Reviews (page 3 of 8)
I think Tom Waits is growing on me. But I’m still not sure.
Love it! Is it all an act. Who cares. Fantastic.
Have loved this album for a very long time. Not everyone's cup of tea but I love it. 16 shells from a thirty-ought six my favourite track.
I've heard some of these songs from Big Time, a live CD I've had before. Overall really good, a 4 I think.
This isn't my favorite of the weird/experimental Tom Waits album (Bone Machine is), but this is my favorite style of his. 4 stars
Еще один забавный альбом от Тома Вейтса. Мне кажется, я начинаю проникаться этой эстетикой прокуренных подвалов, сказочных существ ночного города и внезапной лирики, существующей в этой всей чудесной вакханалии.
Bizzare, abstract, interresting, wearisome, fun and dark.
The one and only Tom Waits. Iconic. Strange. Gravelly. This album captures what I know of Tom pretty comprehensively.
”16 shells..” is a top three rap song of 1983. Up there with Sucka MCs and Renegades of Funk.
Tom Likes 7/10, rounding up to a 4
Classic Tom Waits. I hated him for a long time but he has grown on me. Eerie and jangly but it works for me some days.
siento feo que este sea el que rompa mi racha de cincos xq se merece un cinco, está cabrón que tom waits cambiara su estilo y le atinara a la primera al sonido, caracter y sensibilidad que caracterizaría al resto de su carrera. la cosa es que nunca he podido conectar tan chido con este disco, y en parte se siente intencional, es más abstracto y esquivo, pero acaba siendo más un disco que admiro que un disco que adoro. y más a la luz del rain dogs, que mantiene todas las fortalezas del swordfish pero es más inmediato. será mi alma popera, qn sabe. ah pero underground e in the neighborhood, LAS rolas
3.5
4.5
Es un gusto adquirido, pero a mi me gusta
Me costó entrar en este disco, y es que creo que requiere dos o tres escuchas como mínimo para hacerse una opinión justa. Por instrumentación y por su performance vocal me parece un álbum como primitivo, una banda sonora para “La parada de los monstruos”. A veces suena a delirios de borra chuzo, a veces a melancolía. No es alegre, pero se encuentra belleza en algún que otro recoveco. No es disco para días de depresión, eso no.
That last Tom Waits album was relatively a dud. But this one goes right behind through saloon doors and behind the beaded curtains in the back of the local dive bar. Sleazy, brazen, dark, sharp, cathartic, an anti-hero ballad, a swig of gin to freshen up. Damn this hit me so hard this morning I was ready to go be a degenerate. But I came to work for the benefits and the pay check. Woe as me. Rock on Tom.
pretty good
Everything from pretty piano pieces to spoken word and his brashest growl with clanging sounds for accompaniment. Classic.
The beginnings of tom waits more experimental side, think you need to be a fan to enjoy this at its best 4*
Nice experimental album.
Never cared for Tom Waits, but this was surprisingly fine. Some weird instruments and an unusual vibe to the whole thing.
Classic Tom Waits - some tracks melancholic, some rocking, some just plain weird. Good stuff though. Preferred the up beat songs.
classic waits
What a unique variety of instruments and styles!
Wow, great storytelling. Such odd details and strange characters that you feel. Really liked it, first Tom Waist album since I’ve been kinda intimidated to check out his discography, but I see what I’m missing.
OK, two Tom Waits in a row! Same comments as the other one.
Tom Waits is wholly unique. I can imagine some people must practically seeth with rage at his voice. On the other hand it is hard for some to not be weirdly mesmerized by it. He is truly a storyteller and can be deep and funny at different times. You could say it is bluesy or jazzy or kind of lounge... but it is wholly unique and is not really a genre outside itself. That is why I feel some people probably will hate his music, while others, like me, are not sure what it is that draws us in, it is so... (I find it weird!) but I like it. I think it is about the experience and nothing I say can emulate that. It is something one must listen to and judge for themselves.
Really interesting and unique sounding. More hooks than the other albums we had from him.
If you’ve ever need a refreshing palettte cleanser from the stale music in your life, Tom Waits, starting with Swordfishtrombones, is it. You will always get the unexpected and weird, but sometimes you also get the sincere and surprisingly timeless. Listening to Tom is like getting lost in the funhouse at a carnival.
Un crack total Tom. Base e inspiración de muchos hoy. Y gran álbum. 7/10
Tom Waits is awesome. But not my favorite.
I was not at all expecting to start my morning with a flashbang memory of the Robots movie. Banger album. Love the dark alt-rock and theatrical vibes.
Better than I thought and worth another listen. Gritty, interesting and always fun.
I love Tom Waits. This is great stuff, but it's not his finest work.
Ännu en favorit, inte riktigt som Rain Dogs, men nära nog. Groovy!
My first album from Tom Waits in his Tom Waits phase and I am drawn to love this bizarre, bizarre man Ready and hoping to be drawn even further into the madness
robots
This was a fun album to revisit, some classic songs on here. Kinda drags at points, so not as beloved to me as his other works, but still pretty solid. 3.5.
The album that started the more experimental, absurdist Tom Waits is definitely one of his best. Some ideas work better, others do not.
The best thing about Tom Waits is that he'll either take you to grotesque places to meet strange characters in full theatrics mode, or serve a wonderfully heartfelt ballad. It's lovely when an artist puts their weirdness on full display. It doesn't necessarily mean I'll like it, but... As per usual, I'm fully on board with Tom. He's my kind of weird.
Overall: 8/10 A real toughie to get into. On the one hand, I love Tom's storytelling, his gravelly voice and the weird experimentation. On the other hand, it can get a little TOO experimental and a lot of it feels sort of "stream of conciousness". I think it's a grower. I also think it's a borderline masterpiece but I won't give it a perfect rating cause it's just too tough for me to fully embrace at this point. Fav Song: 16 Shells from a 30.6
Another dark and mystifying album from Tom Waits. It left we wanting a bit more than Rain Dogs, but was still very impressed. 4/5
I feel like I could reasonably give this anywhere between two and five stars.
This is my 3rd or 4th Tom Waits album on this list, best one in my opinion yet.
Although i'm not a huge fan of the blues, I can really appreciate what Tom Waits is doing here. "Contemporary" blues that still has that "everything sucks" feel and he's a great storyteller for these downtrodden scenes. In the Neighborhood is so upbeat as he sings about how much everything sucks in the neighborhood. There is a bit of dark humor in a lot of the songs and the way-too-much-detail poetic style is part of that. It's also in Shore Leave and Frank's Wild Years. Such a good voice for this style of music as well. I can't imagine him doing any other style of music really. His voice is just THE blues voice.
Had to listen to it twice this time around, it’s all over the place; what moods and crazy imagery Tom Waits creates! The album is just strange enough and good enough to make the 1001 Must Hear List. Shore Leave and Frank’s Wild Years just kill it. (3.6*s)
1001 Albums Challenge (8/1001) 1. Underground (4/5) 2. Shore Leave (4/5) 3. Dave The Butcher (5/5) 4. Johnsburg, Illinois (5/5) 5. 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six (4/5) 6. Town With No Cheer (4/5) 7. In The Neighborhood (4/5) 8. Just Another Sucker On The Vine (5/5) 9. Frank's Wild Years (5/5) 10. Swordfishtrombone (5/5) 11. Down, Down, Down (4/5) 12. Soldier's Things (5/5) 13. Gin Soaked Boy (4/5) 14. Trouble's Braids (4/5) 15. Rainbirds (5/5) Total (4/5)
This was a bit of a ride - I started off wondering why I was listening to some fucked up Cooger and Dark carnival music, and ended up really rather enjoying it - although it’s not light and breezy by any means.
He's great. Every time I listen to Waits, I find it astonishing his work and the elements he brings to his songs. Some cool stuff.
