| | Full Review | Ratings (1470) |
Give your Rating |
| 4.5 superb | PunkMoon | March 2nd 13 |
Listening to this album is like being told a bunch of sad stories by a retired carnival barker, and I'll be damned if those stories aren't great.
3 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | TheBalderdashMan | June 4th 11 |
"Singing might not be an accurate description of what Waits does here," observes Rolling Stone with glorious understatement. Elsewhere, I've seen his voice described as "parched", "croaking", and "a cancerous growl". None of these quite convey the unique agony of listening to Waits's death-rattle vocals. Nor, I imagine, can any language. Backed by a band of psychopathic clowns wielding xylophones and horns, his partially decayed vocal cords evoke a sweaty, surrealist hell on the underside of town somewhere. At its frequent best, it's riveting.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Iai EMERITUS | June 27th 06 |
There's several good reasons why Tom Waits has been such a persistent cult hero for so many years. Rain Dogs explains them all. His voice may well be so gravelly you could park your car on it, but it's also perfect for telling stories - no matter what he's saying, you feel trapped inside a glamourous 50s gangster B-movie. He still sounds like no-one else (perhaps Kaiser's Orchestra aside) both musically and vocally. About four Tom Waits albums could have gone here, but Rain Dogs just edges it - it's street-smart, groovy, funky, and occasionally pretty funny ("Cemetery Polka"'s vaguely psychedelic surrealism always raises a chuckle for me), not to mention the fact that it boasts the mighty trifecta of "Downtown Train", "Time", and "Hang Down Your Head" - three beautiful pop songs soaked in whiskey and tobacco, every one a certified Waits classic.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | charlopiano | April 21st 21 |
I really wished there was a bigger narrative throughout the album. As it is, it?s 19 really fun tracks of very orginal and one of a kind singer-songwriter music. Seriously this sounds like nothing I?ve ever heard. I got that magic of discovering a new kind of music, randomly and really loving it. It?s bizarre, cool at times, really funny, the instrumentaion is extremely varied and original. I have very few negative criticisms of the album, the only thing is that I would really like to see Tom Waits tell a much bigger story throughout a whole album, rather than a collection of small songs. Great find.
Bump |
| 4.1 excellent | Erwann S. STAFF | August 6th 20 |
Continuing the shift initiated with Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs is a bluesy take on cabaret, telling batshit crazy stories with the aplomb only a drunk romantic man can have. The lyrics' dementia find their echo in the music, a noise of percussions, banjos, bar piano, and Marc Ribot's unstructured guitar. And the songs man. These songs are just so damn good, catchy without being meant as catchy tunes. A timeless record, maybe because it sounded anachronic in 1985. Doesn't sound like anything else, really.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | RoyT | March 12th 17 |
Mixed feelings about this one. Not an easy album to connect with, sure enough. What can you do, Waits is, for better and worse, the defintion of an "odd duck".
Bump |
| 5.0 classic | Jared Floryan | March 2nd 16 |
Try to picture a mushroom cloud explosion engulfing a barren jungle complete with hypnotizing mist, and then 1985's Rain Dogs is the product of said image. Singer-songwriter Tom Waits - who I was sort of introduced to via Primus' "Tommy the Cat" single - possesses a musical persona that transcends inviting, and his knack for including a wide range of styles such as jazz, blues, and rock on this particular studio album prove adventurous and simultaneously ingenious; the varied selection of instruments help. There isn't a single moment wasted throughout Rain Dogs' 53-minute runtime, meaning that the full-length offering holds one's undivided attention from beginning to end regarding noticeable characteristics like Waits' identifiable growl, which is nothing short of awesome to hear. This album inhales and exhales a spellbinding character of grand proportions.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | lz41 | September 29th 15 |
"After rain all the dogs that got caught in the rain, the water washed away their whole trail and they can't get back home so about 4 in the morning you see all these stranded dogs on the street and they're looking around like, won't you help me get back home, sir, please? Excuse me sir? Can you help me find my way back home? All makes and models, the short ones, the black ones, the tall ones, the expensive ones, the long ones, the disturbed ones, they all want to get home. So that's a Rain Dog. It's like falling asleep somewhere and you thought you knew where you were and when you woke up, they changed the furniture and the walls and windows and the sky turned a different colour and you can never get back. Most of the stories in this record have to do with people in New York who are experiencing a considerable amount of pain and discomfort."
