Heartattack And Vine

I’ve always sort of thought Tom Waits was pretty cool, but this album settles it. I love this guy.

This was a really cool album if you only listen to the instrumental tracks and skip all the songs where he sings. Unfortunately he sings on almost every track and ruins them. Seriously, some gorgeous instrumentals happening and then here comes Joh Yowza

Tracks longer than 3:59: Far too many. -Long tracks interesting or special: I kept looking to see how much longer there was to left when listening to the long songs, so not really. I’m not opposed to long tracks in general, but few of these had anything that warranted their length. -Album shorter than 58 minutes: Yes -Will listen to album again: Probably not Overall: I really, really like the music on this album. Unfortunately, I just can’t deal with his voice for more than a song or two. I know I’m “supposed” to like Tom’s gravel, but it just started to grate in my nerves. It was particularly frustrating because I wanted to enjoyed the music.

Why do critics love this guy?

Halloween song artist during Halloweek!!!!! Not my favotire Tom Waits album, too melodic for him IMO, but I love him too much 3.5/5

is this a caricature of a nola jazz singer à la Louis Armstrong or is this guy unironically doing this? the instrumental one is nice saving all my love has all the right chords to be a christmas song. about hookers. i dunno......... not loving this. wikipedia: "His lyrics often focus on society's underbelly and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice." ok sure yeah this upper middle class white kid from los angeles is doing a great job mocking Louis Armstrong and singing christmas songs about hookers gtfo ok yeah made it 39 seconds into til the money runs out and this is gross i'm not finishing this you have got to be kidding me. tom waits has fucking five albums on here, and Louis Armstrong has ZERO???? what a fucking joke.

Rocking Dylan. Will listen again.

Rökigt och vackert!

Jag måste erkänna. Har rätt svårt för hans stumt bröliga röst. Det här albumet var ändå enklare än det förra. Svag trea

Han balanserar på en sak lina när han sjunger sådär. Ballt eller bajs? För det mesta ballt, förutom i On the nickel som tydligen var soundtrack till någon film. Skivan hade mått bättre utan den och dess stråkar. Sen blir man påverkad när man läser att Kazuo Ishiguro skrev om The remains of the day efter att ha hört sista låten

Picked up as it went along. Liked it.

3.5

Odd voice. Liked side two better not otherwise nothing here did it for me. 3 out of 5.

Didn't do much for me. His voice grated across the duration of an entire album. Rating: 2.5

Tom Waits right before he goes full Tom Waits, yet all the while still being unmistakeably and uniquely Tom Waits

My first Tom Waits experience ever. Going in I had heard he can be a bit eccentric and weird and that his music is definitely an acquired taste. After listening to this album I can assume this is one of his tamer albums, however I can fully understand what people don't like about his voice. While I don't love his voice, it didn't turn me off totally from the album. My issue with the album is that I have heard this style of blues done MUCH better during this experience. Its not a bad album, I even found some of the songs catchy, just not the best I've heard. 3/5

interesting, got some good guitar going, this dude cannot sing though

Album 354. Heartattack And Vine — Tom Waits (1980) I don't know if it's bipolar or not, but I generally didn't like it compared to Rain Dogs, which I'll probably rate lower over time too. 2/5 Liked: — Downtown

Ich habe nach dem letzten Live-Album mit dem Schlimmsten gerechnet und muss sagen, dass ich nach dem Hören positiv überrascht war bzw. das sogar insgesamt ziemlich geil fand. Die Blues-Tracks hitten alle richtig geile mit dieser kaputten Stimme von Herrn Waits, "Jersey Girl" klingt dagegen wie ein Springsteen-Song (und wurde wohl auch später oft von ihm gecovert), das Instrumental fand ich auch ganz schön (wenn auch als Track 2 komisch platziert). Etwas genervt haben mich die Songs mit Streichern. Die hatten für mich einfach nicht genug Punch und die Lyrics waren auch nicht mehr so herrlich abgefuckt. Davon ausnehmen muss ich aber den Closer "Ruby's Arms", der mich dann doch ziemlich berührt hat. Also insgesamt eine echt geile Platte, bei der ich doch glatt die 5* gezückt hätte.