I've listened to a handful of Tom Waits albums already so I knew what I was getting into, but when I turned this one on some random neuron fired and I said: "Oh my God, did he do that song in Robots", and then I realized IT WAS THAT SONG! So I was frantically looking up the soundtrack and it wasn't on there. I thought I was going insane, but I found the scene on YouTube and confirmed it. Anyways this may be my favorite Tom Waits album, it's really weird. Mid 4.
feeling like i am becoming a well seasoned tom waits listener. i liked this one! i feel like it strikes a good balance between the really demented, zany tom waits and the more jazzy sultry tom waits. is it weird i kind of wish it was more off kilter?
Tom Waits kyllä paranee levy levyltä. Tää alkaa aika jyrkästi, mutta yllättäviä kauneudenkin hetkiä tulee myöhemmin. 4/5
Might be a 3 on another day but it hit today. Pretty intense stuff. Not for everyday consumption.
Ooh, this is tough to review! I really like Tom Waits, and I really like how interesting this album is. It's certainly not an everyday listen, but it was an exciting listen today, and one of those albums that completely should be on this list. I think I'd rate it a 3.5, but I'm going to bump it up to a 4 because it's just so dang cool.
omg the first song is in robots. i was gonna say it sounds like the chop song from robots, but it literally is the chop song from robots lmao i'd be lying if said understood it, or that I loved it. I like that this list has really challenging music on it though. There's really cool shit on this album, most of it is kind of awful, but still interesting. Its a shame how fast people will write off strange ass music like this. give it a chance, its kind of cool i guess. 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six is so fucking good, I really hated for this first couple minutes and then my ears adjusted to it and its so fucking good omg. you can really hear the captain beefheart influence and to some that's the worst thing ever, but to me its exciting
Still don't understand him, but I love listening to him.
Following on from the mad genius of Mark E Smith as the prior album to the mad genius Tom Waits.
Listen to it. Dismiss it, but secretly crave more. Listen to it again. Have a good cry; get drunk; scream at the wind; stare at a goat. Listen to it again.
Der mit der rauen Stimme. Interessante Instrumentierung
Tom Waits... man... this guy always puts out unique music. You may not like it, but it's different. This one opens up with "Underground", which I would guess more than a few people have heard outside this album. It's all good music if you know what Tom Waits sounds like. If you don't, it's rough. My Rating: 4/5
Different
That’s a ride! I love the avant-garde, whiplash album. It kept me guessing.
The begining of Tom Waits phase 2. No songs here are being covered by the Eagles. But his finding - if not his voice then a new voice. more Beefheart than Bukowski. The subject matter still centers on barflies and forgotten souls but the music is odder. The sounds on the periphery are pulled closer to the center. Especially solid for toms shift into the 80s avantgarde. Sounds event better all these years later. Impossible to place. It just is.
Great album.
I was never a fan of Tom Waits before this challenge and this is the third of his albums that has come up so far and they've all been great. There are always unexpected moments of genuine beauty waiting around the corner and this album like the others by Tom Waits that I've listened to so far really draw you in to a world of his construction.
Whoa, it's like listening to a circus. Super, super funky.
I didn’t think i was gonna enjoy this album as never like Tom Wait’s growling vocals. For the first couple of tracks that view appeared to confirmed, musically and lyrically great but man how can anyone get past them vocals. I cant quite place it but at some point it just clicked for me and i realised the vocals just fitted the overall performance. This feels very much like it would suit being some form of visual album, as the storytelling of the songs is so strong.
This is going to sound more flippant than intended, but it was my first impression: Oof, vaudeville circus music. Soundtrack for PG-13 puppet theatre. HOWEVER! I *should* hate this but I would imagine that theatre show to be a really beautiful piece of art, you know? I'm having a decent time here, is what I'm saying. I'm only vaguely familiar with Tom Waits' oeuvre but he somehow & kinda always gets a pass from me; it's like this, his thing, gives me the idea of a genuine soulful and explorative expression rather than channeling some outsider art gimmick for its own sake. A good album. Nice. Solid 4 stars, why not.
This is Tom Waits' 4th album in this project. I like Tom Waits' smoky, dirty voice. The sound and the arrangements are unusual, scratchy and yet very fascinating. I always listen carefully to Tom Waits. There's something about his music that speaks to me. Even if this album is supposed to be a caesura in Waits' music career, it is unmistakably Waits. Not suitable for all days but again and again magnificiant. 4/5
I like it
An incredibly specific brand of quirky melancholy and darkness. I totally get how this might not be everyone's thing, but I dig it.
Tom Waits manages to sound horrible and amazing in ways I’ll never comprehend.
Tom Waits is just cool. Every time I listen to him I can imagine myself at a a table in a small club with a drink in my hand digging his vibe.
Tom Waits has an unusual voice and uses instruments in unconventional, avant- garde ways but makes them work wonderfully for him at least in this album. At least to my ears. Close your eyes and you are in Berlin in the 1920s. Some singers like Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Geddy Lee, etc. have voices that are so polarizing that many people will hear them singing once, nod no & will never willingly bother hearing them again & I get that, I don't ever try pushing Tom Waits & co. on anyone who I know dislikes difficult singing voices because it pointless and I get that. It all boils down to the voice. So, while I like this album by no means am I suggesting that you will like it but you might then again you might really hate it, so don't blame me. Everyone is someone's Captain Beefheart. You'll know pretty quickly!
J'ai bien aime
Initially thought “oh god, another Tom Waits album”, but actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. Very different to spme of his earlier stuff
Underground alone is worth the album
Not as iconic as Franks wild years and Rain dogs. Its the first self produced album. Stylistically different, more experimental, with an unusual instrumentation.
I know (and totally understand) that Tom Waits is an acquired taste. But it’s a taste that I’ve acquired! This isn’t my favourite album of his but the instrumental tracks are lovely, I could listen to him spin tales in the spoken word sections for hours, and this has some great songwriting. But I get it if you bounce off of his voice. 4/5
4 out of 5. I liked this one more than I thought I would. Something clicked.
Good waits
Love this album
Nice mix of moods. I particularly like: 16 Shells From A 30.6 Town With No Cheer Another Sucker On The Vine (sounds like Studio Ghibli music) Soldier's Things I tend to like the words of the jaunty ones but they're not great musically, so prefer his wistful stuff overall.
Love!
I liked how “weird” this was, and I really liked the storytelling.
To the album’s benefit, there are very few places this LP won’t go over its 40 or so minutes. Definitely a Beefheart influence filtered through something else entirely. Even down to the instrumentation used from track to track, Waits is going to leave you pleasantly, puzzlingly guessing as to what’s coming next. Even as the record’s grout tracks waltz their way in and out like tertiary characters in a haphazard theater play, this album has a brilliant flow to it. Just Another Sucker On The Vine following the might In The Neighborhood as one particularly potent example. Although I think he goes on to better this.. whole thing(..?) ever so slightly with the Rain Dogs LP to follow, this is pretty fuckin cool too. 8.5/10
Love it! Although it's difficult for me to tell exactly why (or how this is different from other Tom Waits).
I love Tom Waits' stuff when it's unhinged and rough and this album is really the start of that. It still holds up as well. I love the vocals and the instrumentation compliments them amazingly.
I would be surprised if Tom Waits was not cited by Modest Mouse as an influence, especially on a lot of MM’s early work. I love them both. I enjoyed the chaos of this album.
