Tom Waits

[Audioslave]

If you don't know who Tom Waits, let me just give you a quote that sums him up for you:

"[Tom Waits' voice sounds] like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months and then taken outside and run over with a car."


He is probably one of the most amazing musicians you'll ever hear. He's been around for 35 years, and stayed consistently unsuccessful, to a large degree. He has intentionally snubbed the big name record labels, and he left any that got too big for him. He does not partake in marketing, yet he has several gold records. He has been covered by artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart (Waits wrote Downtown Train, betcha didn't know that.) and the Eagles. He is an eclectic musician, playing alot of the instruments in his songs. His voice is his truly unique quality; his pack-a-day, strep throat voice.

I just got Rain Dogs, and it is a uniquely dark and sinister album. It lives in the darkest of alleyways and stalks around the shadiest of bars. It has a withered bouquet of odd-ball characters that make the album play more like a movie that a music album.

Tom Waits is arguably one of the greatest musicians in the past 50 years, and if you have not listened to him, now's the time.

[Ziggy St. Valentine]

I've had a few people recommend him to me. After reading that I'm sold. Will check him out soon.

[Tempest]

My dad is a HUGE Tom Waits fan, and from what I've heard he's not too bad. If you have any specifically good songs to recommend, I'd be glad to check them out. Chances are I could even get them legally, I'm pretty sure my dad has every CD.

[Audioslave]

Try listening to Little Drop of Poison, Road To Peace and Cemetery Polka.

At this point, I'm just beginning to really get into him. I downloaded 50-odd songs in the past few days, and I'm just starting to get through them.

I recommend getting his box set (Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards.) or Rain Dogs.

[Android]

Oh man, Tom Waits is an amazing songwriter. He's so prolific and unique. I especially like the album "Alice" which he wrote based on Alice in Wonderland. He is well respected by musicians and songwriters and many of his songs have been covered.

Tom Waits is also credited with creating a number of original and unique sounding instruments (http://www.tomwaitslibrary.com/instruments-main.html). If that wasn't enough, he's also had roles in films like Bram Stoker's Dracula, not to mention several of his songs have been used in films. You won't hear his songs in commercials though as Waits has always been opposed to their use by corporate America.

[Troublegum]

Oh man, Tom Waits is an amazing songwriter. He's so prolific and unique. I especially like the album "Alice" which he wrote based on Alice in Wonderland.
Yes!
There's not a song on that album that I don't like.

[Godly]

He sounds pretty good and his voice is definitely something worth listening to. There's actually this other guy I've heard before who had a voice slightly like his. Brooks Strause, his voice is more like a tortured 40 year smoker, but he uses it really well. Here (http://www.daytrotter.com/article/1107/a-black-lung-a-black-heart-a-black-beauty)'s an article with a couple songs of his. Check him out, you might like him too.

[Ziggy St. Valentine]

I downloaded the Heart Of Saturday Night album. Awesome stuff, he really has an amazing voice.

[bizzle]

I love Tom Waits. Seriously. My old boyfriend introduced me to him a year ago. He did a cover of Misery is the River of the World which can be found here. (http://www.myspace.com/sethdesade) Its pretty neat. But nothing can really beat the gurgle Waits manages.

[MusicalIdiot]

Tom Waits is pretty good, I just had to learn to get past his voice. My favorite albums are Closing Time and Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, & Bastards; this is mainly because I enjoy hearing the contrast from when he started to the album most people who have heard of him are familiar with. Yeah, he's definitely worth a listen.

[xkittenxsocksx]

Ha, Scarlett Johansson is covering some of his stuff for her debut album.

[Pope]

I have him on my iPod, but I can only listen to him in certain moods. don't know why.

[Audioslave]

Agreed. He's definitely not an artist to play at a party, or to work out to.

[makemeshiny]

I really love listening to Tom Waits, his voice has a way of makeing me relax. Martha is my all time favourite love song. I love the humour and sadness in it, as well as the fact that it is indeed true love when you still love someone after forty years.

[Matt]

A band I really like, We Versus the Shark, released a cover of 'Dirt in the Ground' by Mr. Waits. It's fantastic and available for free at http://www.quoteunquoterecords.com/qur017.htm