Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
1985
Album Summary
Rain Dogs is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released in September 1985 on Island Records. A loose concept album about "the urban dispossessed" of New York City, Rain Dogs is generally considered the middle album of a trilogy that includes Swordfishtrombones and Franks Wild Years.The album, which includes appearances by guitarists Keith Richards and Marc Ribot, is noted for its broad spectrum of musical styles and genres, described by Arion Berger in a 2002 review in Rolling Stone as merging "outsider influences – socialist decadence by way of Kurt Weill, pre-rock integrity from old dirty blues, the elegiac melancholy of New Orleans funeral – into a singularly idiosyncratic American style."The album peaked at number 29 on the UK charts and number 188 on the US Billboard Top 200. In 1989, it was ranked number 21 on the Rolling Stone list of the "100 greatest albums of the 1980s." In 2012, the album was ranked number 399 on the magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and at number 357 in 2020.
WikipediaI'm one of those tiresome people who would probably give TW five stars for 45 minutes of farting in a bathtub. Nonetheless, this is a hell of a listening experience. Insanely good!
Tom Waits is a maniac. He’s playing this old school, traditional style of music but almost nothing about it sounds old or traditional. I’m way into how weird this is and I really wanna dig hard into his catalog.
4.7 - Vignettes of New York life from the perspective of the burnouts, vagabonds and losers sung by Waits' gravelly voice over the clangy, moaning and squeaky acoustic instruments. A wonderfully broad swath of genres that envelope a grimy and expansive soundscape. It channels the dirtbag spirit of Bukowski with the unflinching eye of Steinbeck, performed in the trashcan of Oscar the Grouch.
"Rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy" - Tom Waits. Enuff Said.
The first "weird-period" Waits album I listened to. Still mostly unskippable, it's like being read Chandler in translation by a gypsy leprechaun. Remarkable work. (Man, I wish I could play guitar like Marc Ribot. What an absolute GUN.)
Amazing. I don't know what to call it, except marvelous and artistic. A defined yet diverse style which is very spoken for.
This is Bone Machine but written by a (slightly) younger man in his prime. Fantastic. When I first heard this in approx 1985, (my Dad played it to me) I didn't understand it at all, it was completely unintelligible to me and I hated it. 10 years later it was one of my favourite albums. Clap Hands - yep, a big round of applause from me.
Incredible. This album is gritty and unique. The subject matter and the very style of the music itself match perfectly. Even without the lyrics, this album would still sound like the dejected of New York.
Tom Waits: Patron saint of misfits, weirdos and lost souls everywhere. I can't think of another album that has more character, or one that's much better at evoking atmosphere and mood. I suspect this album confuses some people. That's a selling point as far as I'm concerned. If you want to stop reading here, I have one thing to say: This album is a masterpiece. It’s just a deeply, deeply cool album. Rain Dogs is the second in a trilogy of albums (along with Swordfishtrombones and Franks Wild Years) Waits created in the 1980s which represented a sharp shift in his musical style. It’s maybe a challenging listen for some, but it’s really not that hard. You see, Waits is an excellent songwriter. He knows how to make melodic, affecting music. But he also likes to keep it interesting, and a central principle of his style is to take the familiar and make it ugly (“fuck it up” as I believe Robert Christgau put it). Waits created a style of music all his own, a bricolage of sounds and eras that takes you to another place. It’s like a detour through a dark, gritty world that has a thousand stories of hard luck cases and scoundrels. Waits also has some remarkable musicians working him, including the brilliant Mark Ribot on guitar. The use of percussion here is also second to none, with Waits incorporating multiple drummers and percussionists. I mean how many albums have you heard that make effective use of a marimba, parade drum, congas and a bowed saw? I haven’t even mentioned half the instruments that appear on this album. On paper it’s a kitchen sink approach, but Waits really makes it work, he brings it alive. The bruised cherry on top is of course Waits himself, with that famous raspy, theatrical vocal style. In the 80s this album was a thrilling antidote to the overly produced music of the time. Now it’s simply timeless. Fave Songs: Downtown Train, Jockey Full of Bourbon, Hang Down Your Head, Time, Diamonds and Gold, Clap Hands, Tango Till They're Sore, Big Black Mariah
I saw the word "experimental" on the Wikipedia page and got a bit of a preconceived notion about the album, but you know what? I really really enjoyed this. The melodies, the delivery, the instrumental arrangements. SO CLOSE to a 5 for me, but I'll definitely re-visit and check out more of Tom Waits!
