Heartattack And Vine

This is a great record. It pushed beyond his usual thing, but stopped short of getting all weird and German.

At 253 albums deep into the list, I finally catch Tom Waits and it's one of the two albums on the list I'm lesser-versed in. Tom Waits is probably one of my favorite singer-songwriters because of his focus on the cast-offs of society and other bizarre, grizzly and or morbid tales. Heartattack and Vine has a bit more strings than the average Tom Waits album while also capturing his slow musical descent from bluesy/piano bar guy to a Genuine Weirdo making crazy musical concoctions. Waits credits this album for pushing him more toward that direction, as well as Bruce Springsteen for giving him shit tons of good money for songwriter royalties. Everyone wins.

I LOVE TOM WAITSSSSSS his voice is like no other and he sends out a soul that grips your gut and drags you around

Nobody is more authentic than Tom Waits. That’s not hyperbole — it’s an observation about a career that has never once sounded like performance, never chased a trend, never produced a moment where the seams between the artist and the persona were visible. The voice, the characters, the world he inhabits across every record — it all comes from the same place and it never wavers. You either find that world compelling or you don’t, and Heartattack and Vine makes the case for it as forcefully as anything in his catalog. This is the last record before the full avant-garde transformation of Swordfishtrombones, and it sits at the hinge point — the blues and R&B roots more raw and exposed than anywhere else in his work, the strangeness that would come to define everything after already audible underneath. The title track is a genuine blues stomper, distorted and aggressive, nothing like the piano-bar melancholy of Closing Time. “Jersey Girl” sits at the center of the record as the sentimental counterweight — tender enough that Springsteen heard it and knew immediately it belonged to him too. The discovery that anchors the record is Ronnie Barron, the New Orleans R&B organist who collaborated with Dr. John and brought that same rain-soaked, morally ambiguous mythology to his playing. “Till the Money Runs Out” is where that pairing pays off most completely — a rolling, slightly sinister groove that makes Waits’ world feel inhabited rather than constructed. Two musicians who traffic in the same swampy American darkness finding each other was not an accident. The record closes with “Ruby’s Arms” — a devastating, spare ballad that strips everything back after the blues grit that preceded it, Waits at his most quietly heartbroken. The contrast is the point: a record that opens with distorted aggression and closes with something that sounds like a man standing in a doorway at dawn not quite ready to leave. That range is the argument for the five. Not quite Closing Time, which remains the desert island Waits record and one of the great American debut statements. But five is five, and this earns it on its own terms — authenticity, blues grit, Barron’s organ, and songs that refuse to leave even when you think you’re done with them.

Grew up listening to the Levi ad mixtape and the title song was always playing! Classic! Great album overall, should have listened to it before now!

Nobody else can write such beautiful lyrics and music about the downtrodden and degenerate side of the world. A lot of folks take issue with his singing voice, but that only enhances the immersion into the life of his characters. I will always give a Tom Waits album five stars, if only because it won’t let me give more.

Masterpiece! Absolutely love tom. Love the dark and dingy blues. Love the beautiful twisted ballads. Songs like on the nickel and rubys arm are very beautiful and pretty. That whole run of albums is great, blue valentine, swordfish, rain dogs. I get his voice is a bit hard to get into but when you get it, ya get it.

Heartattack and Five

Tom Waits gets 5s.

Great album, as most of Tom Waits' are. I think Heart Attack and Vine really does a great job of capturing Tom's unique singing voice and song writing. If I had to pick just one Waits album to have on this list, I think Heartattack and Vine would get serious consideration.

Like getting yelled at by a particularly articulate, poetic drunk for 45 minutes (complimentary).

The album cover is giving me the creeps but it's so charming besides that

Waits > Dylan

El fin de su época son Asylum, luego vendrían nada menos que Swordfishtrombones y Rain Dogs. Aquí hay blues ponzoñoso y su voz rasposa. La titular es su gran tema, uno de mis favoritos, fuertemente influida por Mancini ( no solo en el saxo, sino en el bajo e incluso en la melodía). Saving all My Love for You, balada de outsiders. Jersey girl es famosa, como muchas otras de Waits, por la versión en este caso de Bruce. Ya la quisiera para sí Van Morrison. On the Nickel es un tema sobrecogedor. Mr. Siegal, es un versión más limpia y de piano bar, con la melodía y ritmo de Heartattack and Vine. Imprescindible

Good ol' Tom Waits, the guy who sounded ancient way before he was 30. It's gnarly and cozy.

Super soulful blues! Glad ive finally listened to a Watts album! Mr. Siegal

I always think I don't like Tom Waits. then I get a great album and I love him. He is an album guy not a song guy.

sehr schön. gefällt mir sehr gut. auch dass es immer ruhiger wird gegen ende. echt toll!!

"Don't you know there ain't no devil, there's just God when he's drunk" would earn a 5 even if the rest of the album weren't great. I don't much like Tom's voice, but this album is the exception for me.

Excellent dirty ruined

прекрасный пьяный альбом для нуарного кабака

I love getting to hear this mans gravely voice one every few months.

Great album. I'm predisposed to enjoying Tom Waits, but there were a few discoveries for me on here, including the title track as well as On the Nickel, which might go into my Tom Waits shortlist of favorites. I'll be revisiting this again for sure, it was great start to end.

I'm not a Waits fan at my core but goddam this album is good.

Well, I’m somewhere above a 5. My goodness. I might be just a bit taken aback by how lovely “Ruby’s Arms” is as a closing track, but I just thought it was a fantastic closer to a really strong overall album. Tom Waits’ songwriting skills feel pretty damn vivid here, & even on this album’s more confusingly written tracks (i.e., ones that snapshot parts of urban life without a clear narrative throughline), those snapshots still feel very lived in, giving each track the kind of worldbuilding that feels like it could only come from a seasoned author. I’m just surprised at how seriously Tom Waits takes himself on this album; I’m used to him leaning into the absurd & prose-y at times, but this album is consistently grounded. I think it leads to the best songwriting we’ve gotten from a Tom Waits album – “Soldier’s Things” might still be a gold standard for me personally, but there’s some fantastic tracks here that evoke the same feelings; “Jersey Girl”, “On the Nickel”, & “Ruby’s Arms” among them. I think going track by track would be far less effective than actually listening to it, so I won’t even bother. I think this has some great instrumentation behind it – a few lull spots & some annoyingly abrupt endings (with “‘Til the Money Runs Out” being the worst offender here), but for the most part, the strings, guitar & percussion just glide along with Tom in a way that hits a really nice harmony. Of course, Tom Waits’ vocals are still the X factor here, and it might be hard to accept him sounding like Bruce Springsteen doing a Louis Armstrong impression on some of these tracks. This is the 4th time our group has gotten him, so I’m used to it by now, and I honestly find his delivery charming on the vast majority of this album. There’s a few times where he goes just a LITTLE too deep in a way that muddles & slurs his voice a bit, but that’s what the instrumentals & lyrics are there for. If you just can’t really get past his vocals, then I don’t think this will quite hit the same way. For my tastes, it’s very, very close to being a 10 – if “‘Til the Money Runs Out” had clicked a little more nicely for me, I’d definitely be there. No matter what, it’s certainly above a 5, and I think it’s the best Tom Waits album we’ve gotten so far. We’ve only got one more left after this, and it’s one quite literally recorded in a live jazz club. I’ve come to really enjoy the mental image of Tom Waits singing in a seedy little bar, so having that actually come to life will be fascinating. As far as this one goes, it’s a very, very easy 5, and someday, it will probably reach a 10. It’s worth listening to before you die, for sure.

Tom Waits has a voice that has been mixed with oxy acetylene and honey. The album is a blues/jazz thing where he growls his stories. Need less to say I loved it. He is a brilliant storyteller and his voice matched the mood perfectly.

This. This is why I starter listening to 1001 albums. Shame it took me 44 years to discover this album

Fucking finally. 295 albums in and I finally get a Tom Waits record. I’ve already seen 6 Neil Young records and 5 of Bowie’s lesser known albums and just piles of other nonsense along the way, so this feels like it’s taken too long to get here. Tom Waits is an all-time favorite for me. I love that he tells stories, and I love that some of the songs are weepy and sad, some are funny, some sound like he’s shredding his vocal cords to scream them at you. Sometimes his voice is like a warm blanket, sometimes he’s a carnival barker. I know not everyone will appreciate him, but he’s been a real blessing in my life. Heartattack and Vine is not my absolute favorite of his records, but it’s still so good. At this point in his discography, it feels like he’s settled into his boozy troubadour rhythm; there aren’t really records of his that I don’t like, but I prefer about 1980 forward with Tom Waits (1973’s Closing Time being an exception). This record hits all the right notes for me. 10/10

After comparing yesterdays album to Tom Waits, today I'm given.... Tom Waits! A continuation of the blues from Blue Valentine but the is a grittier, dirtier, roadhouse version of it, In fact I’m getting a lot of The Doors circa Morrison Hotel/LA Woman era. Vocally, he certainly lets go here sometimes in the way Morrison used to. These bluesier tracks are intermingled with a handful of more traditional Waitsian piano lead ballads

Výborný album. Waitsa mám rád.

