Swordfishtrombones

1 and 5 are equally valid ratings. Personally I have a lot of patience for goofy, borderline-unlistenable shit as long as it doesn't take itself too seriously. I like this halloween music.

You're walking through the fairground with your date. They're miserable as you couldn't even win them a prize goldfish at 'Toss the Ring'. You tried to tell them it's all a fix and the rings aren't big enough to fit over the bowls, but they wouldn't listen. They looked at you like this date was as poor as your excuse. It begins to drizzle and your candy floss droops. Who cares? The idea of candy floss was better than the actual thing anyway. Over the sounds of others laughing, talking and screaming, you glance over the top of your date's head and see a man made of right angles standing next to the waltzers. You catch his one good eye and realise it's too late; he's seen you. He starts barking at you and your date and beckoning with a twig like finger. His one milky eye seems to be like some hazy frayed rope that's been knotted around your neck and he draws you in. Over your date's protestations, he somehow convinces you both to sit inside a waltzer. No one else is here. The lights are flickering and the smell of sawdust and vomit become oppressive. He laughs like man gargling kitty litter and slams the safety bar down and spins the cab round as the ride starts up. You're stuck here with this awful date spinning round and round and round and round. You have the fear that you'll be here forever in some kind of carny limbo. This is the music that is playing over the speakers. The louder you scream the faster the ride. Remember: fun is the key but keep seated at all times or you may die. Best Tracks: 16 Shells from a 30.6; In The Neighbourhood; Down, Down Down

I really don’t like Tom Waits’ music and this album hasn’t changed my opinion.

The amount of Tom Waits in this exercise is making me fucking hate Tom Waits

You know what? I hate Tom Waits.

Day 26 of Albums You Must Hear... Swordfishtrombones is an album released by one of the most interesting and abstract artists of the list thus far, Tom Waits. I first learned of Tom Waits several years ago while going down a YouTube rabbit hole. Heath Ledger largely took inspiration from Tom Waits for his role of The Joker in The Dark Knight. I will link the video that I watched below, the likeness is incredible. I must preface with this first, Tom Waits is not for everyone. He is abstract, off beat and, frankly, different. For those reasons, I really enjoy Tom Waits and Swordfishtrombone is a genius record. Waits is bound by no restraints, and the pace is up to him completely. In this album you get many sides of this mad genius. If I was to make a recipe for Tom Waits style, I’d say it’s 1 part jazz, 1 part circus clown, foaming from the mouth, 2 parts piss & vinegar, and 2 parts witty, spoken word poet. While having one of the most gravely voices in music, he can go rough and tough to sentimental and soft at the drop of a dime. My favorite song on Swordfishtrombone is In The Neighborhood, an almost national anthem version of Hometown, Anywhere. It’s nostalgic and melodic. On 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six, I felt like a Hell’s Angel riding down a deserted highway with my grip tight on the ape-hangers handlebars. Vroom Vroom! I also love the use of non-traditional sounds in the instrumentation, like creaking of hinges or the steely slam of a sledgehammer knocking in railroad spikes. On Frank’s Wild Years, a spoken word piece, Waits tells a short story with words that slide out of his mouth with such ease and coolness that I totally didn’t expect the twist ending. I really love this cut from the album. Soldiers Things is sad and ironic, yet beautifully written. Tom Waits is a terrific pianist and brilliant songwriter. I look forward to delving deeper into his huge catalog. Please share your thoughts, opinions and memories!!

Tom waits is absolutely the worst. Nails on a chalkboard.

Critics are just making up shit to like this album. Nirvana’s Nevermind before there was a Nirvana? Bullshit. This album may be deep, but it is unlistenable.

DON'T MIND IF I DO

I really don't like Tom Waits.

Now I know for sure I don't like Tom Waits at all.

A beautiful but dangerous circus run by ghosts of soldiers with broken hearts. Lovely lovely lovely.

An excellent album and important transition in his career as he started collaborating with and being influenced by his wife Kathleen. She introduced him to Captain Beefheart who became a major influence, and you can hear that in this album. He started developing more voices and characters that continue to show up in later albums. I am reminded why I like his music so much listening to the first couple tracks - he creates such vivid scenes, you can imagine the loneliness, seediness and darkness of the places he inhabits. Sweet to hear a song about Kathleen (Johnsburg, Illinois). I think there are a number of masterpieces on the album - 16 Shells, Frank's Wild Years included. Other standouts for me are Swordfishtrombone, Down Down Down, and Gin Soaked Boy. Ultimately I find Rain Dogs to be a better album - certainly my favorite of the 80's trilogy and probably of all his albums - but for me it still deserves 5 stars.

It's not true that Tom Waits' music before this album contained no musical invention or experimentation. But, it is true that this is the point where he really let rip. Underpinning the bizarre sounds and vocal affectations is the great melodies you can hear on his earlier records. For such a wierd and wonderful collection, it ends up sounding and feeling really cohesive. I don't think it is quite his best work (that's Mule Variations, I think) but it is still a classic.

