Reviews (page 3 of 8)
I just can’t with that voice. You can write all the great lyrics, and melodies of the world, but throw that on top of it and it’s a no for me. 1.75 out of 5, but I’ll be nice and round that to 2 stars
Any Tom Waits is wonderful and Johannesburg, Illinois is a truly beautiful song but I think this album only hints at the genius to come.
💩
Annoying vocalist and an incoherent track listing. The nearest thing that I have got in common with this album is that I once played trombone. But never played a swordfish. 1/5 24/3/26
Preferred Bone Machine. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.
I do get it, but that doesn't me I like it.
429/1089 - Well it's unique for sure. I feel like you need to be in a very specific mood to both "get" and "enjoy" this demented circus music but thankfully I'm a Shostakovich fan so I can get behind some of this. I think it's better then the "fradulent live jazz album" I got earlier in the project for sure and kinda liked the wacky instrumentation (marimba, harmonium, angklung, bass drum with rice, etc.), gravely vocals, and style whiplash.
1.5 Fine, it's hard to judge Avant Garde from a single listen, but a) I can't be arsed giving it more than one listen as b) I didn't enjoy it. It wasn't as awful as some stuff on here, which is why it's score isn't rock bottom. But jesus christ, if someone tells you they love Tom Waits, run a mile.
Početak ovog kultnog waitsa
The description of this album says it is a big departure from his earlier work, but to me it still sounds like the album I had much earlier in this project. It sounds like him sitting around playing his style of music, the only thing missing is the audience. I dont dislike it, but its not grabbing me like I hoped it would. Strong start though. Overall, pretty pleasant.
It’s not pretty, but it’s consistently arresting, with some wonderful spoken word lyrics and tracks that evoke a whole late night, dive bar aesthetic. He’s unpredictable with a voice only a mother or an idiosyncratic music fan could love, and he’s also the real deal in terms of original artists out there. A four that I don’t necessarily want to listen to :)
The instrumental tracks are interesting; the tracks with vocals are nails-on-a-chalkboard bad. Mostly hated this entry.
He’s a one of one. I dig this
I had an ironic amount of fun listening to this. At first I was kind of thrown at the vocals, but eventually I just got used to it and said “yeah I like this”
what the hell is this. A circus with a guy taking a big dump Might be the worst thing I’ve heard on here so far. Just look at that stupid cover. You know it’s gonna be bad, but this bad
I wish I heard this before Rain Dogs because it probably would’ve blown my mind. But in my opinion he really perfected this style on Rain Dogs. On this one the angry pirate songs aren’t as sharp and the crooner songs aren’t as beautiful. Some great tracks and lyrics on this tho.
Half the songs are pretty interesting, and half sound like they were made for Madagascar The Game for GameCube, not necessarily derogatory.
Definitely an acquired taste, not sure if it’s for me. It flip flops between some beautiful little tunes to some jarring ideas that don’t feel fully fleshed out IMO.
Side 1 Tracks 1-3 were slow. Gave me a circus carnival vibe and was a bit apprehensive in getting into the rest of the record. Tracks 4-7 are amazing and is where things start to pickup for me. Love the ballad “Johnsburg, Illinois” and the driving beat of “16 Shells From A 30.6”. Tom Waits sounds amazing on both cuts. Tom Waits sounds very compelling as well in “Town With No Cheer” and “In the Neighborhood”. Side 2 The other half of the record is solid. The only track I had a bit of a hard time with was “Trouble’s Braids”. The instrumentals opening the side and closing it are great as well. Except for the first 3 tracks and “Trouble’s Braids” I think it’s a solid effort. 4/5
obviously this record is crazy insane but i gave it a proper chance and was honestly really impressed with his insane storytelling about war and the effects on the men who come home from it. that being said, i think tom waits is a pseudonym for a collective of artists, each one writing a different track on the record. my guesses are as follows: track one: evil pingu track two: lizard wearing a fedora track three: schizophrenic clown track four: tom waits before the other 14 killed him to use his identity track five: bubba from forrest gump track six: fat bastard from austin powers track seven: the same guy who wrote the usa’s national anthem after suffering from ptsd track eight: a sucker on the vine (autobiographical content assumed) track nine: fred (frank’s disassociated other personality speaking about his actions to create a distance from reality and self) track ten: a house fly that can play the xylophone track eleven: the local jazz bar guy (this one kinda slapped guys ngl) track twelve: a sailor track thirteen: the mountain goat from hoodwinked track fourteen: the guy behind the meat counter who has a glass eye and always seems to be holding a knife track fifteen: a woman who wants you to pay $300 for a sound bath session in the woods
Jeg gik meget skeptisk ind til lytningen af dette album, men jeg må sige, at jeg er positivt overrasket. Starter helt vidunderligt ud med "Underground". Er sgu også overrasket over tyngden af Waits stemme, der kunstnerisk kombineres med diverse instrumenter. Meget speciel måde at udtrykke sig på, men må sige, at det har tendens til at fungere!
Sounds like Mike Patton cut his teeth on this on this record. I can most definitely see this being an acquired taste. I particularly enjoyed "16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six", "Town With No Cheer", "Frank's Wild Years" (made me "lolwut?"), "Down, Down, Down", "Soldier's Things", "Trouble's Braids" and the instrumentals. Interesting album.
Interesting album with elements of folk, blues, jazz, cabaret. It's clearly experimental but in a way that each song still has a lot of familiar elements too. Not something I want to listen too all the time but I enjoyed going through it. I'm not a big fan of the spoken poetry songs but there were some highlights too like the instrumental Rainbirds and In the Neighbourhood.
My churlish “haven’t we had this already” was solved when I found this on my drive. The carnival lurch is distinctive and amusing, but lacks either the beauty or the intensity that might make it essential - more Tim Burton than Hieronymous Bosch.
I dug this a bit more than "Rain Dogs", but the schtick gets tiresome. For every spooky tease like the title track or "In The Neighborhood" there's some eye-rolling bullshit like "Frank's Wild Years" or "Down, Down, Down'. Just sing it, Tom..