This is the 3rd Tom Waits album from this book that I have listened to. I find it interesting Waits has 5 albums in this book. His music varies from album-to-album, as is true for nearly every musician. Does it vary so much that five albums should be in this book? Eh, not so sure about that. Judging this album on its merits, I loved this one. When I think of what I WANT to hear from Tom Waits, I think of the sounds my ears hear on this album. The gin-soaked songs that are set at 4am are what I expect to hear and this album seems to deliver mostly on that expectation. Tom Waits and his voice are an acquired taste and it makes it more difficult for me to acquire that taste when the instrumentation is more experimental and not as straight-forward as I would like. Perhaps I'm a lazy listener. Being a fan of Springsteen, I know Jersey Girl very well. I do like his version of the song, but I really like the way Tom Waits approaches the song with the strings in the background. I found it interesting the second song on her was an instrumental. Just odd sequencing in my mind. The middle run of Saving All My Love for You, Downtown, Jersey Girl, and On the Nickel really sold the album for me. My favorite songs: Heartattack and Vine Saving All My Love for You (not the Whitney Houston version) Downtown Jersey Girl On the Nickel Mr. Siegal

Loved this moody sexy bleak beautiful cool a real maelstrom

My Tom Waits is a 1990s Tom Waits, the scary cookie monster Tom Waits. When I need the bar fly Tom Waits I tend to listen to Small Change because we all know the piano has been drinking and who doesn't want to buy that perfect product that will make you a winner? I can't remember the last time I listened to Heart Attack and Vine but I missed out. I will be listening to this track much more again. It's a great Tom Waits album.

So good. Love Tom Waits.

Love Tom Waits, this one is underrated.

I tried to not give it five stars, cos it's not my favorite Waits album. But by the time I got through Jersey girl and on the nickel I have to put it down as an absolute classic.

Feels like an opera.

Deep voice

A good eclectic selection of atom Waits œuvre

Very interesting album, his voice is so cool

10/10

Tom Waits is one of the most innovative and oddly successful raspy voiced musicians of our times. He is a poet and a true original and his work is to be celebrated.

This album cover throwing me all the way off. He look like edward scissorhands tryna look seductive But this the last time Im judging a book by its cover. I wasnt expecting blues, but Im highly impressed with the music. Every single song had me moving or bopping my head Im definitely coming back to this album in the future. I feel like it'll be perfect for when I want to get work done or want to relax Saved: Heartattack and Vine, In Shades, Jersey Girl, Mr. Siegal, Ruby's Arms

Favourite Tracks: All

I like this vibe, feels like I’ve just got divorced from my third wife and I’ve decided to go to a rusty old bar that somehow still allows people to smoke cigars inside. Very unique voice and I want to listen more.

This album has a very distinct feel. It features deep, gravelly vocals and instrumentals that create a dark, grimy atmosphere. The vocal style can be a bit grating at times, but it fits the lyrics and music very well. He may not be the best singer, but it's amazing how well this works. I found "Downtown" and "Jersey Girl" in particular to be excellent tracks that fit the album very well. I will argue that Waits is a better singer than many give him credit for; what he lacks in technical prowess is made up for in emotion and soul, something many otherwise excellent singers lack. An excellent and unique album that I genuinely enjoy.

ha... Tom zoals we hem kennen (en willen)... een soort van dronken Captain Beefheart die rondjes draait op een kermis waar allemaal trieste figuren rondlopen... topplaat

Superb album, one of his best

Tom Waits is really good at expressing visual imagery through the sound of his music. The whole time you’re listening to this album, you can picture yourself in some smoke filled basement bar or speakeasy with low ceilings, experiencing an intimate night with Tom Waits himself. And of course, you can’t forget that signature gravelly voice, which pulls the whole scene together.

A singer/songwriter stretches his wings to give a hint of the path he would take in his experimental 1980s.

The album people who don’t like or don’t know Tom Waits should listen to, it might be the only album they like by him It’s a mix of accessibility and eccentricity that is also essential listening

One of my fav of all time.

A brilliant album!

I love singers with bad voices with good lyrics

Jersey Girl rules. Downtown is my new train song. We had sex while this was on. 5 stars all the way.

I really like the orchestral music combined with Tom Waits' voice on this album. Yes to soaring feelings music and dirty whiskey voice! Excuse me while I go weep in a dive bar.

I've bin a fan of Tom Waits for a long time bat although knowing more than 10 album very well, I still hadn't listened to this one. But again … just as good as the others. Wonderful.

Great!

“Oh, ‘Saving All My Love For You’! I only know the Whitney Houston Version” <several minutes later> “Well, that was quite different! Ah, ‘Down Town’! Now, I really like Petula Clark’s take on this - how will this go I wonder?” <several more minutes pass> “Pass me the cheap women and the expensive whiskey, this is going to be a night to remember but I don’t think I will!” Incredible album - lost nights in the gutter gazing at the stars out of 10.

Bloody Brilliant

A classic album.Great songwriting as usual

Sing it Tom, is there better Tom waits albums? Absolutely, but this still gets a 5.

I bloody loved that. Listened to it twice. Beautiful songs, captivating voice. Jersey girl and Ruby’s Arms are ones that stuck with my but there are no skips. I’d stopped at the Wire theme tune previously - what a treat. I’ll be buying this album.

Tom Waite’s vocals are usually a test of my patience. Especially because I know he can sing better (reference his debut album, Closing Time). But with these songs in particular, conventional vocals would not carry as much power. I’ve come away with a better understanding of why he does what he does. At least, it works on this album and I caught myself listening to it three times today.

I love this. It is now one of my favorite albums. And what a surprise: I didn’t know Jersey Girl was originally by Tom Waits! What a great song.

My god. That gravel. Yum yum yum. Waiter? A bit more gravel please. Mmm. So crunchy.

This made me rethink my opinion of tom waits. I was never a fan. Now I find myself listening to this more thin once. The deep rough vocals and slow songs were great

"I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things"...Tom Waits I got really into On The Nickel yesterday. That's a real beauty.

As a wise man once said, "Everyone needs more Tom Waits in their life."

Tom Waits delivers in that way only he can.

Great album

4.5 08.03.2025

A great album.

Yesssss finally got Tom Waits generated. This album is incredible. So many good tracks and that instrument is so COOL

Alright I gotta be real this album just blew me away! I know Tom Waits as an actor and a generally cool person, and obviously I knew he was “mainly” a musician, but I just never got around to listening to any of his stuff. Definitely a massive blind spot for me. This is amazing! I know a lot of people won’t vibe with the voice (or lack thereof), but I thought it added so much character and texture to these songs! It’s so dramatic! Many times I thought “this could be a showtune!” It’s big and theatrical and beautifully produced and written. Waits is out Springsteening Springsteen at various points here. Add me to the list of people who didn’t realize (until today) that “Jersey Girl” is a Waits song, not Springsteen. “Ruby’s Arms” might be a top 5 “first heard for this project” song. Utterly heartbreaking. Achingly sad. Enjoyed every second of this album!

Okazuje się, że lubię Toma Waitsa. Nie spodziewałabym się. Ale jest coś pięknego w jego rynsztokowych piosenkach i przeżartym głosie. Mrok, brud i smutek, który do mnie przemawia. On czołga się na kolanach, wywija w konwulsjach przy każdym utworze i ja to kupuję. Zaskakujące 9/10

Not my vibe but sounds very good!

I'm certainly getting a taste for Tom Waits going through this list, I started hating him but really enjoyed this. Probably helps that it's a bit less experimental than some of the others I've had..Bone Machine was pretty hard going but this is jazzy, bluesy and has some really beautiful songs. I love the strings on Saving All My Love and Jersey Girl borders on being a singalong pop song, relative to Waits normal work. There's real emotion to his voice on this album which works well with the gruffness I guess I'm a Tom Waits convert now

Prijelazni waits. Meni sjajan. Naslovna stvar mi jedna od najdražih uopće

Really easy to rag on his voice, and I plan to, but this is one of the best examples of how you don’t have to be a “good” vocalist to make great music. I am shocked by how much I love this album. I have listened to it five times today and I’ll probably do it again tomorrow. Great songs, he’s funny, he’s got great stories, impeccable chord progressions, really got it all. If you all hybrid theory me on this one I will cry.

Hermoso. Devastador. No existe nadie como Tom Waits. Con su voz cruda, demoledora, que consigue raspar el alma, canta sus letras perfectas como nadie más en el mundo podría hacerlo. Las canciones de Waits solo pueden ser cantadas con esa voz, y serán siempre perfectas. Qué trancazo de disco.

I loved this. It was sweeping and bold and poetic and beautiful. His voice carries emotion and i cant wait to listen to everything be has done

It has taken me quite awhile to appreciate Tom Waits and his voice. I get that it can be a hard listen, but his lyrics are worth it. Title track, Jersey Girl, On The Nickel and Ruby's Arms are so good.

I really like his voice

grossartiges, bluesiges album mit tollen songs (On The Nickel, Jersey Girl). und einer stimme die einzigartig ist .. oder an Nick Cave erinnert. wer war zuerst?! 🤔 so oder so einfach toll!

Love Tom waits. This was great, groovy and little less intense as the albums unusually listen to.

Man, this was great. Waits is a poet who can show you so much beauty in a world so full of grit and grime. When you really listen to what he's singing about, you realize there's no better voice for it.

A great album about life's seedy underbelly.

Tom is a great storyteller, and I love his raspy, whiskey soaked vocals combined with his traditional, bluesy, piano vibe.