He sucks bad. Like anyone could do this shit

Listening to Tom Waits is like a reverse date rape - he'll drug you just to take you back to the bar.

Arty music I don't understand or enjoy. Tom Waits sounds like he's doing a sarcastic impression of himself.

Good grief... I've already commented that I don't like Tom Waits's voice, but this album is labeled as "experimental rock." If you have to put it in a genre, I suppose that's as good as any, but there's quite a lot of this album that sounds like "drunken instrumentation." Imagine going to a carnival and hearing the background music played badly -- that's what the first three tracks sound like. Then at some point mid album bagpipes come in for a second? I felt slightly detached from reality after listening to this album, and not in a good way. I'm giving it a solid 1 star.

Heard through the blue funk which has descended on every blue blooded Englishman and, I expect, all in their charge across the waves patrolled by those in service to the glory of crown and country since the crippling disappointment of the Euros 2020 final, this was a tonic. Capturing the spirit of jug bands - assembling new achievements from the scraps of whatever is lying around - and celebrating the once-fallen as heroes, it offers glints of hope glimmering at the end of dark alleys. Perhaps there is a way out. Perhaps it isn't interminable. And not just for the rogues and waifs here. I am talking also, of course, about our fallen heroes Bukayo, Kalvin, Kyle, the Harrys, et al. As for Waits' hoarse bark - 'tis surely the noise issuing forth from every true Three Lions fan's throat this week, after hours - nay, days - nay, weeks - of singing Three Lions, Sweet Caroline, and bellowing their support for our freedom-fighting soldiers of the football field. A real touch of class from Waits to record this tribute to the England team merely a day after their defeat.

damn this was a really cool album the more I listen to Tom Waits the more I can appreciate his style and the way he grows in his discography can’t decide what my favorite song is, I’m just gonna give this a 10/10, awesome album, please listen to it

This is a pretty good album to encapsulate a lot of styles of Tom Waits. You got your bastards, your brawlers, and your bawlers. This is definitely an album that keeps you thinking "What could be next?". I had not listened to the entire album for probably at least 7 years, but I had fav'd at least half the tracks, but discovered some new ones that I really like to add. The only duds for me are "Town With No Cheer", I don't think it adds anything to the album nor the Tom Waits catalog. Frank's Wild Years in isolation is just a little dumb-fun story, but if I recall Frank is a character throughout Wait's career, so there might be something more interesting there chronologically. I was thinking this would be a 4, but I am thinking it's probably a 5 actually. Not something I want to always throw on, but I can't deny it's a great album.

Tommy boy. Some would say his finest hour (depends on who you ask), but this is when he started to get really weird, which I dig. His voice is a point of contention for a lot of people but I really like it. This album has everything that Tom had done until that point: sultry ballads, driving blues, poetry, strange, world-influences and weirdo lyrics. I like this album a lot but I think Rain Dogs just edges it out for this era of Tom. Favorite track: 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six Least favorite track: Trouble’s Braids

Thought I was out but he pulled me back in

It’s funny to me that the dislike of The Residents’ record on this site doesn’t get transferred over to Tom Waits’ music. The degree of separation between the two artists is minuscule. Sorry, but it’s about time some hear that hard truth.

Just dire

"He's got his piano in the kitchen, and he only uses the kitchen range to light his cigarettes, and then there's this refrigerator where he keeps his hammers and wrenches and nuts and bolts and stuff like that. He opened the fridge door and with an absolute poker face he said, 'I got some cool tools in here.'" - Bette Midler on Tom Waits There's no other artist out there that makes me want to hop a train in the middle of the night to join a circus, drink whiskey, and eat cigarettes for breakfast. Seriously, though, Swordfishtrombones is already one of my all-time favourite albums. This is the album that really shifted him towards his junkyard persona and I love everything about it from his gravelly, whiskey-soaked, smoke-filled voice to the experimental sounds and song structures.

I remember being disappointed the first time I heard this. I was a fan of his earlier work and this was not that. Fast forward 25 years and I am able to appreciate this a lot more. I enjoy just about everything he's done. Tom Waits is a national treasure in my book.

This is where Tom Waits started to become a WEIRDO

Like a drunk grizzly bear in depression era New York trying to sing to you about its broken heart.

the sound of a cookie crumbling

Favourite album from a favourite artist. Like the Ramones, who I listened to a few albums ago, he polarises listeners, and that's OK. You either buy into the world he has created over the decades, or you don't.

I thought for a long time that Tom Waits was not the artist for me and that I would not enjoy any of his works, but that was before I heard this album. Unlike the problems I had with Heartattack and Vine, this album I believe showcases where Waits' voice really shines. Abstract and weird in the best ways, this album was a colossal, strange, wondrous ride through Waits' mind. He doesn't let himself get shoehorned into that deep gravely voice that he is known for, and there are some quieter, smoother songs that showcase a range I didn't know he had. Sometimes you just get some quiet instrumentals or tracks where he just speaks, which is a nice palate cleanser between songs. Overall, an album that shocked me with how great it was.