This is a heavy spooky album for Waits. I love him, but I am not a fan of Spooky Waits. And the melodic stuff here, in addition to being infrequent, isn't all that good. Sorry, Tom! Forgive me!
Album 300 and I have no clue what to even say about it... I've heard songs by Tom Waits before, and I've viewed him as an acquired taste. Back in my album collecting days this one was touted as a "must own." I never got my hands on a copy of it, or any of his records, so I'd never actually listened to one of them before. Upon listening, and giving it my full attention as it's a Sunday and I wasn't driving or doing anything else, I found the album to be well made, well performed, and certainly cohesive in its concept. There were a few songs that I felt stood out-16 Shells From a 30.6, In the Neighborhood, and Swordfishtrombone. Much of the rest seemed more ideas for songs to me than actual ones. Ultimately, with the viewpoint of this being an experimental album, that makes sense. But it really didn't make it an overall enjoyable experience for me. This will fall into the category of respected rather than enjoyed. An album I wanted to like more than I did.
Previously rated: #448 - Nighthawks At The Diner (4/5) #575 - Bone Machine (3/5) #928 - Rain Dogs (4/5) #1,007 - Heartattack And Vine (3/5) ***************************************** Album #1,072 What else can I say about this weirdo's music? Will I listen to this again? Yeah, probably.
Nok mere specielt og avant-garde end det er god musik, men bestemt et album, der har noget på hjerte.
Tom Waits is either a genius or some sort of joke act. I'm not sure which.
Ok
meh
Liked In The Neighbourhood (?) Truly confusing album in terms of rating as it is more like a soundtrack/moodboard Very amusing Halloween music
Entertaining
I imagine this is the kind of music schizophrenics listen to
One of my favorites. The album has a strong narrative component, drawing you into the story of characters like a sailor on shore leave and Frank. This is among Tom Waits' most narrative-forward albums with the music setting the backdrop. It's a good starting point for new Tom Waits listeners and a standout for long-time fans.
The guitar licks in gin soaked boy are great Really impressed by this wasn't expecting it
Jeg ved sgu ikke helt om det er godt eller helt ude i hampen.
*77 Spooky halloween musik Klart en acquired taste - men Tom Waits er tydeligvis utrolig dygtig... og sjov.
I lyset af andre anmeldte albums kan jeg ikke retfærdiggøre at give mere end 2 her
Mørkt, råt og med et snert ondt cirkus - Tom "Pennywise" Waits i fin form.
Jeg holdt sgu ikke hele albummet ud her
Wow I really did not know anything about Tom Waits. And I hope that I don't fall in love with you is the only song I knew. This isn't something I'd listen to on my own. I found is fun, bluesy, but not an easy listen?
I once went to a play where it began by the cast sitting around in the middle chatting to each other almost inaudibly, with no acknowledgement of the audience. It was only a few minutes in that you realised this was in fact the thing you'd paid to come and see. This was quite a similar experience; I had to keep checking that it had, in fact, started. The play? That got a lot better as it went along, and ended up being really good. This album? Not really. I'm afraid if I've learned one thing on this voyage, it's that Tom Waits does little for me. There are little hints and glimpses of his great voice and playfulness, but it's just lost in a sea of false starts and insouciance.
Whilst I am fond of Tom Waits and his unique brand of murderous hobo blues sang by someone who sounds like an ashtray smells, this is about the third album I’ve had from him. Is this as essential as ‘mule variations’? Not to me. 2/5 plus a recommendation to rename the book 501 albums to hear before you die.
I can’t decide if it’s good or bad. It had some weaker moments and some pretty awesome ones. Sounds like a classic 3 to me
Definitely a Marmite album. Some people will say that this sort of avant-garde experimental rock with its strange time signatures and Tom Waits' gravelly bass voice is brilliant. But others, including me, will say that it's pretentious crap that barely qualifies as music.
Well, this is different. I figured coming into this album that sweet soulful vocals would not be making an appearance. And I was not disappointed. That aside, Tom Waits really knows how to write evocative and atmospheric music, and his lyrics are on a par with the finest songwriting in popular music. I didn’t think I would be considering more than 3 stars for this, but halfway through, it might be a high 4. Did I just walk down a dark alley in a rainy Asian metropolis , go down a nondescript flight of stairs, knock a secret tattoo, and enter a seedy cabaret of outcast bohemians? It sounds like it… Did I say 4 stars? Nah, it’s a 5. As good an album as I’ve heard in years. 5 stars
Crap. Weird and crap.
Hoo boy, so that was my first full listen of a Tom Waits album and i initially didn’t think i’d be on board but i’ll be damned, that gravely voice didn’t bother me, infact it adds to the strong grim narrative being presented. Although it’s light on tracks to individually return to (as most wouldn’t make sense outside of the album, like dave the butcher being clown music without context), when the tracks are strong, they’re strong, my standouts being Johnsburg, 16 Shells, Gin Soaked Boy and Rainbirds, even if its a simple piano finale, it’s just a very beautiful sendoff. Also the first track was in Robots, so that’s pretty cool.
To all the Tom Waits haters in the comments: just go enjoy your Bruno Mars for easy listening music, you may want to avoid these kinds of lists if you can’t handle something interesting.
Sempre ouço falar de Tom Waits, e este é o primeiro disco dele que peguei para ouvir. Imagine minha surpresa quando o disco em questão é composto de música de circo, ou de parque de diversões talvez. Certamente não era o que eu esperava. Swordfishtrombones não é um álbum musical. É uma espécie de álbum teatral, com sonoplastia completamente oposta do esperado de um disco de música popular. Imagino que muita gente tenha se apaixonado por esse álbum justamente por essa peculiaridade, mas eu sou o oposto. Não era o que eu queria ouvir, e eu não gostei da experiência de ouvi-lo. Uma coisa é certa, é um disco interessante. Bem inusual, diferente, bizarro. São características até que charmosas, mas não quero ouvir esse álbum nunca mais. Waits possui uma linda voz, então imagino que os discos mais tradicionais dele sejam bem legais. Espero pegá-los em breve. Até lá, ficarei com o gosto amargo desse disco na língua. 1/5
Not the worst!