Ich werde mit diesem Mann einfach nicht mehr warm.

Was bin ich hörend? Weihnachtsalbum ohne Weihnachten? Schnulze ohne Schnulzigkeit? Waits, ich warte.

Das andere Tom Waits Album hat mir besser gefallen. Das hier hat seine Momente aber es langweilt doch schnell

hah det jo waits

Ah den er ikke lige mig

Dejligt album. Jeg ligger et sted imellem 3 og 4, men jeg tror, at vi rammer en: 3.6

Må erkende, at det kan være et problem for mig at vurdere det objektivt, når det kommer til Waits, men det er nok ikke hans stærkeste album i min optik. Man kan godt mærke, at han så småt er begyndt på sit stilskifte over mod det mere eksperimenterende, men det er stadig det, der kom efter, der taler mest til mig. Han er dog stadig en fuldstændig uforlignelig sangskriver

Välillä oikein hyvää

Drunken dirty blues. Five fucking Tom Waits albums are you fucking kidding me? This is some drunken god is the devil joke the real joke is convincing people that this is any good or worthy of one song let alone one album. To recap: Bone Machine 2/5 Rain Dogs 2/5 Nighthawks At The Diner 1/5 Swordfishtrombones 1/5 Love him or hate him? I guess the musicians on this album sound good, and I always appreciate live horns no synth. Mama you told me don't say anything if it's not kind and Mama said but gat dang. Downtown is a nice tune, good groove, feeling it. People saying his voice is the hook, Dr. John. Gritty dive bar lyrics I'd give you that one. Drunk. You have to achieve a certain level of inebriation and this then likely achieves the intended effect. 2. Downtown is a good tune. OK so over the holidays I listened to Waits again with my Dad washing dishes and just contemplating that gutter feeling over some stuff and the music sunk in. I think I'm 180ing George.

The album is not bad, but his voice wears on me. The song writing is top notch and the only reason this is getting above a 4. 5/10 Top song... Heartattack and vine

Best Track - "Downtown"

Favorite track(s): Heartattack and Vine, Downtown, Jersey Girl, On the Nickel, Mr. Siegal, Ruby's Arms

Well these lyrics haven’t aged too well. Poor Tom ”buying prostitutes with too much makeup, while saving his true love” for someone who doesn’t want him. But apart from that…

I love plenty of artists whose singing voices sometimes grate on others (Bob Dylan, Kate Bush) but I just can’t get there with Tom Waits. At least not on this album, where the instrumentals and the lyrics don’t grip me enough to counteract his voice. 1.5

This album has three of the greatest songs ever written being on the nickel, jersey girl, and ruby’s arms. I’ve always absolutely loved these ones and I’m glad to see them get recognition on this list. I think heart attack and vine is also a solid song and saving all my love for you is a great character sketch. I found myself enjoying in shades, downtown, and til the money runs out more during this listen than I normally do so that was a nice bonus. The only song I’ve never really been able to get behind is Mr Siegel. It’s ok, just kind of nothing. Overall still an amazing showing from Mr waits

There are like genuinely 5 better Tom Waits albums than this to put on the list. Actually, lemme list them. Tom’s Wild Years, which just makes sense to have if you’re gonna have Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs on here, Closing Time, which isn’t worth much but at least has “Martha,” which is probably his best song, on it. From there, I don’t know. Blood Money? I’ve heard good things about Mule Variations too. I don’t know. Not this. It’s fine enough if you’re a Waits fan, frankly. You see the beginning of his transformation into a freakish beefheartesque singer, from the crooner he previously was. Sometimes he sounds a bit like Darkness-era Bruce Springsteen, which I hate also, so yeah. Overall this album is like really boring and uninteresting and not super fun. Maybe I’m just not catching the vibes. Maybe it’s worse than I’m giving it credit for. Whatever. 5.6/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: NO REASON: there’s 4 other tom waits albums on this dawg we don’t need this one and also like def not THIS one WHAT WOULD I REPLACE IT WITH: Closing Time by Tom Waits

I don't think I'll ever be a Tom Waits guy, but I like this ok. Bruce Springsteen stole the best song on this album and made it his own, though.

wicked

Wasn’t sure at first, gave it another shot when I was hungover

That voice came out of this white boy?

