Rain Dogs

This was weird but not in a good way.

I know it’s not a joke, but it sure sounds like one. Terrible.

I still vividly remember my first listen of this album in 2019, cold wintery day walking to work and thinking, is this a parody? If it is a parody... What exactly is it a parody of? Is the singing a parody of some style i am unfamiliar with? If not, why is this on so many lists of 'the greatest album', is there something I am missing? Is everyone on planet earth just loving this, and i'm sitting there thinking, is this even music? On this revisit, I can't say my views have changed too much. Unless something really strange happens in the future, I can't imagine ever listening to this album after today. I kind of think, this is actively bad. Especially the first song. I kind of think, people are pretending this is good. It's not even that long at 52 mins, but it feels way way longer than 52 mins, it feels like it just keeps going on and on and on and on. NINETEEN songs! 19!!! if i get through a second listen today i would be surprised. Theres more to life than this album, and I have to believe people are pretending to like this, because if they actually like it... what am i missing? Downtown Train sounded like, i might like this if it was by someone else. But its by this clown. Clown music for clowns. Tom Waits for no man, I guess i am no man, because i really really don't like this album at all. I hate it, I hate the idea of it, i hate thinking about it, any second listening to it, could be time spent listening to a better album, a better song or even just a better silence. make it stop, stop pretending its good, its bad, its actively bad, and pretending to like something that sounds like this, doesn't make you cool, it just makes you someone who lies about the music you listen to, and if that makes you happy, then good for you. If i listen to this again, something has gone wrong somewhere, something has happened to me and i am not safe, i am in danger.

The infamous “pirate” album, with none of the fun of sea shanties. This is an album only a music critic could love. I couldn’t make it all the way through a single song.

I feel like this is some kind of inside joke I'm not a part of. 6 songs in and I still don't know what's happening so I'm going to call it. Abysmal.

It was like trying to drink a can of bad tasting beer. You’ll get through it eventually. Hard to believe Downtown Train turned into the version it is today. After reading Waits’ bio, I would have rather been assigned his earlier stuff.

Still don't get it. There's a lot of albums I haven't liked, but I understand what other people could see in them... But I really struggle with Tom Waits to understand what people enjoy in a lot of his work.

2/10

Bizarre sound

This is not a good album. Its discordant and generally unpleasant listening. Maybe thats the point? But in any case, one star. 1/5

Went into this expecting more like what I heard on Nighthawks at the Diner. Instead I got instrumentals and vocals that were grating to listen to for almost an hour.

No one can explain to me why Tom Waits is such an influence on other musicians, and no one can explain the benefit of his "music" if this album is indicative. I'm not surprised he hasn't had commercial success.

Two Tom Waits albums in a row. Give me a break.

Like listening to a really shite Leonard Cohen song. I hope Tom is still waiting. Utter tripe.

Not a big Tom waits guy in finding out

I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS

This shit has to stop - he's probably worse at singing than Roger Waters, but at least Roger Waters can write a tune...no more Tom Fucking Waits

Decent 3

Håpe detta e siste album av Waitsebassen?

Какая-то хрень

Not into it.

The problem is, he just sounds like the Cookie Monster, and I can't get that image out of my head....

Barely got through one listen

Nah player , take it on the road with the circus . One song was sweet and made me feel something. Nexttttttt

1/4 songs is fine and the rest was retarded carnival music, basically unlistenable.

Weird...

Don’t get the hype.

Fucking clown music

Garbage. Like all of Waits stuff. Only voice worse is Bob Dylan

A little too werid for me.

Not for me, too experimental

Nah I'm sorry not for me

eh

Couldn’t finish it, as the third song started like a man out of his mind, kicking down the door while wearing one of those tuba drum type contraptions on his back. I haven’t enjoyed a single one of this guys albums and I’m starting to wonder if it’s coincidence that Waits rhymes with Hates.

The instrumentation on this album is so good. The groove, the melodies, the music is absolutely fantastic. Moments of pure enjoyment and appreciation for how well the band plays each song, only to get interrupted by Tom Waits. Tom Waits is the villain in this album.

nicht so meins

Not a fan, Kinda waited for it to be finished

Totaal mijn ding niet

Tom Waits is certainly creative, but I can't handle his voice. I like Step Right Up, but it's not on this album. I think that's all I can listen to of his.

This is lame

Pile of shit his voice is crap and creepy

Yikes. Scary. Unlistenable.

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

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

holy sh$% why? going to be a big nope from me...

I hate this.

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.

Not a fan. Sounds like a cross between a pirate shanty and a theater production.

This is bad Tom Waits. I don't like much of his stuff, Heartattack and Vine was okay, this is just unlistenable dirge.

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.

dude never coughs

Fuck Tom Waits!

Not for me - I understand that it is good, and that it has had an impact. But my brain can't cope with it.

Dogshit

If I've learned anything from participating in this it's that I fucking hate Tom Waits

i hated this. so much

Attempting to get a hernia by singing?

Interesting, but not for me.

Not for me. Awful

Horrible

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.

Not for me

not for me

I like artistic forms of expression in music. But the music still has to sound good.

3.5

Singapore was disconcerting. Blind Love is fine if a bit honky tonky. Clap Hands is annoying to listen to. Cemetery Polka feels like a comedy show’s background noise. Jockey Full of Bourbon is... fine...I find his whisper singing annoying and his growling voice contrived. And then I basically stopped listening... felt like chaos for the sake of chaos.

Never actually listened to Tom Waits before. It started off ok - didn't hate it as much as I expected. I like the percussion, the dark tone and minor keys in Clap Hands. I don't usually listen to lyrics but found myself doing so here. But then it all started to go downhill with Cemetery Polka, Rain Dogs. Is this a joke? It's like circus music. It's one I'm struggling to finish.

I feel bad for those of you who listened to the whole album.

The first song.... what the hell haha this whole album sounds like it is based on sea shantys but with a Halloween influence. His voice is so god damn grating to me. Yeah I can’t listen to this.

Husky random crappy tunes

false

Not my thing.

I'd never heard Tom Waits before but I was expecting something a lot different. Maybe I'd confused him with Tom Pettty? (the first song spotify tried to play after the album finished was a Petty tune). It was basically one of those "wacky Gen X" albums, sounded like Nick Cave with the offbeat attitude from that Pogues song "Worms" - I can imagine one side-2 song being like this, but the whole album? No idea who would actually listen to it for fun. I sure wouldn't lol. 1/5.

8/10