A bit strange but it grew on me a lot
With all Tom Waits I am never sure, there is a lot I like and a lot which is weird.
I appreciate that this sounds quite different from the other TW albums we have heard so far, but this was particularly entertaining
Wow, that was terrible. I didn't enjoy any of it.
Interesting… Dave the butcher is lowkey a fire name for a song. Also this album kinda sounds like it was made by a Tolkien dwarf
Here's another artist that is held in very high regard by many whose opinions I trust. I've understood that I should check him out & has been on my deep dive list for years. I've heard a half-a-handful of songs no more than thrice each, some only once. And yet I just never got around to it. So here we go, finally. They were right. I love it! This is great. I'm not normally a poetry of lyrics appreciator, but this was a delight. The range of musical styles is fantastic. I suspect there's at least one more album on this list & I hope it's more than that. I'm not waiting around for it tho, I'm starting my deep dive asap. Four & a quarter
I want to like a Tom Waits album. But this is more . . . vibes than songs and music. 2.5?
what the fuck was that?
Bloody weird. Strange guy.
Listening to my first Tom Waits album felt like reading Infinite Jest for the first time: parts were brilliant and engaging, parts felt confusing, obtuse and a pain to get through, and in the end I don't know I could possible recommend the listen to. I don't see myself ever going back to this, even if I am glad I gave it a listen.
Circus music made by the world's weariest clown. But I actually dig it! I think one of the things I resonate with most is when an artist feels authentic to their vision, and Waits never waivers. As weird as this record can be, you can feel his sincerity in every note. I liked some stuff, didn't like others, but overall I think I just respect the vision and execution.
Greatest anti-smoking ad ever
Holy snooze fest. Only like 3 good songs and 2 of them are good cause my smoker isn’t chirping.
the underground is blue collar themed. also anti-smoking add
I have gone hot and cold with Tom Waits over the years, but I'm back hot again. I love the full embrace here of the hobo poet hipster mystic that is so acute, New Orleans quit fighting and emulated it right back.
Despite having close friends and a spouse who are longtime fans, it took me years to fully appreciate Tom Waits. He’s like a mashup of Charles Bukowski, Captain Beefheart and a ringmaster of a circus of traveling freaks, addicts and deadbeats, rolled into the persona of a guy who plays piano at the supper club and knows a lot of secrets about the patrons. This album asks a lot of the listener from the get-go, with the stiff, angular cadence of opener “Underground,” but it gets more approachable from there. I love the odd instrumentation and the use of brass, vibraphones, bagpipes and what sound like clinked glass bottles (on “16 Shells”) over spare drums, piano or guitar. Waits’ talent for detail and storytelling in his lyrics is top-rate, and there are moments of sublime beauty. But I think there are a couple tracks here that don’t feel completely fleshed out.
Big Tom Waits fan. Sad Frank's Wild Years [the album] didn't make the cut, but glad to get into a Waits album I wasn't as familiar with. Tom gets weird in this one. Screams paired with xylophones. Wails and bagpipes. Marimbas. Down, Down, Down is damn good.
Not for everyone. I feel sorry for them.
Great, another Tom Waits album.
What a strange dude he is
Tom gives in to the urge to get weird with it. Favorite track: In the Neighborhood
A glorious ragtag collection of gems - bohemian, swinging, underground music, songs about misfits, outsiders, adventurers, and people sitting on the bones of their arse. Dreamers, chancers, and misfits, all celebrated here - in smoke, in melancholy, and in tender remembrance
Haven't heard this Tom Waits album before. I always forget about Tom but then when I do listen to him I enjoy it. Makes me feel like a middle aged chain smoker without the negative effects of actually being addicted to cigarettes 3/5
Swordfishtrombones is yet another great album by Tom Waits. This album is how my Tom Waits loving friend got into him (mostly because of "Underground" appearing in the movie "Robots") and i definitely believe that this is a good way to get started with his music. This album pretty much has all the Tom Waits quirks that you would expect from him like his use of various instruments and his deep gravelly voice and they are all executed very well here. The album also has some absolutely great production with even all the incredibly gravelly vocals sounding immensely crisp. The songs here aren't quite as memorable as the ones on Rain Dogs or Bone Machine which is why this album won't be getting 5 stars but it was still a genuinely great listen. Best Song: 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six Worst Song: Rainbirds
Try as I might, I am just not a Tom Waits fan.
I like it fine. But it's not Rain Dogs. 3.5
I think Tom Waits is cool, but there are only a handful of songs that I actually enjoy listening to...and none of them are here. Still getting a 3 just because it's Tom Waits.
I am contractually obligated to yell COOKIE! whenever I hear Tom Waits, but I don't hate this. Rain Dogs is better but I don't find it immediately offputting. I guess I'm starting to see the appeal?
sure. whatever
Tom Waits as a mad carnival barker, with junkyard percussion interventions that manage to sound clumsy and precise, picking over the bones of busted-up Beefheart blues on the one hand while doing cabaret-inspired impressions on the other. He's sketching spoken characters as enchanting as they can be repugnant. Yet, as with a lot of his later albums that trade in atmospherics as much if not more than emotion (though Waits still slides some genuinely stirring songs in), Swordfishtrombones ultimately runs overlong for me and feels a little too much like a gin-soaked shtick for lonelyboyz. But I appreciate this one in his discography for its daring and career-shaking, potentially shanking, decision-making despite its uneven, experiment-fueled risk-taking.
Who keeps allowing Tom Waits to make albums and who keeps allowing him on this list
I can see how it would be an important album but it wasn't for me
I’m going to try and leave this album the most Tom Waits review ever… it’s like the cemetery woke up and is playing music in the junkyard! I love it!