The blues? Good. The singing and voice? Really not good. It made for a very weird listen where the instrumental portions were the best. A better vocalist would've made this excellent, but instead the vocals felt rough and forced.

Never before have I heard a blues album with this caliber of renown where the artist clearly has no talent for singing the blues. It was immediately obvious that this was a white guy trying as hard as he could to replicate the vocals of prominent blues musicians, but he clearly lacks the generations of grievances and strife required to have soul. Waits should do what he does best and stick to composing soundtracks for media, and leave the musicianship to those with musical talent.

Was very excited to see this pop up. Never listened to it, but "Rain Dogs" has been a favorite of mine for years, and this album definitely is in the same vein. Loved it. Will be revisiting often.

The music is nice but I kept feeling like I needed to clear my throat the whole time.

A waste of good musicians and maybe even good songs to this minstrelesque garbage voiced singer

The least shambling Tom Waits album I've yet heard. Still not my jam.

Tell this mf to stop smoking cigarettes and take care of his throat Fave track: Ruby's Arms

I like Tom Waits but the comments about his voice aren't fully unwarranted or unfair. 3/5

Tom Waits just isn't for me, but enjoyed this for what it was

I gave this more time than his others, and some of it was actually quite good, but I'm just DESPERATE for him to clear his throat and it completely spoils it! An extra star to make up for the other 1s.

Our second of five Tom Waits albums in this challenge. Much simpler than his much later album Bone Machine, this one just leans into sleazy bar-band blues rock, but still with all the storytelling gravitas and deep, husky vocals Tom Waits affords to all his material. For that reason, I find this one just as good as that one despite the change in style. Even the bluesy instrumental In Shades on this one is really good, to say nothing of great songs like Jersey Girl and Saving All My Love for You.

It's like a misunderstood Disney villain doing a musical, with both bluesy and orchestral accompaniments to match. Hilarious album - perhaps unintentionally - but within that humour is a nugget of charm that I never got out of Bone Machine. In that respect, I suppose I see Tom Waits' appeal a tiny bit clearer on this one. Standout: Downtown

Tom Waits, could you just be weirder? He has the perfect voice for singing about murder, prostitution, child abuse, dark beings in the forest etc and he shows up strongly on some tracks on here. The line on Mr. Siegal about the devil leaving the porch light on couldn't be delivered by any other singer, in my opinion. Jersey Girl is like a deranged Springsteen song (then I found out Springsteen covered it - of course). However, when he turns to the sentimental i just can't take him seriously. On the Nickel and Ruby's Arms sound like a parody and dissolve, in my opinion, into ridiculousness almost immediately. The lyricism is awesome throughout but I think Bone Machine is more up his alley.

This has to be one of Tom Waits straightest albums. Decent set of songs but I missed his funhouse whimsy. Never uninteresting, but not a top-tier entry.

I have a bit of a soft spot for this album because it was my gateway into the world of Tom Waits. The title track and Mr Siegel remain all time favourites, but I concur with my Project Partner’s review that the filler elements deny the record a full five stars.

Another great Tom Waits album. His slow ballads can be beautiful, but this album might have one too many. I really like the “cakewalk into town” riff of Mr. Siegal.

I can't pretend to understand what he's saying. Something about a $15 prostitute? Still having fun though.

I haven’t listen to anything Tom Waits made prior to Swordfishtrombone, so this was awesome to hear. Not quite as good or as interesting as his later work, but still great!

First Tom Waits project I have listened to shockingly, and I really liked it! Maybe I need more time with it to love or maybe some of his other work that is higher regarded will be in the loved category.