An excellent example of a singer/songwriter’s creativity.

As a man man enjoyer it was great to hear this

The Good: We’re given directions to the party! The Bad: Google Maps did not find the intersection… The Ugly: Me having to drink all the booze by myself, while wearing red pants, silver sparkle boots, and a ripped shirt Though there might be more, I will always stop and do my best to pay attention to any lyrics Tom Waits writes down… to them wonder what the hell he is on about! What an album! Every tune has it’s own little thing, except for track 2, being what it is. But I won’t let that track ruin the album’s rating at all. To those who can’t stand Tom’s voice; I feel sorry for you, as he’s really capable of invoking all levels of feelings. My favorite song “On The Nickle” will NOT make it to my 1001 playlist though, as I have decided to add Mr Siegal instead… who almost lost it against Downtown. So, here’s to Tom making my life better!!! 5*

Awesome!

So cool!

A masterpiece.

The man is a genius. I find something else to nail my heart to in every record. Listen to the music and it hits you. Disregard the playing and view it as poetry and you have a winner. Put the two together ....

I was apprehensive at first, but slowly got into this. So many red flags from the first track screaming “DANGER: this is not something you will like”. But then it lingered. His vocals that originally sounded tortured spinned into something very harmonic and peaceful. The melody seemed boring, but then became exciting. I’m surprised with the rating I’m giving it, but I’m happy I found this.

if there's one thing you can't say about tom waits it's that he makes boring music. is his voice beyond rough around the edges? yes. does he have a kind of zany approach to the lounge music aesthetic? yes. but I think that's what makes his music great and truly him. the highlight here is 'jersey girl's but I really enjoyed everything on here. tom waits is singular, 1 of 1, and that's what makes this album special.

No notes

True classic 5 star at least

This guy is an icon for the everyman. In love, in heartache, down on your luck, drunk in a seedy bar with a woman who would leave you for the first bloke with a bottle of gin. If you can't find yourself in a Tom Waits song consider yourself one of the lucky few. Great story telling, great album.

I can only imagine that this album was shockingly unlike anything else that dropped in 1980, so much so that it didn’t register the way it ought’ve. I always say, and this album only serves to put bricks in this wall, that Tom waits is the musical auter of his era and that his is the music that will escape the orbit of the current, spinning off to be what reps his time. I mean… “There’s no such thing as the Devil, that’s just God when he’s drunk”, “I shot the morning in the back with my Red Wings on, told the sun it better go back down”…From the first notes this album is gritty America of any age. Fucking fantastic!

Some people love Tom Waits and some people hate him. I LOVE him, and thoroughly enjoy his drunken drawl that sounds like a man deliberately trying to sound like a ripped newspaper. I adore the slurring caterwaul of Mr. Waits and relentlessly force this musical adventure upon my family in an effort to get them to “get” it. How can they not “get” it? Right? Right? Guys? My wife however disagrees. Anyway, she’s taken the kids and the dog which is a bit harsh I think. Not sure when she’ll be back, she didn’t say as I wasn’t here when they left. I was away in a dreamworld coloured and filled with the tales of whimsy Tom Waits has been spinning me! But I digress, five wonderful, lonely and tear stained stars!

Never was a massive TW fan....until I heard this album. Gold.

Is it the best Tom Waits album... no. But is it still a Tom Waits album... yes.

A master class in lyric writing

Loved Tom Waits ever since I first saw him a sitting in a gutter in a Jim Jarmusch film. This album is vintage Tom Waits - it reeks of cheap sex, whisky and cigarettes

Loved it… felt like I was in some dive bar in America and Tom was singing to me.

Perfect

I loved this

Tom Waits is the shit.

Every song is so high impact! I've slowly approached a huge Tom Waits deep dive and this just got me closer. Everything I hear from him is so caliber and brimming with authentic emotion that just takes you there. 5/5 on first listen.

Tom rips out my heart and leaves me smelling of cigarrettes

I love that deep crooning voice.

Tom Waits, patron saint of the gutter drunks. I've gotten a few on this list, but I think this my favorite of his. Probably has to be, being from Jersey. It flits between marimba-filled, drunk-for-24hrs madness, to tender ballads once you sober up and the hangover disappears. Favorite tracks: "Heartattack And Vine", "Mr. Siegal", "Jersey Girl"

One of the best albums I have listened in this challenge so far. For sure I will revisit.

This is the nuts.

god I love listening to Tom Waits feels like forever since I’ve heard one of his albums - 10/10

Simply the best

5⭐️ soy fan de Tom y amo el disco Rain Dogs pero creo que este album para ser debut es mejor que mi favorito. Su voz de Louie Armstrong blanco y bruce springsteen pujando un mojon atravesado en el baño finciona con el. La cancion Downtown fue mi favorita. Y la primera para abrir el albu Fue ganadora tambien

Tom Waits - Heartattack and Vine I love Tom Waits. His distinctive voice and storytelling in the form of a song are amazing. This is his seventh album. I loved his first few more than this one, but it's still really good. Never pass up the opportunity to listen to Tom Waits! 5/5

Wonderful

Picture a scuzzy cartoon alligator in a rocking chair on the porch of a house in the swamp. Bottle of bourbon in hand, belting out these songs while his tattered fedora falls over his eyes. The first song had me a little unsure of how this would go, some interesting lyrics, and his singing voice made me wonder if I was supposed to take him seriously or not. But Tom manages to execute both sides of an interesting coin here: Half the songs are gritty, southeastern honkeytonk blues with some sort of loose storyline. Then the other half are somehow the most beautiful piano-and-string love ballads I’ve maybe ever heard, where genuine sincerity shines through his weathered voice. I can’t believe I’m giving this album a five outta five but I have to. Masterful songwriting. Insane vocal commitment. Clear sonic theme. Rob Dougans “Drinking Song” is a clear homage to this style of ballad too, and I highly recommend the album it’s on, “Furious Angels”

This is my second Waits album and it's also a treat just like the first. I love his ability to spin a yarn. His singing is rough but his orchestration is incredible. I don't find this quite as strong as Rain Dogs but it's still an easy 5 for how much I'll be coming back to this one.

An amazing album. I think Springsteen now owns Jersey Girl and plays a better version but the rest of the album is perfect lounge and blues.

LOVE

One of my favourites.

This little piano gremlin has done it again

You'd be hard pressed to find another artist that puts so much CHARACTER in their songs. Tom Waits, while his vocal delivery can be off-putting for some, puts more feeling into his each note than most others can muster in entire albums. His wheelhouse seems to be both New Orleans-style dreary blues and schmaltzy ballads, both of which can be found in spades on Heart Attack and Vine. But he brings such a uniqueness to them that I find them endlessly interesting. I expect to revisit this album again soon to uncover more layers of the onion.

A classic of his pre Kathleen Brennan years. The ballads are heart breakers. Tight playing and composing but with some dirt.

Tom is so sad

Jeg likte dette ordentlig godt!!

Scratches a really particular musical itch. Probably couldn’t listen to it all the time or even every day, but hearing it once in a while would make me happy

This one replaced Rain Dogs as my favorite Tom Waits album!

p467. 1980. 5 stars A voice like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. I happen to love it. Great songs, great lyrics, great production, and he keeps it short and on point. What's not to like?

Iconic voice

Hmmm...another Tom Waits album. I think this one is what I was expecting from Tom Waits. It was good.

As I listen to more of Tom Waits' music, this much is clear: either you enjoy his vocals, or you don't. There is no in between. For myself, I absolutely love it. Sometimes it's distorted and nearly unintelligible ("Downtown"), but at other times, it's soft and tender (see "Ruby's Arms"). His voice choices are intentional and depends on the song. What a shame that Tom Waits' style doesn't allow his lyrics to be easily understood! The more you get used to his voice, the easier it is to understand. The lyrics within "Mr. Siegal" are so full and paint such a picture. "Drivin' dangerous curves across the dirty sheets." But possibly the best lyrics on the album are in the ballad "Ruby's Arms." While simple, this song describes a heartbreaking departure between lovers. I feel like I'm there in the room with Waits as he leaves. There was a fair amount of blues on this album. As someone who claims to not enjoy blues too often, I sure loved it here. Like with anything, Waits puts his spin on it. "Heartattack and Vine" is pure blues but the guitar drives the tempo hard. The "In Shades" instrumental immediately follows and acts as a continuation but is more classic blues. As for the topics covered in the songs, there's that pure down-on-your-luck blues, "On the Nickel". "'Til the Money Runs Out" and "Mr. Siegal" tell such stories, pure blues.

Ó Tom. Það tók mig langan tíma að fatta þessa snilld sem hann skapar. En gademit, hann á hjarta mitt í dag. Frábær plata.

Great example of his work

Niiiceee!

Amé la voz y la vibra alcoholizada de este álbum

Si fuera más joven a lo mejor hablaría de apropiación cultural y así. Pero ya estoy más allá del bien y del mal y ese tipo de discusiones me dan toda la hueva del mundo. Tom Waits suena como Howlin' Wolf acompañado de un puñado de músicos punk. Listo. Al final, lo que (me) importa es lo que haces con tus fuentes, tus ídolos y tus referencias. Y Tom Waits es una isla que alguna vez estuvo unida a tierra pero hace mucho que el estrecho fue invadido por el agua. Ya no quedan rastros. Flota y es. Es maravilloso este disco. Es oscuro, tiene groove, es romántico, en algunos momentos me recuerda a Spinetta. Me dieron ganas de ponerme un peda asquerosa escuchando esto en una noche calurosa en Chihuahua. Le pongo las 5 estrellas, le pondría más. Una constelación.