One thing that's great about Tom Waits is that you can listen to his albums a hundred times and it'll still be fascinating
One of his listenable albums. Never been a fan, but still worth a listen.
My best Tom Waits. Dark, raw and quirky, but at the same time easily accessible and catchy. I love the overall vibe of the album.
Swordfishtrombones This almost feels like it should have come after Rain Dogs, sounding much more like a ruminative and melancholic hangover to Rain Dogs’ more ebullient night before. But Rain Dogs is actually the night after, and this is the morning before. Like RD this ticks off the checklist of midgets and drunkards, but rather than some of the bluesy raucousness of that album, this maintains a more slippery jazziness, creating more oddly compelling atmospheres and moods, with more elements of sadness and regret, Johnsburg, Illinois or Town with no Cheer or Soldier’s Things or the rather beautiful Rainbirds for example, as well as some New Orleans-yness, as on In the Neighbourhood and Just Another Sucker on the Vine. It doesn’t completely eschew some of the RD spirit though, - Underground, Down, Down, Down and particularly 16 Shells from a 30.6 have a great stomping weight to them. Also the more I listen to TW the more I think he must have been the inspiration for the underground level music on Super Mario World, something like Shore Leave or the title tracks’ rhythm and organ parts share a feeling I think. Whichever way round they go this does feel like a companion piece to Rain Dogs and I enjoyed them equally I think, so I’ll go for the same rating, a high 4 ⚔️🐟🎺🎺 Playlist submission: Johnsburg, Illinois
The evocation of a cast of characters remains his strong point, including his own character ("In a Hong Kong gutter on Cuban heels, I rolled down the gutter to the blood bank"), although there does seem to be a preoccupation with midgets (he even puts one on the cover). Tiny persons are the emblem of seedy freaks as far as Tom is concerned (Wolfboy or the Bearded Lady don't get a look in). 'Dave the Butcher' sounds of the circus, with it's amateurish tune bashed out on a cheap organ. A scene setter rather than a great track itself, which is endemic if much of my issue with it. Highlights include 'Franks Wild Years', a typically superb character observation against (almost) incidental music, in the tradition of a film noir detective. Lyrically it reminds me a lot of one of my favourite Dr Evil scenes when he reminisces about his childhood ("My father would womanise, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy"). The title track, a work of true genius with enough of his disjointed collage coming together into an atmospheric lament for a desperate war veteran. Despite my criticisms I still loved most of it. I still believe it a step below Rain Dogs but the nascent, percussion-heavy, sprinkle of funereal brass, touch of disjointed blues sound, remains compelling.
Huh, the schtick can get a little tiresome, for me.
Globalement, c'est non.
Meh
Well. I had to listen to this twice. Wasn't sure what to make of it but liked it. Weirdly.
Some interesting stuff on here
The music is pretty good at points but I just can’t get over his voice
I really liked rain dogs and was ready for more interesting Tom waits. But it feels like everything done here is a bit worse, which makes sense since it's the earlier album. So if I'm in the mood for weird Tom waits music. I'll always take rain dogs over this album
habiedno cerrado por todo lo alto su etapa en Asylum con Heartattack and Vine. Este disco inció la trilogía que llevó a Toma Waits a los cielos, junto con Swordfishtrombones y Franks Wild Years. Sonidos extraños, primitivos, letras de perdedores, un universo que él maneja como ninguno. Destaca la marimba en Shore Leave. La balada Johnsburg, Illinois. La lúgubre Just Another Sucker on the Vine. El psyco-jazz de Down, Down, Down. Ese blues cavernario Gin Soaked-boy que solo pueden hacer él o Captain Beefheart.
I've liked what little Tom Waits I've heard before, and I liked this. Like a slightly less accessible Stan Ridgway.
I think you either love or hate Tom Waits. While I don’t fall squarely in either camp, I found this album to be wonderful. Waits is so unique and brilliant, even if the occasional track is somewhat hard to listen to at times. Take the opener or Dave the Butcher. Irritating. But most of the album is marvelous. Some absolutely beautiful songs. And some amazing storytelling, enhanced by Waits’ signature gravelly vocals. All in all this is a unique work of art. This would be a 5 for me but for the couple of duds and the fact that after awhile it can start to grate a bit. I like my Tom Waits in doses. But really close to a 5.
Everyday I question the people who made this lists choice. Would give it 0 stars if I could
I don't think I'm vibrating on the same plane as Tom Waits. At first I just hated it. Then, I heard the bluesy, 'Gin Soaked Boy' and the jazzy/ambient 'Rainbird' and knew that I just didn't hear the album the way he intended. I wish I understood.
I'm not sure what to say about this album, tbh. It's not good by any sense but it has a quality to it. It's weird, very weird. Tom has the most interesting sing voice...weird.
I think just for weirdness and uniqueness, this deserves a 3
Not my thing. Tom Waits' voice has such a unique timbre, but at times it comes off as too... Broadway? Or corny?
This was a jaunty journey - compelling mix of jazz instrumentation and a whiskey soaked voice. This could have been a hard listen, but Tom Waits is an engaging character, I got a kick out of this.
We've already been through Waits doing old bluesman cosplay on Heartattack & Vine, and now we Tom Waits doing Captain Beefheart cosplay here, and he's about as convincing, which is to say not at all. For the people who genuinely derive enjoyment from his music and aren't just listening it to make themselves feel cooler somehow, I'm happy for you! (And I will admit "Down, Down, Down" is actually pretty good.) Since I don't want to be entirely negative, I do think it's very cool and romantic (I'm reviewing this on the day after Valentine's Day, appropriately) that Waits met his wife in 1980, they were married within a week and have been together ever since. That's nice! Happy Belated Valentine's Day, Tom.