Local man possessed by the spirit of creole jazz, more at 11. The more I reflect on this record, the more I really like it. Tom Waits is an insane man, and it translates heavily into his music. Love the marimba and the unusual... everything about this album. Favorite tracks: "Jockey Full of Bourbon", "Big Black Mariah", "Union Square"
I don't like his voice. the music is kinds jarring as well. It is very dark. Base licks and guitar riffs are nice. Big Black Mariah is good-Very blues rock. Rain Dogs (the song) might have won me over. Over all a tough album to listen to, I did enjoy a couple of songs. Singapore is probably the most interesting song, not saying I like it, just am compelled by the playfulness in the music, and the darkness in the lyrics/vocals.
Gloriously weird. No-one does it like Waits. My fave Waits album is The Mule Variations, and Rain Dogs kinda prefigures that, so I'll definitely be revisiting. Fave track - well, I love that "Jockey Full of Bourbon" sounds like the Black Books intro theme (or rather, the other way around) but was really grabbed by "Singapore" this time around...
Never listened to this album before. Maybe heard one song on it (Downtown Train) prior to this. Wasn’t sure how I would fare staring at 19 of these tracks ahead… “Singapore” was a great surprise! Had no idea I would like it so much. Then “Clap Hands” proved to be surprisingly enjoyable. Great percussion. “Cemetery Polka” has incredible imagery and music. Really like “Hang Down Your Head” and “Rain Dogs.” “Midtown” feels like an amazing intermission. “Downtown Train” ls so much more meaningful than Rod Stewart’s remake. This album has surprises, twists and turns and is a real journey I’m glad to have made.
Tom Waits is one of those artists that I always felt I was just expected to like. So I resisted liking him for a long time. And then one day...I guess I finally heard the right song(s) or something and now I love him. It feels to me like he channels music from somewhere not of this world. Good variety of styles on this record. Not every song speaks to me personally (sorry Downtown Train) but there are a few that I love a lot (Jockey Full of Bourbon, Big Black Mariah, Gun Street Girl). I've heard the comparison to Cookie Monster before but this is the first time I've noticed that sometimes Tom Waits sounds like Christopher Lloyd (specifically on the title track here).
I first heard Tom Waits almost 30 years ago - and I filed away as weird and not for me. Revisiting it, I found it to be amazing. Really enjoyed this.
Discazo que me hace preguntarme por qué no le entré antes a Tom Waits y solo ubico covers que le han hecho. Me encanta el feeling de dirge de NOLA que tienen muchas de las canciones, que pese a ser basicamente oscuras y de temáticas fuertes provocan ganas de bailar. Y al final resulta que el disco no es ni siquiera muy largo, aunque tiene 19 canciones apenas llega a la hora; sin embargo esa hora con la voz de Waits sí llega a ser mucho y es mi único punto relativamente en contra, porque su voz cuadra perfecto con la estética.
Tom Waits es sin chistar de mis artistas favoritos. Y sí, es artista en toda la expresión de la palabra; hay pocos que pueden tener su versatilidad de medios, profundidad y peso de mensaje junto con calidad musical. Probablemente mi disco favorito de él, aunque hay por ahí otro posible que le pelea el puesto. Cabaret oscuro realmente exquisito y a quien no le guste su voz pues... que aburrido.
singapore stimmt ein. nicht bluesig - herzerweichende außenseiterballaden, sondern morbide, bisweilen dämonische stories gibts hier. geräusche, perkussion glocken geil eingesetzt (Marimba voll oft, zb auf rain dogs) voll abwechslungsreich, stilistisch, soundmäßig, aber auch von der gesangsfarbe (von springsteen und tom petty, über country bis zu alter seemann alles dabei) jockey full of burbon macht lust auf totentanz Mega
Poslusala sam prvih 10 sekundi albuma prije nego su mi slušalice crkle i mislila sam si ma de dobro buraz kae ovo kaj si lud. ALI! Došo Tom i opalio mi samarčinu i reko kae kaj si TI luda. Svaka pjesma mi je jebena bila i imam osjecaj da svaka može biti singl. Topcina. Bravo Tomislave.
