Reviews (page 8 of 9)
I thought the other Waits album we had was annoying shite so wasn’t looking forward to this. Turns out it rules.
His voice is annoying
Tom Waits has an amazing voice but the songs cant’t awe me.
Unique voice, really interesting listen
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.
Most of these seem like the soundtrack to being shitfaced drunk, stumbling through New Orleans and falling face down into various gutters. Strange music played on randomly chosen instruments and sung by a crazy old pirate.
Not my vibe, great inspiration for the crusties, buskers, and folk punkers though. A tough listen but a couple decent sounds out of the bunch: Big Black Mariah, Clap Hands, Hang Down Your Head, Anywhere I Lay My Head. I don't see myself revisiting this.
This may have been more compelling if I was deeper through the list, but it was a bit strong for my pallet.
Another album I can tell is very talented. Nothing like I’ve ever heard but some of it is a little slow and torturous. I do like the polka, German, very out there styles of mixed sounds and styles. Keith Richards is awesome. Creative and deep voice and lyrics. Almost just too weird to handle
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 🤔
robots wooooooo
Mér fannst þetta bara einhvernveginn drep leiðinlegt. Var kannski ekki vel peppaður í þetta.
What a voice
Chalk it up to me being over-tired while listening to this album, but I thought this was excellent. As I tend to do, I focused more on the background music than the lyrics, but the clunky mix of brass, marimbas, and miscellany painted its own picture of Waits’ smoky, rough-and-tumble city. Also the songs are good HL: “Downtown Train”, “Tango Till They’re Sore”, “Hang Down Your Head” September 17th, 2022
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.
Not exactly my favourite Tom Waits album, but a good listen nonetheless. Downtown Train is definitely the best this album has to offer.
Starts slow, defenetly dinnertime music
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.
If Tim Burton had a lechy old uncle who lived under a bridge and accosted passersby for cigarettes and viagra, this is what that guy's album would sound like. It doesn't feel good. It doesn't sound good. It's just not good. Tom Waits. What a hack.
I didn't know the music from Nightmare before Christmas was a genre, but this is it. Very good.
this fucking sucks
Weird. I can see the appeal. Chaotic but still organized? Idk man
Some other review said this was weird Halloween music, and I agree, but in the best way possible. I actually quite enjoyed how weird this could get, but blues still isn't for me, so some of this album was a bit repetitive. Excited for other Tom Waits albums, though.
I will always love Tom Waits
Yikes. Scary. Unlistenable.
This'll hit a whole lot better in October... weird spooky vibes. Not sure if I really HAD to hear this before I died, but whatevs. Okay it's getting more normal (Hang Down Your Head and Time) NEVERMIND WE BACK This isn't a bad album at all. I like the more regular songs. As a whole album, it doesn't resonate with me though, and I don't imagine I'll revisit it a whole lot in the future.
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.
Hatsikidee, Waits!
Dankzij deze lijst wat meer Tom Waits gedraaid en ook dit album was ook weer de moeite waard.
Ik kan dit zeker steeds meer waarderen.
Ik ben niet echt een Tom Waits fan, maar dit album vond ik behoorlijk goed te hebben eigenlijk.
Variatie graag! Ik hoef echt geen drie platen van Tom Waits te horen voor ik doodga. Doe mij dan ter afwisseling maar iets van Feist of Moloko ofzo.
This was the rejected initial soundtrack for Tim Burton's "The Corpse Bride."
I liked a few of the songs, particularly Time and Hang Down Your Head. Interesting to listen to once, but I'm not sure I'll listen again.
Mr Waits has quite a few albums on this chart. Well done Mr Waits. Unfortunately, whilst pretty good and spanning many years they are all pretty samey. I have listened to 3 of them now and they are indistinguishable. Bluesy, sleazy, smoke filled bars with gravely voice, milkbottles and brokendown pianos.
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.
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.