This has about three different moods. Blues featuring a guy who needs to clear his throat singing budget Bukowski lyrics, Temu Springsteen, and a recreation of Fairytale of New York with an American version of Shane. I like the last version the best. I’ll never get Tom Waits’ “charms” but an instrumental track is a waste of time.

I was not especially enjoying this, and I do think his voice is a big part of this, but I appreciated Jersey Girl and Ruby’s Arms

I'm not in love with his voice. One or two songs is fine. But after a whole album, I'm pretty tired of it. ★★★

Interesting song cover

Pretty good 👍

I still don’t think I really understand why I like Tom Waits’ singing and lyrical style so much, other than it simply feels right, but here I am, back to liking it. The album’s got some fantastic blues tracks that feel classical but also distinctly Waits - guys in the gutter looking at the fucked up world around them wanting to leave but not wanting to go anywhere - and some insanely gorgeous ballads, where somehow the emotional weight of a voice that sounds like shredded glass, pints of whiskey and packs of cigarettes feels absolutely perfect for what’s needed. I could see how it shouldn’t work, but it does. That’s the magic of gravel.

Such a great weird band, and better singing than he gets credit for. The early days of a sound that would launch at least a few ships/careers - Raising Sand, anyone?

Most palatable Waits album on this list by far

An album of Waits is a little too much for me. Good start, but each track became more… tedious. Maybe just not my style… maybe I’m just not feeling it today. Either way, it gets 2* from me.

Ok blues album. It’s not my cup of tea, but Tom has a very unique voice, and the more emotional tracks were exceptional, especially Ruby’s Arms

8/10

uuuuh, sure. I did not have "drunken man doesn't want to leave the bar at close" on my bingo.

Hold up, this is fire (4/5)

This was sooooo much better than the last Tom Waits album

Makes me want to hang out in a dimly lit, smoke-filled bar drinking whiskey with Mr Snuffleupagus

Jepp. Skal ein rangere, så har nok Tom Waits ei rekke sterkare plater. Dette er dog ein herleg sak, mest av alt grunna den rå og samstundes kjenslevare stemninga ein er i under lytten. Få skriv tekstar som dette. Eg diggar «Heartattack and Vine» og «Ruby’s arms» er støtt den flottaste låten eg veit. Reisa mellom desse er herleg. Vel vitande om at eg forpliktar meg til femstjernarar for dei fleste Waits platene så vert det konklusjonen her.

For et merkelig album å inkludere på denne lista. Jeg regner med det er minst ei tidligere plate og minst to nyere plater her, men denne skjønner jeg ikke helt. Det er starten på Tom Waits' comeback som relevant artist for min del, etter flere bortkasta år i "se så full jeg er"- og "barpianist"-tåka. To roller som titt og ofte glei over i hverandre, og som begge var nokså kjedelige for min del. Det blei noen få gode låter av det, men mest påtatt vås for å bygge imaget som full og sjarmerende barpianist. Heldigvis kom han til seg selv og begynte å sikte høyere. Alltid fint når folk skjønner at de er bedre enn de presterer og bare begynner å prestere så veldig mye bedre. Det skjer jo ikke over natta for de fleste, og Heartattack And Vine er Tom Waits' mellomalbum. Her står han med en fot i den påtatte rennesteinen og alt skuespillet, og en fot i det som skulle bli hans virkelige hjem. Geniet som tør å være helt seg selv og faktisk leve utenfor samfunnet. Tidligere latet han som, nå gjorde han det på ordentlig. Sånn sett ei fascinerende plate, men den når ikke helt opp til de tre neste. Frank's Wild Years-trilogien er tvers gjennom fantastisk, så det er kanskje litt mye å forlange. Dette er nok mer kvalitetsmessig nivå med Big Time og The Black Rider, og det er jammen ikke ille bare det. 7/10