Great album - great songs - especially Side A in its entirety - but it’s a tiny tiny bit too long - even though the quality is high throughout
The sound of a truck load of instruments getting shoved down the stairs and the aborted fetus of Wait's songs spilling out on the floor while some dogs lick up the afterbirth as the stranger in the basement bangs about with a broomstick on pots and pans and the heat pipes cough. Best Tracks: Jockey Full of Bourbon; Gun Street Girl; Anywhere I Lay My Head
Y'know I actually really like Tom Waits. I used to not get his style. I still don't, too. But I like it!
J’adore, je comprend le style et le cult following. C’est vraiment special et unique en son genre. Un super album que tous doivent ecouter, 5
'Singapore' as the opening track sets this album off on the right foot straight away. Classic Tom Waits genius of eclectic musings set to a soundtrack that sends your mind into a world of basement jazz bars and lonely streets.
Where do I start here?? Obviously, one does not listen to Tom Waits for his voice, just as one does not listen to Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen for the same reason. Waits is a wonderful and unique poet, His lyrics on this album paint a picture of a down and dirty city life. One of my favorites is the sad but beautiful "Time." Waits is also a musical craftsman, putting sounds together unlike any other artist. The song titles Rain Dogs and Bride of Rain Dogs made me think of Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein. I see the similarity in that Waits takes parts from different bodies (of work), sews them together, and brings the result back to life in strange and unnatural ways.
Rain Dogs makes me nostalgic for a time and place that feel long ago and far away and that in reality only exist in Tom Waits' mind. Tom is a masterful lyricist, resulting in songs that paint pictures with their words. Tom's raspy voice, whimsical arrangements, and eclectic instrumentation all make this an unmistakable Tom Waits album and unlike anything else. If you can get past how freakin' weird it is, you'll be rewarded with a 54 minute vacation from reality well worth taking. "Singapore," "Hang Down Your Head," "Time," "Rain Dogs," and "Downtown Train" are the standouts for me.
This one's already very fun! Strange guy, never listened to Tom Waits before. It really gives the guy from Over the Garden Wall, the Highwayman. I like it! Old soulful dark barstool crooning, bluesy.
Oh shit guess we are in it now with Singapore. Clap Hands sounds really familiar. This one is more snappy and to the point than Swordfishtrombones, which was a good one. Gun Street Girl is killer. Walking Spanish is so evocative.
Fun to listen to all the way through, don’t know that I could add any of these songs to a playlist
First few seconds are very promising. One of my kind of music. Interesting music, interesting rhythm. It is relaxing music, not listening music. 4
This album has some amazing highs but some really bad lows if they would have cut of some of the bad tracks this could easily be a 8-9. for me this album is a 7.3/10
Took a couple of listens to get into, but I kind of like it now. The first listen was very rough, but subsequent ones were slightly better every time.
Ewig nicht mehr gehört. Warum eigentlich nicht? Hang Down Your Head ist einfach nur schön. Und Downtown Train! Tom Waits ist ein ganz Großer. I‘ll tell you all my secrets but I lie about my past.
I never got what the fuss was with Tom Waits, now I do. That was great, can see how he's so influential.
There seems to be something in this gentleman's voice.. probably rocks in a garbage disposal, but i like it
This morning, I'm listening to Rain Dogs by Tom Waits. I like Clap Hands it's got a nice flow and rhythm to it. Like a carnival this is. It makes me think of Charles Bukowski and fun house mirrors. Like a kaleidoscopic, jerky dance along some mirror world of my own. Most Tom Waits listening I do is focused on Mule Variations. Could I become more of a fan of Tom Waits? Listening to one of his albums is challenging and sometimes not very pleasant. Other times I get swept up in melodies that come out of nowhere and make me think this could be the greatest song ever. Maybe this is just what I needed.
This is my kind of weird. Such a cool record. So glad I finally took the time to listen to some Tom Waits.
Liked it more than expected. Pretty interesting and it still all came together. That said, I'm not itching to go back and listen agian?
I've always appreciated Tom Waits but haven't listened to his music extensively. I enjoyed this album, but I think I best enjoy him in small doses.
