Heartattack And Vine

# Playlist track - Heartattack And Vine # Notes - The album kicks off on a moody, kind of interesting vibe, which is super nice. But it never leaves. By the 3rd track I'm kind of sick of the same shtick. - It then tried to get moving again and becomes enjoyable for a while. Waits then falls again on the hole and it's back to the same old. - The atmosphere is there, it's well executed. But it's a bit boring to stay at this bar for the entire album.

Absolutely cannot take Tom Waits voice seriously at all. Some of these cuts are laugh-out-loud cheesy. Musically, very diverse.

I once wondered if I would enjoy Tom Wait's music. I don't.

Pretty boring compared to albums like Rain Dogs or Swordfishtrombones. Did we really need to hear this?

This sounds like a parody album on South Park. How did people take this seriously

Not for me. A few good songs

it sounds like he’s trying too hard

Found the lyrics hard to follow and the vocals regularly unpleasant. He does put a lot of emotion into his singing especially on the last track but def not for me

Boring, awful vocals, nothing good to say about this album

- Tom Waits, so ein Name, den man ständig überall und schon über hört, den ich aber nie wirklich registriert habe. - Album ist eine wirklich wilde Mischung aus Jazz, RocknRoll, Blues und Klassik - Stimme ist bestimmt authentisch, klingt für mich leider nicht so und nervt mich dementsprechend - Insgesamt war ich leider eher unbeeindruckt, weiß aber jetzt, was Tom Waits macht 2,5/5

This is a rough one. Tom Waits is cool and an incredible musician/writer. At the same time this album wore me out. I would have enjoyed reading the lyrics as poems instead of him grunting them at me. Middle of the road stars, I wanted to like it more.

I loved the title track "Heartattack and Vine" plus "'Til the Money Runs Out"- his voice matches the bluesy ballad style of these tracks. But on tracks like "Saving All My Love for You", it's almost like he's a parody of himself.

Come on now

Almost listenable

I was curious about this one. A distinct voice for sure, but sometimes a bit jarring. I don't know what to think. The storytelling when it can be understood is really good. However, the style isn't always pleasant to listen to. When it works during some of the tracks, it is definitely good. Not likely to listen again though. Highlights: Downtown

Correcto

Off-putting

Bad

I liked the lyrics and understand how people might love his music. I felt like at times I was listening to a Louie Armstrong song, but at others like the Tasmanian Devil and/or songs from team America. Not sure how much I’d listen when it’s not a super popular song.

Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: passend angegrabbelt, schmierig und vergilbt Mix: angesichts der versumpften Vocals fast schon überraschend klare und wuchtige Mische der Instrumentierung Musik: Andere Reviews vergleichen Tom Waits' Stimme zu einem betrunkenen, Geschichten erzählenden Muppet, dem blauen Alien aus Star Wars: Episode VI (Special Edition!) und einem obdachlosem, tibetischem Kehlkopfsänger. Alles bestimmt lustig gemeint. Aber wahr. Wertung: 📰📰/5

Not really my preferred Tom Waits mode.

he can't be serious

Тому Уэйтсу нет (но всё ещё не так плохо как другие его альбомы)

i really respect the creativity, originality, artistry of tom waits and i want to like him. but i don't

Dit album was naar alle waarschijnlijkheid de barrière die tussen mij en Abbey Road stond. Maar goed, ik moet er toch aan geloven. En meteen voelt het eerste nummer aan alsof je een roggel in je gezicht krijgt die voor de ene helft bestaat uit sigarettenas en de andere helft uit whiskey. Je kan van alles zeggen over het geluid, maar uniek is het wel, en ik begin er steeds beter aan te wennen. Op dit album staan wel een paar nummers die me wat meer liggen, waaronder Downtown en Til The Money Runs Out. De band is echt goed: fijne orgelgeluidjes en korte krachtige bluesriffs. That's more like it Waits! Rating: 7 Highlights: Downtown, Til The Money Runs Out

Na 'Nighthawks at the Diner' komt een ander album van dit mythische figuur aan bod dat niet al te hoog staat op mijn favorieten-lijstje. Dit album belichaamt de overgang van Tom's gevoelige, dronken ballad-periode (barfly Tom) naar het tijdperk waarin hij meer ging experimenteren en een beetje een maffe joker werd. Die periode, vanaf de jaren 80 tot begin jaren 90, staat het dichtst bij mijn hart, al heeft early Tom ook z'n briljante momenten. Deze plaat - de laatste op Asylum Records - mixt de rauwe blues met zijn dronken bar-hang persona. In die vroegere periode van zijn loopbaan was zijn grootste deugd dat hij zijn verhalen en de - vaak fictieve - hoofdrollen met angstaanjagende precisie kon vertolken. Op rauwe en emotionele wijze werpt hij een blik met een vergrootglas op de verschoppelingen van de maatschappij, wat ook maar gewoon mensen blijken zijn. Dit album bevat met 'On The Nickel' en 'Ruby's Arms' twee van die ontroerende stukken, die tekenend zijn voor 70s Waits. En meer dan in zijn voorgaande albums worden de rauwe lyrics van ballads als deze uitgebalanceerd door de rauwe instrumentatie in andere nummers. De titelsong en 'Mr. Siegal' zijn hier goede voorbeelden van. Dit zorgt voor wat meer variatie, waar de 'Island Trilogy' van de jaren 80 bol van staat. Toch voelt dit album meer als een losse flodder tussen twee iconische tijdperken door, al is hij stilistisch onmisbaar voor de evolutie van de beste man. De blues zijn me iets te simpel, en de songwriting trekt me minder dan op 'Closing Time' en 'Blue Valentine', bijvoorbeeld. Één voor in de collectie, onbreekbaar op de chronologe tijdlijn van de artiest Tom Waits, maar muzikaal bij lange na niet mijn favoriet. 5,5/10 Highlights: Heartattack and Vine Ruby's Arms

A bit boring tbh

Not a fan. Reminds me of Bruce Springsteen and I don’t like him either. Personally don’t think gravely voices are good.

