Tom Waits' restaurant
computeruser
I want to give myself to some of the tasty treats, and I am not sure of a
good starting point. I see there are over a half-dozen compilations and a
few live recordings.
Is there one essential album, or a good starting point?
eelco janzen
You could start with Closing Time or Blue Valentine and then Rain
Dogs...and then ... the rest
VVV
eelco
Frunobulax_also
Tom has three distinct periods thus far:
1. The early, squishier singer-songwriter bohemian bum years (Closing
Time to One From The Heart)
2. His thatrical, artsy, breakout freakout (starting with
Swordfishtrombones and culminating with The Black Rider)
3. and The latter years which is sort of a mixture of the two previous
periods with a little more of his own kind of country thrown in (Mule
Variations to Present)
Period 1 Starting Point Suggestions
If you lean towards the more ballady type stuff, it's hard to go wrong
with Closing Time or The Heart of Saturday Night.
If you like the idea of Bohemian hipster type stuff, grab Small Change
or Nighthawks at the Diner
Period 2 Starting Point Suggestions
Rain Dogs.
I actually prefer Swordfishtrombones and Frank's Wild Years but
they're kind of rich for the unprepared. If you like Beefheart's
weirder stuff then you'll find these latter two quite easy to listen
to. Frank's Wild Years was the first Tom Waits album I ever owned and
it took me about a month to "get it."
Period 3 Starting Point Suggestions
Orphans is an incredible collection of old, new, weird, traditional,
spoken, sung, serious and comedic works. A killer overview of the
man's style.
Glitter and Doom is his best live album to date.
But I gotta go with Alice or Blood Money as the starters for this
period.
Hoodoo
(Central Standard Time), spoke thusly:
> Do not start with Swordfishtrombones, that is for later. You could
> start with Closing Time or Blue Valentine and then Rain Dogs...and
> then ... the rest
Swordfishtrombones is my favorite but but eelco's advice has merit.
But then, Frunobulax pretty well put it all together in a decent summary.
--
"Think with your dipstick, Jimmy."
Yesterdays Wafflez
Good jazz in there.
Y.W.
diogenes
progea
Yes, the album of covers, done by Scarlet Johansson.
computeruser
On Dec 14, computeruser wrote:
> Does anyone have any recommendations of Tom Waits' music?
>
> I want to give myself to some of the tasty treats, and I am not sure of a
> good starting point. I see there are over a half-dozen compilations and a
> few live recordings.
>
> Is there one essential album, or a good starting point?
Yes, the album of covers, done by Scarlet Johansson.
*******************************************
I thought you were kidding for a second there:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anywhere_I_Lay_My_Head
Frunobulax_also
Yesterdays Wafflez
Y.W.