We're hot off of completing the Underdark in Baldurs Gate 3, so "Underground" hit about as hard as it could possibly hit. Tom Waits is at his best here; jagged, grizzly, and full of passion. Things get a little more twee and muddy from here. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. You can easily lose lucidity more and more until "In The Neighborhood" comes along many songs later in the tracklisting. He then preys on my soft spot for circus themes invading singer/songwriter music with this song and the next "Just Another Sucker On The Vine" (really, with this whole album). Then "Frank's Wild Years" comes on and what the fuck. This album was weird already but this song was just visceral. I'm not sure if I feel more compelled to wince or giggle. I adore what Tom Waits stands for in the national music zeitgeist. He speaks for such a specific part of the American underbelly, bringing swampy, eccentric creole aesthetics to ears of those who probably aren't otherwise seeking out its racially diverse origins. The problem is I cannot get over my otherworldly experience of listening to Tom's "Heartattack And Vine" early on in this albums list endeavor - he almost brings the listener back to that album with the closing "Rainbirds" piano ballad here. The bravado and sense of melodrama he wields on HA&V is second to none - especially with its more grand musical arrangements. Swordfishtrombones is an authentic, admirable way to take his sound right after Heartattack, but it can't escape such a massive shadow. Which is a shame, because you can't fault Tom for much more than just meandering too much here. He doesn't lack intention, commitment to his characters, or presence in his execution. Just an album that wanders off a little too often. Maybe I’m asking a little too much of this project, but imagining a more succinct, fully-formed set of songs in this style has me starry-eyed. Unfortunately, I am left to imagine. Light 3/5
Sometimes listening to Tom Waits makes me feel uncool. Like if I saw, Tom Waits and Nick Cave chatting together at a party, I’d pet the dog in earshot but I absolutely would not approach. I find myself giving plenty of time to Waits albums almost trying to convince myself that I’m into it and at times I was pretty into this. 16 Shells was a cool track, as was In the Neighborhood but for a good amount of the time, I was entertained but not necessarily into the music. I’m just not cool enough for this one. 3 stars
You can see what he was trying to do for men in western English speaking culture. It is a great piece of work.
Such bizarre and strange music. I think I liked Rain Dogs better, but as with that album, I probably need to return to it a couple of times.
Respect the artistry but not my thing
Just don't get the appeal. Album picked up a little towards the end. But it mostly sounds like a drunk lounge singer in an off-strip Vegas hotel. I guess it's not for me. 2/5 Won't listen again
While no doubt zany and surreal, this album still manages to entrance the listener. I felt at times like I was dropped into a smoky dive or a film noir not as the main character or even as the narrator but as an extra or perhaps someone who glanced at the script while cleaning the writer's office.
Decent 4
This album was quite interesting. I felt as if I were in a live art exhibit. Poor pup
very interesting….
Okay I think we started off on the wrong foot with Underground. Tom Waits X Lana Del Rey collab on upcoming album......? I actually enjoyed this album after reading his Spotify bio -- "swampy blues, 1930's era cabaret, and post-civil war parlor songs meet carnival music and wheezing, clattering, experimental rhythms". Tru! Coincidentally, Delaney and I will be going to a clown-themed birthday party this month. Perhaps I'll circle back so I can get into character. Maybe I'll even put in a request with the DJ. Faves in album order: Dave The Butcher 16 Shells from a 30.6 Gin Soaked Boy Troubles Braids
Some of the songs (and singing) were off putting, but damn this man can turn a phrase. When I got to “Frank’s Wild Years” I stopped, went back to the first song, and listened and read the lyrics for each song. Heartbreaking album which I can totally see as a play. Favorites are “Johsnsburg, Illinois”, “Rainbirds”, and “Frank’s Wild Years” (RIP Carlos 🤣). Extra star for originality even though it’s not really my thing.
Ok. Too much waits.
This is the third Room Waits record in about 3 weeks. I'm pretty over him at this point.
I don't need this. If it's good, it's impenetrable.
Eerie and musty like a creepy swamp
Wasn’t overly for me sadly. Really liked in the neighborhood though it was excellent
Can’t lie, after hearing the masterpiece that is ‘Underground’ I spent the majority of the album distracted by the animated masterpiece ‘Robots’ and the scene that features that song.
Two months ago, I listened to Heartattack and Vine and enjoyed it, acknowledging that it was a transitional record in Tom Waits's catalog and that I was looking forward to what happened next. Well, here's what happened next... After completing a soundtrack album for the film One from the Heart, Tom parted ways with his long-time producer, Bones Howe, and manager Herb Cohen. He was determined to break away from the sound of his earlier records, especially after his wife, Kathleen Brennan, introduced him to more avant-garde music. As a result, Swordfishtrombones saw Tom split the difference between vaudeville-esque orchestration, influences from the likes of Delta blues and Captain Beefheart, and his own unique songwriting style and production. This album is unorthodox, simply put. The metallic clangs that illicit a chain gang vibe for the bluesy "16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six", the blaring bagpipes that give way to the lowly organ dirge of "Town with No Cheer", the accordion-led slow-burn showtune interlude of "Just Another Sucker on the Vine", the invocation of New Orleans swamp music ala Dr. John with the prominent marimba on cuts like "Shore Leave" and the title track, there's variety in the instrumentation and arrangement for these songs. All the while, Tom imbues his stories with extended metaphors and deliberate obfuscation, as the world-weary narrator gazes upon the seeded underbelly of this setting. Even the ballads aren't safe from his twisted humor, such as tattooing his wife's name on his arm in "Johnsburg, Illinois", or the grumpy old man observations of his surroundings on "In the Neighborhood". It's demented showmanship delivered through Tom's gravelly delivery and his equally off-putting instrumental accompaniment, and I enjoyed it to an extent. My hangup with this unique songwriting and album-construction approach is that there's little in the way of forming a cohesive narrative from one track to the next. Also not helping matters is how a lot of these tracks are short, half the album clocking in at two minutes or less, leaving me with the feeling that some of these tracks could have been fleshed out more. I do feel like Tom Waits made significant progress in developing his own sound on Swordfishtrombones, and I commend his wife for encouraging him to further push the envelope. I'm certain the best is yet to come.