Great

Un album tres bon qui est hors de l’ordinaire. Beaucoup de cariete. J’ai l’8mpression que ca a donne un gros coup en sortant. Du moins, ca aurait du. 5

My entry point for Tom Waits was “Swordfishtrombones,” which is a lifetime favorite album. Forays into his earlier work were less successful, at least back then. But this album, Swordfish’s immediate predecessor, brings that same hard-to-classify fusion of blues, jazz, nightclub down and outness, heartbreak, and grit that Waits is known for. Yes…. I like it. Favorites: “Til the Money Runs Out,” “Mr. Siegel.” But also the opening/title track and “Downtown.” Bonus: Love this quote, from Wikipedia: His unique voice was described by Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."

W sumie spoko, jak się przyzwyczaiłem do jego głosu to przyjemnie się tego słucha

He sounds like a heartbroken alligator from New Orleans.

Tom Waits is just so ... Oh I don't know what it is, it's beautiful in its way. The lyrics are super, the singing, It by conventional metrics shouldn't work but it just does, does so so well. 4 Star

I bet microphone’s as slobbery as a Saint Bernards favorite tennis ball when he’s done. (I’m not mad about it tho bc he sounds great)

Feels like you're getting spit on out of the gate, with lots of gritty, punchy and gravely lines. It's got this rock blues energy to it that helps give the whole album a basement dive bar feel. Some of the tracks like Downtown and Money Runs Out really shine for me as hitting the right balance. Elsewise it slows down quite a bit but never gets bad by any means.

Is there a musician more revered and polarizing at once for the same reason than Tom Waits? Like, no one is praising Kanye for being an egomaniacal fascist, but people certainly are willing to overlook that because they want to hear Flashing Lights. But Tom Waits? The folks who adore him and the folks who revile him do so for the same reasons: his incredibly difficult voice and often equally difficult music. H&V feels like a watershed. The end of his whiskey-drowned jazzman era, before Swordfishtrombones ushers in his sinister hobo era. Honestly, both are ideal titles… SFT evokes the creaky, bottle-percussion weirdness of late career Waits, while the titular play on Hollywood and Vine plays to the smokey clubs and phlegmy voice of the earlier years. It's an old Hollywood sort of performance that Waits is deteriorating through, in contrast to the carnivalesque of his later work. And the title track does feel prescient, a bridge, but Waits still spends much of this album in his wheelhouse… sad, broken songs, songs which are beautiful and ugly all at once, like “Saving All My Love For You”. Songs that scratch and scrape against the blues, like on “Downtown.” Understanding Tom Waits really does require having humanized someone that many wouldn't have. An unhoused person, a drunkard, a muttering wildman… these are the multitudes Tom Waits contains. Are we able to find any beauty and compassion in those stories? If we can, god, the man can write a stunning song. I felt myself getting wistful, almost nostalgic for something I've never lived, during “Jersey Girl.” But you do get sucked into the world of his spit-and-growl jazz diatribes, too. That give and take mood swing does make the album, well, uneven, so a third five in a row may be out of reach, at least on first listen. But it's a real strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, one worth revisiting, probably a purchase some time down the road. There won't be another Tom Waits any time soon, if ever. Could anyone in 2026 even do this without coming across as trying too hard? Would anyone even risk it?

I didn’t know what to expect from Tom Waits. On the face of it, I assumed I would absolutely abhor his voice. Quite the contrary, I was captivated by it in combination with the instrumentation and songwriting. What gorgeous storytelling conveyed by a unique voice that makes it utterly believable. In addition, I love the album cover. This was such a pleasant surprise after a run of mediocre music. I’m looking forward to encountering Mr. Waits again down the road on this journey.

Amazing voice that Waits brings to us in his albums!

This starts off a bit ropey for me, and I do have to be in the mood for Waits' vocals but I found myself warming to this fairly quickly as it played out. It definitely feels like an important turning point within Waits' canon from the smoky, jazz-lounge stylings of his earlier material towards the kind of junkyard blues-esque experimentation that would define his later arc – incorporating enough of both to remain hospitable to the ears whilst offering continual intrigue. During its most tender moments such as "Jersey Girl" and "On The Nickel", this is a fantastic, unapologetically romantic listen, and I'd return for those cuts alone, but much of the surrounding material is no slouch either. A strong four stars and another addition to the purchase list.

Another great Tom Waits album, with that strange, unique beauty. Top ten of his, definitely maybe. Top five maybe not? 4.5*

Another outing with the grandfather of the gutter punks. Good album a little more cohesive than the last few, quite somber this one. Which is fun and fine.

Tom Waits is an acquired teste for sure...luckily this is one of his more approachable albums.

Not the right choice. One for the enthusiasts. But I am one.

A really solid album from the transition period between his 70s work and more experimental 80s output. Like most of Waits’ material, the songs are vignettes and character portraits of the down-and-outs on the seedy side of town, being broadly divided into two categories: rockier bluesy numbers, and softer piano/strings-based ballads. My favourites of the former type are ‘Heartattack and Vine’ itself, and ‘Mr. Siegal’. From the latter type they are ‘Saving All My Love for You’, ‘Ruby’s Arms’ and ‘Jersey Girl’ (my overall album highlight). Waits’ unmistakable gravelly vocals are divisive, but I’m a fan. Strong 4 stars.

This is a great album , can’t believe I don’t one this one…on the list

Tom Waits is simply a fantastic singer, and he demonstrates this much more impressively on “Heartattack And Vine” than on “Bone Machine,” which I had reviewed some time ago with a rather disappointed assessment. Back to the topic at hand: the title track alone makes it clear right from the start where this is headed - uncompromisingly raw blues rock with a dominant piano and, of course, Tom Waits’ unique voice. There’s not really much more to say about it. The album could have used a few really strong songs. As it is, it unfortunately doesn’t come close to “Small Change" (which, for some inexplicable reason, isn’t even on the list!). Still, those were 44 entertaining minutes!

No private session used for Spotify. I like Tom's voice and his lyrics. This isn' t one of Wait's album that I put on heavy rotation, but maybe it should be.

Despite sharing a manager in the 70s, somehow Tom Waits didn’t “significantly” hear Captain Beefheart until he met his soon-to-be wife Kathleen Brennan in 1980. Their collaborative efforts were to come into full bloom on Waits’ next album ‘Swordfishtrombones’ but the influence of her experimental musical tastes are already sprouting on ‘Heartattack and Vine’ Waits’ was already diving into raw Delta blues such as Howlin’ Wolf, Beefheart’s vocal blueprint. The deconstruction of Waits’ musical approach was yet to come, but here, the vocal switch is clearly underway. It is befitting of his subjects of course. The down-at-heel, the addicts, the hazy-heat violence of the streets. The relatively familiar arrangements actually match the gritty realism of these tales better than a more avant garde context might, allowing the lyrics more of the focus. Waits observes but also inhabits the stories right across the album. LA may have associations with bright lights and celebrity, but none of that is part of the world we’re given access to here. Nothing is glamourised of course and that is the point. (“I sold a quart of blood and bought a half-a-pint of scotch”). It’s a tough existence and no matter how lived in, or strictly observed it was, it certainly feels like Waits’ meeting Brennan saved him from a less smooth path (“I’ll probably get arrested when I’m in my grave”) For me, ‘Heartattack and Vine’ is a teaser of what’s to come and though it doesn’t sound like a transitional album, it is a neat snapshot of the most significant artistic turning point of his career.