Tom Waits’s voice in “The Neighborhood” is my new favorite thing.

Swordfishtrombones was the beginning of Tom Waits' evolution into the figure he is today. Kathleen Brennan, Waits' most important collaborator (and wife) egged him into produce his own recordings and lean fully into his demented carny persona. Swordfishtrombones is the transitional album between the bar-room balladry of his early albums, with elements of the creepy circus, rubbish-bin-crashing production of his 90s albums. She describes Waits' songs as being either "grim reapers" (Underground, Swordfishtrombones, 16 Shells from a 30.6, Down Down Down) or "grand weepers" (In the Neighborhood, Soldier's Things, Gin Soaked Boy). I really dig Tom Waits' 'late' career, which starts here. Later albums are stronger (Rain Dogs, Bone Machine), but it all starts here. Many people under-estimate Ms Brennan's profound influence on Waits' songwriting and production. She exposed him to a range of new influences and possibilities, encouraged him to take control of his own production, and later became a powerful songwriting partner. Without her, it is hard to imagine that we ever would have heard this distinctive oeuvre. I think we have to understand Tom Waits' later career as the career of Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan in partnership. Credit where credit is due, Ms Brennan, I doff my hat to you.

My third album by this pretentious dude. Can’t believe there are FIVE Tom Waits albums on this list! They truly haven’t been that different from each other, which is ironic given how impressed he seems to be with his own “uniqueness”. Johnson Illinois is playing as I write this review. Ouch on some of those attempts at the high notes there Tom. Maybe stick to the talking-singing.

Grandpa got drunk and is doing Spooky Scary Skeletons on Karaoke again...

The instrumentation on this album is so good. The groove, the melodies, the music is absolutely fantastic. Moments of pure enjoyment and appreciation for how well the band plays each song, only to get interrupted by Tom Waits. Tom Waits is the villain in this album.

Was intrigued with this one as I know how much Waits is revered by true music lovers. Underground was not a good start - not sure what the allure is of angry Slipknot-like growling with Big Top circus musical accompaniment. I'd say one or the other but tracks 3 and 8 were the latter and I hated it. So need the right music with his voice - I quite liked 16 Shells from a 30.6 and Gin Soaked Boy so its doable. Shore Leave wasn't bad - still eclectic music but vocals not so off-putting (even the end of song warbling). In the Neighbourhood had some cool lyrics, Rainbirds was pretty, and the title track was alright. But his voice is just awful (it's like listening to the Cookie Monster) and there's way too much weird stuff and not enough good stuff that I'd want to listen to more than once (if that) or listen hard for the lyrics.

Tom Waits has the voice of an angel — if that angel had spent a lifetime gargling gravel and whiskey. I really find him hard to listen to, and Swordfishtrombones didn’t change that. He seems to have so many albums on this 1001 list, and I honestly have no idea why. This album is a tough listen. I can see that it’s trying to be quirky, experimental, and different, but for me, it just doesn’t work. The songs feel chaotic and unpleasant, and I won’t be listening to it again. It’s definitely one of those love-it-or-hate-it records — and I’m firmly in the latter camp. Favourite track: “Dave the Butcher” – it has zero vocals, which is probably why it’s the most tolerable track for me. Least favourite track: “In the Neighbourhood” – it sounds like something straight out of a Christmas Disney film, and not in a good way. Honestly, I could have picked almost any track here. Album artwork: A very cool cover, at least that’s something.

Two songs in and I already hate it. I just don't have the patience for this kind of auditory nonsense at 2pm on a workday. It's not helping that this is my second Tom Waits album this week. The first one was much better, which isn't saying much considering the low bar set by this one. The last track was a quiet instrumental and that was rather nice. Not enough for this album to get an additional star though.

Goofy ahh music

Oh nah not this shit again

Don't get it, not an enjoyable listen

C’mon, what’s with all the stick-in-the-mud reviews? It’s fun and weird, it conjures a world. I will never understand those who are offended by camp, as though the performers shouldn’t be, well, performative. I love this wonderful weirdo.

I think this is one of those albums which, for many people, won't be an instant hit - it perhaps takes a little time to permeate. For my part I think this is a brilliant piece of work (but surpassed by Rain Dogs), and a significant evolution of is earlier albums into a wonderful world of clattering and often obscure music. Kathleen Brennan has been terrific influence. This was the start of a terrifically good run of albums.