Got rain dogs yesterday, and I'm starting to like his voice way more now
This was much better than I expected. Loooved the sound, amazing mix first of all. Other than that, the Captain Beefheart influence is veery noticable. I don!t know if i like this album better, or I just gave this one a better chance than the others, but i fw this. Low 4
Sensual, diría yo, con esa voz tan farragosa.
LOL. Sick of being gaslit about Tom Waits. His music sucks. Terrible voice corny goofy music.
Odd
2/3. Weird album, but I can’t deny that it kept my attention. His voice is awful but in a distinctive way, some of the music is actually pretty interesting, and the lyrics all tell a story (some better than others). Frank’s Wild Days actually made me laugh at the end, just like Tom himself.
The point at which Tom Waits truly became Tom Waits. Everything on this album just feels so elemental. In the hands of a lesser writer and group of musicians this kind of thing can be corny and hackneyed (see Dresden Dolls, Tigerlilies, etc), but with Waits & co it's just so primeval and natural.
No thank you
2/10 You have to get used to it, intriguing and an oddball album that sounds bleak at times and homeless at others. The bare percussion and ticklely guitar create an interesting listen, but I don't get the hype, esp with all the talking involved. Highlights: Down Down Down, Rainbirds, In the Neighborhood
This is how I imagine this album came to be: some ex-convicts, mechanics, and maybe a couple gangsters got together and started telling all their secrets and they made whatever was laying around in the garage their instruments. Absolutely wacky and delightful.
loved this. his voice grates on me but this album is great.
It's just a lot and absolutely nothing all at once.
Every song is just sitting around waiting for him to shut the fuck up
Tom Waits decides to freak it---not a 5 like Rain Dogs, but worth a listen!
Here’s one thing I know about Tom Waits. You either like his experimental music and voice or you don’t. I did, for that matter.
To quote kids in the hall, "Strange guy, but I like him."
I liked it, for the most part. I think it started to drone a bit in the second half. It wasn't so bad that it ruined the album completely, but it was enough that I think a 3 star review is appropriate.
Interesting, but I was in the mood for weird. 16 Shells from a 30.6 and Down, Down, Down stood out. 3.5/5
Tom Waits. 1*
I discovered the genius of Tom Waits in reverse. The first album I heard was Mule Variations. So the shock people must have felt on first hearing this album was not a shock for me. I feel this change in direction only got better as Tom refined his sound and persona. A solid 4 stars, with 5 star albums soon to follow. Fave track - underground.
One of my top ten albums
Not Waits' best, but pretty damn good.
A bit strange but very authentic
Jazzy, likeable, good sound, loved the double bass, i wanted MORE trombone. Sometimes I didn't like his voice. Good storytelling.
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.
a very difficult listen, to begin with. going into this album i knew it's gonna be challenging however i didn't expect that to this extent. the first track "underground" was truly atrocious, it felt like my ears could start bleeding at any minute. the only positive thing i have to say is that the tracks began to be better and better from 1-15 (this way "my fav" - if i can call anything that way - was "rainbirds"). i see how creative these songs are and i do believe that some could call tom waits a visionary of some sort - i don't think i've heard songs that experimental in my life - but as a casual listener who does not wish to look into a deeper meaning of the singer's voice (to me,horrible), it's an experience i do not wish to repeat. i'm glad that this challenge, subjects me to such new genres of music though, because i would never digest it myself nor finish listening to the album, so i guess you can say that my horizons are broadening with every listen and i am curious how this journey will go!
This record has a sweet name. I enjoyed how different this record was. Tom Waits has an interesting vocal sound, and the instrumentation had variety. Favourite Track(s): Down, Down, Down Least Favourite Track(s): Gin Soaked Boy
Once again, Tom Waits remains committed to the bit. The gravelly-voiced-barfly-poet schtick gets old real fast. Wouldn't it be funny if the real-life Tom Waits was actually a very posh, upright gentleman with a butter-smooth voice who drives a sports car to the country club, where he plays tennis and berates the servers for bringing him the wrong vintage of Bordeaux?
Some of the arrangements are really good. And then the singing starts…
i hate folk
Couple of good tracks
Hobo circus
I don't know how to rate this album. I think it shouldn't be an album. You should go to a blues club and see this live. There needs to be that atmosphere. There are some songs that sound like an old movie soundtrack which is comforting. But this kind of sbstract and experimental doesn't work with me really. Not all songs suit me, so sadly, I can't rate it highly. But it is not bad.
Rating: 5/10 Short Review: At times, this album is a really pleasant listening experience. Other times, it's kind of unbearable. This challenged me as a listener... unfortunately it was not one I could overcome. But, hey, maybe it'll grow on me with time. Who knows. I'll give it 3 stars just in case.
Strange album. Backing tracks that you might find in a Beefheart vaudeville act support a mix of spoken and sung gravel vocal by Waits. Think this was just a bit eclectic for me.
01) Underground - 5,5 02) Shore Leave - 5,0 03) Dave the Butcher - 5,0 04) Johnsburg, Illinois - 6,5 05) 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six - 7,5 06) Town with No Cheer - 6,0 07) In the Neighborhood - 5,5 08) Just Another Sucker on the Vine - 3,0 09) Frank's Wild Years - 3,0 10) Swordfishtrombone - 6,0 11) Down, Down, Down - 5,5 12) Soldier's Things - 5,0 13) Gin Soaked Boy - 6,0 14) Trouble's Braids - 4,0 15) Rainbirds - 4,0 TOTAL: 5,17 (52/100) Current ranking: 731/800
One of Tom Waits’ avant-garde opuses. Not quite the best of its era or of Tom’s overall material, but we’re speaking about an all-time legend, so…who cares
Déroutant à la première écoute mais donne envie de le réécouter pour en apprécier toute les nuances. Une belle surprise.
not my thing
There are certainly good songs on this, but it's mostly just sorta strange in a not great way, which drags the entire thing down.
Tom Waits is one of those artists I've tried to get into my entire life, but I just can't crack it.