The WWE’s favourite singer songwriter of all time. Tommy Waits. Swordfishtrombones and the hot dog flavoured water. Keep on rollin’ baby. Besides the nu-metal coded album title and the deeply upsetting album cover, I have been waiting for some Tom Waits. Underground - Whoa. This isn’t just an intro. He’s going with this voice the whole time eh? This was pretty cool. Shore Leave - HE SHOT BILLIARDS WITH WHOM?? Man this song is funny. It’s also so incredibly cool. I can’t remember the last time I talked baseball over Singapore slings at a Filipino floor show. That’s the kind of nonsense that puts what appears in its surface to be a white guy blues track onto an elevated plane. This thing is completely insane. I was one cigarette short of the cover to a Thai military pub. We ate river water ice cubes and spoke of monarchs 35 miles outside of Bangkok. More of this. Dave the Butcher - Insane carnival music. Did the Insane Clown Posse rip off our Tommy boy. Until then, he had the market cornered on clown music. Johnsburg, Illinois - What is happening? Now we’re in poorly sung show tune ballad territory. It has a magnetism to it, but man this was an experience. 16 Shells From a 30.6 - This seems like fake, pandering country, but that might even be the point here. What is a satchel of pig corn, and what does it have to do with the shells from what I can only assume is a gun? I cannot overstate how insane this feels. Town With No Cheer - None?? We gotta be talkin’ Red Deer. No? We have some bagpipes. Aye Tommy fit ya sayin en pal? Apparently he is saying interesting words in what is indeed a terrible song. I say that, but I’m still really enjoying it. In the Neighbourhood - This sounds like a drunk former country star who forgot the national anthem. I’m talking real drunk. Just making up stuff about his street because that’s the only point of reference he has to what his anthem may be. Tennessee Walker Sims XIV mentions Filipino people once again. Becoming a theme. This is captivating, if nothing else. Just Another Sucker on the Vine - Mardi Gras interlude. Throw your beads. Wake up this scotch drunk crooner. Frank’s Wild Years - Poor Carlos. Get that dog some spectacles. I LOVE this. Bizarre, funny, beat poetry. This is the kind of thing I wish I could do. I will have this on repeat. Swordfishtrombone - The bass is so good here, and I am enjoying some white guy doing samba music? What is happening. Lyrics that continue to ratchet up the intrigue and a song that really came together here. Down, Down, Down - Oh god is this the inspiration for the Wire’s theme song that somehow stretches 6 seasons or whatever? Kind of a middling affair here. Simmering. Soldier’s Things - uhhh. I uhhh. This was kinda bad. Gin Soaked Boy - This album sounds like it’s soaked in more than just gin. A veritable potpourri of alcoholic beverages. A cool blues song and that has shocked me to my core. Trouble’s Braids - More beat poetry. Passing out wolf tickets, downwind from the bloodhounds. Incredible lyricism and a joy to listen to. Rainbirds - A exeunt worthy of a lamb. More jazz sensibilities with gentle piano closing out this chaotic expedition. Now this is an album that speaks to me. Sure, most of the speaking is drunken shouting through a speakerphone, but it kept me enthralled for its entire duration. Were there bad songs? Yup. Were there songs that were so bad they were good? Yes, indeed. Were there beautiful poetic songs that sounded like my ideal vision of what music could be? Kind of, yeah. Tom Waits shot the lights out here. Catch me listening to this through a Walkman outside a bazaar in the Carpathian Mountains. I traded my last furs for the extended cut of this album and two Portuguese Fantas. Imports. Real smooth. Ill nurse one of those whilst bathing in the guilty afterglow of a day’s rest. 3.5-4 HIGHLIGHTS: Shore Leave, Frank’s Wild Years, Swordfishtrombone, Trouble’s Braids
I've always preferred Tom's 70s output to his later avant-garde, experimental stuff, but it's hard to deny that it is great if you're in the mood for it.
Creepy little funhouse music
Very different. Takes some getting used to.
nice
I appreciate Tom Waits more than I like to listen to Tom Waits. I did enjoy this a bit more than the last album. 7/10
I like Tom Waits even though I’m not familiar with his whole catalog, just a few songs here and there. However, I can tell that even for him, this album is a real hard left turn. It’s sonically super weird and different. I can’t pretend like it’s catchy or get stuck in your head, but it’s genuinely fascinating and intriguing. Because of the bold music choices, this album has a ton of great variety. Despite only saving a few songs from the album, I’d say the album as a whole was a great listening experience. I’d definitely recommend this album to people who want something super weird and different.
Glad I finally gave Tom Waites a listen. Good stuff.
This is when Tom starts to get weirder. But he balances it with some classic crooning so it doesn't immediately weird out his fans. I dig.
Okay. I feel like Tom Waits has been coming up a lot lately. I just got Bone Machine a few days ago, and some of the other albums I've gotten in the past few weeks have had comparisons to him as well. This is starting to feel like the Bob Dylan thing again where I got three albums of his in the span of a month. Whatever. Fortunately, I'm at the point in my music journey where I actually like Tom Waits now, so I'm okay with listening to his music. Here we have his 1983 album Swordfishtrombones (great album name btw). It's good! I personally enjoyed Bone Machine more, but I can see why others would prefer this one. It really just boils down to personal taste. The things that I now like about Tom Waits are all still here. His songwriting is as great as ever. His voice is really starting to grow on me. The style here is a bit more mellow than an album like Rain Dogs or Bone Machine, which I think has contributed to some people preferring it over those albums. Not me though. I like the funny stuff. The songs are pretty good. I have one final thing to say before I end this review. See, even though this album listen marks my most recent encounter with the music of Tom Waits, it actually brings to mind what is likely the first time I ever listened to any of his music, even if I wasn't aware of it at the time. The first Tom Waits song I ever heard (as far as I'm aware) was this album's opener, "Underground." It's a pretty cool song. I like it. But you might be wondering something. Where and when did I first hear "Underground?" Well, you see, the song appeared in a scene from a movie that I watched all the time as kid. That movie, of course, is the 2005 Blue Sky Studios animated film Robots. If I don't get to acknowledge the existence of Robots (2005) in this review, I won't get to acknowledge it in any review, and I have to acknowledge Robots (2005). You don't know how much this means to me. I mean, that movie had an insane voice cast if you think about it. Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Mel Brooks! Name any other animated movie with a voice cast as excellent as that. I dare you. The movie has its flaws, sure, but there's also so much to love about it. The aforementioned voice cast, the genuinely fantastic worldbuilding, the weirdly progressive theming about capitalism and corruption. It has Bigweld, okay? Robots (2005) is a great movie that more people need to talk about. Oh yeah, Swordfishtrombones is a good album too. Light 4/5.
I won’t lie, I liked some of it. “Shore Leave” was interesting and “Johnsburg Illinois” wasn’t bad. I liked the melancholy feel of “In The Neighbourhood” and “Town With No Cheer”, but the vocals felt a bit forced somehow. Then “Down, Down, Down” and “Gin Soaked Boy” came along which are good blues tracks. Generally I don’t like abstract music, but I can’t write this one off. There is a lot of variety of styles and composition, which is rare these days. The blues tracks had me. I can’t believe I’m going to give it a 4, I’m quite shocked.
This one is good but not as memorable as some of his other records.
I’ve been waiting for my gateway atom Waits and it feels good to finally have found it
solid 4
It’s really similar to Rain Dogs, and that was a four (I think), so this also is.
I'm pretty for Tom Waits. Will I listen to again: 100%
This is pretty cool, its aged well
Great album.
I like the weird stuff.
Kept thinking “like an unhinged Mardi Gras”
Perfect album!
Underground 4 Shore Leave 4.2 Dave the Butcher (instrumental) 3.7 Johnsburg, Illinois 4 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six 4.4 Town with No Cheer 4 In the Neighborhood 4 Just Another Sucker on the Vine (instrumental) 3.2 Frank's Wild Years 4 Swordfishtrombone 4.6 Down, Down, Down 4.2 Soldier's Things 3.8 Gin Soaked Boy 3.8 Trouble's Braids 4.1 Rainbirds (instrumental) 4 Score: 4
Great album, reminds me of the deep southern states for some reason.
So delightfully bizzarre
Yeah it's odd. Yeah it sounds like self-parody at points. But he's a helluva storyteller and he constantly pushes his own abilities as a musician. Not my favorite, but pretty damn good.
This is some really weird shit. Not quite the weirdest I've heard doing this, but it does sometimes sound like someone doing a mean parody of Tom Waits. A few tracks border on unlistenable, but at least it's interesting.
This isn't an album I particularly enjoy from start to finish, but it certainly knows how to entertain, and there's several stand out parts to it. I think it comes in somewhere between a 3 and 4 star album for me, but I'll move it up a rung, partly because it's a breath of fresh air after a run of insipid albums for me on this journey.
This is weird as hell and I really liked it. There's two main vibes here, one is a carnival, which shows ip in these albums far more than I expected, and the other is this sort of noir feeling jazz or salsa or something. The title track, Swordfishtrombone is more of the latter and it is an excellent song. There was a lot else here I liked, like Down, Down, Down, and Underground. This was fun.