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | TheManMachine | January 24th 15 |
The king of polarizing frog-rasp vocals/adept lyricism backed by what we can only imagine as a blues-trained crew of drunken carnies who specialize in rickety-thump arrangements with any ol thing found in the troves, instruments and random objects alike. They even coax Keith Richards into the madness. Though this is a sprawler, it shows off their multifaceted talents - tender ballads, wild ruckus stompers, dark & dingy alleyway spoken word, low-key creepers, would-be hit singles if anyone else was singing, etc.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | TRMshadow | December 8th 12 |
Scattered, confusing, and unsettling... but at the same time unbelievably beautiful. I can only assume that Mike Patton drew a lot of influence from this guy and with good reason, undeniably years ahead of his time. 4.2/5
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | iSkane | May 30th 11 |
Rain Dogs has got to be the most interesting album I've ever heard, it's definitely unlike anything I've ever heard. Tom Waits's vocals are ragged and rough, but also quite tolerable to listen to. I found every second of the album to be enjoyable and smiled through the entire thing.
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Zebra | June 21st 06 |
Rain Dogs incorporates influences of country, folk, jazz, and blues all into one. Groovy brass instruments weave their way in and out of twangy acoustic guitars and Toms loud, raspy voice. While listening to the album it almost seems like Waits and his crew picked up some old instruments laying around and just started playing. Rain Dogs has an extremely raw feel and songs jump from tense and boisterous rockers (Downtown Train, Big Black Mariah) to slow, bluesy tunes (Jockey Full of Bourbon, Walking Spanish. Accordians, marracas, and timpani's all find their way into the music and create a somber and nocturnal feel. Rain Dogs is a classic album featuring nineteen gloomy, dark, and occasionally chaotic songs.
Favorite Tracks:
Jockey Full of Bourbon
Hang Down Your Head
Walking Spanish
Bump |
| 2.5 average | platttt | October 24th 24 |
| 5.0 classic | Gumboot | October 16th 24 |
| 5.0 classic | doofy | January 7th 24 |
| 3.5 great | Zakusz | December 4th 23 |
| 5.0 classic | Rick64 | September 25th 23 |
| 5.0 classic | Bren80 | August 30th 23 |
| 5.0 classic | Merlijn | August 25th 23 |
| 3.0 good | mm97 | March 29th 23 |
| 5.0 classic | Araz | February 20th 23 |
| 3.0 good | Timmy | January 11th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | mallen- | January 2nd 23 |
| 5.0 classic | Kinski | September 12th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | Naseki | July 15th 22 |
| 4.5 superb | Oatus | May 18th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | ZIG | February 22nd 22 |
| 4.5 superb | EyeSock | January 20th 22 |
| 4.5 superb | chwe | January 4th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | Grungil | December 21st 21 |
| 5.0 classic | KuyJuk | November 9th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | tonydip | November 2nd 21 |
| 5.0 classic | Lucman | July 21st 21 |
| 4.5 superb | JNeu | July 7th 21 |
| 5.0 classic | bSmith | May 14th 21 |
| 4.5 superb | Collis | February 14th 21 |
| 5.0 classic | Juuso | February 7th 21 |
| 5.0 classic | MmJj | January 9th 21 |
| 4.5 superb | Stufy2 | December 17th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | bloaf38 | December 6th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | samsid | November 24th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | Artechi | November 13th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | zschab | September 22nd 20 |
| 5.0 classic | Henry | August 7th 20 |
| 3.5 great | ariich | August 5th 20 |
| 5.0 classic | lxxwj | May 20th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Atari STAFF | March 26th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | Respawn | January 19th 20 |
| 5.0 classic | yoil | December 31st 19 |
| 5.0 classic | Zeuzo | October 20th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | Rager99 | October 18th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sinyooz | September 6th 19 |
| 2.5 average | fog CONTRIBUTOR | August 6th 19 |
| 5.0 classic | kb3984 | July 31st 19 |
| 5.0 classic | Josh | July 29th 19 |
| 3.0 good | remi | July 21st 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | A.R.O. STAFF | June 17th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | Jade | May 15th 19 |
| 5.0 classic | Onater | April 26th 19 |
| 5.0 classic | dgropp | March 8th 19 |
| 5.0 classic | ghworin | February 13th 19 |
| 2.0 poor | bharry | January 18th 19 |
| 5.0 classic | shekt95 | November 11th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | EdIsOff | October 27th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Jrpuri2 | October 14th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | orakst | October 9th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | dvdkmlr | September 25th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | J1m1 | September 8th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | NateMa | August 28th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | bungy | August 10th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | W1NG00 | July 27th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | CGayda | June 29th 18 |