Una sorpresa. Había escuchado canciones sueltas y siempre me habían parecido interesantes pero la verdad es que este disco me ha gustado mucho. La clásica Downtown Train acompañada por Clap Hands, Diamonds & Gold, Hang Down Your Head o Rain Dogs. Totalmente recomendable.
Not something I will usually listen to but I can appreciate how good it was, it felt like I was listening to a movie or some sort of story in a blues/rock kind of way
Gran álbum si no tuviera que estudiar le hubiera dedica una.... ANIMO MARTESCITOS DE SEISCITOS
This album is awesome and has a lot of emotion. Very gravely vocals that make me want to sit in a dimly lit coffee shop or bar with a glass of whiskey. Spotify recommends a lot of other great music like Leonard Cohen.
Tom Waits siendo Tom Waits. Alguna de sus canciones típicas. Hombre orquesta, lo que se espera de él.
Wusste nicht, was mich erwartet und kann das Album auch jetzt noch nicht wirklich zuordnen. Da mischt sich einiges, ist auch nicht immer meins aber doch oft gut.
This one is pretty weird. The music sort of sounds like "bad guy songs" from Disney movies (just with more alcohol in the lyrics). I sort of liked it though, fun to listen to.
Interesting album! There are 19 tracks and the songs are all so diverse. Lots of New Orleans big band sounds. A cool album, but nothing too memorable (probably because the songs are all so short).
Every song tells a different story, all weird and vibrant. Feel like I could craft a different vintage movie from each song.
Somehow I’d never really sat down and listened to this whole album before now. I know a few of the songs - “Jockey Full of Bourbon,” it’s hard not to know “Downtown Train” - but most of the rest was new to me. Tom Waits occupies a unique corner of music, and pop culture as a whole: not quite an outsider artist (he’s too self-aware), not quite a character actor, you hear his songs or see him pop up in a movie and immediately go “oh cool, Tom Waits,” even if what follows is utterly bizarre. Rain Dogs was challenging at times but ultimately I liked it a lot, even if I truthfully preferred “Downtown Train” to some of the junkyard-percussion-filled howlers. It’s a solid and enthusiastic 4, something tells me living with this record for a while would push it to a 5.
Didn't know Downtown train wasn't an original from Rod Stewart. Interesting album overall
I really liked the percussive stuff on this one. Lots of jazz influence too. I am not a fan of ending many songs with fadeouts though
Right… umm, artistic… entertaining, unique? I think I get it. Moody, lyrical, recorded in a tent or container or trash can? I’d listen again to understand more.
Never really listened to much Tom Wait, but this has a very distinct personality and I was surprised by how much I liked it. Need to listen to some more Tom Waits, I think.
Wow. Känns som du är pirat. En usling av något slag. Tjuv. Du gömmer dig från polisen i New Orleans gränder. Regnet faller mjukt i natten. Inte likt något annat du lyssnat på! Sista låten, Anywhere I Lay My Head, ska tydligen vara strukturerad som en traditionell jazz funeral i Louisiana. Spelas nog inte på förfesten, om du inte vill att gästerna ska börja undra hur du egentligen mår. Återvänds kanske inte alls så ofta till det här. Men vill du tillbaks in i detta mörker vet du var du hittar det. Bästa låtar: Svårt. Hang Down Your Head och Clap Hands. Jockey Full Of Bourbon också kul.
8/10. I really liked this once I got into it. This album just gives off major singing skeleton vibes, the Marimba combined with the hoarse singing, and the depressing lyrics just added up to a skeleton playing music on his ribcage as he wiles away eternity. That said, if I was a cursed skeleton captain of a pirate ship, I would play this constantly. In a weird way, a lot of these songs remind me of Springsteen as well, just his voice is rougher.
This was different, but had a cool, mysterious vibe that really sucked me in. Good stuff.
Unique and powerful voice with New Orleans jazz feel. Neat that he wrote the theme song to the wire although not on this album.
I would listen to Tom Waits read from the dictionary while playing an accordion. Rain Dogs is near peak Tom Waits. He's very experimental musicality-wise, but his lyrics are just poetic.
"...Nah, was much sicker than that. It involved a midget in a nappy, a life size model of SHACK and a sex swing."
