Bone Machine

Love the room sounds. This album is wild. I feel like it doesn’t really make sense without reading through the lyrics.

Not as bad as people are saying, but I probably wouldn't seek it out to listen to.

Listened Before? N As usual, this Waits album was weird. Not really my cup of tea but I can appreciate the art. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Goin' Out West

Creepy sounding, weird dark lyrics. I like it. never heard anything like it before but I have known of the existence of it. over all very slow and not really my style so i wont go back to it but I did not mind it as much as some of the other albums I have listened to

What first sounds like someone jokingly singing in Mr. Krabs’ voice opens up into heartbreaking and actually very good songwriting. A lot of the riffs are memorable and the progression of the album works - as the last song ended I reached for my phone to turn it off, intuitively knowing the song was the conclusion. Overall, I’m extremely impressed with the songwriting, music, and subject matter. His voice is integral to the sound, but also makes it jarring and inaccessible. Make Adele cover this album and every song would be a hit, but it would be empty without Tom’s voice. I give it a three because it is compelling, but inherently flawed. I will be revisiting this album.

This was interesting. There were creative moments that gave almost the same vibe as Pink Floyd The Wall, just not executed at the same level which were intriguing. There were also moments I thought it had to be a Mr. Krabs AI. Somewhere between a 2 and 3 for me realistically.

Meh

Some good songs on here. Definitely seems like it'd be an acquired taste.

Spooky tunes from a guy with a sore throat .

i respect it but i don't want to hear it

Has it moments for sure but an entire album of Waits get's old fast. There are times I question how genuine he is and not just an act to make money.

You have to sift through a lot of Tom Waits to find the gems. He’s a good case for making greatest hits records. Who Are You and I Don’t Wanna Grow Up exemplify the Waits I enjoy. The Earth Died Screaming, no thanks. Averaging out to a 3 between the treasure and the trash.

Like most Tom Waits albums, I like some of the stuff, and I don't like some of the stuff. The stuff I like is really good. But I only like about half of the stuff on here.

Har egentlig ikke noget forhold til Tom Waits, så det var fedt at høre en hel plade. Den var mere varieret end jeg havde regnet med.

Rating: 6.5/10 Good album overall. Has a lot of great songs but some that I did not like at all. For better or worse, I really appreciate the emotion in his voice, he sings each song with a lot of passion. I prefer when he sings in a clean way rather than his signature raspy voice, the clean/slower songs were my favorites. Favorite songs: Dirt In The Ground, Who Are You, Jesus Gonna Be Here, Black Wings, I Don't Wanna Grow Up, That Feel. Worst songs: The Earth Died Screaming, In The Colosseum.

Может показаться, что это полное говно. Ну, во-первых, треки угарные. Не каждый решится весь альбом петь хриплым противным голосом, да еще и с такой удручающей мелодией. А во-вторых, музыка все-таки красивая. Это интересный опыт.

I like some songs here honestly, it's got a cool dark vibe. There's also a lot of stuff I could never listen to again and be perfectly happy. I think the 3 is fair, it's a touch over a 2.5, so 🤷

Not my favorite Waits album

Different style but nice things to take in this album

This a 2.5 stars but im going to go up to 3. It feels like I am on a raft in a never ending swamp pushing through the muck with a long stick. If I ever want to change careers to be a nocturnal aligator hunter/guide that says strange things to tourists, this will be the soundtrack of that life. My biggest issue with Tom Waits is that the lows are incredibly low, ear bleedingly low. but when I imagine myself on that swamp it makes me enjoy it quite a bit

Bonkers The instrumentals sound like a blind man parading round a scrapyard with drum sticks. Tom sounds like a deranged lunatic. Tough one to rate for me, I didn’t really like it bar a few tracks, but I give it some credit for just being so weird and singular. 2.6/5

Bone Machine gives you the feeling of being in a dark room listening to the musings of an old man. There is a strange mix between a more traditional rock sound, but then there are parts where it feels like you are truly listening to an unhinged man wailing country sounding songs at you. I'm not sure if I really enjoyed the album or I was just intrigued because I didn't know what was going to come next. Best: Goin' Out West Worst: I Don't Wanna Grow Up Note: Had to listen to "That Feel" on YouTube Music as it was not available on Spotify.