Classic - hold on
Saw 53 minute album of 19 songs and immediately thought of the Ramones. Very far from anything like the Ramones I struggled with most of this album and almost quit. Stuck with it a found a few songs I didn't think were too bad. The last half of album got into a blues and rock vibe. Songs I thought ok include Union square, Blind love and walking Spanish. Tough, but made it through. 1 to 1.5 for me
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
1.5 I'm really not sure what sure I expected from this album, but it wasn't... whatever it is. Clearly I'm missing something, because I'm pretty sure Tom Waits is a pretty esteemed cult musician, but feel like I just listened to The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack played backwards. I really tried to look past its rough outward exterior as well (as I've had to do with artists like Bright Eyes to learn to appreciate them), but I'm just really not sure what I'm supposed to find. This album ranges from okay to rough to unlistenable for me, though that being said, I'll bump up to 1.5 stars for Time. Favorite song: Time
First, let the record show this is the 4th Waits album served to me by this list. Obviously, its authors hold Waits in very high regard. As for me, this was my usual Waits experience: a left of centre album that works at a different wavelength to mine. Sometimes this is the recipe for a hit, but not this time.
I do still wonder if Tom is taking the piss
holy sh$% why? going to be a big nope from me...
No es mi disco favorito de Tom Waits, pero tiene ese temón del piano borracho
Ruw, maar mooi. Gevarieerd & album blijft leuk
Like a wading motorist, I was taken by surprise by this one. And not in a good way. Too piratey/carnivaly to enjoy. Yo ho
Deadly
Gritty, clanky, antediluvian, like a seaman's and cowboy's novel thrown on the streets of a dirty metropolis.
Tem seu estilo marcante mas não me agradou muito de ouvir
I never guessed Alice’s Wonderland had such a fiery dive bar.
I want this man to be my Psychopomp, shoutout to Wristcutters!
Fantastic emotion
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.
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.
What a bizarre listening experience. Am I at a musical circus?
Mega-hårt….
Like the preceding ”Swordfishtrombones” but better realized
Donkey Kong type beat
Interesting, not great. kind of reminds me of Prine compared to Dylan. No real standout songs, but a few could possibly grow on me. Not a huge fan of his voice.
Album chiant
je viens d'apprendre que 5 albums de Tom Waits sont dans le classement je suis dévastée
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.
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.
Someone I really admired as a teenager loves this album so I was hyped when I saw it this morning. However, as soon as it started, I knew it wasn’t for me. I appreciate the artistry and especially the lyrics (“I’ll tell you all my secrets, but I lie about my past”) but I cannot get past his voice. Giant deterrent for what is otherwise brilliant stuff. Disappointed.
Not a fan of this album, I think I liked maybe one song.
Reminiscent of a dark musical, perhaps less connected. Raspy with percussive undertones. Tough to listen to at times.
Certainly very interesting. There's a few weird experiments (Cemetery Polka), but most of it is a weird folk drunken minstrel style in Tom's gravely style. Had no idea that this was where Downtrain Train came from. Impressive.
The most enjoyable of Waits albums I’ve come across while doing this, while I was nicely surprised of not hearing him trying to puke over the microphone in any of the songs, I was very baffled when I noticed I had been on this for 13 songs and had still 6 to go.. props for not regurgitating on the mic until “union square” and for publishing this kind of music while everybody else was with that new wave shit. Again, and I hope for the last time: I hope he damaged his vocal cords while recording (some of) this shit.
'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.
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
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
LP
I hate this.
A surprising 2.5 from Bill. She quite liked the songs but does not like his voice. Shannah convinced he has a pirate alter-ego. Really enjoyed it. 3.5. Great album reckons Conor. Possibly his best. 3.9/5 3.3/5
Some really odd and hard to listen to songs, but then some greatly great gems, but I guess that’s Tom Waits! A man of many sounds.
Yet another wonderfully unorthodox and at times even weird Tom Waits album. Kudos to him for having and sticking to his own style. This album however I found a tad bit too long and lacking any stand out songs, making this album only memorable due to Waits' unique style and not due to the individual songs
cool album, clearly on the same theme as sworfishtrombones, still very experimental with some songs more fitting in a movie about dwarves but very nice nonetheless
Not good enough in English to appreciate this album.