Gevarieerd album tussen ballads, nummers met iets meer tempo, en af en toe wat blues. Bepaalde nummers zijn wel heel experimenteel, maar wel goed
Dla takich albumow przede wszystkim brne w te liste, czlowiek przeslucha plyty i nie ma pojecia czego sluchal, ale i tak sie podoba, gatunkowo bedzie to rock, ale z tak mocnymi eksperymentami, ze czuc jakby to byl patchwork x gatunkow, brzmi to jakby ktos zebral bande jazzowa, mocno ich napoil trunkami wysokoprocentowymi i dal im jamowac, a na tych jamach pan Tom Waits, o ktorym myslalem ze slysze go pierwszy raz, a jednak juz zdarzylo mi sie na plejce miec jeden jego traczek troche bardziej konwencjonalny goin out west, snuje swoja poezje, czy to w recytacji, czy w bardziej spiewanej formie, bardzo ekspresywnej, wiec glos jest lamany na wszelkie sposoby, to samo mozna powiedziec o instrumentach, bo jak jamuja najebani jazzmeni, to slyszy sie cos naprawde wyjatkowego, wsrod tych pijakow instrumentalnych obok pana Waitsa, ktory gra zarowno sporo gitar i klawiszy, czy bonjo, znajda sie takie nazwiska jak Keith Richards ze stonesow, czy Larry Taylor z canned heat, wyjatkowosci tylko dodaje motyw przewodni plyty czyli miasto, nie jest to koncept album, ale glowny watek jest wyraznie skierowany na brudne ulice wielkich miast, gdzie w rynsztokach caly czas rozgrywa sie cudowe zycie i piekna smierc, miasto pana Waitsa ma w sobie cos czego sie nie da ubrac w slowa, z jednej strony pokrzepiajace, a z drugiej tak zlowrogie, ze skidrowy ktore znam samemu wydaja mi sie jakos mniej mroczne, moze w tym tkwi pokrzepiajaca strona albumiku, bo nie moze on byc tak negatywny, bo z pewnoscia nie zostawia on sluchacza smutnym jest w nim za duzo zycia, co do trakow plejkowych, to jest to plyta ktora wchodzi swietnie jako pelny krazek, jak i pojedyncze kawalki maja sens, wiec plyta na poleczke, a na plejke tytulowy utwor rain dogs, jockey full of burbon, downtown train i tango till they are sore, dodatkowo na jazzowa plejke instrumental pod tytulem midtown, ktory przypomina mi aranzacje z cowboja bebopa, dokladnie openingowy tank, czyli hardbop z mocno latynowskimi klimatami, plyta po ktorej z pewnoscia obadam reszte dyskografii pana Waitsa
This is mad…. In a good way. It leans and lurches all over the shop. The guys a genius!
Like wandering through back alleys of New Orleans and running into an underground Disney World musical troupe
Great album that I'm not entirely sure what to think about. Usually if I feel like that about an album I'll end up listening to it more and more until I finally make my mind and at that point I'll be a fan. Therefore I'll skip to the part where I like the album (even though it's kinda lengthy) and rate it appropriately.
It’s all here; the raspy yawp, weird percussion, tales of the backroads or alleys. Great band as well. Gun Street Girl, Big Black Mariah, Jockey Full of bourbon, Union Square, and Walking Spanish are all highlights. Makes me want to sip some bourbon… cheap bourbon!
Parece tocar muchos géneros aunque la mayoría de las canciones suenan como el soundtrack de una obra circense un tanto macabra. Un disco que habla de la calle, lo que ahí sucede y las personas involucradas. Interesante, nada cómodo de escuchar. Supongo que al tratar de retratar asuntos callejeros hace sentido tener piezas pequeñas de 1-2 minutos, aunque no me termina de encantar. Songs: Gun Street Girl, Big Black Mariah, Hang Down Your Head
This might be the third or fourth Tom Waits album that's appeared in my rotation in this project. He is such an intriguing artist and always creates music that interests me. As with any art, my subjective experience varies regarding which of his songs and albums I like, but I always find myself paying attention. That's quite an accomplishment. This album has some great stuff. Not sure who plays lead guitar in some of the tracks like 'Clap Hands,' but it's really cool stuff. I read the Wikipedia entry on this album and that's got some cool stuff, too.
Gefällt mir! Manche Nummern sind mir zwar nur 3 Sterne wert, aber in Summe ist’s recht cool und ich kannte vorher noch gar kein Lied von dem Album.