Great voice, interesting tunes

Interesting but ultimately not something I would choose to listen to

As someone who's reviewed 4 of his other albums, I can't really say he does much innovation on this one. What I can say is this is probably the most coherent of his discography. He's mature in the mood he's going for, which is Southern Gothic altering between heartbreaking, depressing ballads and unpredictable, unsettling mechanical tunes. There's more of an emphasis on the old Western atmosphere and harsh membranophones. I also like some of the song transitions, like "In the Colosseum" to "Goin Out West", or "Such a Scream" to "All Stripped Down." I found it to be less memorable than his other albums. Not just due to the lack of innovation, but also the lack of any major highlights. "Goin Out West" is probably the most accessible song on here, especially that sick riff, and certainly fitting for Fight Club. After that, my personal highlights were "Jesus Gonna Be Here", "The Earth Died Screaming", "Murder in the Red Barn", and "I Don't Wanna Grow Up." I've never been a fan of ballads, and I personally found all but "Dirt in the Ground" to be boring. The biggest issue is the length, not just of the record, but of the individual songs. There's a stretch in the 2nd half where 4 out of 5 songs are 4:30. With how slow the songs are, they don't keep my engagement. And if I don't care for the song, it feels like torture waiting for the next song to appear. The only entertainment is the lyrics in the stories or poetry he tells, but sometimes that doesn't do it for me. For example, I couldn't find anything redeemable about "Whistle Down the Wind." Why does "In the Colosseum" need to go on for almost 5 minutes? Cut a few songs, and cut the lengths. Strong start, but a very weak closing. The last very 4 songs are a bit of a mess, losing that consistency, and "That Feel", although an appropriate closer, wasn't that interesting.

Not for me but I was expecting worse

Many will find this difficult. I like it, give it a try. A few tries.

Je pense que j'ai mieux aimé que son autre album que j'ai eu de lui. J'aime le côté vraiment plus expérimental de celui-ci. Je suis toujours pas complètement séduit par sa voix et son style très typique blues, mais je comprends parfaitement le statut de cet album. 7/10

Having listened to one other Tom Waits album before today, I’m quite excited for this. I remember being quite blown away by his voice and how unique he sounded. Here’s hoping for more of the same today. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: The Earth Died Screaming, Who Are You I may have said this about the previous Tom Waits album, but I could completely understand if somebody loved this or if they despised it. It is as unusual as I’ve come to expect, with Waits’ voice being a gravelly baritone in the foreground with odd bluesy rock in the background. For me, I did enjoy this but I didn’t feel to be my favourite album of his so far. It wasn’t bad, but also wasn’t amazing.

More gospel sounding than I remember but still some good tracks including the Fight Club song and 'I Don't Wanna Grow Up'

It was alright! Liked some of the songs.

Jotain ehkä perversillä tavalla mielyttävää tuon miehen äänessä on. Kuuntelin kolmesti läpi ja viihdyin.

The voice of a rusted hacksaw

This album is very odd but I actually quite enjoyed it

Joo paras Waitsi tähä mennessä, mutta ois voinu olla ainoo Waitsi tällä listalla.

objectively good but not so playlist worthy

After the five-year break that followed Swordfish Trombones and Raindogs, it seems like Tom picked up where he left it off, continuing on his journey into the depths. As with the prior LPs, there are a few songs that I connect with, like “Jesus Gonna be Here”. The overall sound on this one is more stripped down, less interesting, and within the context of the prior two albums, it’s not offering anything new. I’ll round up to the score that I probably would have given it if it was the first LP we were offered.

Inte helt oävet.

it's strange but I fuck with it

Some good, some bad

Agh Tom Waits. I feel like I should, by prestige, like Tom Waits but I just don't get it. There would be snippets where I'm into it then it would quickly go somewhere I was not into at all. His voice shifts bug me. I dunno what to make of it all!

I like Tom Waits for being an innovator, pushing the boundaries of music, not repeating himself. The Bone Machine is one of the records that polarises opinion. It ain't an easy listen! It has a very industrial sound, percussion heavy and the production is cold and raw. Thank god for artist like Tom Waits however, music would be bland without him.

The swampy blues has a vibe. 3.5/5.