I went into this thinking oh god not another one and on first listen I really disliked it. On rhe second listen I loved it. Weird. Maybe it’s because it’s the first album of this style for him but he didn’t go ridiculously over the top with the character bit. Just the right amount of quirky and even touching at times

Well I figured i would like this one but after liking about 2/3rds of the record i think im a little beyond that. First off im a sucker for a few things. One being good bass. And the stand up across this thing is stellar. Top notch. And 2 i like unique voices. And Tom waits has a real one of a kind vocal style. Its so gravely and and rough and it just fits perfectly in these songs about the down and out types. Almost like im on the street corner and chopping it up with the homeless guys. These are the stories he would tell and id belive it. Its just a cool record. And some songs are just pretty as hell and it shouldn't work but it does. Its just a great batch of songs. And even the little inbetweeners are good. Not something id go out of my way to listen to but in the context of the whole album they give you some time to breath. Very worthy record. I hope to see more of him somewhere here

Now THIS is podracin- I mean, THIS is what this list is about for me. I've never listened to Tom Waits before, but had a picture in my head of a sort of... Jazz/Blues Crooner, maybe? In walks Swordfishtrombones, an album as weird as its name, catches me completely off guard and shows me something new I haven't experienced before, that also happens to be really good. I know this was a stylistic pivot for him at the time, so maybe my intuition about what Tom Waits music is isn't that far off for some of his earlier work? Not sure. What I am sure about is that this album slaps. The experimental, industrial stuff, combined with his gravelly voice and dark but evocative storytelling... This music evokes equal parts creepy carnival, old crazy prospector and that one scene from the hobbit movies where the goblin king sings a musical number and weirdly I love it. (EDIT: I've realised that the opening track was familiar to me because it features in Dreamworks' amazing movie "Robots", in an 'evil underground lair/evil assembly line' scene, and honestly that makes WAY too much sense.) Any time an album can catch me by surprise by being utterly brilliant in a way I wasn't ready for it's an easy 5 and a prime example of what this list should be. I do believe you should hear this before you die... It's so interesting and eccentric, and I think there's something to be learned from it in terms of a broader appreciation of music. I get why this is not a super high rated album, it's weird, and probably quite divisive. It's not a crowd-pleaser - but it is a me pleaser.

I love that all the reviews of this album are either 1 or 5, kind of reminds me of a certain record with a fish on the cover... I love pretty much everything I've heard from Tom Waits but he was never someone I really tried to seek out so I don't think I've ever heard this one before. And a new album by someone you really like is always a fun adventure. It is weird, as expected. But it's a different kind of weird that I really like. I got this album on a rainy day right before Halloween (not sure why that date makes a difference but it kind of does?) and it seemed to fit the vibe of the day perfectly. I mean, throw on Tom Waits any time it rains and you basically have a soundtrack to the day. This album is a little different from his prior stuff but it's still unmistakably Tom Waits. It's kind of hard to put your finger on it, obviously his voice is very unique but that's not really it. There's something about the music and the way he delivers the lyrics that is sort of a signature sound and it's just fantastic. I really enjoyed this album and would recommend it to anyone maybe looking to find something a little different than what they normally listen to. 5/5

Das ist gute Musik!

A friend introduced me to Tom Waits in the 90s. I believe we started with “pasties and a g-string” and then “diamonds on my windshield”. Because of that I’m already digging this album and the grooves. I absolutely love “shore leave”. This album has such a great jazz feel but also incorporates the best things I like about John Cage. “In the neighborhood” just grabs me. Like we should be singing it as a group at a bar toasting each other at closing time. This album is amazing.

Like a second debut. I hadn't listened to it in a while. It's just incredible and might be my favourite of his 80s Island Records trilogy, although maybe if I'd just listened to either of the other two I'd pick one of those. I enjoyed reading some of the musicians bios off the Wikipedia page. I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised how accomplished a group of session musicians it is but it almost seems at odds with how otherworldly the music often is. You've got the bass player from Canned Heat and a guitarist from Little Feat here! It's easy to forget how just a little bit of grit or discordancy upsets people. These 1 star reviews read like slugs doused in salt.

Swordfishtrombones marks Tom Waits’ bold departure from his familiar jazz-blues-barroom roots, plunging headfirst into a clattering, surreal carnival of sound. With clanging marimbas, woozy horns, and absurdist spoken-word vignettes, Waits conjures a shadowy world of drifters, grifters, and sideshow misfits. Drawing inspiration from Captain Beefheart’s dissonant blues and the grotesque wonder of Todd Browning’s Freaks—where he met Kathleen Brennan, his future wife and creative catalyst—Waits embraces experimentation with fearless abandon. Tracks like the chaotic “16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six” and the darkly comic “Frank’s Wild Years” revel in their lunacy, while more restrained pieces like the tender “Johnsburg, Illinois” and the mournful “Soldier’s Things” remind us of Waits’ gift for emotional intimacy. This is an album built on contrasts: industrial clang meets drunken jazz, growls melt into murmurs, and chaos dances with vulnerability. For all its eccentricity, Swordfishtrombones remains deeply human—a dreamlike travelogue through the back alleys of Waits’ imagination. It’s the sound of an artist breaking free, and in doing so, creating one of the most daring and unforgettable records of his career. Essential listening for anyone drawn to music that’s bold, bizarre, and vividly alive.