Sounds like he wants to be Louis Armstrong

I didn't know what to expect but it really feels as though you shouldn't take this Album too seriously.

Incredible blues opening with the first two tracks and then Tom Waits comes back in and ruins everything with his awful vocals. And it continues with beautiful songs and arrangements however Tom Waits cannot sing. The same continues through the rest of the album.

Tom was very influential, but like Bob Dylan I find his singing awful. The album had a couple of good blues tunes on it but overall not very good.

I came to read through the reviews as I listened to this album and sure enough there were people who thought the same thing I did...."am I listening to a drunk muppet?" I love the music...I can tolerate his voice on most songs, I just don't think I would choose to come back and visit this album again!

I liked the energy but not the album. Favourite track: Jersey Girls.

In the reverse of the usual way of these things, Waits seems to get better with each album. This seems to be from the period where he is still a piano-based balladeer - not my favourite phase. Also, I started to find the voice a bit grating after a while - the mannered style seems to work better when the music is a bit odder than it is here. On this it sounded - to me - a little faked or forced. Once I heard that, I couldn't get past it. I like Waits as an artist, but not a big fan of this particular album.

I just cannot take any of Tom waits songs seriously lmao he sounds like he’s drunk when he sings

Waits' voice is unique and therefore polarizing. I am just not the biggest fan of it, but can appreciate a couple songs, Downtown being my favorite. While I do like the lyrical themes of the anti-hero and the downtrodden, it is just a little to grating to listen to the whole album all the way through.

Something about the vocals, and music, but maybe not for 2024 in my car on a grey day, definitely not in a Midwest Saloon smelling of liquor and smoke.

Jazz. Ok

First song is great, minimalist music, rasping, screechy vocals. the second one, In Shades, is generic blues-boredom. Third song, Saving All My Love For You, sounds comical; his voice doesn't suit the song - which has good lyrics, but... the delivery is weird, not in a good way. Certainly is original, though. 'Downtown' (the fourth song) is better; his voice does work better with less gentle songs - but it's not the best song, slightly predictable. Jersey Girl isn't the strongest or most interesting song, and the vocals in the chorus grate, although the softer bits are okay. The music in ''Til the Money Runs Out' is crisp and funky; the singing suits it - although I'd prefer it if someone with a nicer delivery fronted the music. He just doesn't have the glamour and depth of, say, Black Francis' bone-shattering scream. He sounds more like a frothing, sputtering, wife-beating drunk - which I guess is what he's going for. (You could call it 'swampy', being generous.) On the Nickel is boring for me, but might be interesting to some; its vocals progress from lisping to shower opera. Mr Siegal works! It's the right blend of those vocals and simple music. I won't say I'll listen to it again and again - stylistically, it's boring old blues - but the song works well and is a good one for basic-blues lovers. (This song is unnecessarily long, though, as well.) Kinda glad when this album was over - although I will be playing the opening track, Heartattack and Vine again. And... it is wildly original, unusual, and will appeal to some people very much - not to me, though. A worthy listen - once!

Die Stimme geht gar nicht.. instrumental ist ok

I like the songs themselves but I’m gonna be real with y’all, his voice made me burst out LAUGHING like I just couldn’t take the growling seriously!

Sorry Tom Waits, I just can’t groove with you. Barely a 2.

Why? It's a cute presentation and the songs are fine I guess but they sound very sappy and overwrought like a sad movie.

This is my third Tom Waits album on the list, and for many reasons, I bloody hate the guy. To be fair, I was fully expecting to hate this album and whilst I didn't like it, it was a lot more bearable than Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs, which is something. Whilst both those two albums I scored 1/5, I'm willing to extend to 2/5 for this one, but still, fuck Tom Waits.

Surprisingly Tom Waits voice is not the turn-off for this album. I just found the songwriting pretty bland, nothing really grabbed me at any time. His voice is pretty dope tho. Fav Songs: - Downtown

Great lyrics, not so great voice. Sounds like he needs to clear his throat!

I grow tired of the shtick. Outside of this list I will not listen to this muppet.

Dare I say, one of the most annoying voices of all time? The music is ok/good in places, but that horrible voice just about ruins it.

Wasn't for me, knew the name but still expected it to like it more

I hated this for all the reasons I hate Leonard Cohen. The bluesy bits were listenable, and the one instrumental track might be enough to push this up to a 2.

ok. there are some greta moments with waits but there is only so mich gravel one can take. kat made me give it an extra star for being on key unlike other grating voiced singers could i write poetry to this? n

It's okay. Better than I remember, but I'm just not a Tom Waits fan. It's musically competent, but in the end just comes across as schtick to me. Two and one-half stars, with the added half-star because I do enjoy seeing Tom Waits when he makes cameo appearances in movies.