17/01/2026 1. underground - i've heard tom waits' vocals aren't for everyone and i think i might be included in that.... the guitar is nice though. not sure how i feel about this.... *2. shore leave - really loving the guitar at the start... all the instruments are reallly nice.... weird but veryvery atmospheric. his voice is alooooot better for me in this. love the spoken word bits. kinda jazzy? love the lyrics!! guitar solo is real nice. 3. dave the butcher - very carnival-esque... halfway through the song, is this just instrumental? 4. johnsburg, illinois - piano at the start is really nice.... sounds a lot tender than the other songs so far. love the bass on all of the songs, but this one especially... 5. 16 shells from a 30.6 - ooo liking the drums... very bluesy vocals. a lot different from the previous song, but liking the veering changeups in tone! they all fit the lyrics and create a realllly nice mood.... liking it more as it goes on... reaally loving the clanging sounds. 6. town with no cheer - bagpipes? not as sure on this one, but i'm liking the lyrics :) accordion is nice :) getting into it more as it goes on, but feels a bit overly long? not egregiously though.... 7. in the neighbourhood - like the brass band feel. lyrics are phenomenal throughout! drums are realllly nice :) *8. just another sucker on the vine - really liking the start so far.... sounds kinda french? may just be the accordian?? realllllllllly loving it <3 sounds very sweet/sentimental/generally lovely.... love the horns. really liking the little instrumental breaks. 9. frank's wild years - very jazzy 80s keyboard? organ? really loving the spoken word parts in this album. looooove the lyrics. sleasy vibe like death of a ladies man. final lyric is great!!! 10. swordfishtrombone - bass is great!!!! really great storytelling throughout. 11. down, down, down - had a break between the last one and this one. bass is still great! drums are really nice as well. really liked the keyboard? organ? 12. soldier's things - gentler piano intro.... bass phenomenal! very moody... piano is beautiful. 13. gin soaked boy - def bluesier/rockier. liked it :) 14. trouble's braids - more spoken word. liking the instrumentation... short one! *15. rainbirds - more of a gentle start... liking the piano and bass again. reminding me of track 8, more of a sentimental instrumental tune.... really nice ending to this album! kindof listened to a few tracks from this album before, but never took the time to listen to the full album, this is one of the ones i wanted to show up sooner rather than late, and i'm very glad it did!! even for the songs i enjoyed less, like dave the butcher, i still loved the mood it gave off! very excited for the other tom waits albums to show up, but hoping i can have a little break to let it digest :)
Yeah this one is not for me
Not for me 1/5
Interesting but not my thing
3.0 RYM
Not my fav Waits but fun
Hated this so much
There were a couple interesting moments, but overall this wasn't great. It felt very disconnected and the singing was not nearly Waits' best.
There’s only 1 Tom Waits
Theme music for circus freaks and traveling salesmen. The songs are moody and strange, and his voice is whiskey soaked and gravelly as ever.
Nice mix of things on a bed of gravelly voice
Has somebody ever matched Tom Waits’ freak?
tom waits tom waitsin’
Just the right amount of weird to be interesting but not grating. Some more mellow songs I could do without, but a more than decent album nonetheless.
Only ever heard of this guy originally because of his involvement with Primus. I don’t get him but apparently he is loved. Not the first time he showed up in this list - I think there was a live record I recall being actually not bad to listen to. He is creative I’ll give him that. He sounds homeless not that there is anything wrong with that. Other than the fact being homeless is a social crisis. The last instrumental song was beautiful and doesn’t fit on this record.
Could listen to Tom Waits all day. Consummate storyteller with a voice like the gravel roads he has walked.
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.
No. I do not like Tom Waits.
odd ducks
Definitely not my style.
I think Tom Waits is growing on me. But I’m still not sure.
Love it! Is it all an act. Who cares. Fantastic.
Ugh
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.
Like Tom Waits , but not sure about this
what a quirky and unique album. not what i was expecting but ive realized i never heard anything by tom waits before! not my favorite but it was definitely something.
I’m not sure I ‘get’ Tom Waits. People love him, but I side from a couple songs, I really don’t understand.
A little bit too weird and abstract for me to enjoy casually. Not a huge fan of this, and probably will not be revisiting, but I can appreciate the experimental-ness of it.
The first song hurt my ear. I’ll try it again later, i was to overstimulated for this
Dont like his voice. Cool beats.
I don’t know what this is
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
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
Maybe in the right mood, but a little too much warble for me.
Hard to pick a favorite Tom waits album, but this one is up there
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
Giving it an extra 0.5 because it was unique and took chances and some of the tracks were catchy. 3/5
Sad, drunk circus clown, down an alley, learns to play music, goes on tour singing songs about lost love and booze. His hat is flat from being stamped on. Is this all an act from Tom? I've no idea.
When i read he was "inspired" by Capt. Beefheart because his girlfriend have him a CB record, it made it all seem pretty embarrassing. He's doing a bad Captain Beefheart impression. If i had more time I could dive into this and be proven wrong, but early indications are Tom Waits sucks.
At the risk of sounding judgmental, if you claim to like tom waits I think you are probably engaging in various other forms of self-delusion and you should really either take a long hard look at your life or more preferably kill yourself.
What a great, distinctive, romantic, diverse record
Weird
Zéro
3.5/10
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.
Some interesting sounds but not for me. Underground ★★☆☆☆ Shore Leave ★★☆☆☆ Dave the Butcher ★★☆☆☆ Johnsburg, Illinois ★★★☆☆ 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six ★★★☆☆ Town With No Cheer ★★☆☆☆ In the Neighborhood ★★☆☆☆ Just Another Sucker on the Vine ★☆☆☆☆ Frank’s Wild Years ★★☆☆☆ Swordfishtrombone ★★★☆☆ Down, Down, Down ★★★★☆ Soldier’s Things ★★★☆☆ Gin Soaked Boy ★★★☆☆ Trouble’s Braids ★☆☆☆☆ Rainbirds ★★★☆☆ Average Album Rating: 2.4/5.0 ★★☆☆☆
I like that it’s stripped. no fuss, all story
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.
not my vibe
2 Sick today - I'll type up later but suffice to say I'm not a Tom Waits fan and I think two albums is enough (this is my second, sounded like the first, both are some kind of weird creepy house of horrors sound tracks out of voodoo New Orleans or something. I think he has 5 albums which is 4 too many)
Bizzare, abstract, interresting, wearisome, fun and dark.