Exhausting Listen

Heel erg experimenteel. Het gevoel dat het in een kelder is opgenomen is alleszins aanwezig.

decent album, liked it better than the other one on the list.

Another Tom Waits collection of songs. This album is a good one of his for someone looking to investigate his legendary tone.

I said what I said about Tom Waits already, twice before. It’s getting tiresome repeating myself. This is the best album cover of his by far, this photo with the title and font is perfection. Dark ruminations here, it’s a very philosophically intense album, but he needed to let that all out. I hope he feels better now.

Well, I didn't hate this like the previous two Tom Waits albums. I'm not calling myself a fan but perhaps the gravel in his voice has filed down my hatred a smidge.

I prefer the sound of this album to Heartattack And Vine. It’s more rustic, raw, feral, in a way that really suits Waits’ voice. Especially the drums that sound like bones. The songs aren’t always as good as the general atmosphere is, but there are some corkers on there, and the second half of the record is pretty consistent (kudos to his wife, who appears to have co-written most of the second side, as well as the excellent ‘Dirt In The Ground’). 3.5

Tom Waits is weird. Some of his music have great melodies and jazzy vibes, others are just bizarre.

Genres: Experimental rock Formed: Los Angeles in 1972? Run time: 16 songs, 53 min, 29 sec The eleventh studio album. The most popular is track 10, “Goin’ Out West” with almost 13M plays on Spotify. There are seven other tracks with over 1M plays and the remaining eight tracks have over 600k plays. I’m not familiar with Tom Waits’ work but I guess his deep, gravelly voice makes him easy to identify. His lyrics often reflect the darker side of life and that is the case with this album. Although lyrically quite different, Waits sounds very similar to Van Morrison. If you just catch a bit of him singing you might mistake him for a rambling drunk. It requires some concentration to understand what he is singing and what the song is about. That said, he bangs his own drum and follows his own path. He is a trailblazer, but it’s not to my taste. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

Tom Waits revient une énième fois pour essayer de nous prouver qu'il peut obtenir plus de trois sur cinq sur un album. Encore raté.

Not sure Mr Waits is for me, it fine, just mo chance I'll listen again

I have such a weird relationship to Tom Waits. I feel like I should like his music, and lots of people with great taste in music like his stuff, but it always leaves me wanting to listen to something else. I did really enjoy Nighthawks at the Diner, which I got on this list a few hundred albums ago. And the music that I make keeps getting compared to Tom Waits (generously, of course, I'm nowhere near his level of talent and skill). Individually, I like some of these songs, and I find most of the others interesting. As a whole, they start to grate on me when put into the context of an album, since it feels like a lot of them are similar in weird ways. Or maybe I just don't like his voice, idk. Regardless, I continue to feel about Tom Waits the way that I've always felt about him, which is that I feel like I should like him, but there's just so much stuff that I actively enjoy listening to more than this 3/5 I can see the merit in it, so I don't think it deserves a sub-50% grade, but I also can't justify anything higher, since I'm feeling pretty glad right now that the album is over

I was dreading, and I mean DREADING listening to this album given my prior experience with Tom Waits on the list. Found myself shocked that Waits opts for a less growly and more melodic vocal approach here, one that allowed me to focus better on the creative instrumentation and melodies building up each track. While I don't know if I would return to this LP, I did not hate my experience with it and that's much more than I expected!

lol bone machine

I love Tom Waits. But this feels like a fuller version of what he's done before on Swordfishtrombones and Frank's Wild Years and such. It feels like he's gone from a broader pallette to just sticking to mutant blues. I think the Grammy win has deluded the author here.

I'll be honest, sometimes it's a bit of a strain. But then again, some tracks really land. Listened to half of this before. Have precious memories about The Ocean Doesn't Want Me because I heard it first on Gorillaz Pirate Radio. + The Earth Died Screaming + All Stripped Down + The Ocean Doesn't Want Me + Jesus Gonna Be Here

Sometimes he overdoes the deep, dark, gravelly voice, and it just sounds silly; when he reigns it in, he sounds awesome. I like the really stripped back bluesy ballads of murder, murder ballads if you will, like 'Murder In The Red Barn'. Not bad. 3 / 5 stars.