Hot take: Tom Waits' voice is unpleasant to listen to.

Not my cup of tea. OK music if you like blues with gravel-voiced vocals.

I can imagine Tom Waits spitting phlegm globs from his mouth at burglars trying to rob his house. Just some real chewy gooey ass shit. Brown as well. I don't know how I feel about Tom Waits singing genuine songs with a mellow piano in the background. I think his voice works better for the weird experimental stuff he did later on in his career. This just feels like listening to generic blues rock with a singer that's uncomfortably close to puking. Makes my tummy feel strange.

Really not a Tom Waits fan, not sure why he's on list list so many times. I have similar feelings about PJ Harvey, Elvis Costello and Nick Cave.

1.5 - This has gotta be my least favourite Waits album I've heard so far. It's kind of like Nighthawks at the Diner, but that blues-y influence is a killer, man. Oh well.

Some songs were cool. Others too slow. Will I listen to again: 5%

Probably the only man alive who doesn't really like Tom Waits

Makes me deed

another album that I don’t care for

Yeah gravel gravel, its ok but just not that exciting.

I like the more bonkers Tom Waits but some bits of this veered worryingly close to sounding like Springsteen so a mixed bag overall.

The opening track was great, but ends with a gradual fade out, (in terms of production values for an album, this grates me). The rest of the album seems to meander along. It's not bad, it's just, well, there.

I wasn’t ready for another Tom Waits album so soon.

Huhhuh, onpa kupliva ääni tällä kaverilla. Ikään kuin ois limaa kurkussa niin ettei pysty puhumaan huutamatta. En ehkä pysty koko levyä kuuntelemaan... Harmi sinällään koska musa itsessään on aika mukavaa.

Not for me. Rough vocals

non mi piace la voce...

That one Tom Waits album on here I thought was not too bad and this one I was back to not liking very much

Kinda ok. Bluesy but weird. Gruff.

I am a big fan of wounded dog voices, but even this was a little much for me. The closing track was a major standout; it was as if Tom Waits finally learned how to sing.

- sounds like he has a garbage disposal for a throat - Jersey Girl could be great if he didn’t sound like he was in pain -1.5

Its okay not my style

Average blues

46/100

Not the best album, but not terrible. Definately not something i like 2/5

I liked Jersey Girl but the vocal delivery does nothing for me.

2/5. Taustalla meni ihan ok. Paree ku se aiempi albumi

Ei jaksa

Why are there so many Tom Waits albums on this list? One was more than enough. This one was actually better than the others. It is between a 2 and a 3. It is not a three even if you round up.

Kuulostaa leffasoundtrackilta. Ei tee levystä silti kovin kiinnostavaa. Mitä nyt tahti ja tyyli välillä ylläriksi vähän vaihtuu (liian vähän tai harvoin).

Ollakseen niin kauhean rappiolla Waitsin suhtautuminen biisintekoon on häiritsevän skolastinen. Paria hyvää variaatiota, joo. Mutta oppi ei itsessään synnytä ideoita.

I didn't really like this. The instruments were nice, but I don't like his voice.

2 Not too fund of this one

The Music itself was nice..

I could not handle this man's voice. The disconnect between the tinkling, soft piano of Jersey Girl and Waits' dysarthic, gutteral barking made my head spin. It's a shame too because I thought that the music on the album was top notch. The only song on the album in which I think his voice worked well was Mr. Siegal. The bluesy-jazzy tune was the perfect setting for his unique voice.

Liked the esthetic of this album at first, but eventually he just faded into a worse version of Springsteen

2.5

Not again. Is this the 3rd time??

Plenty to unpack here. Speaking of packs - how many heaters did Tom rip through on this album?

A fantastic jazz album absolutely ruined by maybe the worst vocalist I've ever heard. And somehow the vocalists name is on the album and not any of the actual talent involved. Downtown could have been an amazing track and then this fucking asshole comes on and just shits all over himself

Not only does he look like 50 year old Austin Butler, he is tryna be Elvis in Saving All My Love for you. The lyrics to the song were also sus. Downtown was a great way to get back on track and bop your head. On the nickel sounds like the ending of every movie montage ever.... until Tom opened his mouth. Not much to take away from the album overall, don't think I'm adding it to my library

D+ Heartattack and Vine - bad voice, boring music, 1. In Shades - really generator? Really? 1. Saving All My Love For You - 3. Downtown - 2. Jersey Girl - 2. ‘Til the Money Runs Out - 1 On the Nickel - 1 Mr. Siegal - 1 Ruby’s Arms - 2 His voice is HORRENDOUS. I cannot stress that enough. HOWEVER, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tapping my feet throughout the album.

Has its moments, yet a little stodgy

Honestly, it's maudlin and not particularly musical.

Sounds like this guy smokes 10 packs a day

Thought I’d enjoy it way more thank did

I wish I could get into Tom’s voice but I just can’t. I like his music and songwriting, but the man sounds like a wet muppet being wrung out into a microphone. The slower, more crooning songs are pretty cool though.

Music good, voice bad

This was fine. The title track was good. His voice is certainly iconic. Fun to be exposed too but not something I'm gonna seek more of.

Meh.

Do not like voice whatsoever. Just not a fan

I want to like Tom Waits music. Yet, I don’t.