So amazingly weird, and just what I needed tonight. Honestly I had not given Tom Waits a proper listen in the past, although he clearly deserved it.
3.5*
Kind of all over the place with some great tracks and some terrible ones, but interesting enough overall that I wanted to listen a second time.
Tom Waits is something else. I like Swordfishtrombones a lot. To love it, I think it probably requires a bottle of good (not great) whisky, consumed straight glass by glass while ripping Marlboros all the while. I don’t smoke and rarely drink whiskey so 4 stars it is.
Like smooth jazz, but better, with lyrics, in 1980's style.
Somehow this guy seems to grab your attention and it could be possibly because the singing is just that bad. The melodies and the lyrics is the true gravitational force at work.
I enjoyed this album. I usually do not like experimental stuff, but this was good.
Good fun and not nearly as dark as I remembered. Odd for sure and a challenge to listen to in spots.
I'm huge Tim Wait's fan and like this album a lot. It's like someone unleashed a crazy person in a cabaret. There are other Waits albums I like more so it gets a 4
Out of the now classic trilogy of Tom Waits albums that completely renewed and reinvigorated his music during the eighties (*Swordfishtrombone*, *Rain Dogs* and *Frank's Wild Years*), you got to to at least include one. It's very rare that an artist so convincingly and so radically alters his craft ten or fifteen years into his career. Tom Waits did it effortlessly, or so it seems. The kitchen sink approach and the Brechtian overtones had always been there before, but in *Swordfishtrombone* and the two albums that followed, they're put in the foreground, thanks to all sorts of off-kilter instrumentations giving more distinctive Old Europe flavors to the Californian singer-songwriter's tunes. The percussions provided by Victor Feldman (who also played for Steely Dan!), including that wonderful marimba, are, simply put, moody as f*ck. But the most obvious element in the recipe is still Tom, who accentuates the growls and the theatrical shenanigans on his vocal performances in quite an incredible fashion. It can be a little off-putting on first listens, but once you get your footing in those new whereabouts, it quickly becomes a wonderful experience. "Underground" is a stellar opener -- granting "stellar" is a word that can be used for songs reeking with the stench of sewers! "16 Shells From A 30.6" is a fun deranged bluesy number, and "In The Neighborhood", where Waits paints the portrait of a working-class urban area, is a very touching impressionistic moment. The thing is, follow-up LP *Rain Dogs* is even better at this cinematic, evocative game, and it has the good taste to add lots of memorable ballads in the vein of "In The Neighborhood" in between the same sort of theatrics. Which nicely amplifies the dynamics of that other LP's (admittedly longer) tracklist. So for me, *Rain Dogs* is the *ideal* album to keep in a list such as this one if you want to represent that pivotal era of Tom Waits' career. *Swordfishtrombone* has better chances to be included in my own list compared to *Frank Wild's Years*, true... But 1001 is a finite number after all, so I can't guarantee it. Now come on, Tom, I can see you sulking from the other side of the bar's counter... Don't give me that, you know it's impossible to welcome the whole neighborhood into this seedy dive. Come on, chin up, let me buy you a drink... Bartender! The next round's on me, alright? 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 4.5) Number of albums left to review: the 80-ish extra LPs listed on this app, included because different past editions of the book have mentioned albums that have since been dropped in subsequent editions. Number of albums I'll keep in my own list: half, approximately Number of albums I *might* keep: a small quarter, approximately (including this one) Number of albums I won't keep: a large quarter
thanks 1001 album generator for starting me off with the least accessible tom waits album
It's a work of mad genius and luckily I had time for a few listens (it is a Sunday) so got past my immediate reaction and settled into it.
Yet again I go ugh Tom Waits and then the album rules. Maybe I just really like Tom Waits
After a shaky start, Tom Waits has become one of my favourite discoveries from the generator project, so of course I’m happy to hear more of his back catalogue. It does feel like something I should maybe be doing on my own time, though, rather than taking up a 5th spot on the 1001 albums list… Then again, fuck it, it’s good stuff. Not quite as good as Rain Dogs, perhaps, but an eloquent quote on wikipedia informs me that it was his first record to incorporate that same ‘neon-lit junkyard sonic grotesquery’ style that I like, so let’s say it’s worth its place for that.
A delectable hodge podge of absolute bollocks and nonsense. I can only assume this album wasn't recorded in a studio, but in the bowels of some bizarre Saw/Dr Seuss hybrid hellhole. Knocked a star off because I don't like bagpipes. I cant blame Tom Waits for this, seeing as he's obviously used not only every instrument on earth to make this album, but every object he can get his hands on and violently bang together.. bagpipes were bound to make an appearance. It's no wonder the Scottish hate everybody, including themselves - if I had to stand in a wintry field, wearing a woolly skirt, whilst the cold air clawed at my bollocks, and the only relief I had whilst waiting for the English to march over the hill, was listening to Mel Gibson blow air into a dead, inside out animal, I'd be pretty fed up too. I'd much rather be in a field listening to Swordfishtrombones, music that would truly strike fear into the enemy. 4/5
A great voice, and a few brilliant songs, but does he really need 5(!!) albums on the list? Maybe, but I'm not sure.
If you can get past his voice it’s a great album.
I feel like given enough time this might be a 5 from me, having this on vinyl would be good. Feel like listening to this in a certain atmosphere off a record would be really cool, the range of this album would a rollercoaster if you smoked a doobie before listening
Different but interesting! Loved a few of the songs especially Shore Leave! Had to listen to it several times.
Well, Tom Waits will always be Tom Waits. Some tracks (eg. Dave the Butcher) are just unlistenably bad, and others (eg. In The Neighborhood) are somehow so bad that they're great, and yet others (eg. Frank's Wild Years, Rainbirds) are just genuinely great works of audio. Then you have the masterpiece's of atmosphere (eg. Swordfishtrombone). It was hit or miss, but mostly hit. Four stars.
Back to back Tom Waits. Yesterday was Rain Dogs, today it's SwordfishTrombones. Luckily I like Tom, although this isn't my favourite album of his.
When it comes down to it, you have to admire Waits for his sheer bravado, even if you don't like his gravelly voice. He's willing to take bold risks. Too many artists on this list play it safe and end up peddling the same old bubblegum schlock. I wish they were more like him.
Textures and stories. Evocative. Solid.
Deranged carnival barker offering visions of sideshows I could have read about in a Ray Bradbury anthology. A vision of a reality a little too real and off-kilter to exist in this world.
I actually like Tom Waits quite a bit, but this is not my favorite. It’s all over the place, but has a few winners like Johnsburg, Illinois
I already had one of the tracks (In the Neighbourhood) and the other tracks sort of slid down pleasantly. I like this sort of plinky-plonk swampy
Highlights: 16 Shells From a 30.6 Frank's Wild Years Swordfishtrombone There is a lot to say about Tom Waits, he is one of the most unique voices in the popular music consciousness. This album has a lot of the DNA that makes up on of my favorite albums of all time, Real Gone. However Swordfishtrombones is lacking some of the energy that really makes that album so fantastic. I do enjoy the atmosphere of this album and the story telling and lyricism of Tom Waits in general. Definitely worth a listen, this album may not be fore everyone but those who can appreciate will not want to miss out
I know my music but I also know there are some absolute legends I'm not half as familiar with as I should be. Tom Waits is pretty near the top of that list. Why should he be only known thanks to a Rod Stewart cover? My point exactly. So I'm aware of this album but not overly familiar with it. More shanty than blues but rhythmic to the core. Fabulous percussion and more blues than the ramshackle jazz he is known for. But the range of instruments used is impressive. Not only the percussion but it sounds like he a colliery brass band in there too. Very good.
Low key slaps
This is a Waits record I like which is to say I really enjoy a good half of it. It’s all pretty genius but much of it not necessarily something one listens to more than once. The guy is a brilliant song writer.
ha nem lenne ennél sokkalsokkal csodálatosabb Tom Waits, akkor sztem tetszett volna nagyon, de mivel az, nyeh. (az In The Neighborhood azért adja, na)
4.5
Had to listen twice to appreciate this one. First time I found it funky but a bit abrasive. Second time it started growing on me as much more unique. He has hints of Nick Cave, but used in a much more playful way.