En 1980, Tom Waits réalise que son costume de poète maudit de piano-bar commence sérieusement à sentir la naphtaline. Car il faut bien l'avouer, ça faisait quand même presque dix ans qu'il nous jouait la comédie du beatnik romantique, affalé sur son piano à quatre heures du matin dans un bouge poisseux de Los Angeles, à pleurer sur des amours perdues en descendant des verres de bourbon bon marché. Bon, faut être honnête, c'était magnifique, et Small Change et Nighthawks at the Diner restent des monuments du genre. Mais franchement, combien de temps un artiste peut-il incarner la même caricature d'ivrogne sans finir par se caricaturer lui-même ? Et c'est exactement là que déboule Heartattack And Vine, et je le dis d'emblée, c'est un grand disque de transition, sauvage, hybride, parfois inégal mais fondamentalement viscéral. Je lui colle un très beau 4 sur 5, parce qu'il capture l'instant exact où une chenille noyée dans l'alcool se transforme en un monstre sacré du rock expérimental. Bon d'abord, pour comprendre toute la portée de ce projet, il faut remettre les choses dans leur contexte. Heartattack And Vine est le dernier album de Tom Waits publié sous le label Elektra/Asylum, et le dernier produit par son fidèle complice Bones Howe. C'est pour simplifier, le testament de sa première vie artistique. On sent que les structures traditionnelles de la chanson américaine étouffent le chanteur, qu'il a envie de faire pisser le son, de tordre les manches de guitare et de laisser exploser un groove beaucoup plus moite et agressif. Alors pourquoi seulement 4 sur 5, me direz-vous ? Tout simplement parce que l'album garde encore un pied coincé dans la porte des années 1970. Il y a un léger tiraillement entre les velléités d'émancipation de Waits et certains arrangements encore un peu trop conventionnels. Deux ou trois morceaux manquent un peu de cette démence pure que l'artiste développera de façon magistrale trois ans plus tard sur Swordfishtrombones. Mais ne faisons pas la fin bouche : ce que nous avons sous la dent ici est déjà d'une richesse hallucinante. Ensuite, parler de cet album sans évoquer la voix de Tom Waits serait un crime d'État. Sur les productions précédentes, son timbre rocailleux conservait une chaleur jazzy, une rondeur qui rappelait les grands crooners du blues. Ici, oubliez la rondeur. Le mec ne chante plus : il éructe, il râle, il crache son venin comme si sa gorge était tapissée de tessons de bouteille et de papier de verre. C'est l'expression sonore d'une nuit d'insomnie passée à fumer des paquets sans filtre sous une pluie d'acide. Et cette transformation vocale accompagne une mutation instrumentale spectaculaire. La guitare électrique prend enfin le dessus sur le piano. Et pas n'importe quelle guitare : le jeu de Roland Bautista vient cisailler l'espace avec des riffs de blues et de R&B complètement poisseux, lourds, saturés jusqu'à la corde. La section rythmique, tenue d'une main de maître par des pointures comme Greg Cohen ou Jim Hughart à la basse, abandonne la légèreté du jazz pour adopter un martèlement lourd, urbain, presque mécanique. Cette formule percutante résume à elle seule toute la philosophie du disque. Tom Waits ne cherche plus à sublimer la misère urbaine par de la poésie romantique ; il la montre telle qu'elle est, avec son cynisme, sa laideur, ses paumés, ses prostituées et ses éclopés du rêve américain qui dérivent sur Hollywood Boulevard. Mais la véritable magie de Heartattack And Vine, c'est son incroyable schizophrénie. L'album est construit sur un contraste saisissant entre la crasse la plus sordide et une tendresse d'une délicatesse absolue. D'un côté, vous avez des brûlots d'une hargne inégalée. Le morceau-titre qui ouvre l'album est un modèle du genre : un blues poisseux, carnassier, bâti sur un riff d'une simplicité biblique qui vous colle à la peau comme de la graisse de vidange. On y croise une faune nocturne délabrée, décrite avec cette plume acérée et moqueuse qui n'appartient qu'à lui. La même énergie poisseuse se retrouve sur les titres les plus électriques du disque, où la musique semble enregistrée en direct du trottoir, au milieu des sirènes de police et des odeurs d'échappement. Mais dès que l'on pense avoir saisi la formule, Waits prend tout le monde à revers en déballant des ballades déchirantes, portées par des arrangements de cordes sublimes signés Jerry Yester. Et c'est là que le disque devient grand car Tom Waits nous offre l'une des plus belles chansons d'amour de son répertoire, un titre lumineux et d'une simplicité désarmante qui prouve que derrière le monstre éructant se cache toujours un cœur d'or. Et ce n'est pas un hasard si un certain Bruce Springsteen en a fait un hymne scénique par la suite. Ensuite, il consacre des ballades poignantes aux vagabonds de la Cinquième Rue de Los Angeles. Sa voix rocailleuse s'y fait d'une douceur inattendue, presque paternelle. Il n'y a jamais une once de condescendance chez Waits ; il aime ses personnages, il les immortalise avec une noblesse tragique. Et enfin, le disque se clôt sur une ballade de rupture d'une puissance émotionnelle rare. On y entend un homme quitter sa bien-aimée au petit matin, marchant vers la gare dans le froid, enveloppé par des cuivres et des cordes d'une beauté à couper le souffle. C'est le genre de morceau qui vous laisse un nœud dans l'estomac pour le reste de la journée. On ne peut pas disséquer cet album sans évoquer un événement capital survenu pendant son enregistrement : la rencontre entre Tom Waits et Kathleen Brennan. À l'époque, elle travaillait comme script pour les studios Zoetrope de Francis Ford Coppola (pour qui Waits allait composer la bande originale du film One from the Heart). Ils se sont rencontrés, se sont aimés, et ne se sont plus jamais quittés. Kathleen Brennan a été le véritable catalyseur de la carrière de Waits. D'ailleurs, c'est elle qui l'a poussé à se débarrasser de ses vieux oripeaux de crooner triste, qui lui a fait découvrir des musiques plus radicales, du Captain Beefheart au krautrock en passant par les musiques traditionnelles profondes. Dans Heartattack And Vine, on ressent déjà les premiers frémissements de cette influence salvatrice. On sent le mec qui prend conscience qu'il y a un monde entier à explorer en dehors des piano-bars et des clubs de jazz miteux. Alors oui, Heartattack And Vine n'a peut-être pas la cohérence révolutionnaire de Rain Dogs ou l'expérimentation totale de Bone Machine. Mais c'est précisément ce statut d'album charnière qui en fait une pièce maîtresse. C'est le pont entre deux mondes, la mue d'un artiste d'exception qui refuse de mourir étouffé par son propre personnage. Si vous voulez découvrir Tom Waits, ne commencez pas forcément par ses disques les plus intraitables des années 1990. Passez par ici. Laissez-vous happer par ce son de macadam mouillé, par cette voix d'outre-tombe et par ces mélodies à pleurer. C'est du grand art, brut, sans filtre, servi par un mec qui savait encore mélanger le cambouis et les étoiles comme personne d'autre.

My favorite of his albums so far

Het is bij Tom Waits vaak even inkomen, maar als die gaat dan gaat die. Een soort kruising tussen Alex Cameron en Nick Cave, op de beste manier

Alleen bekend met Rain Dogs, zoals waarschijnlijk velen met mij. Dit is ook vet! Iets minder weird en iets meer klassieke donkere vocal blues/jazz, maar uiteraard ondersteund door Waits' klassieke lage, raspy stem. In tegenstelling tot sommigen vond ik de tweede (instrumentale) track echt heel mooi. Het voelde een beetje als introductie - theme song - en dan begin van het album op track 3, net als op Ethel Cain's laatste plaat.

Loved it…suprisingly. Great grit and character to his vocals

Tom Waits is one of my guys, and this is a great album that acts as a transition to his period where he puts out several masterpieces. Will go to the grave happy I heard "On The Nickel" in concert.

A great blend of what Tom does best.

I go through the same process with every Tom Waits album. At first, I don't really like it, but after listening for a while, maybe going through the album again once or twice I start to enjoy myself and appreciate the music. It's a weird thing to rate, a singer that you need to warm up for, like you were exercising, so I'm not entirely sure how to score Heartattack and Vine, but I'll score it with how I felt the second time around. A four.

Maybe it’s a 3.5 and I’m rating it higher than I should’ve because I didn’t care for the previous Tom Waits album we got? But this was a breath of fresh air. Good mix of rough and sweet songs. ‘Jersey Girl’ was very pretty.

Tommy boy is back with yet another banger as he slowly starts to step into a weird territory. Heartattack and Vine is Tom stepping into a whole new decade and doing it in a way that is starting to make the man he was back in 1973 look completely unrecognizable. This album is much more slow paced than the typical Waits project, at least to myself, as he takes more of a sad and sappy approach to his typical hoarse crooning. The star of this album is easily the opening track Heartattack and Vine as it shows Waits is still able to make for one hell of a story teller even after all the past mismatched albums and tracks building up to this point. There isn't a lot to say about Heartattack and Vine if I am being honest, but I guess that shows just how solid it is and not needing of any greater analysis. It is great and that is that!

Alright. Everyone is going to hate on Tom Waits for his voice. I get it … it’s a deal breaker … you’re either all in or all out. I respect that. I, for one, am all in. “Everything I love is ugly. I mean, really, you would be amazed.” So, here are some positive thoughts I had about this album while NOT hating his voice: - Tom Waits is Noah Kahan if he’s born in West Hollywood a generation earlier and with a drug habit. - Tom Waits is Bob Dylan if he read more Bukowski and less Baudelaire. - Some amazing things can happen vocally when you don’t care about how you sound. This gentleman can write lyrics: - “Well I bet she's still a virgin but it's only 25 'til 9.” - “And what becomes of all the little boys who never comb their hair?” - “I said tell me, brave captain Why are the wicked so strong? How do the angels get to sleep When the devil leaves the porch light on?” - “I’ll never kiss your lips again Or break your heart.” Get past the vocals, because there is some real depth here.

Music where you can feel the sticky bar floors and smell the cheap whiskey and cigarettes

Tom Waits ist almost always a 4/5 for me. Exceptions do exist (this is not one).

God, so sad! Gets in its own way. Four

Surprised to see even more Tom Waits, especially this one. As always, high cool factor. Starts out very bluesy… and stays that way. Halfway through, and it’s good… not bowl me over great. Although Jersey Girl is better than good… what a fantastic song. Ruby’s Arms is a beautiful ballad too. Waits’ signature storytelling is there. And the unmistakable gravelly voice is central. On whole, this record doesn’t attain the next level of musical and poetic genius that a couple of his other records do, but the highlights, Jersey Girl and Ruby’s Arms, alone make this record better than average. Really a 3.5 for me. Side note here, album cover is very creative. Love the concept.