It compels you from the first moment and continues to enthral as you inhabit these words and stories and you can’t turn it off. It’s my favourite Waits but there is still so much to explore.
Abundant muscial elements from all around the world, and some intersting try. Entire album sounds like someone having fun, a bunch of demo.
I want to like Tom Waits, I really do. I put him in the same category as Frank Zappa. They're both artists that I listen to and consistently feel like their music is almost good. Like, every song on this album is almost good, but they're all missing something. It's like cooking without butter or oil. Sure, all of the parts are there, but where's the fucking flavor? At the same time, what he's trying to do is cool, and I think this album deserves 4/5. It's unquestionably ahead of its time and it influenced a lot of stuff that came after it. Also, it sounds like a throwback somehow too. Nothing makes sense for this album, but it isn't bad, despite the fact that I don't like it that much 4/5
Poetički, pomalo alkoholno, njegov onaj poznati hrapavi kameni glas + pokoja "sea shanty" traka + zvučno prljava glazba + emocije = nagrada, iako je vjerujem, težak album. Waits je veliki pisac koji je ukomponirao svašta na ovom albumu da se dobije Rain Dogs. Definitivno u njegova top 3 albuma (The Heart of Saturday Night, Closing Time i Rain Dogs). Znam da sam nasro boga oca ovdje.
Sounds weird, but I dig its weirdness. Favorites: "Clap Hands", "Jockey Full Of Bourbon", "Downtown Train"
After the first Tom Waits album I got, I thought I wouldn't enjoy this one either. But surprisingly I really enjoyed this obe. His style really works for this album and the songs. "Cemetery Polka" my favourite song
Voimallista blues/rock-jyrähtelyä. En ollut varmaan kuunnellut aiemmin kokonaista levyä Waitsilta, mutta tämä epäkohta on nyt korjattu. Tätä varmaan kuuntelen tulevaisuudessakin. 4/5
Ohhoh! Tom Waits on kyllä osunut ja uponnut aina! Tää ei oo vielä ohan bone machine -levyn neroa hulluutta mutta lähellä ollaan. Ja tiedän kyllä että monille just tää on se the levy tompalta. 4/5
Genre: Experimental Rock 4/5 A real hodge-podge, a tough nut to crack, and overall a very interesting listen. Tom Waits is another artist I haven’t had the chance to get into until now. Rain Dogs seems to be the perfect LP for it. Weird enough to suffice as experimental, but with moments of real beauty and emotion, this album is really one-of-a-kind. Each song seems to function as its own world, with Waits’ gravelly voice serving as the narrator through a slew of fucked up towns and strange happenings. Captain Beefheart-style blues jams on one song, to soft and intricate beat poetry on the next, to Beatles-sounding guitars on the next. The soundscapes change song-to-song, giving us something new to ponder on every few minutes. Certainly an album that will reward repeat visits. Not every song is a 10, but Tom Waits proves to be an interesting listen.
This is the 2nd album of Tom Waits I’m rating. The first one was to weird for me, but this one is great. Good variety in the songs and some many great ones. His voice is something special and the way he uses it is amazing. Will come back to this album for sure. Favourite songs: - Tango till they’re sore - Hang down your head - Time - Rain dogs
Me sorprendió. Pensé que iba a ser un bodrio y me encontré con una versión alternativa de la banda sonora de The nightmare before Xmas. Buena onda, buen descubrimiento.
Listening to Tom Waits is like getting sucked into a time vortex where all music is a step off, vaguely threatening, and could be played in a seedy bar called Ole Scratch's. But also, you love it.
My second Tom Waits album after Bone Machine last week. Enjoyed this one even more still really weird and experimental but more melodic in parts. Great album just a couple of songs that were a bit too strange for me stops this getting a 5.
Weird as hell and I’m here for it. Can’t remember the last time I heard so much variety on an album.
A very ugly, vibrant album. It's like you're being serenaded by an old sailor with only one eye, recounting tales of curious oddities and spooky characters. Waits is a one-of-a-kind songwriter who knows his voice and his capabilities when crafting music like this. He paints a picture of the city in a way that can only be described as "eerily accurate". It's fantastic. There's no one else like Tom Waits. I treasure these songs.