If anything, this gets the prize for the most clank in an album. If you listen carefully though, it actually works well with the storytelling, and some of the songs come out really poetic. The format where each track is like a little vignette of life is cool. Successfully mixing the musical vibes of jazz played in a dingy bar into this whole thing is definitely a sign of an expert musician with a clear artistic vision for the piece. Also, I like how "In the Neighborhood" sounds like an inverted version of a song from the Mary Popping musical.
Seems reminiscent of, yet maybe slightly worse than, Rain Dogs. Apparently this album is the first that he self-produced, and Rain Dogs was 2 years later, so that kind of tracks. I'm grooving to 16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six though. Yeah overall this was good. Very similar to Rain Dogs. I think we could have had one or the other on this list.
Favorite Tracks: Shore Leave 16 Shells From A 30.6 In The Neighborhood
Always love Tom Waits. There's only one guy who does this and this is him and that's great.
Dark, gritty ans atmospheric. But you have to be in the right mood
underground FUCKING funny er liebt random grüsch finds jz sehr funny, mengisch chli sehr goofy aber iwie authentisch? in the neighvourhood hani sehr schön gfunde frank isch tasächlcih relativ wild hahaha uh jz ischs nochli bluesy rain birds cutes outro ganz ehrlich, hüfig wird ich fas album nöd lose aber FUCK it VIAAAA
Have on vinyl. Just the right amount of oddness, still sounds fresh today. Tom Waits' voice is great
It's Tom Waits. If you like him (and I do), you'll likely enjoy the album. But it's definitely not for everyone. One of the quintessential songwriters of the latter 20th century, his genius is all over this album. But... It's pretty trippy. I had a good time.
By some crazy stroke of luck, after listening to this album for the first time literally today, it came up as my album of the day for tomorrow, so I decided I'd just write down my thoughts now. I've been a fan of Tom Waits' music for quite a while, his unique flavor of singer-songwriter in his earlier career, and his super experimental stuff later. Both are great eras, and this was the transition between them. Very reminiscent of it's successor Rain Dogs, similar production, sound, vocal delivery etc. And while I think he struck that perfect balance on his following records much better than on here, that doesn't make this anywhere near a bad album. Seriously enjoyed it, and is definitely one I'd recommend to people trying to get into his music, as it's probably a little more accessible that what would come after.
Cutting edge sound for what it was. What a way to start the album.
It is quintessential TW. Bombastic and odd, beautiful and rugged. One of the most interesting musical artists of all time, at the moment he decided to take a left turn when everyone else chose to ride the train.
It makes no sense I adore this album. None. It's messy and atonal and grumpy and somehow dirty to listen to, but I adore it. Best for late nights thinking of whiskey, long midnight countryside drives with solitary thoughts and those times when it's 3am and you have an itch within your soul. 4 stars.
The beginning of Tom Waits as we know him today. Shaggy and poetic.
I quite liked this but I dont know why. I bought it on record about 15 years ago, listened once and never bothered again until now. But there’s something about it I really like. It doesnt have a clue what it wants to be but in a good way. Each song is a surprise, from weird little circuis dit (like a slightly lighter version of The Carney by Nick Cave) to Jazz singer. I dont know what this is, but I like it
Listened twice as the first time I was baffled. I like it. The variety of musical styles is admirable - a real commitment to madness. Underground, and Swordfishtrombones are the best songs, and I only struggled with Frank's Wild Years (mercifully short). In fact, the majority of the songs on the album are 3 minutes or less - which is again impressively restrained. I don't think I can give it a 5, but this is weird and I like it.
Il y a quelque chose de carnavalesque chez Waits: l'ambiance de fête foraine des cuivres et de l'accordéon, mais surtout une préoccupation pour le commun, une permutation avec le sublime
I like the live vibe. Some of the long vamps with spoken word type stuff would be cool to see live but might not fully translate to album. Enjoyed this one but prefer rain dogs.
Really weird and cool. Not something I could listen to every day or maybe even again at all but enjoyed listening
Really interesting
Tales of strife of life Street-weary Cookie Monster With found instruments I first learned of Dylan in university—actually listened to more than radio jams—and was introduced to scotch, both courtesy of Dave. He held out on the Waits, however. I’ve listened to his first nine albums—the first three in depth. Greatly enjoying his transformation. From old Tom Frost on “Martha” to the barmaid’s smile while “(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night,” to the pseudo-live comedic narratives of Nighthawks, Waits has carved a special place for me musically. Enjoyed listening to this deeply and resuming my exploration of Waits. I’ve heard many great things about Bone Machine and Mule Variations.
“She’s my only true love, she’s all that I think of; look here in my wallet, that’s her”. It’s ninety-three seconds long, and cuts through the gristle and the grime of the surrounding tracks as a startlingly earnest affirmation. And then it’s gone, and Tom Waits is back to singing about crooked, cracked people in the depths of despair. Such is the versatility, theatricality and insanity of “Swordfishtrombones”. The woman in the wallet is Kathleen Brennan, Waits’ new wife at the time and an invaluable influence on his work. She expanded his musical palette, introduced him to the music of Captain Beefheart, became his co-writer and co-producer, and dared him to self-produce this very record. So, while “Swordfishtrombones” isn’t a complete left-turn from the groundwork before it, it does neatly form a new chapter in the narrative of Waits’ career. The seeds of “Rain Dogs” and “Bone Machine” have already grown into gnarled and twisted shoots by this point, as we ricochet from the heart-aching “Johnsburg, Illinois” into the aggression of “16 Shells From A 30.6” into the rousing sentimentality of “In the Neighborhood”. The overall effect is a hi-res rendering of the grizzled and howling streets of Waitsian suburbia. The lyrics are as evocative as ever: I adore them all, but would like to single out “In the Neighborhood”’s opening line of “the eggs chase the bacon round the frying pan”, the grizzly spoken word in “Shore Leave” (“rowed down the gutter to the blood bank”) and the hilarious “Frank’s Wild Years” (“never could stand that dog”). The musical arrangements are striking and often surprising, with an expanded range in instrumentation: however, this does lead to a few puzzling diversions (the deranged organ of “Dave the Butcher”, the sleepy accordion of “Just Another Sucker on the Vine”, the bagpipes introducing “A Town with No Cheer”). And occasionally, the album dips a little too far into melancholy mood music for my taste (“Town With No Cheer” and “Soldier’s Things” are fine, but lack the gut-wrench pathos of some of his other ballads). Altogether, though, “Swordfishtrombones” is an arresting entry in an inimitable discography. From this album onwards, Tom Waits the man is dead, and Tom Waits the myth is gleefully busking on his grave.
I think I liked Rain Dogs better, but this is still an amazing precursor to that album creating a dark and gloomy atmosphere.
listened to again what a crooner
16 Shells From a 30.6 In the Neighborhood Frank's Wild Years Soldier's Things
I'm still digesting this album. It didn't grab me the way that Rain Dogs or Mule Variations did. But I don't think I appreciated those albums at first either. It's likely that I'd end up giving it a 3 in the long run. But I'm feeling hopeful. This week, I was happy to listen to something that felt like it was taking risks. I remember when I was younger and getting tired of all my music sounding the same. Then I discovered Rain Dogs and it sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before. Almost like outsider art, but still very polished when it wanted to be.