Great, this. I should hate it. It's an annoying voice with some backing noise. The guy who said it sounds like a drunk muppet is bang on, but apparently I like drunk muppets. It should bug the hell out of me but I really enjoyed it.

Sini stimm brucht echli agwöhnigszit

One of the few artists that I'll put up with a hammond organ for. He has much better albums, but still worth a listen.

An absolute timeless album that was released in the same year as The River, Closer, Remain in Light and acds back in black. Incredible lyrics, beautiful instrumentation. When I was in my mid twenties I started listening to Tom Waits and he's been a steady source of good memories, and whiskey soaked thoughts. Would love to see him live, but I don't think it will ever happen. Jersey Girl is a standout track. So good.

I want to meet the person that "discovered" Tom Waits. He sounds like he gargles broken glass and whiskey before smoking unfiltered cigarettes he rolled himself. He looks like he smells like said cigarettes and a brewery. Dude is not selling out stadiums. He is playing in dive bars and old venues that haven't had a sold out show in a decade. It works though. I'm listening and going none of this should be appealing yet it does. I've been a soft fan of his for a few decades, go listen to Bone Machine. First album of his I heard and it stuck with me. This album is good in ways I can't put words to. It's a feeling, it's a vibe. Go in with an open mind and think, what if Old Crow bourbon was a person.

OG Jersey Girl!!!

No one can paint a picture purely with his voice quite like Tom Waits. When he opens his mouth he creates a new world where everything is dusty and brown and shrouded in shadow. While here he hasn't quite hit his impeccably unhinged best yet, there's still plenty to love. The songs are quick witted and colourful, and his character work breathes life into an otherwise dour atmosphere. Feels like a transitional record between the early career crooner Tom Waits, and his mid 80s to early 90s madness. Hits different in a crap hotel on a rainy night. 4/5

I think I've listened to this album before, but Rain Dogs is the only Tom Waits album I've gone back to repeatedly. I absolutely loved most of this album though, but it did start to lose me when things slowed down quite a bit on On The Nickel. Great stuff overall though.

Another cool transition album for Tom. Feels like he's right on the edge of his "Wild Years" era here but still embodying some more of the traditional recording styles of his early singer songwriter/barfly era. Better than nighthawks at the diner.

Well I get the title. More like heartbreak and chains to be honest. But the actual title is more poetic. Its half drunken barfight somgs or at least things that will get you put in jail and half lovesick songs. Not a bad combo. You can imagine doing soemthing to get put in jail and writing a letter back to your gal. Its alot of that. And there are some good ones for sure. It does wear out its welcome a bit. So id say this is one of my least favorite tom waits joints but its still pretty good. Still swordfish for me. But im happy to hear the whole catelog at this point. The voice is still incredible. Its so unique. You will never find a voice like it. Anf the music is very good behind the fuck up type songs. Very bluesy and catchy as hell. The love songs im less into the ballad stuff they got going on, still decent though. Its just another solid tom waits record. This dude was a find and a half for me from this list. Good stuff

"There is no devil, it's just god when he's drunk" Great stuff. It's a little silly to listen to this at 8:00 in the morning like I am right now - I should be sitting in a bar somewhere with a nice cocktail, but anyway, it's a wonderful record. His lyrics and vocals are so evocative, and that bar blues band is so tight. One or two of the slower songs on this have always gone on long enough to try my patience, but still, nobody's like Tom Waits. 4/5

This is like Bruce Springsteens darker cousin. This is who Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds wish they could be. Rough around the edges in the best way but still groovy with keyboard riff when you need it. This one really grew on me as it went on. After two Tom Waits albums I’ve really come to appreciate him.

Grumbly and sexy and smoky and poetic. Stank face inducing. Not as weird as Tom Waits gets but pretty weird.

I have heard this before, but never listened. I have heard it 3 times today - it great. 1. Heartattack And Vine 2. In Shades 3. Saving All My Love For You

So I can see how this can be er... polarizing. I know OF Tom Waits but I never really internalized that every Tom Waits parody somehow feels less parodic then Tom Waits just being himself. I really liked this, maybe it somehow itched a theatre kid part of me. I don't think the instrumentation is doing much, its a little too sparse, which makes songs like "In Shades" a slog, but when Tom Waits is singing there's just something captivating about it. The Lyricism here is suprisingly strong, there's an almost Jacques Brel storytelling to this that just works. Similar, also, to much of Outlaw Country there's a level of self awareness that the characters in these songs are simply not good people (Mr. Siegal in some ways even feels like an ode to that kind of storytelling). Unlike Outlaw Country, though, there's a lot of nuance in these characters. There's a fair amount of misogyny on this album, but unlike other instances on this list the fact that the misogyny is meant to be a reflection of the seedy bottom-of-the-barrel behavior of the characters portrayed does help soften that somewhat. Its still a bit much in places. I give this a strong 4 stars- I didn't like the less jazzy songs nearly as much and again I don't think the instrumentation was incredible, but the singing really hooked me

Al fin un disco que vale la pena. Una voz que acompaña a la perfección la melodía, personajes e historias de melancolía y fracaso.

me (a guy named sally): im sorry noel gallagher, but i actually cant wait tom: waits the whole concept of the second side being one ballad followed by one blues rocker is so hilarious also this is really good music, 4/5

Some of menacing lyrics are great and the some softer songs are nice but his voice does get a bit irritating its kinda cool like scream jay Hawkins, but also like bowser from mario aswell. Good album though really enjoyed most of it. Worth checking out some of his other stuff! Solid 3.5

Great lyrics, paint the atmosphere brilliantly. Very First lyric is "Liar Liar with the pants on Fire" "i'll prob'ly get arrested when im in my grave." Too many to pick out. His salty grizzled vocals are ace Heartattack and Vine is a great song 4.5

Forgotten how good this is

Great album with Tom's unique vocal style getting stronger. Lyrically interesting (there ain't no Devil, there's just God when he's drunk!) and some great arrangements. 4

I liked this album!! It ranges in mood quite widely. The title track, In Shades, and Mr Siegal stand out to me particularly- though slightly sad lyrically, they are slow, seductive and punchy, the sort of songs that would backtrack the introduction of the cool love interest in an 80s film. Some of the Waits' voice to me is like a lovechild of Bryan Adams and Leonard Cohen. I wasn't as much of a fan of some of the sadder songs, but I still enjoyed them. Would reccomend.

4/5 Love his voice. Really enjoyed all of the tracks except Saving all my love for you. It absolutely didn’t resonate with me. 4/5 because of all the other delicious tracks

First time with a Tom Waits album. I really liked this. It’s very atmospheric. Crazy how overblown the complaints about his voice are. It’s a type of working class post-industrial persona that I find really fascinating. Easy to imagine Jim Jarmusch listening to this early in his career.

This was Waits' transitional album from his earlier Jazz-infused singer-songwriter style to the 70's and his post-modern Dark Cabaret Blues which followed. Like many of his first period releases, this album alternates between rousing Blues howlers, like the title track and "Downtown", and incredibly gorgeous balladry such as in "Jersey Girl" and "Ruby's Arms", to name a couple. This album was also release the same year Waits got married to artist Kathleen Brennan, who became his closest collaborator and a big influence on his stylistic shift later in the decade. Key tracks: Heartattack and Vine Downtown Jersey Girl On the Nickel Ruby's Arms

Growly, blues mess. Couldn’t understand a word. Loved it.

cool vibe really enjoyed - sick voice

81/100. This is really good. Tom Waits' rough, weathered voice fits this perfectly. He sings like someone carrying years of exhaustion and experience, yet still holding tightly onto some sense of dignity and identity. The entire record feels smoky and worn down in the best possible way. The music, the vocals, and the atmosphere all blend together into something that feels late night, bruised, and deeply human.

Blues. Don't love the gravely voice, but I can't deny it fits.

Unsure at the start but a fan by the end and I'm in love with the marvellous Jersey Girl.

Great album. Big Waits fan. Maybe his first album with this more sparse and gravelly delivery? Excellent writing as always.

I knew nothing of Tom Waits before this project but certainly have had plenty of exposure now. I’ve been mixed on him, and this is one of his I really enjoyed. I like how bluesy and groovy it is. Especially dug the title track and Jersey Girl.

I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this album. I don't particularly like Tom Wait's vibe in general, respect his artistry but never in the mood to listen to his music. This bluesy soulful album is quite lovely, glad to find it in this list.

I just love his voice so much man

god tier but there is better waits. 4.

somewhat weaker, transition-period tom waits that realistically shouldn’t be on this list (i’d go for small change or even closing time) still some of the best shit ever. if you cant handle tom waits’ voice you don’t deserve art. also who the hell drinks a pint of green chartreuse? terribly aged lyric thatd be a 100 dollar drink now

An excellent album, but does fall a little short of Tom's best albums. He was pushing the boundaries of the traditional music and album forms, and you really can hear it here. Well worth a listen.

A very unique blues album. His voice is so different from what you’re used to that it makes the lyrics stand out even more. It took me a couple of listens to really appreciate how well it’s arranged, but once it clicked, it became a fun and solid listen.

8.0/10 Really liked this one.. the piano and organ arrangements are just perfect.. I know his vocals are sometimes hard to get through but it works for me.

I'm always down for Tom Waits, and this is just classic him. Nostalgia, heatbreak, sorrow, dark nights, rainy skies, and an ode to LA unlike few others. You've got to listen to the whole thing from the start because it just captures you from the first lines and doesn't relent the whole time. I love his style, his voice, the music, and everything about this one.