"Singapore" sounds like if Leonard Cohen were trying to sing in the style of "The Monster Mash" but right after smoking an entire pack of cigarettes. "Clap Hands" was just weird and I can't believe there is a polka song following it. I listened to the rest of the album, but I couldn't be bothered to trying to assess it any further. I can see how some people like him. I am not one of those people. His voice is just gross to me. The music isn't terrible, but it's simple. Maybe his four other entries on this list are better, maybe I'm finally just accepting that Robert Dimery is a bad music critic.
At university I happened to make acquaintance with a guy called Nick, who was a friend's housemate. Nick was an odd fellow. Infamously, one drink and drug fuelled evening, he declared to another two housemates, both named Tom (who incidentally adored him) that he was so heartbroken that he would stab himself. Which he duly did, with a penknife. Fortunately the injuries were only minor but afterwards he delighted in recanting this story, chuckling all the way. The other odd thing about Nick was that he was obsessed with Tom Waits, and would listen to him endlessly. So when I saw this come up on my feed, I wasn't overjoyed, but being open minded and some 20 years on from my experience of Nick, I put this album one. My goodness, what a load of shit - it's so bad almost to the point of parody, in fact I spent most of the time listening to it trying to figure out if it was a parody. Just awful.
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.
nja, nåt har den ju. men det är för knas för mig
Snilld, tær snilld.
Perfect. I see this is considered part of a trilogy with Swordfishtrombones which I also loved. So many great songs Singapore, Time, Walking Spanish, all of them!
3, he has a way with words
Tom waits with his weird ass folk pirate halloween music. Love it as always.
no no no no no no, weird ass shit
2
this album is a treasure
Not a fan. Sounds like a cross between a pirate shanty and a theater production.
After 2, 3 Tom Waits songs I am good
This is bad Tom Waits. I don't like much of his stuff, Heartattack and Vine was okay, this is just unlistenable dirge.
I like this much less than the previous TW album we had. In places, sounds like a parody of himself - the opening track in particular is pretty painful to listen to. That said, I do really like his voice when he doesn't try to go too fast/jolly with the music. Hang Down Your Head works nicely, and Downtown Train is superb. There's too much weirdness on this album for me, which keeps it firmly in the 2 category.
Rock experimental. La voz de Tom Waits me flipa. Un 4.
A veces parecido a Bruce.4
Very cool. I wish I had the guts to sing like this or make music this weird.
Wild and weird. My dad used to play this album to make our dog howl.
Not a big fan, but it's unique.
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
Like "Bone Machine", but better. My third Tom Waits album in a span of like two weeks? An interesting guy. This is his best that I've heard so far, and I think a little more exploration in his discography (particularly the '80s part) might get me into his sound. Apparently, this is the second part of a trilogy. But as of now, I have to dust off the sands in my ears first.
Bom.
Overrated, if you ask me. (So is Swordfishtrombone, but that’s another matter altogether)
Hasn't fully clicked with me but it is remarkably good shit
In theory 4 in practice 3
Y'know I actually really like Tom Waits. I used to not get his style. I still don't, too. But I like it!
Tom Waits is a guy who is so far off the beaten path that I guess you have to accept the bad weird stuff because it also allows him to come up with the good weird stuff. There's plenty of both here. Best track: Tango Till They're Sore
Creepy
Tim Burton wrote this album about a immortal pirate who moves to New Orleans
All over the place, kinda creepy in parts
Weird as hell and I’m here for it. Can’t remember the last time I heard so much variety on an album.
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.
I mean if you like grumbly meandering lyrics akin to a drunk dude screaming at you Ton Waits has you covered. It was alright.
Well it was interesting to say the least. I think I don't really get it. It sounds like a carnival villain soundtrack. Wanted to like it more.
Still never understood the love for this album.
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.
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
Great album, totally unique.
One has to be in the mood for Tom Waits but I can’t describe the mood. Today I wasn’t in it. However Clap Hands, Jockey Full of Bourbon, Time, and Downtown Train are good tunes nonetheless.