Not sure if I've ever heard such a dichotomy between instrumentation and vocals. That was...interesting. Favorite track: Jersey Girl

Sounds like music for 40 year old unhappily married men. Downtown's alright. The rest doesn't have enough going on, but that's jazz for you. I do appreciate On The Nickel is quite beautiful mind you. ONEPOINTFIVE

Untrustworthy. But there is some guitar work worth something.

Didn’t love this album at all.

Incredibly boring

Meh

The vocals kind of throw me off, it's like Waits is trying too hard, but the guitar is really nice. This sounds likes something you would hear at some type of underground club. Fave track(s): In Shades

His shtick is best enjoyed in small doses

Es bueno, pero las baladas no son lo mío. Aunque tiene muy buenas canciones.

Not for me. Did make me think of an alternate reality in which he did the soundtrack to Toy Story though.

Didnt do much for me

Not a huge fan of the gravelly voice. Not the easiest album to push through - especially on less jazzy, ballad-like songs like nickel over there and Rubys arms. Classic jazzy songs like Mr Siegal sounded pretty nice. Will not listen to this album again.

I like blues, but don't care for his voice. Some of the songs are too meandering for me. If I had to pick a track to listen to, it'd probably be Downtown.

Jeez I couldn’t stand this. I don’t like his voice and the music wasn’t enjoyable.

His voice is fantastic. I was mesmerized by it the whole album. The music I thought was fine nothing amazing but good. I like that he seems to utilize his unusual vocals to play around with the sound of songs

Yeah for as much as I like Tom Waits, I really don't. The persona often times outshines the music, but what kind of music do you expect that persona to create? Welp, the kind of music I just listened to. My first exposure to Tom Waits was Down by Law, the Jim Jarmusch movie about three jailbirds, but I really didn't notice him until I watched Short Cuts. It took me a bit to realize that TW (or more likely Robert Altman) built that character on an existing real-life career and not vice-versa. After Short-Cuts, from that point on, I 'liked' Tom Waits. The drunk nightclub piano player / limo driver was a liar, and freeloader who leaned a little to heavily on his girlfriend played by Lily Tomlin. Tom Waits was just the character / hero that my Slacker generation wanted. But now, listening to his music and embellished raspy voice, and also the fact that we're 30 years removed from slacker-times, he doesn't appeal to me much anymore. An though the song 'In Shades' is nice, I can no longer condone the music or conduct of the persona, this man, Tom Waits. Sorry bud, dry out and start practicing some mindfullness... it'll change your life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GtfxvnnrbQ

There’s a lot of interesting stuff that Tom Waits does musically. A lot of diverse and classic American music influences inform his work. Interesting doesn’t necessarily make for something I want to listen to a whole album of. And then throw Waits’ incredibly exaggerated growl on top of it, and you lose me fast. I’d love to pay more attention to the styles he incorporates, but I can’t. He softens things up sometimes, but not nearly enough.

43/100: Ok who the fuck let Tom Waits sing like this. Who told him this sounds good? If you bought this or any of his other albums, you are complicit in this embarrassing pandering. Tom Waits sounds like Bruce Springsteen smoked 10 packs of cigarettes before holding an underwater concert. He sings like Louis Armstrong had his vocal cords slashed with razors. There’s no way this is how he actually sounds like. He has to be putting on some sort of an intentional show with his voice right? And if, so, I have one question. Why? Why the hell would he want to sound like this if he could sound like literally anything else. It’s really a shame, musically (and I’m exclusively referring to the instrumental portion of these tracks) this album has a lot of really nice songs. As soon as Tom Waits starts singing, though, the song is immediately ruined. Not only will I not listen to this again, I don’t know if I could physically handle it.

I was wavering between 2 and 3 stars but ultimately went to 2 because, while I liked the music well enough, Tom Waits' gravelly voice was so forced and affected and inconsistent in half the songs that it tilted into the ridiculous

What a terrible voice. I have no desire to ever hear Tom Waits "sing" again. The poor man needed a Ricola or something. Hard pass.

Instrumentally solid guitar, with some cool keyboard moments. Vocally Tom Waits is a mixture of Bruce Springsteen, Louis Armstrong, and Fat Albert and I didn’t enjoy that even a little.

Couldn't take the singer seriously, sounds like a southpark characters grandpa.

Tom Waits' style works for me sometimes. It did not work on this album. Best track: Heartattack and Vine

Not a fan.

How to turn growl knob down

Not a fan of his gravelly voice. Otherwise, somewhat interesting bluesy stuff

He really needs to clear his throat

Mostly hated this. There were one or two songs that almost had my foot tapping but it was nearly entirely awful. The gross cover didn't help.

Lyric and music are good, jazzy, bluesy, some folk. I can't get over his voice. It's not suited for singing.

Great songwriting. I’m sure the gravelly drawl appeals to certain crowd but I don’t love it.

It was OK, I liked the title track the most, but it does take some time to get used to his voice which isn't the easiest to listen to

I can understand the reverence that Tom Waits is held in, but unfortunately as much as I try I just can't get fully into his music. There are flashes on this album that I love, but as a whole piece of work it just doesn't hold me.

Strong, raspy vocals, organs, synthesizers, pianos, bluesy, they do go together well. I sometimes need to be in the mood to really enjoy the presentation of the art. Bring out the whiskey.