My first TW album and I'm sure there will be more to come. I understand that TW has a consistent groove thing and I admire that, but it doesn't mean I like it. It puts me on edge and I suffer for his art. (Mostly because of his voice)

Si Tom Waits so’ essere un figo, ma qui canta da ubriaco. Ne tengo 3 da riascoltare ma farò fatica a tenerle

Tom Waits has a wonderful gift for songwriting, composition and storytelling, not so much so for singing. He's for sure an acquired taste and won't be everyone's cup of tea. I enjoy it his music, albeit in spurts and small doses. Great record, but not one I'd listen to in regular rotation

Tom Waits is always an adventure, this time was no exception although it was just a decent adventure

Believe it or not I'm actually a big fan of Waits, have been since I first heard his vocals in Shrek 2 (little drop of poison). There are some great moments on this album. Stand outs: dirt in the ground, who are you this time, a little rain, goin' out west, whistle down this wind and that feel. This really feels like music for the apocalypse, either that or for the orcs of mordor or from some travelling circus in the mid-west in the thirties... In fact, I can't properly place it. It's chaotic, scratchy and raw. Lyrically Tom is pretty entertaining, it gets both absurd and vivid after a few listens. There are some numbers that don't quite hit imo, but there are also some worthwhile additions to his overall catalogue here. 3.5

Rating: 6/10

Tom Waits is certainly one-of-a-kind. I find him to be an acquired taste, and I'm not sure whether I have quite acquired it. I usually appreciate his work, but I only like listening to it in small doses. When I read that this album was recorded in a cellar with "just a cement floor and a hot water heater" that made perfect sense. While I think cellars with cement floors and hot water heaters are interesting to poke around in, I'm not sure I want to spend a lot of time there. 3 stars.

Debería volver a probarlo con un whisky en la mano. Las letras un puñal al corazón como siempre

Very enjoyable but wouldn’t be listening in my spare time

4/15, 27%

Interesting stuff.

I've never been able to digest Tom Waits but I respect his artistry. I cannot give this a 1 becuase of it. Am extra star for the fact that this album wasn't completely unlistenable for me, it had some decent moments.

The bones are their money

Weird

Very interesting from the begging. From someone else's commend - dark but not depressing. Cool, raw sounds. But it just continued as more (and worse) of the same and in the second half I just got bored. Last 3 songs made it better. Hard to decide between 2 and 3 stars.

I've seen people say that you either love or hate Tom Waits' music, but I'm pretty in the middle, at least regarding this album. I know one or two Tom Waits songs, but this is my first time listening to an album of his. It was nice. I'd say that a lot of the songs could stand to be shorter, but that is the curse of singer-songwriter albums; you write so many verses in an attempt to tell a story that the song has to be at least four and a half minutes long, minimum. Still, even if a lot of them were long, the songs weren't bad. There are some very interesting sounds present in these songs. Anyway, this serves as an interesting entry point into his music. I hope I enjoy some of his other albums even more. My favourite songs were Dirt In The Ground and I Don't Want To Grow Up.

The prior three albums to this one are my favorites; this one felt like where the schtick tipped over into almost a caricature of itself. I don’t hate it but it’s never been the Waits album I’d reach for.

Another Tom Waits album. Not bad. Not my thing. Very specific taste to enjoy this, and I could never see myself sitting back and listening to this.

I liked Rain Dogs considerably more, although there's a darker vibe to this that I appreciate. Tom Waits is a unique artist and while I don't always love his songs, the overall aesthetic is intriguing and puts you in a different world.

Interesting sound. I think I like it but still need more time.

SHACK for PM. tom waits doing what tom waits does here. of the 3 we've had on the list this one is the best yet. i don't know if that's a compliment or not.

Still waiting

Things I learnt from The List number 74: Tom Waits is a much more challenging listen than I had expected prior to starting The List.

(listened to first half) I definitely respect it and he does an excellent job at what he (presumably) set out to do, but it's weird to imagine actually listening to this. That rain song was genuinely pretty good though

Not bad, soulful voice

I mean, what happened to this poor soul's voice?

Who do you voodoo, bitch?

good sound but a little same-y

This is the second album I've gotten of Tom Wait's. He is such a weird, eclectic, unique musician. While I enjoyed it at face value, this is not something that I would regularly listen to.