I feel like the day a person hears a Tom Waits album for the first time is a catalyst for something much deeper. I guess today was that day for me. I was both terrified but excited to finally hear what all of the discussion was about. Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for what I actually heard. I could not have readied myself anymore than I already did. Any crazy description you hear of what this sounds like is probably right and wrong at the same time. Because this doesn’t really sound like anything. Definitely not anything I’ve ever heard before. This is so unusual, and feels like it’s going against the norms of general music at every possible moment. Except I’ll admit that I spent pretty much the entire listen with a smile on my face. I couldn’t believe myself that I was actually listening to this, but I also couldn’t believe how awesome it was. Tom himself immediately stood out to me as a character. And he has what might be one of the most interesting singing voices I’ve ever heard. It almost borders on not being singing. It’s so low and gravelly. It sounds like you tossed pebbles into a blender and had it speak to you. But that paired with the dark and eerie carnival-esque music on the record creates a wholly unique experience. This is basically the creaking floor boards of the music industry. And I find it insanely cool. Tom Waits actually feels like someone who really deserves to be on this list. I don’t know if any other artists has ever made music that sounds like this, which completely warrants his placement. I honestly can’t wait to hear more music from him. Everyone should listen to this, whether they end up hating it or absolutely loving it in the end. Rating: 8/10
rikkihappo core... syövyttänyt kurkun, ja påän, ihan tohjoksi.. sanoo vaan sanoja... merkityksettömiä... paitsi kuumeisessa unissaan, jossa saa kaikki tekee hänen mielestään järkeä... hullun miehen polkka, on tämäkin artistinen ekspressio... rakastan kun tom alkaa kertomaan tarinoita rakastaaaaaa niin ihkuuu <333333 kuiskuten muiskuten hihihihiihihih <3333333333333333 jeejee jeee jeee!!!! puspuspus niiiiiiiin söpö heh<333333333333 don dowän dwn
Elsk!
I like Tom Waits, and there’s a lot of great moments here. But I’d be lying if I gave it anything above a 4. It’s just a little too tough to listen to.
Tom Waits is at his best when given free reign and the freedom to pick up any instrument that he feels like experimenting with. This will certainly not appeal to everyone, but this is experimental blues for the eccentrics among us. This album marks the beginning of his most interesting period and evolution as an artist. Love it or hate it, nothing sounds quite like it.
Not *quite* perfect (he gets there on the next record), but still pretty fucking awesome. 4.5/5
Tom Waits brings a collection of music that tells stories of the strange and macabre and its wonderful!
Quite enjoyed this, it fit my mood today very well. Probably won’t listen regularly but I liked it today. 8/10
I do love Tom Waits and his smoky lounge bar atmospheric songs. I wasn’t particularly feeling this today until In the Neighbourhood kicked in which is such a beautiful song. This should be a 3.5 but I know on a better day I would ramp it up.
This is a stellar album, and from what I know, marked a point in Waits' career where he transitioned from a relatively straightforward piano bar fixture to the more flamboyant personality that fueled the rest of his career. It's an impressive collection — just when Waits' over the top performances seem to have have run their course, he hits with a beautiful interlude that grounds everything and sets the stage for more wild oats.
I discovered Tom Waits and Raymond Carver at the same time in college. They pair well together and I love an evocative short story. For Frank's Wild Years alone this is an essential listen.
somehow beautiful, funny, scary, and sad at the same time
Fuckin weirdo <3
Bonkers, but wicked.
Welcome to the mind and music of Tom Waits! An often bizarre, underground, back street, dive bar, dead end world of lonely souls and characters. His voice(s) can be challenging and the musical backdrop incredibly varied and willfully weird but there is beauty in the madness. 'Underground' leads us into this other world, 'In The Neighbourhood' (the single, and only track I knew) is great, 'Johnsburg, Illinois' and the closing instrumental are beautiful, as is the poignant 'Soldier's Things' (And everything's a dollar in this box) the stand out track for me. I love the tough blues guitar on 'Gin Soaked Boy' too. Reminds me of the track that first introduced me to Tom Waits, via a Levi's ad in '93! I played this a lot today, and it's becoming my favourite album on the list so far. He's a one off. A great songwriter and musician who started relatively mainstream then took his own direction.
Unique and ingenious and fully carnivalesque. Alternately raw ("Underground" and "Gin Soaked Boy") and haunting ("Solider's Things") and hilarious ("Frank's Wild Years"), and don't leave out lovely ("Johnsburg, Illinois" and "In the Neighborhood" and "Rainbirds") and totally memorable (the title cut). This is awfully close to masterpiece territory though one's always preferred Raindogs. More Brecht than Beefheart, thanks to the theatricality, which seems to come so naturally to TW.
Oh! bittersweet rhythms, hangovers, poems written on napkins dedicated to prostitutes. Everything and nothing expressed in a song while a marimba plays a disoriented harmony in a stacatto. This is the album that gave Tom his second air. And it's lovely. Frankie's wild years is fantastic
I wouldn't have liked this back when I started the challenge but today I thought it was engaging and entertaining throughout, worth a listen
Pure Waits, nice to hear
Much more enjoyable than I was expecting. Still very gnarly at times but I could get into the clunky thudding groove of this one.
Tom is an acquired taste and I acquired it on my first listen. This album is an old friend and as good as I remember. I once tried Franks Wild Years as an audition piece.
4.25
I really liked the song Underground, it's the song that I never realized was spoofed in the movie Robots. I also liked 16 Shells From A 30.6. Overall a good and interesting album.
If you don't know Tom Waits' stuff you should give this and/or Rain Dogs a go. You might hate them, but you'll probably think they're brilliant.
Légitime a very good album. So funny.
4 is probably too high but I had a great time listening to this. It was goofy all the way through but fun.
First time listener. It made me feel very drunk, without the hangover. I did break into thirds - about 20 mins at a time is enough Waits to keep me inebriated.
This album is good. It's I think the earliest album of his I've heard that has this sort of sound, and I like the transitional aspect of it, i.e. it's a bit more minimalist. All in all, it's Tom Waits so it's gonna be good. 4/5
Easily high-tier Tom. A really cohesive collection with some of his best work. It’s maybe not my favorite but I could easily recommend it to newbies. A-
Love the unexpected music and great voice. His album I liked the beast. Great discovery
Dave the Butcher came on and Andy said really earnestly “this song is how I imagine it would sound to be haunted by a clown”.
I would say I am a fan of Tom Waits, but I have not delved very far into his catalog. I am glad that some of his releases are included in this list. I have not listened to this before but I found it very enjoyable. Waits gets his inspiration from all manner of jazzy and bluesy influences with a vaudevillian atmosphere and lyrics that stem from the darker, seedier side of life. Also being a fan of Captain Beefheart, I can also note similarities with Waits' music there as well. A really good listen, looking forward to experiencing some more from Mr. Waits.
High key, the instrumentation and instrumentals are incredible. I really don't like the singer's voice, though. The spoken parts are kind of perfect. I really don't like how much I actually truly enjoyed this album.
iconic
Cool
Tom is great whether he’s solo on piano or conjuring up some interesting complimentary sounds Like some of his other stuff better but never disappointed to hear a Tom Waits song
Yea baby! This guy doesn’t give a #%$&. Never disappoints and a true original.
Experimental madman. Making sounds and going far out in every direction
I liked this one more than Rain Dogs. Overall great swampy blues.
favourite song: 16 shells from a 30.6 really cool album. ive been meaning to get into tom waits for a while and this has me wanting more.
The later "weirdo" period Tom Waits songs always sound to me like they should be performed by an old man dressed like a sea captain at some off-off-Broadway interpretive performance of Bukowski works. That's not a bad thing. Like other artists (like Beefheart) I have to be in the mood to listen to it, and Tom Waits is still one of the coolest guys to ever walk the earth, but it's great music.
Mutig und abgedreht. Kunst.
Weird, but not too weird. I like it. Remarkable voice. Instrumentation with horns and stuff. Favorite song: Swordfishtrombone
Interesting if not a hundred percent my thing. I haven't listened to a lot of Tom Waits, but this was a good way to cut my teeth on his music.
Dude bangin on a trash can is better than some people on guitar.