Listened to on 8/3/22 2/5 Favorite song: In Shades The raspiness of his voice made me uncomfortable did not enjoy

Tom Waits’ voice sounds like if the insect guy in the first Men in Black movie was singing. The actual music was nice.

Meh

His voice is kinda grating, but the blues-y songs are a nice vibe. Could do without the ballads on here though, it kinda feels like the album jumps around genres and doesn't feel cohesive. Not my favorite

still waiting...

Yeah ummm not the best thing out there, confused why it’s on this list. Every word he sings sounds so strained and tedious. The gruff vocals REALLY do not work on so many of these songs, and even the ones where Tom doesn’t sound silly are only decent songs. 3/10

Didn’t have many thoughts on this album. I have a feeling you either like Tom waits or you don’t. I didn’t enjoy this much as he sounds like a pack of cigarettes. It felt like a singer songwriter that was way past his time. 3.7/10

I can’t stand this album. I can’t get into this dude’s voice. He sounds like he’s trying to parody Louis Armstrong. I get what he was trying to do but it gets annoying after the third song. The love songs were some of the worst on here, it had me looking every 15 seconds to see if it was over yet. This also felt like a drag to get through even though it’s average length for an album. The reason it’s not a 1 star is that I thought the title track wasn’t that bad and in shade was a cool jam track. The album has nice guitar and organ parts and a blues style that I thought was pretty good, but it’s not enough to go back and listen to again. Overall the album would’ve been better if the singing wasn’t so jarring. Fav tracks: heart attack and vine, in shade Least fav tracks: saving all my love for you, Jersey girl, on the nickel

le type a vomi pendant 45 minutes ??

Woah. The album art made me think I was going to get something Marilyn Manson-esk. The intro with the blues feel surprised me the. His voice surprised me even more with how deep and scratchy it was. The Jazzy songs I liked a lot (in shades). His rock songs I didn’t care for mostly because of his vocals. Mr. Siegal made me think I was watching a western movie while they’re in a saloon. I listen to a handful of other songs by him and they sounded nothing like this album I thought but he has produce a ton of music. Interesting listen but I don’t think it’s something I’ll ever go back to

Third Waits album, first outside his experimental series, this is prior to that. There are actual, real songs here. His voice is still intolerable, but these are standard, tuneful arrangements. That's worth a star.

Over the top growly vocals

More TW... Sandwich it with Frank and Eno for a predictable trio..

Hipster Michael McDonald

He’s just not my thing

Sounds like Pete from Mickey Mouse wandered into the studio after going a whole week without a glass of water. It's a shame because the songwriting is there. But based on my enjoyment it's a 2. Each song feels like it would be the obligatory slow, plodding villain song in a kids' movie. He'd probably give a mean rendition of the "Oogie Boogie Man" song Some of the songs felt sweet and tender, which I did appreciate. I liked the last song at least

Iedereen heeft precies veel lof over dit album, maar ik vond het wat aan de saaie kant

Interesting experiment but not something I would listen to regularly

The tracks are fantastically soulful blues, played raw and straight. I think ‘Mr. Seigal’ and ‘In Shades’ show what I’m talking about perfectly. Of those two songs, I greatly prefer the latter and here’s why. The voice. I just couldn’t get over or get into was Tom’s vocalization on this album. If it’s his natural singing voice then I guess I just can’t relate to the appeal. To me though, it sounds like a chosen and overt stage persona. I honestly had to fight the impulse to rip my headphones off of my head to escape the gurgling wails of "Sha-lala-lala-lala" in 'Jersey Girl'.

Knew the title track. The rest was mixed but some good tunes on there.

It took a couple of days to shake of the depression of listening to this

Not my thing at all. I thought I’d never make it as a singer because my voice was bad. After listening to this I’m not so sure. 🤣

Unique vocals, but wouldn't call it singing. Also I got a Christmas album vibe from the music. Not for me

booooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinggggggggggggggggggggg

Je pense que j'aime pas trop Tom Waits.

Didn’t like as much as his other work.

Ugh Tom Waits, ok. Second album of his now I think. At least it's just blues. Boring blues though, and his voice has to be a joke. 2/5.

Found this little gem in the Wikipedia article linked to by this site: Though critical of the album in many respects, including Waits' vocal delivery and the "morbid pathos" of the ballads, Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone wrote that "Tom Waits finds more beauty in the gutter than most people would find in the Garden of Eden," and referred to him as a "unique and lovable minor talent." I'm not loving his vocals on this one, and I'm not clever enough to know if he's doing it as parody or something like that. I do like some of the tracks, and he is one heck of a writer. Man, the guitar work in "In Shades" is great.

3.5

Blandad blues-rock med mycket orgel. Jersey girl bäst.

Hey Tom, how many different genres do you think we can get away with on one album? The only consistent part of this album is how many tabs he must have smoked to maintain a voice like that.

I can't imagine why there needs to be more than two Tom Waits albums on this list. Some (myself included) might suggest that one is too many. But hey, I gave Bon Jovi a chance so we'll see what this bastard has up his sleeve here. I'll admit I like Jersey Girl, but that's because of Springsteen's version and I always associate it more with Springsteen than I do Waits (as I'm sure is the case for a good number of folks). I'll admit to liking Waits' version of Jersey Girl, as Jersey Girl is a 5. Sort of wish "Saving All My Love For You" was his take on the Whitney Houston song. Look, he's a good songwriter, and if there's an album of his that should be on this list, it's "Closing Time". This one is later in his career when his voice was beyond annoying. The album did get a little better with Jersey Girl, and started to grow on me a bit, only to then just annoy me to no end. The only thing keeping it from the 1 dustbin is I didn't hate this as much as I thought I would. And Jersey Girl. But I'd really like to see a more deserving album take this one's place.