Não conhecia. Amei. As músicas são bem curtas.
oh my god. this album made me want to rip my ears out and tape them on my worst enemy but then again i would not wish that on my worst enemy. this was honestly one of the worst albums i’ve ever had to endure.
The other night - very late - I had a giant 3 scoop bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce, and a small glass of tequila afterwards. ... to describe the nightmare I had after falling asleep soon afterwards would be to listen to "Cemetery Polka." Man... This voice. It all seems absurdly affected. I'm trying. Well, I tried. I know I know - it's "cool" to like Tom Waits and if you're not cool apparently you don't get it. See also: Leonard Cohen (n.b.: don't.). I don't care about how great his lyrics *might* be - not that I could tell. They might be unreal, hell I'll give it without knowing - sure, amazing lyrics so I'm told. I can't listen to this. I don't get it. That's it. That's the review. I'm tired. I don't get it, I don't appreciate it, and I don't like it. 2/10 1 star.
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.
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
This album is sick.
Very experimental and pretentious. I can see how this piece in specific can be very influential for alternative rock musicians, but I personally don't like it. "Hang Down Your Head" is a great track though.
Really good
Lyrically intretsing, my main thought however was this should have been the soundtrack for the rip off version of nightmare before christmas
A man with a very gravely voice sings buncha sleazy songs. God damn I love Tom Waits so much. Most of the songs on here are extremely good and even the ones I was bored with are still compelling because it’s him singing.
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.
Unusual, not necessarily in a bad way. I do like some of the instrumentation, and there a couple of okay tracks. It's way too long for me to sit through all of it though
Better than I expected
Interesting, but not for me
I now know how people who go 'Bob Dylan - great songs but unlistenable' feel. I've tried with Tom, I really have. There are some good songs here, hence the 2. But that voice. Like someone gargling gravel. And - my bad for thinking this - there's a bit of me that feels that offstage he speaks like Niles Crane.
Its more interesting than it is enjoyable. Was pretty hard to listen to in full. I got one of his jazz albums early on in this journey and I don't like the change in vocals here, but appreciate its something different with experimental rock. Some songs were pretty good to listen, the title track for instance was decent. Downtrain Train was the best song on here.
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 music is always interesting and the lyrics are full of great imagery but that voice...ugh.
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
Aika moista. Saundien omaperäisyydestä ja loistavasta tunnelmasta hatunnosto, mutta ehkä vähän liian löröä että oisin tykänny kauheesti.
Waits menee edelleen siihen luokkaan, että tajuan loistavuuden, mutta ei vaan täysin omaan makuun. Täytyy tosin arvostaa miten originellilta tää vieläkin kuulostaa. Ja monet rennommat ja groovaavat biisit toimii hyvin, esim. Clap Hands, Jockey Full of Bourbon ja Gun Street Girl. Sanotaan 3.5/5.
Voimallista blues/rock-jyrähtelyä. En ollut varmaan kuunnellut aiemmin kokonaista levyä Waitsilta, mutta tämä epäkohta on nyt korjattu. Tätä varmaan kuuntelen tulevaisuudessakin. 4/5
Very soulful, if a bit repetitive.
The last third piqued my interest in a major way. Everything else is weird in a good way, but also a bag of vignettes. Waits's voice is compelling, but many of the song
Eccentric. Definitely not for everyone. Very strange indeed, but kind of enjoyable…tread with caution though!
This was a strange album. I didn't really like it but the style of music is not my favorite. It will not be on my music rotation.
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
Sounds weird, but I dig its weirdness. Favorites: "Clap Hands", "Jockey Full Of Bourbon", "Downtown Train"
Love it
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.
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.
Iz jebene paštete više.. Cemetery Polka do be hittin different tho
Wtf... Esto si no me lo esperaba. 3
No me cayó.
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
One of his many great albums.
Not my style, but enjoyed some songs (Singapore and Clap Hands most notable to me)
i listened to this a long time ago...reactivating! this was very...masculine. i don't know if i got it
Abundant muscial elements from all around the world, and some intersting try. Entire album sounds like someone having fun, a bunch of demo.