Un dels punts culminants de la segona etapa de Waits. Mai han estat els seus discos les obres mestres que es cacareja arreu, però cal treure's el barret amb la seva inventiva, originalitat, qualitat i expressivitat. Aquest home és un génere en si mateix
It's either hit or miss with Tom Waits, as far as I'm concerned, and this at whatever point of his long and productive career. But I gotta admit I undertstand why this abum in particular is often quoted by his more casual fans. It's part of that string of albums in the 80s where Waits dived into weirder territory, not that his mock-jazz, mock-blues, mock-cabaret act has ever been a normcore affair anyway... Listening to *Rain Dogs* with a little more attention, I sense that I could very well become one of those casual fans in time. The writing (the lyrics first, but the music, instrumentation, and arrangements, too--see those poetic-yet-often-ominous marimbas) is top-notch on this record (starting with 'Singapore' and 'Clap Hands', but also for many other tracks here). What's working out quite well in this particular album is that it's well-balanced, between weird experimental interludes, moody pieces where Waits is as much an actor as he is a singer, and more straightforward love songs, where his voice is a little less 'outré' and even suggests a very *slightly' inebriated Springsteen (so someone with whom you could have a normal conversation, which is not the case cuts that are out of this category here). A quite dynamic entry overall, where you don't *necessarily* need the lyrics sheet to get into the songs (reading those words is a plus, but it's not mandatiry), contrary to less accessible records of his. Maybe I'm slowly becoming a casual fan, who knows? Since this app suggested me to spin it, I've even found a secondhand copy of this record online. Given that I've never found any Tom Waits compilation that fully satisfied me (it's always missing tracks that i wish i had), "Rain Dogs" will happily be my key Tom Waits album. Until the next suggestion, maybe... Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 900, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter, approximately Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter
I have massive respect for Tom Waits' particular brand of blues/jazz/whatever-the-rest-is. But I have to be in the right mood to enjoy his music, as his lyrics and voice go to places hardly anyone else (OK, maybe Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen) dares to venture. I'm not in that mood today, but I can recognize quality whenever I hear it. Sonically, this album is exactly what anyone who knows Waits' music can expect. Many of these songs are good enough, but not really great. But there are a couple of standouts as well: Hang Down Your Head, Time, Rain Dogs and Downtown Train are instant classics. This album deserves a re-listen. 3.5/5.
His voice is a bit of an acquired taste, which did make this album a little bit of a struggle at times - I know it's meant to be a deep soulful thing but it does border on the ridiculous at times. But these songs are undeniably great.
great album. would buy $20 or less. Clap hands is one of my faves. Love the productions Not every song works, and is probably 10 minutes too long. There's a thing tom does with his voice, occasionally, where it goes really deep with no fry or grain in it and I love when that happens.
Waits ploughs his own furrow and conjures up disjointed tales of the roughnecks, swindlers and ragamuffins that abound on the docks. These tales are thrilling to hear and the presentation, whilst jarring at first, is compelling with its dissonance, hurdy gurdy and junkyard percussion. Quite a voyage.
Gritty, clanky, antediluvian, like a seaman's and cowboy's novel thrown on the streets of a dirty metropolis.
4 Fun fact: Tom Waits plays Captain Hook in Shrek 2! Anyway I went into this knowing that he was smoky drunken singer but I did not expect to like this as much as I did. It’s discordant and weird but it’s also catchy and very emotional. At times it was like evil Leonard Cohen. I even dig the almost weird noir movie monologues. The imagery his music paints is strong. You can almost imagine the dusty, dingy carnival, or smoky bar. It’s eclectic enough to be interesting, rocking and catchy enough to keep me listening. Favorites: Clap Hands, Jockey Full of Bourbon, Time, Gun Street Girl, Union Square, Downtown Train
Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Nick Cave are the gravelly-voiced Cereberus of doom-laced music. I love them all - this might be Waits’ finest album. Also, 16yo me had no clue that Rod Stewart sanitised and covered Downtown Train in the early 90s. It’s like Pat Boone covering Ozzy Osbourne. Ick.
I didn't know the music from Nightmare before Christmas was a genre, but this is it. Very good.
Not sure what to expect, but it just works. Tom Waits's gruffy voice gives the album such a particular style of music, and all the different songs showcase how it can still be used in melodic ways. Downtown Train, Time and Singapore were highlights for me. But definitely an album that calls for more listens.