Tom Waits just ain't my cup of tea.

я такую дрянь не слушаю принципиально, мусор ...

I prefer his one earlier album that I know. Too growly for me. But I enjoyed more than I thought (probs wouldn't listen again though).

Tom sings like Joe Cocker.... didn’t like

Has its appeal and the guy seems genuinely talented but overall I found it a slog.

Meh

Not my cup of tea

Nope

die späteren alben gefallen mir deutlich besser.

Sorry. So totally not my Cup of Halsweh. Singing Bukowski gets extra Point for the bar feeling

Prior to this, I only knew Tom Waits the actor, never listened to his music. Before I pressed play, I worried to myself that this would be some generic album that just functions as a showcase of his raspy voice. My worry mostly came true. There are a few decent tracks, but I really can't find much to care about. We get it, your voice is cool. I actually started laughing when I heard "Saving All My Love for You," I'll count that as a positive. Some critic called him a "unique and lovable minor talent." That sounds about right. Maybe it'll click someday; it looks like there's four other Waits albums on the list so I really hope so. Favorite tracks: Downtown, Saving All My Love for You. Album art: Points for creativity, even if it's a little cheesy. Incorporating the track titles is a nice touch. Nothing crazy though. 2/5

I just don't think Tom Waits is for me

Very blues as I listen to it though his voice is a bit much at times. The first song though I liked.

Has Jersey Girl and some interesting songs towards the end of the album. Very cinematic in some ways.

4.5

Sugarcoating cheesy lyrics with a rusty vocal and strings isn't it for me

honestly he mostly sounds like a drowning cheese grater but a few songs that are a little slower show that there is beauty in the music

Jazzy... bluesy... neat

There is a tiny bar in the Ginza area of Tokyo called Apollo Bar. Every time I have been to Japan, I visit this place. It’s incredible. Space for around 10-12 customers, dimly lit, incredible showmanship from the proprietor and every single time, there is a never ending flow of Tom Waits’ music quietly playing over the speaker. The last time I was there, I just had to ask him why there was never anything but Tom Waits filling the airwaves and he responded in a heavy accent “Tom Waits…heartfelt music.” I disagree. Tom’s voice is comically bad. It’s an offensive exploitation of black American blues vocal style, sort of like a weird Sesame Street character in a deleted scene. It’s grating from the beginning and never gets any better. It’s so bad that even when the music is acceptable, the vocals take away any shred of musical integrity. It’s a bad joke. Just like the other Tom Waits albums on this list, I hated it.

Tom fucking waits

This is really, really bad.

Bone Machine might have been worse, but I'm just beyond annoyed at having to listen to this much of his utterly unejoyable vocals and weird escaped convict lyrics.

Sounds like a parody album

178. SHA LA LA (gruff, despairingly)

Oh god. This was painful

I do not understand the appeal of this guy. He sounds like a drunk. I have no idea but it's uninteresting

why are there five tom waits albums on this list

nie moge sluchac jego glosu i chujowe to jest do skpinecia przesluchalam jedna i troche drugiej i trzeciej

Not this guy again. With multiple entries, he now becomes eligible for consideration as one of the worst artists on this list: 1. Tim Buckley 2. Lou Reed 3. Todd Rundgren 4. Tom Waits

Wow! Just wow! That voice! I didn’t know a human throat could sound like that without filing a workers’ comp claim. On the bright side, it did give me confidence because if that counts as singing, my shower concerts are officially Grammy-worthy.

not my thing.

My fourth album by Tom Waits in this challenge, and I was hoping this might be the one that finally clicked. So far, though, I’ve really struggled with his music. I find it hard to listen to, lacking in melody, and difficult to connect with. Going into Heartattack and Vine, I was open to it changing my mind, but unfortunately it didn’t. It’s another tough listen for me, and one I just didn’t enjoy. There’s no denying his style is distinctive, and I can see why people rate him so highly, but it just doesn’t land for me at all. Favourite track: Jersey Girl, although I’d still rather hear Bruce Springsteen’s version Least favourite tracks: Most of the album didn’t work for me Album artwork: Great cover, easily the standout for me

i hate this

fuck this schmuck

This was actually terrible. And I don’t say that lightly. His voice sounds like the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes trying to sing (and failing). I had to skip every song because I CANNOT with his voice. Can’t even speak to the rest of the band because his voice distracted from anything good.

okay, I let this guy groan and yell at me for the past 45 minutes. Now I can go on with my life and stop thinking about this fat jazz cat cartoonish voiced man.... until the next TW album. UGH

Karoke by a smoker horrible Favorite: downtown Least: jersey girl

This sounds a little bluesy but trying to be offbeat for the sake of being an oddball. Its just really filthy and grungy sounding but it works against it. Yeah, the feedback and voices in the back are charming I'm sure, but its just flat annoying.

His voice still kills it for me.