For the longest time I only thought of Tom Waits as, like... Strange music. The kind you'd plug in alongside Primus, That Handsome Devil, and maybe The Residents on the extreme end of things. That was certainly always the impression I'd always gotten from the song of his included on the SHREK 2 soundtrack — and, yes, I'm bringing that up again in relevance to Tom Waits. Like, jeez, is that the only thing I think of when I hear his name? I promise I have a good reason, though. 'Coz the first three tracks sure fit into the preconception I had of him. Odd lyrics backed by odd instrumentation... Yeah, that's it. Honestly, it's what I expected Captain Beefheart to sound like — which is to say, its strangeness is outward and obvious, instead of having it mostly exist in,like, polyrhythms or whatever. I'm kinda dumb, y'see. I mean, goodness, "Dave The Butcher" straight-up sounds like it's coming direct from a dark, evil carnival. It did not surprise me too much to find out that this was the first album Waits produced himself, and if the whole thing sounded this way, I'd be perfectly happy. This stuff is wonderfully weird. But then we hit "Johnsburg, Illinois" — and it's here where the true album reveals itself. Y'see, looking back on those first three tracks with the whole album in context, they strike me as a "scaring the hoes" kind of deal. A way to weed out the people who, y'know, "if they can't handle me at my most extreme..." 'Coz while the rest of the album still keeps a lot of its oddball charms, it's for sure toned down from "Johnsburg, Illinois" on. I mean, heck, it's a stripped-down, straight-up piano song, where, like... Goodness, I am so surprised that someone who sings the way he does, like he's vomiting the words, can make his voice sound this beautifully emotional. Consider me mightily impressed by this. And after this is where I get my revelation. 'Cuz for the rest of the album, I could only imagine him as a singer in a dirty piano bar: sunglasses on indoors, slightly hung over, holding his 36th cigarette of the night between his fingers... There is such sincerity, earnestness and realness I get from his music. Despite all the strange turns this material takes (maybe because of it, honestly), it really sounds like it's "for the people," or at least some of the odder ones. That he's down there giving light and a voice to these people. Truly, a bizarro world Springsteen. So much of it is honestly so beautiful, too. I particularly wanna highlight "Town With No Cheer" with its soft accordion and plucked strings (as a matter of fact, it's where I had my revelation) and "In The Neighborhood". That song is a mournful march, and even not knowing what it was about, it felt like one I should cry to. If a song can make me feel like that based on nothing but how it sounds — I mean, jeez, it can't be doing too much wrong, can it? Plus, although it didn't get me personally, I can totally imagine "Soldier's Things" making someone just break down. Another big ol' highlight. (I'll also point out "16 Shells From A 30.6" and "Gin Soaked Boy" as groovier blues numbers so you don't think this whole album is just piano bar songs once it's done being all-out weird.) And it was after I was done listening to this album, thinking about the song he had in SHREK 2, that I had my second revelation. Frankly, I should have known that this is what Tom Waits was like all along, 'coz how what that song used? As the one being sung by a piano player in a dirty bar. It was staring me in the face the whole time, but I was too caught up in the weirdness to realize it. How about that, huh? It's like, I don't blame this album for having the average score it does (2.97). Without intending to sound judgemental, some people just don't have the ears for this kinda music. They're gonna hear how strange the first three songs are and refuse to think about it any deeper. "It's weird for weird's sake, and I don't like that." I'm not gonna fault them for not recognizing how much deeper and prettier this album gets as it goes on, although I really wish they could and would. They're really missing out. This album is a big 5 from me, no caveats. It's absolutely not for everyone, but for the people who get it — and I'm more than happy to count myself among them... Gosh, it's so wonderful.

