits album is Mule Variations – musta been released around year 2000.

I’m guessing you’ve heard Hughie playing a few tracks on 6 ? Tom’s career pretty much has two periods – the 1970’s, when he was a barfly doing pretty straight, mostly piano based songs and then the 1980 – present period which started when he met his wife, Kathleen Brennan. She encouraged him to explore his more “creative” side starting with the trilogy of Raindogs, Swordfishtromones and Frank’s Wild Years. Try “Raindogs” first. If you don’t like that, you’re unlikely to love anything else – but then I would say that 🙂

Tom waits is great all time fav gotta be closing time tho

I got hold of his entire discography following a recommendation on here a couple of years ago.

Some great stuff in there. Also some very weird stuff.

He’s often like some old drunk tramp singing to no one in particular, with a strangled voice, long cracked from too much hard living, but somehow still conveys some beautiful soul.

But none of my friends seem to “get” it. 🙁

But none of my friends seem to “get” it

Yeah, I know that one….

I’ve loved Tom Waits since I got hold of a white label of Small Change before it was released back in the Eighties. If you don’t know Waits, then go with the early albums, like Small Change, Nighthawks At The Diner, and Closing Time, and Orphans, which has got lots of wonderful stuff on, like What’s He Building In There, and Bottom Of The World, then start to check out albums like Rain Dogs, Mule Variations, etc. He’s pretty much unique, and is a great raconteur, Nighthawks… having some great inter song chat. Closing Time has to be one of my all-time favourite songs.

I like Blue Valentine, some perfect basslines

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-eUSzl3gEI[/video]

But none of my friends seem to “get” it

I know that feeling, they’re all suddenly into “classic rock” and i’m happy listening to Sonic Youth and Fugazi, which they describe as noise

Rain Dogs and Mule Variations would be a great starting pair, as per above. Enjoy!

Listening to Heart of Saturday Night(1974) at the moment.
Loverly…

He made an appearance in a film the kids were watching recently and I took a double take.
I made the kids listen to Downtown Train, cos I’m like that!

Spotify is ace.

Glitter and Doom the latest live album would be a good intro, saw him in Edinburgh last year, gig was magical, waited over twenty years for that one,only downside was siting across from Ricky Ross from Deacon Blue on the train home to Glasgow.
As above, Asylum years, original vinyl version has more tracks than the current CD, Franks Wild Years, Raindogs, Swordfish & Trombones, Big Time is a cracking live album, good concert film as well on VHS, wish they would rerelease it on DVD.
I love One from the Heart its a great album but crap film, sings with Crystal Gayle, bit different than the rest of his stuff, Broken Bicycles is a good un.
Tracks I like are Step Right Up, Jockey Full of Bourbon, Tom Trauberts Blues, Whats he Building in there?, Make it Rain, Broken Bicylces, Kentucky Avenue.
Plays himself in Terry Gillians The Imagination of Dr Parasamous, good movie.
Started his career playing with Barry Manilow and Bette Midler in bath houses apparently.
Man is a legend, respect.

bone machine, genius 8)

only downside was siting across from Ricky Ross from Deacon Blue on the train home to Glasgow

Ha ha ha, was he crying knowing that no matter how hard he tried he would never be Scotlands Tom Waits?

Well, just got back in from an ace night ride to find quite a bit to wade through! Thanks for all your insight, will take a while to get through but I’ll give it a shot.

Thanks again!

I’m a half-fan so I guess I should offer this warning- for every fantastic Tom Waits song there’s one which sounds like a mad old drunk shouting at the bins. Don’t be put off by this.

I like that – ‘mad old drunk shouting at the bins’ very true especially on his later albums. Even though someone up there ^ said he’s become better with age I disagree. The early albums up to and including the beautiful ‘One from the Heart’ soundtrack are my favourites. Less mad drunk shouting and more great, great music IMO.

First 2 albums I had were cassettes found in Woolies – Swordfishtrombones and Frank’s Wild Years.
Both pretty amazing, and quite similar, musically.

Blue Valentine great for something more downbeat and Bone Machine for how wild he can be.

(And watch “Down By Law”)

Love Tom Waits. First albulm I bought was The Black Rider

which was an interesting way to start a collection.

Have a link to Gliter and Doom

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92916923

I just bought ‘Alice’ the other day, pretty much at random, cos I had some eMusic credits to use up. First bit of Tom Waits I’ve ever listened really, and it’s rather ace. Somewhere in the bizarre region inhabited by Captain Beefheart and later Scott Walker. I shall definitely check out some of these here suggestions…