Recommeded Tom Waits' albums?

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There are a lot of Tom Waits albums on special offer at a local record shop. I've always enjoyed listening to his music on the radio, but have never owned any of his albums. I'd like to get a couple now, but have no idea which ones to buy. What do you recommend?

― Johanna, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'raindogs' I would recommend. it also has Marc Ribot's guitar on several tracks that really adds somethings to the rec.

I like Tom's vocals as well. I've heard tracks from some of his latest recs and he really has gone over the top I feel but he gets it right here.

― Julio Desouza, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm sure we've done this elsewhere, but as it's early and I can't be bothered to look this up in the old threads:
Raindogs: considered the classic, herky jerky kinda delivery, lots of percussion, contains the original version of "Downtown Train", but the instrumentation means it won't be to everyone's tastes
Small Change: one of my favourites of the early lounge-style years...heavy reliance on piano and the drunken sot persona, still very heartbreaking and beautiful
Nighthawks at the Diner: again, early material, but performed live...if you're not diggin' on the music itself, Waits' between- song patter is as good, if not sometimes better
Bone Machine: my favourite of all--this is really where he brought it all together, from wild homemade instruments, to heartbreakingly beautiful ballads (esp "A Little Rain"), ripping rockers ("Going Out West"), while still keeping that herky-jerky edge in the right places ("Murder in the Red Barn", "Earth Died Screaming"). If I had to distill my Waits collection down to one, this would be it.

― Sean Carruthers, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Rain Dogs, with its drunk-in-the-city-night feel, is a work of great art.

Alice is absolutely, overwhelmingly, stunningly beautiful.

― sean, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Swordfishtrombones! Way better than 'Rain Dogs' IMHO.

― Jeff W, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Kinda breaks down pre and post swordfishtrombones, with the pre- period being more mainstream, boho jazz piano singer songwriter material and post beign weirdo avante cabaret. Heartattack and Vine might just be on the cusp of the two and is actuially my favourite by far. Not sure there's any albums that are meant to be really duff, its not like Lou Reed or Bob Dylan where large streches of his career are best avoided, especially by beginners. But what do I know, I'm not a Waits afficienado.

― Winkelmann, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i haven't really checked out pre-Swordfish Waits records. my only problem with them is that they're usually too depressing to listen to all the way through, esp. Bone Machine. i love love love individual tracks, though, which is why Tom Waits = perfect mixtape fodder. give me 'In The Coliseum', 'I Don't Want To Grow Up' and 'Murder In The Red Barn' any day of the week.

― Dave M., Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sean C is OTM abt 'Bone Machine', but I know someone who's fave is 'The Black Rider'!

― Andrew L, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'd try The Asylum Years for a sampling of the early stuff, and just about any '80s or '90s album, starting with Swordfishtrombones, are worth checking out. There's an Island Years comp that makes a good starting point as well. I like Mule Variations as much as, maybe more than, anything else he's done as well.

― M Matos, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Frank's Wild Years is my favorite; Alice is superb.

― J Blount, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Blood Money I do really like for its abstract cussedness -- not revelatory but still a good listen. The older material? Hm...well, most of the high points have already been hit by everyone else!

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah, why does Mule get dissed on? 'Big In Japan' ist klassik.

Sean C is OTM abt 'Bone Machine', but I know someone who's fave is 'The Black Rider'!

would this be Kevin Smith (as per his records thingy in Maxim Blender)?

― Dave M., Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Franks Wild Years seconded. the best of the 2nd half of his career by some distance, esp love innocent where you dream, where it sounds like some old 78. i like a lot of the early stuff too, heart of saturday night, foreign affairs (accusations of self parody, but i don't care!)

― gareth, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

He's one of my favourites. I have twenty of his albums, and I don't think he's made a poor one - I don't know any artiste who has been around so long with a better worst album! Rain Dogs and Swordfishtrombones are the great pair, I think, and I love Frank's Wild Years nearly as much. If you're not rich enough to buy loads, you also definitely need a good early comp - The Asylum Years is probably best. Alice is gorgeous, but I don't suppose that's on offer - and the simultaneous release Blood Money only sounds less excellent - it's still excellent.

― Martin Skidmore, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

love innocent where you dream

the movie Smoke made excellent use of this... btw first place i ever heard him

― Dave M., Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Heart of Saturday Night, Small Change, Mule Variations, Closing Time.

― Mark M, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Essential listens and in this order.... Night On Earth - The Original Soundtrack by Waits, The Black Rider, Bone Machine, and Blood Money.

― maria, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the worst music ever made, or close to it.

― keith, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

buy them all, goddamit. tom's the rarest of talents.

― angelo, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Lets see, If your a Ginsberg fan then Black Rider is a must, other wise its good but stick with the other albums people are mentioning, like Rain Dogs, Bone Machine and Heart of Saturday Night. Im partial to Night Hawks at the Diners and Small Change as well but Im not sure Id go so far as to recomend them.

― Mr Noodles, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

nine months pass...

Bone Machine, Mule Variations, Rain Dogs all seconded, thirded, whatever...

― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Friday, 23 May 2003 12:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, just get them all ya fule!

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 23 May 2003 13:02 (twenty-three years ago)

From '83 onwards definitely Raindogs.

Before that The best of Tom Waits's early albums?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 23 May 2003 13:29 (twenty-three years ago)

The Heart of Saturday Night and Bone Machine are my two favorites, especially considering they were made by two completely different Tom Waitses.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 23 May 2003 13:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Apparently Zoe Ball once said her favourite album was the Black Rider soundtrack. Wierd.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Friday, 23 May 2003 13:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Raindogs is def. the classic Tom Waits album that straddles traditional "songs" w/experimental instrumentation really well. I thik Mule Variations gets dissed on because it's Waits-by-numbers; there are some good songs on it but it's overly long and didn't really do anything new (problem was probably because it had been a few years since his last so expectations were really high). Alice is really beautiful. My wife used to really dislike Waits but Alice converted her.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Friday, 23 May 2003 16:18 (twenty-three years ago)

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