The only people that like tom waits are the people who think they're cooler than you because they listen to tom waits

honestly fuck off mate

I can understand the appeal but his voice, for me, actually makes it unlistenable. I’m sorry Tom Waits…

Just completely devoid of anything listenable or even interesting?

The review that said he sounds like a drunk muppet is spot on. Two years between Tom Waits albums was not long enough. Couldn’t turn on the ‘Do Not Play This Artist’ option back on fast enough.

Tom Waits, and I also wait for him to have good music that I can rate higher. I guess I can wait my whole life and that won't ever happen.

I don’t understand this lists obsession with Tom Waits. His voice is trash, which is a shame because the musicianship from the baking band is pretty good.

Niet voor mij

I don't know who keeps adding this guy to the list but hope this album was the last one. His voice sounds like he's trying to imitate Louis Armstrong and blues musicians with the gravelly voice except he sucks. This album was more bearable than the last one of his but still ass

did not like it awful

Nooooo

its awful. i only listend to two songs and i hated both. im definitly not giving this a chance.

honestly I think I expected more going into it. I saw some things that said it was similar to nick cave and bob Dylan, so I got excited thinking it was finally something more my speed. however, its quite disappointing.... I get what they were saying with it being similar to nick cave and bob Dylan, but it's nowhere near the same level. he has nowhere near the power of nick cave, he mainly just shouts over soft songs that could do with someone singing a bit quieter. he has a unique voice, I'll give him that. but it's not unique in a good way. bob Dylan's nasal, croaky voice has a sort of charm to it that fits quite well with the songs he writes. but this guy, he writes bob Dylan esque songs but screams like a drunkard over them - it doesn't work! None of the songs are really that original either, I feel like I've heard everything on here before.

what the actual fuck............

I like a lot of the music but Tom Waits's voice is just not for me. I would never listen to this again on purpose.

Raspy ass voice damn. Lyrics are interesting and make you think. Lots of religious undertones. Not really the album for me.

Not for me 1/5

definitely noise

couldnt wait for it to end

Not a fan, the musical choices and the way he uses his voice really put me off the album, some of the ways he sung made me laugh. One I will probably be ok not having to hear again, the last 2 songs were actually interesting but the chore of having to go through such a chaotic album were not worth it.

Tom Waits is a boil on the taint of everything good, decent and redeeming about music. I wish with all my heart I could rate any dreck he's associated with a - 1000. I've created better music after eating too much fiber.

Yeah I don't give a shit if the lyrics are good, this fucking sucks. Jersey Girl is a good song, great even. This is in spite of its performance here on this album. Downtown and On the Nickel are also good but fuck me man this was really hard to get through. My notes for this album include various iterations on "fuck this" and comments about Tom Waits' voice. I will probably listen to Jersey Girl again but if I find that the Springsteen performance of it is even 1% better I will never touch any song from this album again. Highlights: Jersey Girl

Yeah, I hate his voice. It's not even just the sound of it, his phrasing is awful. I just can't.

The drunk guy that sticks around you and your friends after you got kicked out of the last bar together who suddenly gets a stroke of inspiration-core

eu odeio o tom waits, reforço novamente (meu celular estragou e enquanto eu n tenho outro esqueci de ligar o pc e avaliar ebaaaa)

Hate his voice. Yuck.

Don’t like

Not my thing. I can understand why Tom Waits is considered a unique musician, but I think he's just alright. I wonder if most people like Tom Waits, because cool people like Tom Waits. I don't know. This was ok.

Ok ish

NO MORE TOM WAITS PLEASE. The dude does not need 800 albums on this list.

Nope. Couldn't listen. The pain in his voice pains my ears and head.

Is this a joke?

Just the most annoying crooning over meh instrumental you've ever heard. The dude sounds like he smokes 12 packs a day. I don't mind "bad" vocalists but don't shove in my face how bad it is. 2/10

He’s not my sound

🤷‍♀️ so many cigs

non sono riuscita ad andare avanti con l’ascolto e questo è un fatto

There is altogether too much Tom Waits on this list. The man may be considered a poet by some, but he sings like a muppet that is on a three day bender. That ruins everything else for me. 1⭐️

I hope there's a really good spit filter on the mic. And now I'll say good bye to ever listening to this again. The music wasn't terrible (which is why the best song is the instrumental), but man, his voice just really sucks. And it ruins any kind of interest I have in the album. Favorite Song(s): In Shades

I thought I'd really enjoy this, but turns out it's just whining to music. Piss off Tom

nah

Marginally better music. Still a 1.

This is the second Tom Waits album on the list so far for me, and it's already two too many. I saw on one of the public reviews of the last one that the list has 5 (!) in total, which is absolutely baffling to me given he can't sing, doesn't write interesting lyrics, has a horribly grating voice, and so on. I honestly am not even sure how this guy managed to produce 5 albums - who's buying them?

Heartattack and Vine just kind of rambles along in a way that never really clicked for me, more noise and grit than actual songs I could latch onto.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Not my thing at all.