| 3.5 great | DJMarz | April 22nd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Penlord | April 15th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | skronk | March 28th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | rufous | March 26th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | Javier | February 26th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | solrage | February 14th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | loulou | January 5th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Rdv | December 5th 17 |
| 4.5 superb | Rambles | September 11th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | bentl | July 31st 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | rifkadm | July 29th 17 |
| 4.5 superb | YeeHaw | July 11th 17 |
| 5.0 classic | Judith | July 6th 17 |
| 5.0 classic | natey | June 27th 17 |
| 5.0 classic | greg17 | June 5th 17 |
| 2.5 average | Ceg | May 25th 17 |
| 4.5 superb | Sine | April 26th 17 |
| 3.5 great | Pon EMERITUS | April 22nd 17 |
| 4.5 superb | NoSons | April 21st 17 |
| 5.0 classic | kessbo | April 2nd 17 |
| 4.5 superb | Corney | March 26th 17 |
| 3.0 good | rrodf | March 12th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | 2ool | February 28th 17 |
| 5.0 classic | Winndex | February 23rd 17 |
| 5.0 classic | SirKwan | January 24th 17 |
| 4.5 superb | Djang0 | January 7th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | FakeOne | December 6th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | Garjo | December 2nd 16 |
| 4.5 superb | Devius | December 2nd 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | Maniac! | November 12th 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jekub | October 31st 16 |
| 5.0 classic | Kakz | October 22nd 16 |
| 5.0 classic | F1Aaron | October 12th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | jackled | October 12th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | lumucc | October 4th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | helti | August 13th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | xxm | July 15th 16 |
| 5.0 classic | ASberg | July 1st 16 |
| 5.0 classic | Smelty | June 22nd 16 |
| 3.5 great | p4p | June 15th 16 |
| 4.5 superb | Tom R. CONTRIBUTOR | June 3rd 16 |
| 5.0 classic | IVIII | April 24th 16 |
| 4.5 superb | Outtou | April 2nd 16 |
| 4.5 superb | timmy36 | February 11th 16 |
| 4.5 superb | jsegura | January 30th 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | pumi | January 11th 16 |
| 3.5 great | Atrophy | December 13th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | elch21 | November 25th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | Mazarb | November 22nd 15 |
| 4.5 superb | desertm | November 17th 15 |
| 5.0 classic | peanut | November 3rd 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | wham49 | October 27th 15 |
| 4.5 superb | espnil | October 21st 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | wwf | October 20th 15 |
| 4.5 superb | Lassie | September 20th 15 |
| 5.0 classic | tjare | September 3rd 15 |
| 4.5 superb | mzeet | August 16th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | Dylan | July 13th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | spur55 | July 4th 15 |
| 4.5 superb | Tb1114 | June 25th 15 |
| 3.5 great | Runeii | March 17th 15 |
| 4.5 superb | Nigtwig | January 17th 15 |
| 5.0 classic | jtswope | January 9th 15 |
| 5.0 classic | Sithese | December 31st 14 |
| 5.0 classic | MvdW | December 21st 14 |
| 4.5 superb | Onirium | November 9th 14 |
| 5.0 classic | cord13 | August 16th 14 |
| 4.5 superb | Veldin | August 12th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jackus | July 28th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | jimbon | July 24th 14 |
| 3.5 great | Greem | July 13th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | ethos | May 20th 14 |
| 4.5 superb | PIC46 | May 19th 14 |
| 2.5 average | porch | April 24th 14 |
| 5.0 classic | Gyckso | April 6th 14 |
| 4.5 superb | JS19 | March 26th 14 |
| 4.5 superb | Isida | March 16th 14 |
| 4.5 superb | Kralle | February 17th 14 |
| 5.0 classic | amigou | February 15th 14 |
| 5.0 classic | benhxc | February 10th 14 |
| 5.0 classic | Qorx | January 16th 14 |
| 4.5 superb | cb123 | January 7th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | Gtzk | January 5th 14 |
| 4.5 superb | SmersH | December 26th 13 |
| 3.5 great | Cycles | December 25th 13 |
| 2.5 average | artine | December 17th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | arnnnau | December 6th 13 |
| 2.0 poor | arthen | November 30th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | Foxsnew | November 16th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | bulk | November 13th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | unkle | November 6th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | lucinda | October 12th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | Waitz | September 24th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | rawolo | September 3rd 13 |