Strano?

Boner madick

bloke majeans

5 albums in the 1001 is too many. He's ok but not that earthshatteringly groundbreaking. Once you've heard one they all merge into one grungy gruff throated barroom lowlife soliloquy. Still, they make good listening.......

Two Ton Waits records in the same week? Lucky me! This one was not anywhere as bad as Heartattack and Vine thank god. The vocals are much more bearable, but hardly discernible. 5/10

Reading about this album I expected to hate it, but wasn't all bad. The 'experimental' tag can go either way but there was definitely some good songs.

Really, who knew someone could find a million different ways to growl? My favorite growl styles were what was on display on tracks such as The Earth Died Screaming and Dark Wings. I am good with gravely vocals, but I sometimes felt like he was all growling, warbling, or mumbling, and no singing. I'm coining the term growlbling™ to identify this. Either way, I wasn't a huge fan of tracks where that was on display. Honestly, I loved a lot of the music; the minimal sound with very forward drumming, percussion, and/or morose piano made for a very dark/gothy blues vibe, something almost tribal or bayou voodoo. This album was southern gothic genre before southern gothic was cool. Goin' Out West was my absolute fave on this album; if I didn't know better, you might could have convinced me that it was from some unknown Rob Zombie unplugged session (coming soon to an MTV near you). You know that one Devil archetype -- the deep southern, prohibitionist-era, bluesy, mysterious, smooth-talking dark but not particularly evil figure? Yeah, THAT Devil's soundtrack is this album. I didn't love every song; hell, I didn't even love half the songs. But this made for a super interesting listen.

I didn’t get to listen to the whole album but I liked what I heard. 3*

I love 70s Tom Waits. Less enamoured with later stuff.

There's something about Tom Waits that I still totally can't wrap my head around. His vocal range goes from anger to an almost Bruce Springsteen-like crooning. I imagined that when Springsteen got older he was going to sound a bit more like Tom Waits. I think my first impression of Waits was on Primus' "Tommy The Cat." The scat-like voice he used was just so... bizarre. (Makes sense since Claypool is on this album.) Listening to this album, he went from songs angry to almost Beefheart-like. "Who Are You This Time" and "Whistle Down The Wind" were both very haunting. I guess my point is I'm still not sure of his work, like Beefheart. It's something I may have to listen to numerous times. It's just so... odd. So I'm going to give it a 3. Hard to believe this is album #200. Really?

I don't know. I'm just not sure an artist like Tom Waits should get more than one entry on this list (if he gets any). But maybe this is it. I could not stand the opening track (The Earth Died Screaming) and it reinforced my belief that his work is just strange and his voice is awful. But I quickly found myself enjoying other songs - nice musical arrangements, lyrics I could actually hear (which I admit are fantastic), and vocal styling I could tolerate. Dirt in the Ground has a soft sad jazz feel made even more despairing by his lyrics. All Stripped Down feels like a Dr. John kind of song - cool funky sound, although In the Colosseum felt like a far inferior version of this. Who Are You This Time might be his most beautiful song on the album - plays like a sad country song. A Little Rain and Whistle Down the Wind are close seconds - similar feel but each with more piano and guitar secondary. Jesus Gonna Be Here is a strange blues song but it might be his best vocals. Goin Out West felt so familiar - it is his coolest, funkiest, and rockiest musical arrangement. Knowing the Ramones version of I Don't Wanna Grow Up, I was eager to respect the original - not bad. With how bad a start this album got off to, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I almost gave it a 4.

It's a Tom Waits album, what else can you say? You either like it or not. Well I guess I'm the exception that proves the rule because I kinda like but I'm not a fan. One TW album sounds pretty much like the rest. For me, in small doses I can find enjoyment. 3 🌟

First time listening to a Tom Waits album, this is fun weird and wonderful album that makes me want to listen again.

too much tom waitz.

Too strange for me.

Hyvin onnistunu koherentti teema saundien, lyriikoiden ja levynkannen välillä. Mutta en kyllä voi sanoa että tykkäsin musasta muuten.

Sama kuin Rain Dogsiin, eli upeaa ja voimakasta, paikoin jopa hyytävän vahva tunnelma, mutta vähän liian outoa, että kuuntelisin useammin. 3.5/5.