I actually really like this one, wonder if I'd have said the same if the other Tom Waits album hadn't shown up first 🤔
Wtf! This is weird stuff, not at all as expected by the cover. Some of it wasn’t too bad, most was very weird
Cool album like always from Tom Waits. Some songs are little hard to listen. Not for everyday but for some occasions is perfect.
This one is strange, it feels like the music doesn't work and initially i didn't like a lot of it but some of the tracks just work
Feels like the soundtrack to an Oddities show. Tom Waits is another singer-without-voice, except that I've always found it more appealing than Cohen. Most of this album is worth listening to again, but a couple of tracks are pretty meh...
Discordant pirate jazz. Need to listen again probably but I found myself not hating it as much as I expected
Ok. Not something I would normally listen to. I think a a quiet boozy pub would fit this well
Growing on me like a rash. Will return to this one periodically - I enjoy Waits' "sand in the sandwich" voice, and can tell it has much more to offer upon repeat listens. 6/10
So much back and forth in the vibes. Definitely not a cohesive album in the way I'm used to, unless the theme was supposed to be "captain ahab's idiosyncratic thematic cacophony"
I like how crazy the lyrics are, and the music is pretty good. I didn't love it. But I made it through the whole album. I liked the track "Rain Dogs". I disagree that this is a must listen, but also I have no idea what it's history is or how it inspired other artists.
I liked the "villainous music" approach. Sounds a little childish but fun. 1/3 of the tracks sound like dull fillers
I struggle with Tom Waits, and this album in particular. I like it well enough, and can see why people really like it, but I find Tom pretty annoying. His voice and character come off pretty insincerely and honestly fairly grating. The more traditional songs (Time, Hang Down Your Head) here I do like and think his low gravelly voice fits nicely. It's the more cabaret/show tune type songs that I find pretty tiresome. I am glad this was on here because this is now the third time I've heard it and helps confirm this one won't do a ton of growing on me with familiarity.
This sounds like Waits could have developed some of these songs as a great concept album but for some reason he didn't. Which is a shame because most of the tracks are such a pleasant listen on their own; but like this at times it just feels a little too long and overfilled. Particularly liked: Jockey Full of Bourbon
Der Schräge Kram vom Tom ist mal lustig, zum Einpacken der Wohnung wars etwas viel zusätzlicher Stress ;)
First track is the maddest shit Ive ever heard. So weird and genre bending but it kinda works, absolutely bizarre though. Thinking a 3 so far.
Ok, so I was down on this right from the start, mostly because of the last one. But I thought this one was far better and actually enjoyable! He still has that distinctive voice but it's understandable and comes across here as an interesting style compared to annoying in the older album. Nice variety of music, good storytelling. Solid 3. Which is actually a bit problematic as it seems I felt compelled to give the last one a 3. So now they're both a 3 even though this one is far better. I wish I could change the Heartattack and Vine rating to a 2 now.
Admittedly naive/ignorant of Waits prior to Heartattack and Vine, I left that album wondering if it was a character or sort of an acted out performance. Shortly into Rain Dogs I'm now convinced that's the case but just as I'm starting to immerse myself into this new performance it inexplicably shifts gears and by the end of the album I feel like I'm back at HA&V. And that's not a bad thing, but I'm again left wondering if there's something else going over my head. Also learned about the origins of Downtown Train, which makes so much more sense as a Waits song rather than Rod Stewart. Worth a listen, but to me the entirety of the album doesn't have the same appeal as HA&V.
Weird Pirate-esque, carney influenced, underbelly inspired album sung in gruff, deep, smokey and slightly raspy barks. He reminds me of a washed up, drunken semi-old seadog
Songwriting was solid, as I’ve come to expect, and the instrumentation made this interesting. Still, I think I just don’t like listening to Tom waits, and the energy on this was so low, the instruction was so heavy that everything felt like it was dragging itself along. 5/10
I think this is the first Tom Waits record I’ve ever fully listened to. I liked it just fine, but I can’t imagine just falling head over heels for music like this. Are there super passionate Tom Waits fans out there? People who put this on in their car and sing along? I assume there are and I would like to meet one of them just to talk about that experience. So yeah. I liked it fine. Had no idea he’s the original pen of “Downtown Train.”