Waits A Minute...
Shut up, I know I already basically made this list two months ago. But I rdidn't put a pun in the title that time, nor did I have sufficient rknowledge of the Tom Waits canon to really make an educated rjudgement. So, here we go again, they say second time's the charm rright? List of the ten best Tom Waits albums. Also, read my review of rSwordfishtrombones, it's great. |
| 1 |  | Tom Waits
Swordfishtrombones
As much as I love the mushy-gushy Closing Time that topped my last Tom Waits
list, there is just something so undeniably powerful about Swordfishtrombones. I
can only imagine what it must have been like to have heard this for the first time
in 1983. This is a record that, not only served as the start to Tom Waits'
reinvention, but ultimately changed the face of experimental music. There's
absolutely nothing like it. Oh, also, read my review of this album.
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/5970/Tom-Waits-Swordfishtrombones/
Thanks munchkins. |
| 2 |  | Tom Waits
Closing Time
This album is still pretty high up there for me, although this most likely has
something to do with nostalgic value. The last track kills me every time I hear it -
absolutely stunning. That's a song that could make a deaf man cry. |
| 3 |  | Tom Waits
Mule Variations
You know what, number three was the hardest. Just because it's at the threshold
of the 'Top 3' and the 'Rest' of them. But ultimately, it had to be Mule Variations.
The fact that Tom Waits was able to record an album nearly 20 years after his
first and still have something original to bring to music is incredible. It's also
Tom's return to a much softer sound, which is always nice. |
| 4 |  | Tom Waits
The Heart Of Saturday Night
This seems to be a record that has Waits fans split right down the middle. And at
the risk of starting a war, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is one of
Tom Waits' best. It's an album that oozes with mood, which is something that is
often hard to pull of successfully. And the title trick is still one of my favorite
Waits songs. |
| 5 |  | Tom Waits
Rain Dogs
What the fuck do you want me to say? It's Rain Dogs. It's great. Not incredible
though, although it's often cited as being Tom's masterpiece. Either way, if this is
the album that gets you into Tom Waits, all that really matters is the fact that
you're now into Tom Waits. So, congratulations, the next three months of your
life will most likely be spent exploring the extensive discography of your new
favorite musician. |
| 6 |  | Tom Waits
Bone Machine
The third in what could perhaps be considered a trilogy of Tom's percussive
experimentation days, Bone Machine is anther album that gets slightly overrated.
Still worth the listen though. |
| 7 |  | Tom Waits
Small Change
Tom Traubert's Blues will forever be the saddest song ever written in my eyes.
The reason that this album is rated so low is simply because it doesn't really live
up to its opener. There are some great tracks that come later on, but when you
start with something like Tom Traubert's Blues, you're just setting yourself up for
defeat. |
| 8 |  | Tom Waits
Bad As Me
Tom Waits is back and as feisty as ever! The fact that this was recorded in a
studio with a 62 year old man is beyond me. Hopefully this isn't the end of Tom
Waits, I feel like he's got at least another 3-4 good records in him. Keep 'em
coming. |
| 9 |  | Tom Waits
Nighthawks At The Diner
I know this is probably rather biased, but I still think that this is one of the best
live albums ever. This is a record you listen to on a Saturday Night when you're
too sick to go see a show with your mates, because it lets you bring the concert
to your living room. |
| 10 |  | Tom Waits
Heartattack and Vine
I've pretty much exhausted my descriptive vocabulary, so I'm not even going to
try to describe this release. Just listen to it, it's good. |
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