You know what? I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. It took a little bit to get rolling, but after the sort of weird 3-track start (though Underground is fine), I think this album finally finds its voice by “Johnsburg, Illinois” and just kind of glides from there. This is not the same type of album as Rain Dogs, and I think it’s all the better for it – he’s not trying to mold his vocals to the heavier rock-influenced, vaguely Springsteen-ish instrumentals present on that album, but has instead made every track here work with his vocals to lean into his grittier strengths in a more cohesive way. Granted, my entire premise is a bit undermined by the fact that this album came BEFORE Rain Dogs, but I stand by it – this album feels more complete to me because it finds a better harmony between his vocals and the instrumentals, and that was my biggest thing holding me back before. It also helps that I think the lyricism is just better on these tracks – even when they make no goddamn sense at all (see: “16 Shells From a 30.6”), they’re still sort of captivating in their delivery & natural flow. However, when they do make sense (and they make sense plenty of times), I think some of the lyrics on these tracks feel like a sort of contemporary, mildly buzzed Bob Dylan for the 1980s – a little nonsensical at times, but when they need to lock in and truly tell a story, Tom Waits knocks it out of the park. Look no further than “Soldier’s Things”, which I think is a real highlight from any of the 438 albums we’ve gotten so far – that is a masterclass in lyricism, and it hit a little close to home for me. So, yeah, I’m at a 5 – once this thing gets rolling, it finds a sort of voice that speaks more for the “common” man, and going for a mostly local tone on a lot of these tracks lets their personality, humor, or sincerity shine through in a more authentic way than they did on Rain Dogs. That’s not to say Rain Dogs is a bad album, but this feels way more like the “real” Tom Waits to me. It’s a lovely album, and its abrasions work to Tom’s strengths to create a really cohesive 41 minutes (well, OK, 33 or so if you don’t count the first 3 tracks not clicking as well, but shh) that really worked for me. I can hear why this is at a 2.97 on the site, but I just don’t think they’re engaging with the album in the right way. I really, really enjoyed this, and I’m really glad this was on the list. Good job, Tom.

Always listen to Tom Waits on repeat. The more you listen to this cacophonous glory the more you fall under its spell. Then you hear Frank's Wild Years with the ultimate black humour sting at the end. That's when you realise you need to listen to every lyric for the surrealism and humour. I tend to open up a lyric sheet on my computer. Whatever you do, however you do it, just enjoy this bonkers man and his creations.

Murky, vaudevillian, bat shit crazy. Loved it from start to finish. Underground sounds like it was produced by filthy trolls in the depths of a smelting plant. Booming drums, metal clangs, set to the marching trombone. A vocal performance that sounds like he's just gargled hot tarmac. Lyrically it paints a vivid picture of a dank underworld. Whispered stories weaved between, traditional blues, experimental noise, lacerated vocal chords, and a tatty chest of instruments, make this an eccentric masterpiece. Used jet trash! Halloween orange and chimney red! What a way to turn a phrase.

I love Tom Waits and Swordfishtrombones is the album that broke the jazz lounge-y sound he had before and turned it on its head. As always his lyrics are great and the sounds he begins to create on this album are unique. I think I might like Rain Dogs a little bit more - but really this album can do no wrong. . . . never could stand that dog

Very very cool album. I love the variety in style throughout, using the same Instruments (including voice) in a ton of different ways to create limitless Instruments. The spoken word style stuff never misses on this for me, even though it’s not usually my style of music, I’d say generally that my favorite parts of the album are the spoken word portions. Also extra points for heavy marimba usage and industrial percussion, honestly 5/5.

The music world needs more Tom Waits, the innovators who beat to their own drum (or in this case, an African squeeze drum). This is unconventional pop music. It reminds me of the seediness of a Raymond Chandler plot, but also the little slices of miserable life that appear in a Raymond Chandler short story. Waits employs so many different instruments, its a tapestry of subtle sounds. The title track is one of my favorite Waits songs, it’s the intersection of all the great sounds and ideas that make this album a classic.

251120 15:03 4.5

I love the man. He has a carny appeal that really strikes me as folksy, authentic, and fun while still being grounded and deep at points.

Tom Waits is Tom Waits! He's an aquired taste, but i really like this album. He masterfully blends multible genres.

Fuck yea

Nice to see a Tom Waits album. Bone Machine was one of my favorite discoveries from this generator and has become my most listened to album of this year. I don't really know what to make of this album, I guess I like it? The first half of the album left me puzzled as to what I was listening to. As with other Tom Waits albums though, it slowly drags you in and engages you. It's unlike anything else, in a good way in this case. Songs are deconstructed to barely recognisable audio waves. Everything here feels meaningless, but it's a really interesting effort to see. Will probably relisten to it sometime, let it really sink in.

I'm still not as big of a Tom Waits fan. But as I've heard more of his albums I'm really getting into him on a certain level. The opening track is the kind of approach that I just didn't like, basically because he sounds like he's barking like a dog during. But honestly from "Johnsburg, Illinois" to "Gin Soaked Boy", I actually really enjoyed all but the instrumental in that stretch. Honestly the two instrumentals that sound like demented carnival music are probably the only two songs on the album I did not like at all. The final Jazzy instrumental though I did like. I've seen a lot of people talk about this being a transition album and I can kind of hear the transition between the Jazz ballader and the kind of the rocky beat-driven blues rock that I really kind of liked on the *Rain Dogs* album. But one thing I found myself strangely mesmerized by his spoken Story songs as well. Some highlights to me "Johnsburg Illinois", 16 Shells From a 30.6", "Swordfishtrombones", "Down Down, Down", "Soldier's Things" and "Gin Soaked Boy" (8.3) ★★★★

This is a great album, but I think it does sort of get a little overshadowed by the run of albums that came after it. It's very much like a proto-*Rain Dogs*, but Tom hasn't quite abandoned his previous jazzy barroom singer style yet. Still, it must've been quite the shock for people to put this on in 1983 and hear "Underground" for the first time. There's some classic songs here -- "Underground", "Shore Leave", "Sixteen Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six", "Johnsberg, Illinois", and my personal favorite, "In the Neighborhood". 4.5 stars.