Dark and quirky, yet typical Tom Waits. Unlike so much else on this list, so at least it has that going for it.
Absolutely not.
More like sad trombones.. *womp* *womp* *wooooomp*
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.
Enjoyable but not a stand out.
I'm thinking half-orc bard. I enjoyed listening to the album, but not something I would regularly seek.
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.
Interesting but not enjoyable
Never could stand that dog
Just ok, really.
Tom Likes 7/10, rounding up to a 4
Nope. Can't stand this guy's voice
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 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
I love Waits but this is one of his albums that I really don’t vibe with. He’s at his weirdest which is usually fine but this particular flavor doesn’t work for me
Long time since I listened to Waits. Good to come back to, even though this isn't my favourite album of his.
Not sure what to make of this. Sounds like a Captain Beefheart parody most of the time.
Genuinely gross to listen to, awful beyond comprehension
I adore Tom Waits. He is so unique and I am just fascinated by his albums. Underground is a straight banger. That said, this may be his weakest album. 3
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.
Not a Tom Waits fan
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
When I learned it was Tom Waits in the Ballad of Buster Scruggs, searching for Mr. Pocket, I was surprised because I loved that story. I DONT LOVE THIS.
This was different. I can see this being on a list of albums you should check out as it's unusual, you may discover a new style of music you enjoy.
better than Dylan but still not my thing 3/5
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
Again, quite a weird one. Not really my type
3.5
4.5
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) ★★★★
Really cool album, not as good as Rain Dogs, but still 5 stars
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.
3.5
If live swordfish were actually bent into trombones it would probably be less painful for them than forcing them into listening to this. I’m guessing this is Tom Wait’s grand turn into clink clank carnival songs with extreme pirate dog vocals. First song is certainly a bold move - it is one of the most awful things I’ve ever heard. So chilling in fact, the four horsemen of the apocalypse could use his voice on it to rotorvate the earth into even swifter destruction. 2nd track has some pretty painful guitar tones as well. 3rd track is like the shittiest drabbest circus music. After that the album does move slightly away from pure torture as there is a bit of variance and eclecticism plus maybe the actual occasional good song. In The Neighbourhood is a blubbery twinkly brass band ballad and Down Down Down is a snazzy green onions jazz jive only slightly spoiled by the ruffian growling n a grunting on top of it. Frank’s Wild Years is another snazzy track featuring spoken word as opposed to singing which means that’s it’s easily one of the less revolting pieces here despite the contents of the story. If I saw this album in someone’s collection I’d be hard pressed not to douse it in gas and set fire to it. Never could stand that Tom Waits.
Very special kind of music and voice.
Good-ish. A bit out there on a few songs.
Never totally understood him. Not bad. Just not my thing. 3
Es un gusto adquirido, pero a mi me gusta
Like Brecht without the intelligence or charm.
Wait longer
Bit stressful
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.
I'm calling P.E.T.A.!
Some ok songs
Ich habe mir gerade einen Rum von Motörhead reingeschraubt - bin also nicht ganz zurechnungsfähig. Das ist jetzt das 3.Album von dem komischen Kerl. Ich dachte das geht schnell, durchhören und einen * vergeben. Aber durch die Gewöhnung oder den Rum oder beides haben sich meine Synapsen verschaltet und mir gefiel das Krächzen ganz gut. Ich bin von mir selbst überrascht.
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
2.8 2x
Too weird
Everything from pretty piano pieces to spoken word and his brashest growl with clanging sounds for accompaniment. Classic.
How are there two of these on the list?!?!
I personally prefer Tom Waits the actor to Tom Waits the musician. (2.5)
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.
I like the more melodic songs like his earlier work. Not big on tbe experimental stuff.
Can't stand his voice
This was irritating. It’s giving republican
The beginnings of tom waits more experimental side, think you need to be a fan to enjoy this at its best 4*
Not for me, bit a weird type of cool
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.
147/1001 Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ❎ I've tried to get into Tom Waits before and it's never really worked out for me in the past. Whilst my overall experience has improved since I last heard this album, it's not something I'd gravitate towards. There's some interesting arrangements and styles going on, but something is preventing me from properly enjoying it.
Nice experimental album.
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.
voice a bit silent, music too slow and a bit strange, not really my taste
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.
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.
How can people like this guy
Love Bone Machine, this one was tough for me.
As with his other albums, I admire the artist and the artistry. Maybe more so than the actual music..? Perhaps. Less so on this album though, as there's some good stuff in here. It's weird. Much of it is discordant and kind of 'off', but it has a cohesive rhythm and drive to it. I like the random chimes and little areas of detail across the album, and I'm really liking the softer ballads. 3.5 rounded down.
classic waits
This was a lot - a little too artsy for the sake of it for me. Grating vocals at times, real wild mix of songs, some good, some not.
Sou fa de Tom Waits.
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
More gravel voiced Tom Waits, wild that we have 5 of his albums. This had some cool blues features then also some really uncool random shit going on. I guess it was a pretty cool different type of album to mix things up with some spoken word. One review said it best: "Круто. Чувак знает что делает."
His voice immediately is pretty comical. Almost cartoony. Really loving the instrumentation in Shore Leave. Love some sounds but it's really going back and forth on me liking a song and then kinda hating a song. Storytelling on the title track with the xylophone sounding instrument is pretty sweet. Very hit or miss album for me. Square 3.
I get it. This list will challenge me. Some surprisingly o.k. tracks ("16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six", "Down, Down, Down"...) plus some shitty ones ("Dave The Butcher", "Frank's Wild Years"...). Again the noises from his mouth almost ruins it for me.
What a unique variety of instruments and styles!