There have been several artists I thought I knew on this 1001 journey, and I don't think I've been more wrong with Tom Waits. I guess I just assumed all Toms are the same and he was similar to Tom Petty. Nope. At least not in this album. This album is pretty wacky in a good way. Several songs sound like they are sung by a Muppet, and that isn't a bad thing earlier, just an unusual vocal style. From seeing this is his 8th album I wouldn't have expected him to only be 34 at the time. "Underground" sets the tone right away and is a song id love to see Tenacious D cover if they haven't already, then it just keeps going on a wild ride. I've been critical of similar oddball albums, but this one just makes sense out of its strangeness in a way I really can't explain. Favorite track "Underground" 4/5
Classy artist
You either live or hate Tom waits and with this album I’m somehow in both categories now. I hated some songs but loved others and also hated other albums of his but half loved this one which I truly never expected. Despite shit like shore leave I loved the 80s influenced jazz vibe on this. Super unique but probs best in small doses
Dieses Album habe ich bereitsgekannt und findet sich auch in meinem Besitz. Jetzt hatte ich das Vergnügen die Remastered Version von 2023 zu hören. Die Instrumentierung und Arrangements sind einfach fantastisch. In jeder Hinsicht ein Hörabenteuer im positiven Sinne. Meisterhaft. Die Songs "In the neighborhood", "Underground", "Johnsbug, Illinois", ""Rainbirds" sind meine absoluten Lieblingsnummern. Da schmelze ich dahin. Das Album wäre insgesamt eindeutig eine 5. Aber es ist die Stimme: zugegeben sie ist anders und für 4 Nummern wunderbar. Dann aber brauche ich wieder eine Pause. Aber ich weiß, das ist sehr subjektiv und gegenüber dem Künstler unfair, weil sie ist einzigartig, unglaublich und gibt dem ganzen eine einzigartige Note: Tom Waits
Well, I definitely didn't have punk vaudeville on my bingo card. This album is weird as hell ... but I like it. This album is impossible to categorize. It has theatrical sketches, discordant carnival instrumentals, Randy Newman–esque ballads, outlaw epics, blues jams, and jazzy numbers. There are all sorts of weird instruments—bagpipes, African drums, xylophones, harmoniums, and stuff I don't recognize. Waits' gravelly voice at times sound like Oscar the Grouch (especially when he's wailing "the neighborhood"), a Louis Armstrong or Howlin' Wolf impersonator, or an earnest singer-songwriter. There are even some spoken-word lounge stories. The storytelling in the lyrics is great. Almost every song has a full narrative. There are songs about homesick sailors, dead soldiers, towns falling into disrepair, brutal criminals, and more—there are 15 tracks, but the album clocks in at a relatively short 41 minutes and change. Standout tracks: "16 Shells from a 30.6" (outlaw rock), "Down Down Down" (uptempo bluesy jam), "Soldier's Things" (beautifully sad piano ballad), and I'm definitely adding "Underground" to my Halloween playlist. Waits' voice takes some getting used to, and it isn't always super pleasant to listen to, but he inhabits his characters so well that it works a huge percentage of the time. Though, the blues impersonations can feel a little like a minstrel show sometimes, even if they sound good. Maybe not something I'd listen to that often, but it's an impressive work of art and never boring. Fans of artists like Nick Cave, Dresden Dolls, and Tori Amos would probably enjoy it. 4/5
When you are in a Tom Waits mood, there is nothing else that comes close. Such a unique sound.
What a strange album! Love the music, but my throat hurts after listening to home sing.
This is the first of the 'Frank's Wild Years' trilogy and signalled a turn towards quirkier, more diverse songs with the accent on back street dives and gin-soaked beauties and small town losers. The songs are of a consistently high standard throughout, particularly In the Neighbourhood, Johnsburg Illinois and Soldier's Things. Only bettered (just) by Raindogs, the follow-up album
So while listening to this I had some crazy coincidence or whatever happen. First I delivered to McHenry Illinois which is mentioned in the song Johnsburg Illinois where we also have customers. Then back at base he mentions Birmingham at the exact moment one of our trucks from Birmingham Alabama pulls out it front of me. I have no idea why he was all the way up here in Northern Illinois but made for a great coincidence. Album was fine, once I get used to Waits voice I enjoy the stories and it's just weird allot too so there's that.
I don't know if I would listen to this album again, but it was fascinating to listen to
Sad, disorienting, weird, pretty amazing. I still find a lot of the music dissonant and hard going (though there are some sweet hymns in there too) but the voice and the stories are incredible. Strikingly distinctive
By turns weird, beautiful, off-putting, catchy. This was my first Tom Waits album, and while I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the artist or the album, it’s unique enough that I feel a score of 3 is unfair. I liked it more as it went on. It made for unconventional Christmas Eve listening, but I’ve felt out of sorts and a little down all day, and it ended up being strangely appropriate.
It pains me to say this as someone who loves Tom Waits - I’ve always found this album impenetrable. I get what he’s doing here. And there’s no doubt that it’s great for what it is. But I’ve never been inspired to just throw this album on for some fun listening. Though I will say that I enjoyed this album more on this listening than I have previously. Maybe I’m finally old enough to appreciate how immature it is. I just don’t know how much xylophone I need in my life. I love the world that Tom Waits lives in. It’s as if everything around him is some demented adult cartoon. I hope there is more from him on this list. 3.5/5
Out of the trilogy Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs and Frank Wild's Years, I liked this album the least but still expected a five star. However, I would argue 8/10 is more appropriate, as some of the tracks are just quite a little irritating (whereas other ones are still great).
I quite enjoyed this album, but for me, it lacked a little bit in cohesiveness.
Very intriguing album, I love the weird sounds, the cracky voice, the gentle ballads. Falls only slightly short of full marks.
4/5. A carnival of sadness and fear. Not sure where Waits is coming from but there seems to be something he should probably go to therapy, thankfully he at least is expressing it through music. He has such a unique voice that matches the minimalist and raw instrumentation, like I found myself in a Saw movie and this was playing over the speakers in the dungeon I was chained up in. I know I'm not lasting long if this was playing. The only downside is some of the spoken word tracks sound similar and have similar themes of death and depression.
Such a good album. Waite brings his skills as a poet full force with the lyrics while the music is as chaotic and carnival as an he’s done.
Bizarre. Very weird to listen to in places but innovative, poetic, bonkers and very interesting - never dull.
I like Tom Waits, but I cannot get it out of my head how much he sounds like Mr. Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas. 3.5/5
Love this album and all of its weirdness. Starting with carnival horror music and transitioning to soft piano jazz by end, with the full spectrum in between. I don't know wtf was going on in his head during writing/recording, but I love the ride.
I'm ready to take my lumps if it's an unusual call but I'm getting to love Tom Waits. He's got a weird style but this album sums up to my how it works. I wouldn't call this the pinnacle of music or anything wild like that but this is a clear example of executing a vision on all fronts and deciding later if it'll be a hit or not. All of it plays so straight it almost feels tongue in cheek or skit like, but In The Neighborhood works even if it feels so over the top that it shouldn't. The album has ups and downs but I'm here for it.
Great album. Glad stuff like this exists.
Waits bins form and structure, throws instruments out of windows, records the sound they make as they smash on the ground, shambolically drawl- sings stories over the top. And it is brilliant.
Is... is this actually happening? Tom Waits is growing on me?? After two pretty atrocious albums from the list, the most recent two have been pretty.. dare I say.. enjoyable. This one is just experimental enough to keep me intrigued but still has some really nice songwriting and jazz bits. 7/10
O som desse álbum é incrivelmente baixo, ao ponto de ser irritante. Muitas músicas interessantes e experimentais mas também muita música bem qualquer coisa
bangers
Ah, drucken sounds that are cool. Would drink again if I could
His best record after Rain Dogs, this feels like a template for it, with all the weird, one-eyed and fraying loveliness. "Town with No Cheer" and "Johnsburg, Illinois" and "In the Neighborhood" and "Rainbirds" are all very strong. Title cut is great, "Frank's Wild Years" is priceless (the small throat-clearings just spot on) and the rougher (if not quite raunchy) tunes also make a big impression.
4.5
Dunno what y’all are complaining about, this is good stuff.
Bawdy, jagged and engrossing. The entree to his classic Rain Dogs album.