Swordfishtrombones will be my final Tom Waits album to review, and it’s my second Tom Waits album to review this week (the other one being Nighthawks at the Diner, which I thought was fine). So far, Rain Dogs has been my favorite Tom Waits album, and I see that this album is supposed to be fairly similar to it. Will Swordfishtrombones knock Rain Dogs off as the king of Tom Waits albums? I liked Swordfishtrombones, but Rain Dogs will remain my favorite Tom Waits album from this list. I enjoyed the experimental nature of this album, but I felt it was pretty uneven. As with other Tom Waits albums, his excellent storytelling abilities are on display on this album, as are his abilities to build some really strange arrangements, and his ability to create some really beautiful melodies. However, the flow of this album was a bit strange to me, as Tom Waits shifts between styles, throws in some instrumental tracks that are nice but feel unnecessary, and tosses in a spoken word track that, while funny, somewhat kills the momentum that was being built by the latter part of the first side of this album. “Underground” really made me think that this album was going to be really strange and out there, which I was excited for, but then the album wound up going a fairly traditional route as far as Tom Waits albums go. Still, there were enough good songs on this album for me to enjoy it. Some notes about the individual songs: I got really excited as soon as I heard Tom’s guttural growling on “Underground.” It sounded like the world’s worst circus, which was exactly what I expected this album to sound like based on what I’d read about it. I really loved the percussion, which helped craft the uneasy atmosphere. There was more of that hollow sounding percussion that I enjoyed on “Shore Leave.” I enjoyed that the verses on this song were spoken word, with sung choruses. This song had some of my favorite lyrics on the album, and I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. “16 Shells From a 30.6” was great. I loved the guitar, and that sharp metallic percussion was awesome. This song sounded like the blues on PCP. I really liked the lyrics too, which to me, represented the how the dread from anticipating something bad that’s coming can actually be worse than the thing you’re dreading. “Town With No Cheer” had a sound that I really enjoyed. The soft harmonium was really unique, and I thought it sounded great in conjunction with the lyrics. I really loved the main melody on “In the Neighborhood.” I thought it provided a really great contrast with Tom Waits’s voice. I loved the bluesy sound of “Down, Down, Down.” I loved the rhythm, and the organ playing was excellent. I loved the piano on “Soldier’s Things.” This was another haunting song that I really enjoyed, and I really enjoyed the lyrics as well. I loved the bluesy sound of Gin Soaked Boy. The bluesy songs on this album were really excellent, and I wish that sound had been used as more of a through-line between all these songs. Swordfishtrombones, while a bit uneven, was still a good album. I know Tom Waits isn’t for everyone, but I like his approach to making music, and he’s easily one of the most unique artists I’ve gotten to experience on this list.

Thoughts before listening: I have a lot of trouble listening to Tom Waits. On the one hand, his albums are all a cool and always interesting vibe with bluesy, vaudeville, carnival barker swagger, but on the other the growled vocals take A LOT of getting used to. Some times I'm here for it, but many times its just too much for me. I know this is one of his most celebrated albums, so hopefully it'll allow me to push through the parts I don't like. Review: Ok so reading up on this album, it seems this was where he changed his sound to what we think of Tom Waits today. This album is full of jazzy, bluesy instrumentation that I enjoy quite a bit. Maybe its just because it keeps the growl to a minimum, but I personally prefer Tom Waits' ballads to the other songs he does. This album has a few of these ballads mixed in with more upbeat songs. While this kicked off an era for Tom that is decidedly less approachable than his earlier work, I find this to be more accessible than later albums like Mule Variations and Bone Machine. Looking at the reviews from others, maybe I've finally passed over the point of no return in liking Tom Waits' music enough that the voice doesn't really bother me. Regardless, this is pretty good, and I'll give it 4-stars.

Круто. Чувак знает что делает.

Before this project i tried this album as Tom Waits was recommended to me, it did not go well. I couldn't get past the voice and the songs felt more like inconsistent sketches. Id had an earlier Tim Waits album in the generator already and warmed to it significantly. Once past the voice i could appreciate the quality of the song writing. However, with this album i still feel like its gone too far into pastiche. The voice i'm now on board with, but this feels like late stage Tom where editors have stopped calling him on his bullshit. Fun, but not epic

The song from Robots !! I honestly liked this album a lot more than I expected. Really creative and interesting sounds. At its best when it is jazzy and funky. I love the percussion sound and the themes of loneliness and isolation. I would explore more of his music. Top Songs: Underground, Johnsburg, Illinois, Swordfishtrombone

I like Tom Waits a lot. But I don’t think this is the best representation for him. I enjoyed this as I will all of Tom’s albums. In fairness to the criteria given of “albums you need to hear before you die” and my annoyance with so many repeat artists I can’t give it a high score. It’s just not the best Waits has to offer. I won’t mark it low as is it’s still significantly better than most of what comes up in this list. So it’s going to sit right in the middle for me.