Oh, Tom. My sweet, sweet Tom. Who gave you a career in music, my friend? Who listened to you push out a constipated duke in the stall next to them and thought, "hey, maybe that noise would lend itself to music?" Lowkey, he is sexy as fuck on that album cover. And lowkey, his voice makes me want to blow my brains across the car Pulp Fiction style. Sweet Tom. Please end my pain. Fave songs: - In Shades (no Tom singing, of course) - Downtown (kind of a vibe)

One of the worst vocal performances relative to the music I think I've ever heard. Not sure what Waits was thinking with very coarse vocals being in direct contrast to the softer music. Sounded like Cookie Monster doing an impression of Bruce Springsteen

À part la voix du chanteur que je trouve originale bah je suis vraiment pas fan

Clodo sous 8.6 dans le métro

Pas fan

Really not a fan of those vocals.

1,4/5

Is his throat okay? Is he in constant pain? This sounds a little too forced

I hated this. It felt like he’s got to be joking. Like it’s a parody album or something. And also, can he even talk anymore after singing like this?

There was nothing about this album I liked. I vaguely knew one song.

Smerige cartoon-achtige slijmerige stem, en deze blik alleen al. bleghj

One thing I have leaned with this list is that I absolutely hate Tom Waits voice. Without the "singing" this may be decent background music. This is better than Nighthawks at the Diner, but that's really not much of a compliment.

Ok, we get, you're drunk, wallowing in self-pity, and mad at everyone the world - get a grip, loser. His whole persona is meant to be this romanticized self destructive heart on his sleeve lovelorn guy, but in reality he'd be the most tedious bitter self involved dipshit you'd get stuck sitting next to on a Greyhound. He's the tragic figure in a movie where you know there's no hope of turning his arc around and you're just waiting to see how he gets put out of his misery and stops torturing everyone around him. He's good at writing songs painting this one specific, and wildly overdone, literary figure. The thing about making your lyrics the main thing but having a ludicrous kermit the frog on ludes sounding voice is that it's impossible to listen past how you're singing to hear what you're saying. There's no point having the genius mind of a poet and a silly voice deep into self-parody. Jersey Girl is a perfect example of how this album fails: it starts good, has a very cool feel to it and the clear cutting guitar sound is really pretty, and even the strings are well done, but it's ruined as soon as the vocals come in. If you can get past the voice there's a pretty good blues band playing on most of these songs, some decent atmospheric grooves, cool organ parts, and tasteful guitar work.

The man needs a good cough sweet and a pat on the back. It's like listening to someone slowly drowning from their own split.

I'm having a hard time understanding what makes anany of these albums legendary 😅

Poor. If they were playing this live in a pub (ideal environment for it), I would ask them to stop.

Probably could’ve given it more of a chance, but I could t make it past the first few songs

12. It's so bad it makes me laugh. I think his voice would be better suited with a different genre of music. I also hate the lyrics, that's what makes me laugh. 2/10

Nope. Tried listening but I really do not like his voice.

his voice is a joke

I like Tom Waits. I like his music. I like his lyrics. But I can't b hear them! Taking the P!

I just can't with this guy. Mumble, grumble growl... I'm sure I'd love his songs if someone else sung them. But there are so many tracks on this album that just sound like Tom Waits doing a brutal parody of Tom Waits. It's painful.

Got nothing -didn't connect for me. Similar to the pogues style

Like a drunk at karaoke - not for me

I don’t know who I despise more vocally at this point. Tom Waits or Bob Dylan. I of course am not going to waste my time listening to either of their music to find out that answer.

Yeah no thanks. Sorry Tom.

cannot stand his voice

possibly the most annoying voice ever, painful listen.

Not my thing at all

Ugh

don't like his voice

I am not usually this visceral about a person's voice. That was brutal.

I’m actually not familiar with Tom Waits. Not a fan at all so far… So I understand when someone has a growly voice. What I don’t understand is why one would take up singing. Anytime Waits started yelling lyrics I couldn’t understand what he was saying. The last two songs weren’t so bad IMO. There weren’t many times he tried yelling. Every other song was grating to me though. There were times I had to lower the volume. Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’ comes to mind. Spectacular lyrics, but he also never tries yelling anything in that song. He keeps it nice and steady. Doesn’t go overboard. If there’s more albums by Waits on this list, then I hope they are easier to listen to for me…

No.

Tom Waits - You may love him, or not. I'm from the second group

A did not listen for me. Couldn't get through the first song.

I tried, but I gave up at track 5. It's like listening to the drunk guy at karaoke who won't stop singing.

Toy Story music

not for me.

This singing is unbearable for me to listen to.

Another record with obnoxious vocals that really annoyed me. The one song I enjoyed from this record was an instrumental.

After recently reviewing a number of extremely long entries, I was relieved to see that this had only 9-tracks of mostly reasonable lengths. Unfortunately, it FELT just as long as those double albums. Seriously. This POS shouldn't even exist, let alone be on ANY requisite listening list.

44 minutes in a dive bar.

Jesus Christ Tom. What a shite voice. Who's actually putting this album on at home by choice. It's like a rambling drunk guy stumbled on to the mic at some seedy underground wanky cocktail bar and everyone is too polite to kick him out. Almost gave it a 2* because the backing music wasn't that terrible but I even skipped the instrument track after about 3/4 of the way through so even that's severely lacking.

Man needs to clear his throat. Can't listen to more than 20 seconds.

Clear. Your. Damn. Throat. I don't get the fanboys for Tom Waits. To me, he sounds like a muppet who's character trait is the stereotype of what a blues singer sounds like. I cannot stand the gag inducing phlegm that is dancing around this man's vocal cords.

I can't get into this one. The vocals are really not doing it for me.