| 5.0 classic | Grant | August 6th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | Kinch | June 15th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | sncold | June 7th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Mojito | May 28th 13 |
| 3.0 good | Escain | April 26th 13 |
| 3.5 great | ADM20 | April 22nd 13 |
| 4.5 superb | SebaW | April 7th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | ffs | March 30th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | Koei | March 20th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | jmh886 | March 17th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | MrElmo | March 14th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | erdi | February 23rd 13 |
| 5.0 classic | dogteal | February 23rd 13 |
| 5.0 classic | heisl | February 21st 13 |
| 4.5 superb | Makku | February 14th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | 1554699 | February 10th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | queen | February 4th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | mnstrmr | February 1st 13 |
| 4.5 superb | gp0942 | January 30th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | kn2985 | January 21st 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Veritus | January 21st 13 |
| 5.0 classic | Ethics | January 9th 13 |
| 5.0 classic | Sevhead | January 7th 13 |
| 4.5 superb | Kiran EMERITUS | December 29th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | vkristi | December 26th 12 |
| 3.5 great | urzadek | December 17th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | rien333 | December 16th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | Nikolai | December 5th 12 |
| 3.5 great | SeiGor | December 5th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Surette | November 27th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | ErikCK | November 18th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | John L | October 23rd 12 |
| 5.0 classic | darrens | October 22nd 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | shizm | October 21st 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | balazs | October 18th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | igg20 | October 15th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | Peluca | October 8th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Simon K. STAFF | October 7th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | aguzman | October 7th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | Tulten | September 17th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Host78 | September 15th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Lani | August 5th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | krkat | July 21st 12 |
| 4.5 superb | iglu | July 9th 12 |
| 2.0 poor | piolo | June 16th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | Brains | June 15th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | JThack4 | June 13th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Yakman | May 27th 12 |
| 3.5 great | KILL | April 13th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Waits | April 8th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Behexen | April 3rd 12 |
| 4.5 superb | juiy45 | March 30th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | vivapo | March 21st 12 |
| 3.0 good | Eons | March 21st 12 |
| 3.5 great | CutMan | March 20th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | rjk | March 5th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Spamue1G | February 29th 12 |
| 3.5 great | virpi | February 25th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | Mowgli | February 18th 12 |
| 3.5 great | sattyre | February 18th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Phate72 | February 14th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | Kenos | January 22nd 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | StAAder | January 22nd 12 |
| 5.0 classic | Leyland | January 19th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Zephir | January 18th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | BenRaah | December 23rd 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Titan50 | December 16th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | Amoores | November 3rd 11 |
| 5.0 classic | Jezzami | November 1st 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Trebor. EMERITUS | October 31st 11 |