This LP really surprised me. I assumed I’d hate this like I did the first and last time I listened to this years ago but I ended up having a lot of fun with it. His drunken, rambling stories would certainly grow tiresome but I can handle it for 40 minutes. “Town With No Cheer” might be my new favorite Waits track as well. (3.5)

The instrumentations are really good, I like the lickey guitars. I'm not a fan of the over the top growling songs, and I like the songs where Waits's vocals are as vulnerable as they are rough. I didn't think I'd like it much as I already tried to listen to Waits a few years back while having him in the background and I remember changing the record pretty early on, I don't remember which one it was. It's a pretty bleak and dark record, this one. I'm not usually one for this kind of spoken word narration that this has at times but I liked the mood. I liked Shore Leave. The text is really good and I liked the sound like a growling dog that moves around the channels. I like Johnsburg, Illinois though it's short and simple. The vocals are really nice here. I like Franks Wild Years, the text is really funny. I like how casual he is with the coughs and everything. I like Soldier's Things, I was reading something at the same time as listening and the words pulled me in. Anyway it's not really something that I listen to very much myself and it was better than I thought it would be but in an unusual way. In a sense it was exactly what I thought it was gonna be but after it ended and I played it a second time I like it much better suddenly than at the moment of first listening. And I know songs grow on you but this was a very sudden and violent change so that's something special.

Man I just don't get Tom Waits. Or perhaps more accurately, I really struggle to get into Tom Waits. Like I don't have a problem with non-traditional singing styles, but his whole aesthetic feels so deliberately campy that it smells insincere to me. Putting that aside, I think this album was just OK. Not something I would push myself through again, but there were some decent sounds conjured up: the bluesy jams of 16 Shells From a 30.6 and Gin Soaked Boy; the goofy bell-led title track (for some reason it makes me think of New Orleans or Peaky Blinders); the polka-adjacent stomp of Underground with slithering guitar that feels as if it is trying not to get stomped out by his gruff vocals. Low points for me where where he tries to "sing" more earnestly. E.g., In the Neighborhood, Johnsburg, Illinois, etc. Just doesn't do anything for me... With that this falls along a 2/3 boundary. Giving it a nudge to low 3 because, as I said, some of the songs were solid.

Feels like we have had a lot of Tom Waits and by the looks of it I have had a declining opinion on his albums as we have progressed through them. This one falls in the 2/3 range. Re-reading my previous reviews I had a certain level of disdain for this guy. Didn't really feel that in this album; just a couple thoughts of "what the hell is he talking about?". Lowest of 3s for The Waiter

It was good. Different but not unpleasant. I was entertained.

it's different and weird but not in an insufferable way

Intriguing oddball music.

Charming and unusual journey into strange piano bars that still somehow existed in 1983 having presumably been transplanted from 1920s Vienna.

What.

Nr. 174/1001 Underground 2/5 Shore Leave 1/5 Dave the Butcher 2/5 Johnsburg, Illinois 2/5 16 Shells from a 30.6 3/5 Tom With No Cheer 3/5 In the Neighborhood 3/5 Just Another Sucker on the Vine 3/5 Frank's Wild Years 2/5 Swordfishtrombone 3/5 Done, down, down 3/5 Soldier's Things 3/5 Gin Soaked Boy 2/5 Trouble's Braids 2/5 Rainbirds 3/5 Average: 2,47 This is not really for me.

FUCK Tom Waits.

Tom Waits fucking blows!

No just not for me, sounds like the local drunk in the pub on Friday night karaoke

I hate Tom waits.

Please dear lord, even beheaded this music is too much.

Experimental is one thing. Abysmal is another.

I didn't enjoy this. Not sure I understand what makes this popular.

I have no musical ability whatsoever. This sounds like I walked into a recording studio with instruments around and banged on them for a while. With the record button pushed, and some idiot actually released it. 1.0 Because there is no option for negative numbers.

I honestly hate it

Nope nope nope. Whats with this guy. Why is he on here so much

What a shit show of an album! My ears bleed from the start of the first track to when I turned it off halfway thru! Hopefully no more Tom Waits albums.

To quote kids in the hall, "Strange guy, but I like him."

One of my top ten albums

Is this a 5 because it’s the first full Tom Waits album I’ve heard, or because it’s just that good? I love the eclectic sound of this album and the pictures it paints.

Hard to pick a favorite Tom waits album, but this one is up there

What a great, distinctive, romantic, diverse record

Weird