Abdar112: Tom Waits Recs

couldwinarabbit 02.17.11	all of closing time...and some of these aren't great. open/closer on raindogs and In the Neighbourhood on swordfish are my top 3 songs by him.
stillexist 02.17.11	Starting with the album "Rain Dogs", Waits took his music into very avant garde and experimental realms, whereas his previous albums had been based in traditional blues/singer song writer realms. I'm only familiar with his more experimental stuff, but I will stress that, even at its weirdest, Waits' music is never less than brilliant on a melodic and compositional level. "Bone Machine" is by far his darkest album, and also his weirdest. It features creepy voodoo blues cuts, surreal western noir songs, haunting jazz dirges and some beautiful ballads. "Real Gone" is almost as bizarre, with wacky and wild melodies and rhythms. There is an audible hip hop influence to the album, and Waits has professed his love of the Wu Tang Clan. "Mule Variations" is good if you want a latter day Waits' album that is not as bizarre and features a fair amount of pretty straight ahead folk/blues songs. In fact, I would say "Mule Variations" has the best songs of all the albums I've mentioned, but it is not as unique and bizarre as the others.
porch 02.17.11	^swordfishtrombones was the start of his experimental era
Yotimi 02.17.11	When you're done with these get Future Islands - In Evening Air
couldwinarabbit 02.17.11	ya 5-9 is some crazy shit.
Jruined 02.17.11	Alice and Blood Money are far darker in tone than Bone Machine. All good albums. Honestly I think his older stuff is more enjoyable now for me (Closing Time and the like), but that's just because I enjoy hearing where he started off compared to how I was first introduced to him (Bone Machine/swordfish/Frank's Wild Years). I wouldn't approach him chronologically myself. If you want a feel for his earlier stuff I prefer Heartattack, if you want to go out there a ways jump in with Blood Money or Alice. If you want some off color stuff that is pretty catchy Bone Machine or Mule Variations work.
TheBoss88 02.17.11	Orphans is absolutely worth your time and maybe even a great starting place. I have all of his albums and really it's fun to bounce around with all of it, sometimes I'm in the mood for his more experimental side and other times his laid back earlier albums are great. I'm a sucker for his ballads and the Bawlers disc from Orphans kills me.
Jruined 02.17.11	Yeah Orphans. Definitely a good collection of his various sounds.