This was fresh all get out!

Nice.

Heading towards his really funky period, but not there yet.

Me gustó mucho la vo,

Gritty

nice relaxing album. would listen again. 4

Det börjar lite trögt med de två första spåren. Öppningsspåret får han inte ordning på och den där instrumentalen har jag aldrig förstått mig på. Men sen varvar han upp och när Tom är bra är han inte bara bra utan ofta bäst, en alldeles egen liten subgenre faktiskt. Försiktigt med klockspel och stråkar som fin kontrast till sitt skrovel smyger han igång i "Saving all my love for you". Innan det ena lilla mästerstycket efter det andra tar vid, "Downtown", “Jersey girl", " Til the money run out", "On the nickel" är en superb fyrklöver. "Mr. Siegal" är inte lika bra men fullt godkänd. För att avsluta i en gåshudsframkallande stråkbeklädd "Ruby's arm", finfint maestro. Jag har svårt att rangordna Waits album, men det här hör absolut till de bästa, kanske är också det jag spelar oftast. Med en bättre inledning hade det nog varit en femma, nu får Tom nöja sig med fyran.

1 - Heartattack and Vine (a blown-out guitar opens this song before leading into Waits' unmistakable voice. The haze of drunken antics and stumbling midnight shuffles through empty streets permeate this song. At this point in his career, Waits is still searching for his next sound and is currently content with squaring the new experimental rock sections with the jazz blues of the previous decade. The performance of this one is relatively one-note across the 5 minute mark and is relatively monotone for Tom Waits standards) 3.5/5 2 - In Shades (an instrumental piece. While not unheard of on a Tom Waits album, few are ever allowed to extend past the 4 minute mark as this does. This one captures the feel of a quarter-speed jazz interlude at a smoky club, with a performance delivered after closing time. Not too much else to say about besides the occasional cameo from Waits, whose distance voice sounds like a duck call. The slow pace of the first 2 songs has really halted much of the album's momentum) 3.5/5 3 - Saving All My Love for You (a classic boozy piano ballad that's introduced by a series of church bells. A plaintive string section in the back lends a cinematic quality to the despondent performance Waits gives. This sounds like the absolute saddest Christmas song a person could ever write, and I give it the bulk of its points for allowing me to conjure that image) 4/5 4 - Downtown (a slinky mid-tempo piece that wouldn't sound out of place in a spy movie. It actually features an upbeat chorus section that finally gives the album the steam it desperately needed to move forward. The Hammond does much of the work on infusing the energy into this song, though the return of the blown-out guitar also helps. This song is probably the most representative of the sound Waits was going for in this strange transition era from the 70s to 80s experimentalism) 4.5/5 5 - Jersey Girl (probably the most recognizable song on this album, it's another moody ballad but with a much more passionate performance from Waits with its climactic bridge 3 minutes in anchored by the most bittersweet "sha-la-las" ever commited to tape. An oddly evocative piece as Waits sounds enraged, despaired and overjoyed all at once. The sense of dynamics and sparseness giving way to bigger instrumentation is an added bonus) 4/5 6 - 'Til the Money Runs Out (a refined bass-and-toms groove is interrupted by an utterly manic speak-sung performance from Waits. Most of the lyrics are chewed up and spit out, mimicking the story of whatever crazed vagrant Waits is singing about on this one. Songs like these and Downtown really make me wonder why Waits largely abandoned the Hammond after this album because it's an instrument that grounds his electric, off-kilter performances very effectively) 4/5 7 - On the Nickel (the longest song on the album, this ballad is backed by a sweeping string arrangement and a restrained vocal from Waits, who seems to have written some of the earliest verses too low for his voice. His midrange is also very thick on this record where it would become more even in later years. This lends an incredibly gruff and exaggerated phrasing that really captures the crazed performances of energetic songs but sounds overbearing on slower songs like these. The cinematic, show tuney atmosphere of this track makes me think it was originally written for a musical or Disney movie but was cut for being too sad for children) 3.5/5 8 - Mr. Siegal (a down and dirty blues track complete with honky-tonk plinking on a piano and a guitar that sounds more gas-powered than electric. Waits' voice works absolute wonders for the character he presents here, and this song is one of the stronger genre pieces of Waits' career to this point. This might have been the danger that people heard coming from the music of the Stones when they first got big in the 60s) 4/5 9 - Ruby's Arms (the album ends on one final ballad with the most strained performance from Waits yet; this song truly does demonstrate the immense control he has over his instrument and the variety of colours he can give it. This is a fine closer and doesn't do anything that the previous ballads already didn't do; all of them are essentially recognizable by the lyrical material in this case. A decent enough way to end the album whose other tracks showed signs of the true madness to come....) 3.5/5 OVERALL - 7.6/10

The slower, more crooning songs kind of bounced off me during my first listen, but the more straightforward blues rock numbers made a good enough impression I can see myself warming up more to those slower songs if in the right mood. Really love the piano and electric organ whenever present. I just hope the whopping 4 other albums by Waits on this list don't disappoint. 8/10.

7.5/10 The vocals are very hit or miss for me but overall I enjoyed it

Mumbling, grumbling, drunken, rock-bottom, barfly blues. What's not to like?

I don’t enjoy his voice as much as other people, but this album is nice.

oooooh not bad at all

This man's voice is awful, but the album was somewhat enjoyable, well recorded and produced. I had only heard Tom Waits before in some compilation / tribute / covers album, I believe the "We're a Happy Family" tribute to the Ramones.

His vocal style will take some time to grow on me, but I found this album to be very interesting and unique. I think this is one that requires a few more listens to fully grasp. Edit: I was correct, bumping this to a 4 haha

I like it.

I happened to be walking through Times Square as I listened to this album. It is a world away from the time Waits sings about but man does this album make you feel every lyric. It’s so vibrant, so sad, it wasn’t the way to walk to work but it was a work of art.

A bit less experimental than his later stuff, but still a pretty decent album regardless. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

This reminds me that I need to listen to more Tom Waits. It’s not a perfect album by any means but he’s got such a unique musicality and it’s one I quite like.

Interesting getting this album queued up a few weeks after Nirvana’s Unplugged. If I heard this record in the 90s, I would have *hated* it compared to the Nirvana covers. But after a youth steeped in indie, it feels right at home, teeing up Wilco and Pavement. Doing something bold, raw and messy in the early 80s — punk-adjacent, but more loose and sad — feels rather brave in retrospective. I could listen to The History of Grunge playlist all day (but I might turn it down sometimes).

The archetypal drunk growling storyteller. This album is what bars in American films and TV sounds like. You can almost see McNulty propping up the end of the bar.

First time listening to Tom Waits... Loved this.

Huh, this was the first Waits album I can say that I genuinely enjoyed. I'd all but given up on him at this stage. Every other album here scored a 2-3 but this one hit me differently. The title track was gritty and bluesy and the rest of the album followed a similar suit. Would listen again.

I already liked Tom Waits from what I've heard, and so this did not disappoint - my favorite of his so far! Love the bluesy sound, and I thought the ballads were particularly interested and enjoyable. Jersey Girl is a highlight, such a great song. I really like this voice and the vibe he curates in his music. Great album! Top Songs: Heartattack and Vine, In Shades, Jersey Girl, Mr. Siegal, Ruby's Arms

Really love the growling jazz tracks, some of the slow ballads I'm a bit less keen on but overall a great album

I love Tom Waits and this was a new listening experience for me. I was hooked start to finish.

Sound of silver, more like sound of gold to me

I'm a huge Tom Waits fan, but his catalogue is massive and I have never gone in on this one. It was very good but by his own high standards this is not the absolute best - I prefer him going further into being an absolute freak on the next few records.

Fantastic album. Crunchy blues rock, zippy jazz influenced tracks, heartbreaking singer-songwriter piano ballads. All with Waits’ insane, booming voice and street-wise sense of humor.

> the Beatles

Havent played this for years. Good to hear again!

fun album with raspy vocals and good instrumentals favorite track: jersey girl other picks: heartattack and vine, in shades, downtown

His voice is something of an acquired taste, but lyrically fantastic, and if you enjoy the vocals (which I do), a very enjoyable album.

This is #day561 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how about that raspy blues growl? I guess I don't mind some Tom Waits once in a blue moon. Face it, there are few like him. The title track, "In Shades," "Downtown," "Jersey Girl"… honestly, about half of this record makes for perfect Friday listening. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day562.

i like the stripped down style of young tom waits. kind of sultry and intimate;?you can hear the spit leave his lips. maybe the cockiness of youth let him make songs without the vaudeville spectacle. it could’ve been 15 minutes shorter though.

Damn! this was good. So much emotion, so much swagger, so much soul. One thing can never be overlooked, Tom Waits is an incredible songwriter. Would it be a cliché to say the Jersey Girl is the standout track? Otherwise "Ruby's Arms", what a sensational song. great album. 4 stars

I never knew there was an album of songs sung by Rowlf - nor that I needed it (which I don’t). What initially plays as grating slowly becomes endearing and by the time I reached the bottom of this album I found myself really liking it. It’s likely a 3 in my normal manner of ranking but I’m going to place as a 4 to encourage me to come back. 4/5

Love Tom Waits. This is a great album, as long as you like his voice. If you don't, you won't get far! There's nothing truly outstanding on this, though, so 4 is as high as I can go with it.