Interesting... Bit of cajun sound to me
Awesome
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.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Singapore, Clap hands, Cemetery polka
also Tom Waits ist bestimmt sehr gut, aber meins ists einfach nicht. ich find seine art zu singen nervig, erinnert mich an Jason Segel in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, wo er den Vampir singt.
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.
Ganz Besonders und einzigartig. Tolle Soundkulisse. Komm mir vor, als würde ich einen Tim Burton Film ansehen. Ganzes Album bissl anstrengend
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
Weird album, not bad
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.
dude never coughs
This album was weird and jarring! If I can give 0 stars, I would!
6/10
I get it, but it’s not for me.
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.
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
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.
Fuck Tom Waits!
It's a little long, but the more I listen to Tom Waits, the more I like him. Not going to get heavy rotation, but always glad to see him pop up.
I want to love this but I can't stand the guy's voice
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!
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.
The first half of the album sounds like it was made for adults with Disney tattoos and the later parts feel like a parody of something better. 1.5
ROUGH, WEIRD, WORTH TO LISTEN
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.
101225 13:26 4.5
meh? 3/5
too much cohen like... not sure!
Some Ronnie B weirdness
Grâce à une suite d'accords tous plus cacophoniques les uns que les autres, Tom Waits et sa voix d'ogre drogué parviennent au long de ce nouveau one-man-show à nous arracher un sourire de temps à autre.
Je tiens à alerter toute la population du générateur: je pense que Tom Waits a été enlevé par Robert, et remplacé par une doublure. En effet, grâce à une analyse pointue, j'ai pu remarquer que la voix de Tom Waits a complétement changé. De plus, Tom Waits nous avait habitué à de francs rires lors de ses interludes poilantes, rien de tout ça ne nous fut proposé au cours de cet album. Il est temps de se mobiliser pour tenter de retrouver le véritable Tom Waits.
This album feels like Tom Waits being too smart for his own good. A mish mash of styles make it feel like it lacks the cohesion of bone machine
There is some really good, and quite varied, stuff on here, although the vocal doesn't always fit. On Bone Machine, Waits' gravelly, discordant voice perfectly matched the hellish, doomey tone of the album. On here, it only works on a handful of songs, leaving the rest quite hard work. The album is certainly not without merit, and a range of styles is often to be admired, but in Waits' case, he might be best keeping it dark. 2/5.
Like wandering through back alleys of New Orleans and running into an underground Disney World musical troupe
Weird stuff. It sounds like it should be the soundtrack to the show Carnivale or a really cheesy Disney ride. I didn't really care for the songs, but they're going to be stuck in my head for the next week. Props to TW for being original.
This is mad…. In a good way. It leans and lurches all over the shop. The guys a genius!
Experimental, very experimental not for me
Unique. Creepy Halloween vibes.
Was not expecting this album to be as great as it was. Clap Hands, Downtown train, Tango Till They're sore, Singapore. Tom Waits ran so Hadestown could fly, but I loved discovering what a remarkable musician he was.
What a strange album... it reminded me a bit of the musical Hadestown at times. What an interesting voice! I don't think I'll return, but it definitely made for a change. I liked 'Jockey Full of Bourbon' and 'Downtown Train', but my top pick is 'Gun Street Girl'.
Not for me - I understand that it is good, and that it has had an impact. But my brain can't cope with it.
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
6/10
Meh
Shit
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
Dogshit
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.)
Great music, very nightmare before Christmas like.
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.
While the initial lure of this LP's odd vocals and compositions is strong, it quickly dies out due to the one-trick-pony aspect. Most tracks blend into one another with little distinction and fail to provide a good hook into the album at large.