| 5.0 classic | iGuter | October 30th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | thawey | October 19th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | divoz | October 4th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | cinnas | September 13th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | pcar | September 4th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Yotimi | August 30th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | G3N3R1C | August 29th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | leycec | August 27th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | stfrnz | August 17th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | seifer | August 4th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sowilo | August 3rd 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Rowdy | July 30th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | KaliMa | June 29th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Muzix | May 24th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | BiOZed | May 24th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | wabbit | April 22nd 11 |
| 5.0 classic | hankmac | February 6th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | stakor | January 24th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | qitozex | January 23rd 11 |
| 4.5 superb | mmadden | January 22nd 11 |
| 5.0 classic | bab808 | January 7th 11 |
| 2.5 average | Rumulox | January 3rd 11 |
| 4.5 superb | JViney EMERITUS | December 31st 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | geogaddi | December 29th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | incompl | December 4th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Deathcar | November 15th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | Roomex | November 13th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | crank | November 10th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | miltos | November 4th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | Mikk | November 2nd 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Ydun | October 4th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | grotto | September 15th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Annaa | September 4th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | eunit75 | August 27th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | qwe3 | August 25th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | 1zero | August 23rd 10 |
| 3.5 great | cuki92 | July 19th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | AnvilJ | June 20th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | SlyJak | June 18th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | Mevz | June 13th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | Cake37 | June 1st 10 |
| 5.0 classic | D2d_ | April 24th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | kral | April 8th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Gustaf | March 14th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | shade | February 26th 10 |
| 5.0 classic | Smevin | February 7th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | DonDijk | January 17th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | nodnerB | December 13th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | chaos17 | December 10th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | splurge | December 2nd 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Beorn | November 22nd 09 |
| 4.5 superb | TomKat | October 30th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Phantom | October 18th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Akumac | October 14th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | WesCrap | October 12th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | Anguish | September 28th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | akdandy | September 25th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | shindip | September 2nd 09 |
| 5.0 classic | lauriej | September 2nd 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | DBlitz | September 1st 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Skyler | August 15th 09 |
| 3.0 good | roofi | May 29th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | orlok | March 26th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | trm989 | March 21st 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Asaura | March 18th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | superae | February 4th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Glomp | February 3rd 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Tater | January 19th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | Henry8 | December 22nd 08 |
| 4.5 superb | Nexis | November 4th 08 |
| 4.5 superb | Egglord | October 17th 08 |
| 5.0 classic | RoshanC | August 14th 08 |
| 5.0 classic | Clara | May 26th 08 |
| 5.0 classic | sgrevs | May 20th 08 |
| 4.5 superb | woee | April 20th 08 |
| 4.5 superb | Lilley | April 10th 08 |
| 4.0 excellent | dmk | April 5th 08 |
| 4.5 superb | IsItLuck? EMERITUS | February 25th 08 |
| 5.0 classic | Jimmy | February 5th 08 |
| 5.0 classic | donovr | December 19th 07 |
| 4.0 excellent | low88 | December 18th 07 |
| 4.0 excellent | Satanix | December 12th 07 |
| 5.0 classic | Time | November 16th 07 |
| 4.5 superb | EPacK | November 14th 07 |
| 5.0 classic | Sleepy | November 8th 07 |
| 4.5 superb | doqtor | October 31st 07 |
| 4.0 excellent | tuff | October 30th 07 |
| 4.5 superb | Bak | October 15th 07 |
| 4.0 excellent | duckies | October 14th 07 |
| 4.5 superb | MrKite | October 7th 07 |
| |
Give Your Opinion on Rain Dogs
|