Tom Waits is an artist who is just greater than the sum of his parts. You look at him and her his voice and listen to the instrumentation and the lyrics and nothing stands out as astonishing but blended together they always make fascinating albums that are so diverse and interesting. I first listened to Bone Machine which is a weird album of his to start on cause it is sort of not like anything else he did imo. This album is sort of his classic sound and it is great. Tom Waits can always guarantee you a few things: interesting lyrics, interesting sounds, his unique voice and a creative aesthetic. This album hits on all those notes and if you like experimental rock I would definitely steer you towards this album. Personally though I don't think it's as good as some of his other work like Rain Dogs and I do think there are some songs that I would say sound fine but don't work as well on this album. Also "Underground" is in Robots so that automatically makes me like this album just a little bit more. 9-9.5/10 depending on how I feel that day.
Leuk, 4
It is certainly a Tom Waits album. I do love this album. I remember a cousin playing it to me when I was little and I didn't know what was happening - the cover is unmistakable which is why I know it was this particular album. Not that I listen to Waits much this is probably my favourite. He is like a disheveled Leonard Cohen soaked in cheap whiskey and stinking of cheaper cigars
Interesting Production Heavy blues vocals Abstract Lots of good songs few skips
I really like this phase of Tom Waits’ music. I think I like the next couple of albums better- Rain Dogs and Franks Wild Years (always trips me out that the song with that name isn’t on the album) - but it’s still interesting to see him take the first steps in that direction.
Not my favourite Waits, but still Tom Waits.
I prefer "house singer in a seedy 70s coffee house" Tom Waits to "carnival barker at a freak show" Tom Waits. This is the last hurrah for the former, he would start leaning more toward the latter a couple of years later. A great entry point for someone looking to see what he's about. I wouldn't call it accessible, but it's as accessible as Waits gets.
by the liked songs this album should be 5 star but i dont know if i was entirely convinced by some parts of the it i absolutely loved the opening track underground and gave me the impression it would be all similar to this track but it turned out to be more experimental than i could have imagined i would definitely give this album 4.5 stars if i could because it appeals to me greatly there were a few tracks that were too spoken for my taste which is a shame because i wanted to rate the album higher but i just couldnt get on with it
Tom Waits channels a certain sound like no other. His voice, for one, is so grizzled and expressive that it delivers in spades. At it's core, Waits is making the rawest form of folk music, defying convention for a truly earnest expression through music. It is strange, and perhaps a bit puzzling, but I have a lot of respect for Waits' music. This is especially true for the some of the lyrics he's written, such as the beautiful Soldier's Things. I think Waits hit a better stride on his followup Rain Dogs, but this is still indicative of his quality work.
Another interesting album from Tom, very experimental and weird, I enjoyed it.
I’m reviewing this midway through the album, because idk if I’ll make it all the way through. But I would like to talk to the people who like this. I can get behind some weird music, but I can’t get sold on this. Someone enlighten me pls. It’s like a sad old man group right before they walk into a retirement center and never make music again. Frank’s Wild Years is something. Lol. He mentions Mickey! Omg he burnt the house down! I’m live reviewing this song. He killed the dog?!? I do like swordfishtrombone. Wait do I like this now?
A wild ride.
Shit I feel like I don't know enough about music to give this a proper review. I'll admit I thought it started out quite wanky, thinking it was just a talented dude flexing his musical muscle, putting together songs with random sounds and instruments, making what should be unlistenable music quite palatable. But then a few songs deeps that feeling left, and I was in a moderate state of awe. It's a cohesive and entirely new listening experience, which feels quite amazing to say 40 years after its release. Fav track: soldiers things
A wholly unique listening experience, unlike anything we've really had so far. Need to give it a much closer listen, but I'm all aboard the Waits train from this. Fave track: Underground
This was a weird album. I loved it. Really fun, interesting music the whole way through.
Song from the hit 2005 animated film Robots and fourteen other hits! Pretty good, love the piano in here.
Cohesive in idiosyncrasy, this is just Waits dialed way up. The songs hardly cover every angle, but they are windows on a world. The details of what exactly it is are less important: Beefheart-style vocals are first and only about the sound. Waits works and aspires to more, trading sound world for another half-dimension.
A swampy slide down the depths of a subterranean circus led luridly by a raucous ringmaster.
Since I listened to a previous Waits album some months ago, this was very unexpected. I was ready for classic bluesy rock and got industrial-like sounds that looked like music. I'll rate it with a 4 for the surprise. Give me more.
I'm not a Tom Waits fan, but it wasn't bad.
Best Tom Waits album! 4/5
This sounds likr a movie soundtrack about some cowboys and pirates all sitting in a bar woeing over their life's troubles. I feel like that makes it so hard to rate this album. Some of it is very groovy being almost impossible not to stamp a foot over, some of it also feels quite like Waits is really trying to make sure the listener "gets" the sound he's trying to make, as if it's not so obvious somehow... Is it a good thing to male bad music if you mean to make it bad? Is it even bad if that's the case? I think abrasive is a good word to describe the sound better than bad, which in turn helps to set the scene even more. Between the unique orchestration, and the album being unapologetically itself, I think this album merits it's 4 stars
An American legend. This album straddles his tendencies for rambling stories, grumbling growls, and catchy melodies. Like this one a lot and missing it on my shelf.
I think it's time to give Mr. Waits the rating he deserves. This is probably the last album from him that I'll get from this generator, which is sad considering he's one of the artists that I look forward to. Anyway, "Swordfishtrombones" is notably Tom Waits. Weird, full of gravel, and hard to digest. So to avoid another regretful rating, I digested this one slowly. And hell it's quite good. Brings me to places I never knew I'd enjoy being in. Perhaps not as good as "Rain Dogs" or not as inventive as "Bone Machine", but it still has all the surprises and tricks one would expect from Tom Waits. Arguably the most interesting artist on this list.
Me ha gustado mucho, pero es que Tom Waits es imposible que me defraude(PSP)
Very nice song on it (not all though)
I loved most of the album. Added a few to the playlist
I find Tom Waits hit or miss, but when he hits the songs are so uniquely weird and wonderful that no one else could have done them; Shore Leave, 16 Shells from A 30.6, Frank's Wild Years are just cool and dark and, well, special. To me Underground overshoots the mark, and although I like Down, Down, Down and Gin Soaked Boy, they are a bit shy of that sweet spot of where attitude, gravel, and weirdness make magic. This album is, overall, completely interesting and I think deserves to be on this list. 3.5 rounding up despite the album art which skeezes me out.
Not quite the full blown Tom Waits experience, but getting there
He is kind of crazy. What is this? Vampire music?
Very strange, very experimental, it's a vibe. 7.5/10
- Cool voice - Varied tracks - Feels minimalist but well executed - 7.5/10
Best Song: 16 Shells From a 30.6. The vocals here are absolutely perfect: energetic and dragged across a backcountry gravel road. Worst Song: Dave the Butcher. The insistence of placing instrumental tracks on a Tom Waits album never ceases to astound me. Overall: More expected excellence from this period of Tom Wait's career. The mix of often gentle music and Wait's unique grit, all around compelling lyrics, makes this work.
Muy hombre pero igual está bueno
So unique and still listenable, so experimental and still conventional. I love Tom Waits, I don't listen to him enough, and this is a solid release by him. On top of his amazing music, I often think about funny quotes from him like this one: TV Network Presenter Host Person: "It's kind of strange to have a guy sitting here with a bottle in front of him." Tom Waits: "Well, I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy"
Another person in the list I’ve heard their name for many years and yet had not heard anything from them. I was certainly missing out. I really enjoyed this Tom Waits album and it’s different than so much other music.
Chulo
Solid
4.5 Superb album, always interesting
Tom Waits is a longtime favorite and this is one of his best. I love his early records, but this record moving away from piano driven songs to more abstract and experimental song structures is a high point. One of his best.
Enjoyed this a look. A classic but not one that I can imagine popping on when chilling. Regardless it's very interesting musically and fun to listen to properly like this
Rock de Tom Waits. Un 4.
Loved
Not my favourite but giving it a 4. It is exactly what this list is about for me. Confirming great albums and stretching your mindset and appreciation for albums you might not have purchased but should try.
Dirty singing done right
Better than any other of his albums I’ve heard
Not my favorite Tom Waits album but contains one of my favorite TW songs, Frank’s Wild Years