Gravel. Lots and lots of gravel
Tom Waits is really hit or miss from me. And this was mostly miss.
i'm sorry. I can't. I tried
Gevarieerd album tussen ballads, nummers met iets meer tempo, en af en toe wat blues. Bepaalde nummers zijn wel heel experimenteel, maar wel goed
I don't mind Tom Waits generally speaking, but this album was a bit too 'special' for my taste to really enjoy it
Fond memories of this album in a Tokyo laundromat. Cup of noodles from a vending machine. Clothes sloshing away. Headphones on riding that downtown train. I always do the Rod Stewart double with that Tom Waits song. The world is a great place ;)
Like nursery rhymes from a nightmare. Great!
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.
Pirate music
No tan fan, hay cosas que se oyen muy bien y me gusta que tenga una voz y cante tan particular, pero no es para mí Tom Waits. Eso creo, quién sabe en unos años. En fin. 7.5/10
Interesting album with his raw talking voice style of singing.
Pretty kooky and eccentric, I can see the humorous side of it but not my cup of tea.
This is my first time listening to Tom Waits and can't say I liked it. Maybe if I listen to other things from him I could accustom my ear.
Not sure what to make of it. Some tracks were really good. I liked his gravelly voice, other tracks I didn’t like so much. A have gh 3*
Good stuff. I personally prefer his older stuff most of which would be a 4 so it only gets a 3 on this occasion.
If I've learned anything from participating in this it's that I fucking hate Tom Waits
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.
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).
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.
Ajudou a conhecer mais músicas dele.
not bad, never got into Tom Waits before but always knew of him obvs.
Something for everybody, poetry and whisky. Drunken drawling emotional man music
Usually like Tom Waits, but somehow couldn't get too much out of this one. Too avantgarde
Not something I would ever listen to
Strange but always interesting album. 4 🌟
3/10
Find his stuff interesting and unique but not for me. Clap Hands added to the playlist
Слишком сложно для меня.
i hated this. so much
better than the other waits one. fucking long though.
"...Nah, was much sicker than that. It involved a midget in a nappy, a life size model of SHACK and a sex swing."
He was surprisingly experimental wasn't he old Tom? The kinky devil.
Pretty nice
I’m just not a Tom Waits kind of guy.
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.
Attempting to get a hernia by singing?
Unique and powerful voice with New Orleans jazz feel. Neat that he wrote the theme song to the wire although not on this album.
A lot better than the last of his albums we listened to. He actually sang on a few and I enjoyed that better than his normal approach. But I will never intentionally listen to this again
This was different, but had a cool, mysterious vibe that really sucked me in. Good stuff.
An album from 1985 that sounds over 100 years old. Amazing
A classic.
Weird. Like really weird.
Great rich gravelly voice! Good storytelling. Diverse mix of song styles.
I'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!
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.”
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
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.
I don't know how to feel about Tom Waits these days. 6
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.
fascinating album
Great voice
What an enticing album! Lives up to its ratings for sure.
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.
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.
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.
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
Clap Hands
8/10
Didn't know Downtown train wasn't an original from Rod Stewart. Interesting album overall
Interesting, but not for me.
Tom Waits is een held
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
Great full album. Sucks you into a while new world.
Traveling somewhere
New Tom Waits fan here.
Dark
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.
Not for me. Awful
Love it!
4
Every song tells a different story, all weird and vibrant. Feel like I could craft a different vintage movie from each song.
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).
Very unique voice. Not really something I can imagine wanting to listen to again.
great album, thank you
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.
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.
Horrible
Soo.. What kind of genre is this. Weirder than expected, but I like
Interesting but not really enjoyable.
The album sounds like Leningrad's band.
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.
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.
Der Schräge Kram vom Tom ist mal lustig, zum Einpacken der Wohnung wars etwas viel zusätzlicher Stress ;)
Eine Stimme wie eine Käsereibe.
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.
Sounds like nothing else, wonderful and complicated
Once you get used to the style it's nice, specially the jazzy/folky songs.
I never got Tom Waits and I was hoping this would change my mind. It did not. I've never been able to appreciate the lead singer who can't sing, and I have trouble getting past it, even when the songwriting and lyrics are good.
Tom Waits siendo Tom Waits. Alguna de sus canciones típicas. Hombre orquesta, lo que se espera de él.
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.
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