Brua frå den singersongwriteren som var men som vel aldri var meint å forbli, og over til den delen av karriera der det heile fell på plass. Mine favorittplater står i kø etter denne - swordfish/raindogs/Frank-trilogien, og så tenker eg oftare og oftare at min favorittperiode kjem endo seinare - 90/00-talsskiftet med Mule variations, Alice, Blood money, Orphans. Likar godt denne og, for all del. Den har eit par av dei finaste balladane hans (On the nickel og særleg Ruby`s arms), og det er faen ikkje mange, om nokon, som skriv vakrare balladar enn Tom Waits. Jersey girl er eg litt lei av, men tenk at ein fyr ein gong satte seg ned og skreiv den, hm? Det kjeftesmellande bluesbaserte skal bli endo meir diggbart i perioden som kjem, men særleg tittelsporet her er sløyt og diggbart. Noko ujamt sånn heilskapsmessig, men absolutt ei bra plate.

Pussig med Waits. Stemme som en rusten lastebil er vel hans fremste fortrinn. Samtidig liker jeg best låtene der han roer raspen helt ned, som for eksempel på fine "On The Nickel". Dessverre er det få av hans aller beste låter på denne plata.

Tom Waits - Heartattack and Vine Dei to fylleballadane “Jersey Girl” og “Ruby’s Arms” er kjempefine og ligg ikkje så langt unna den sida av Tom Waits eg kan både like og elske (som den nydelege debuten). Utover desse er Waits på god veg over i grøftefyll og Beefheart-blues på denne, óg det med litt middelmådige låtar. Og denne stemma hans blir som alltid for mykje for meg. 5/10

made my headache worse

The lounge act wears thin and ends up sounding like the Blues Brothers.

I get that this guy's USP is his "gravelly" tone - but honestly, it's such a strong influence on the sound it's completely offputting. The music is nice, however whenever his voice comes in it sounds like a parody, and I just couldn't get past it. A voice from the toilet.

I expected to hate this album, but I think I get Tom Waits. His voice works well on this album over top the Jazzy music. I would listen to this again.

Credit to this album for being extremely unique, whether you like it or not. I felt like I never knew what was coming next. The more I think of it, the more it sounds like a drunk guy at a piano bar singing his heart out. I don’t hate it.

At least it was mercifully short.

Voice of an angel, literally can’t believe someone sounds like that First Tom Waits I think I’ve ever heard, actually really enjoyed this, will give Rain Dogs a go at some point too since I think that's his essential Title track fading out at the end mid-verse is a very interesting decision when it can sometimes feel lazy used elsewhere, it instead gives the sense of him just rambling on and on Jersey Girl is a bit like Van Morrison Album as a whole just sounds like how being too drunk feels

Man aggressively grumbles undecipherable lyrics for 40 minutes I didn’t hate it Kinda surprised to see this was on here when he has much better reviewed albums but this is only album 1 of 5 on the list 3

Hard to me.

TW OA MI T S 👍

*1980. *His deep, gravelly voice doesn't match with this beautiful piano ballads. I'm not sure what his voice would be good for, but it's not this. *Some decent songs here, but I just can't with Tom Waits. RATING - 5/10

its alright i guess?

Tom Waits is brilliant, definitely my favorite discovery on the list. I'd heard the name but never gave him time of day. This album is right in line with his best. It's guttural and raw and also composed and good. I like it a good bit.

A very good album with many well written and musically arranged songs. I wish this man had a voice that was smoother he would be so much easier to listen to.

I’d expected Tom Waits’ music to be a bit gloomier, but I’m actually quite pleasantly surprised 😊 Three stars…

Musicalmente está bien pero la voz y las letras no me gustaron

So this album lands somewhere between Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen What it lacks in star power it makes up for in quality, music and fantastic writing. I highly recommend giving it a good listen.

On the Nickel is one of the great songs.

Not enjoyable, not interesting.

Good TW album.

I struggled with this. Not a pleasant listen, boy does Tom need a cough and some lemsip. Nice elements of honky-tonk here and there, but a bit raw for me.

Not among my biggest Tom Waits favorites, although this too has its moments. About three and a half stars.