I initially thought I liked Tom Waits, then I realized I kind of hated him, and now I get this album and like him again. Except for the last song. That's the Tom I knew and hated.

Enjoyed the listen

Wow. Heard of tom waits, but not really any of his music. Part of this challenge to listen to the 1001 albums was actually hearing artists that influened artists I like. I really enjoyed this. The voice is no doubt unique, but it works with the simplicity of the music.and the lyrics are great. After this I'll definitely be listening to more waits. Looks like there's 4 in the list. Will be interesting to see if the 4 stand alone enough to be all included.

I broke my own rule and read some reviews before voting. The quote from Rolling Stone that "Tom Waits finds more beauty in the gutter than most people would find in the Garden of Eden" (or words to that effect) captures it.

Thank you 1001. Gravelly, fresh and thoughtful

The bar room Bruce Springsteen. I love the sleezy, blues vibe and the lyrics always tell a great, and frequently moving, story. 4*

Every Waits album I’ve came across on this website has been really good. I just love his experimental and Americana he is a good songwriter.

Another great one from Tom Waits.

The grasp in his voice… Amazing, felt i was in New Orleans! Plus a white guy with a black voice!!

Tom Waits’ vocal performances on this record are just insane. I can’t get enough of his harsh and gravely voice. The songs also groove so hard—it’s 44 straight minutes of fire bluesy jazz rock. Fantastic stuff

RUBYS ARMS

I don't know how I feel about Tom Waits, and that's been true for about a decade. I definitely appreciate and respect his music, and it can hit me when I'm in the right mood, but I'm rarely in the right mood. Today, this one worked. Looking back on my previous reviews, I'm surprised at how highly I rated Rain Dogs. I think I liked this more than Rain Dogs, but it's been a while. Maybe I'm just loosening up to different music, which is honestly the whole reason I started doing this.

The folk songs "Jersey Girl" and "On the Nickel" are painfully bad (not surprisingly, the king of bad music, Bruce Springsteen, covered "Jersey Girl"). However, the remainder of the album is gritty, bluesy, jazz and really fits his voice and lyrics. Overall, without the folk numbers this is an excellent album. As it is, I'll say it's still very good. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

I thought this was the weakest of the Waits albums I’ve heard on here so far. Not that many compelling stories. And then Jersey Girl hit me on the side of the head as one of his best songs. Him being so in love with a woman that he isn’t even considering a whore is peak Tom Waits. Beauty and ruin.

вайбовый блюююз

I love the journeys and visions I get with Tom Waits. He paints a picture in his music better than most. Is the voice sometimes too much at its gravely-gargliest? Yes, of course. But there are moments of sweeter sounding tracks for when it's right too.

Delightful, in the most Tom Waits way possible

My affection for Tom Waits and pleasure that he exists outweighs the fact that I have never once enjoyed listening to a full album.

My dad knows every Tom Wait song and it was dun to listen to! Will have to relisten on a day where I’m not on ice patrol through

I'm never immediately sure what I think of Waits' music other than that it grabs my attention. He can sell both wry parody and heart-on-your-sleeve balladeering, and he's never boring. Something about his particular range resonates with my inner life, if not always my outer. I'm not sure I want to live in his world, but there are ways he makes me feel less alone in mine.

Finally know what Tom Waits sound like. Really enjoyable album.

Blimey. "On the Nickle" is a heck of an audio sensation. For me the vocals on that track are off-putting as Waits sounds in pain but the rest of the album is thoroughly enjoyable. 4/5.

Tom Waits is such an unique artist and gifted songwriter. He's also the star actor in one of my favorite movies "Down by law". Such a talented and also otherwise cool guy, who walks his own path and don't give a s&#t what other people think.

OK to start with but grew significantly better as it went on and we began to enjoy it a lot more. Was a good backdrop to getting some work done. Waits' voice is quite emotive and pairs well with the music style.

Tom Waits - you either love him or hate him. I enjoy his lyrics and unique voice. One of his earlier, approachable albums,

173/1001 :: Tom Waits - Heartattack and Vine Heard before? ✅ Would I revisit? ✅ Rating: 8 Listen before you die: Uhhh Yeah “Well this stuff will probably kill you, let's do another line.” When I compare this to other Tom Waits albums it doesn’t crack may Top 5. When I compare this to the 1000 albums on this list I realize how damn good it is. First of all it really starts off with a bang with the title track. There’s so much sway and swagger in this song. It’s filthy good. I never loved the instrumental in the 2 spot but once you come out on the other side of that it’s smooth sailing. Jersey Girl & Mr Siegal also perennial favorites. It’s time to add this wax to the Tom Waits collection.

Not one of Tom's best records, but still excellent; he's boozy, but still punchy, contrasts feelings of calm and bombast, and paints lovely pictures with his lyrics on each track.

Not my favorite Tom Waits album, but he does so much here on Heart Attack and Vine. My favorite song is on this album and probably the only reason this album is on this list - but Jersey Girl is phenomenal and one of rare examples where a cover is better than the original. 4/5

I started listening to Tom Waits last year. He's a singer, songwriter, composer, and actor known for his deep, gravelly voice and lyrics that focus on the seedy underbelly of society. He started his career as a folk singer in the vein of Bob Dylan, while also taking influence from spoken word and beat poetry. However, Heartattack and Vine proved to be a stylistic shift, taking a direction that's more in line with Delta blues. The fuzzy guitar, the sharp percussive beat, and Ronnie Barron's playing on the Hammond organ are all featured elements on half of this record that give a more aggressive edge to Tom's compositions. The title track, the instrumental "In Shades", "Downtown", and "Mr. Siegal" all sonically cut deep in the standard blues format, as Tom viscerally delivers these delightfully grotesque sceneries. Meanwhile, the rest of the tracks offer more orchestrally arranged ballads like on "Saving All My Love For You", "Jersey Girl", and the closer "Ruby's Arms", where the anguish and raw passion come through in Tom's vocals as he sang about his relationships with women who weren't the most upstanding, without ever talking down about them. There's an earnest acknowledgement of people's flaws, including his own, that shines well in his lyrics. Still, I have to acknowledge that this is a transitional record. I essentially described two different-sounding halves to this album. While the track list arrangement does its best to mask that fact, I can't deny that Tom could have gone wholeheartedly in one direction or the other, with a slight personal preference for the more aggressive Delta blues styling. Even Tom himself acknowledged that this record was a turning point that would help inform his later musical experimentation, and I have to agree with him. I still liked Heartattack and Vine at the end of the day, and accept that this is an important record in Tom Waits's career. If anything, it made me look forward to what was next.

Decent. Not my fave Tom Waits album though.

Not a Tom Waits album I’m familiar with, but I do like Tom in general. Tom Waits is Tom Waits-ing all over this album. Love. 4/5

Standard Tom here. I was having a decent time but the back half really picked it up. Jersey Girl, On the Nickel, Mr. Siegal, and Ruby’s Arms were all really good and more accessible than I usually find him.

Atmospheric and ethereal. Feels like the vocals are floating on top of the music. A more accessible version of Radiohead.

The man certainly has a distinct voice. One that I do think is best served by bluesier music underneath it. The blusiest tracks were my favorites on here for that reason, but "Jersey Girl" was wonderful to hear as well. I'll take Bruce's voice though.

I'm trying to understand Tom Waits with some limited success. Is he a singer songwriter? Maybe he's a songwriter singer. I don't mind gravel or dissonance, and it's clear that Waits is an incredible and prolific songwriter. The arrangements on this record are beautiful and funky in an accessible way. I could easily see my mother grooving to the music. I can only speak to Heartattack and Vine, but I'm getting the sense that the juxtaposition of the pretty music and Waits's gravely, loud, passionate singing reminds us that life is messy, emotions are messy. The problem for me is that I can't sink into Waits's music like I can with my favorite singers. His voice, even in this relatively early recording is too abrasive for me to relax. It's entirely possible that this is the point, that Waits doesn't want us to relax. He might want his listeners to stay alert. But the OAD is a celebration of the album format, and this level of alert for an extended period is a bit much for me. I enjoyed my time with this record, and I'm happy to come back to it. There is some fantastic music and stunning lyrics here, but Waits's voice continues to be a barrier for me. Four stars.

Bluesy, and a great voice. Really liked Mr Siegel

Love this one. Tom Waits can take some adjusting to for the uninitiated, but once you've tuned your ear to the growl and poetry it's like a drug.

Not my favourite or the most celebrated Waits album, but certainly a bit of an underrated/transitional one. The uptempo numbers and the right amount of dirty and sleazy. I think it's the ballads I think that let this one down slightly.

Heartattack and Vine 4.5 In Shades (Instrumental) 4 Saving All My Love for You 3.4 Downtown 4.3 Jersey Girl 4 Til the Money Runs Out 4.5 On the Nickel 3.5 Mr. Siegal 4.2 Ruby's Arms 4 Score: 4.044444444

4/5

Had never heard this Waits album before, and I thought it was really great! Sometimes he sounds like Mr. Krabs in This Grill is Not a Home

honestly ive barely listened to this bloke before this list and he kicks a whole buncha ass

Tom Waits sounds like warm gin tastes. Most of the time, I'm not in the mood for warm gin. But, when I am, absolutely nothing else will satisfy me.