Tykkäsin kyllä enemmän Rain Dogsista kuin tästä, mutta en oikein osaa sanoa miksi. 3/5

His voice takes some getting used to but I like it

I'm a huge Tom Waits fan. I'm least familiar with this era of his (early 90s), so that probably factors in to me not loving this album as much as some of his others. His voice can be a bit much even for a seasoned listener and this album features some of the more trying aspects of his vocal stylings... I get why some people loooove this album, but I feel like he's done better versions of this style of his. I suppose that's only because I have the knowledge of his future albums, though. If I were taking this one in when it first came out, it woulda probably blown my damn mind.

I think people will either think he is an absolute genius or he is complete garbage... So I expect a lot of 1 and 5-star ratings here. That being said, I'll give him 3 stars to contradict what I just said and comply with the craziness of this album...

Bone Machine by Tom Waits (1992) Ya gotta love Tom Waits. With uninhibited, poetic lyrics surrounded by God knows what musical inspiration, each song is wonderfully discomfiting and attractive. There’s just enough rhythmic and melodic convention to keep it from falling over the edge—which seems to be just where Mr. Waits wants us. I, for one, am content to sit there with him and enjoy the auditory panorama. It is reported that when Waits was informed that he won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for this record, he replied, “Alternative to what?” (Uh, pretty much everything, Tom). One wonders what kind of natural disaster caused the uniquely sour baritone timbre of Waits’ voice, but it’s worth celebrating. And his fascination with sticks (yes, sticks) on an album that is fixated on bones leaves the listener with an aural theme that’s unmistakable. If you only listen to one track on this album, try “The Ocean Doesn’t Want Me”, to get a sense what it must sound like for a guy who yearns for death by drowning, but who’s foiled by an uncooperative body of water—an excuse, of course, which is a mask for some other unexplained something that is, if nothing else, hideously humorous. Three cheers for the “strangels” and the “braingels” and the ocean which will all still be there tomorrow. “Goin’ Out West” is a must addition to your road trip playlist, especially in the ‘annoy the bejeezus out of the passengers’ mode. And special appreciation is due to Keith Richards for co-writing, guitar accompaniment, and backing vocals on the closing track, “That Feel”. He sounded old thirty years ago, and will likely sound old thirty years from now. Give this album a listen when you’re tired of everything else, or oftener if you please, and I hope you do. 3/5

Some good songs mixed with strange vocals but overall quite enjoyable. Favourite songs: - Jesus gonna be here - in the Colosseum - I don’t wanna grow up

Det kan noget. Voodoo-blues med rygerlunger

champ

Wel bijzonder maar niet geel luisterbaar

I don't hate the idea of experimental music, I think it has an important space in the overall musical landscape, I also think it's unlistenable. The work that it inspires will be great, and with that in mind, it's not a 0-star album but I would never listen to this by choice

70 pack year smoker sings the blues

Not my jam, I think. I didn’t not enjoy it, but it’s not something I’d miss if I never heard it again

Po meni ima Tomica boljih.

Good but lacking in variety. A bit Tom Waits by numbers.

I like Tom Waits. I definitely have to be in a certain mood to listen to him, and I don't often find myself in that type of mood. I appreciate his unique sound and voice.

In generale ho trovato quest'album molto interessante, a tratti dissonante, imperfetto, sperimentale, e Tom Waits un artista e interprete geniale, a cui piace giocare con la sua voce (e la sua tosse). È stata un'esperienza talmente ricca che a un certo punto è diventata pesante. Ho provato ad ascoltare l'album una seconda volta, ma ho abbandonato perché stremato. Il discorso è che, per me, prese singolarmente le tracce sono molto interessanti, ma messe tutte insieme trasformano l'album in qualcosa di troppo difficile da ascoltare. Dopo le prime due tracce, ero partito con un "minimo 4", ma a malincuore scendo a un voto più basso per via dell'ascolto indigesto. Forse me ne pentirò, forse avrei avuto bisogno di più tempo. Voto 3

Molto difficile da valutare perché non si capisce bene se siamo davanti a un'opera con profondità o no, a tratti sembra come se musicalmente non ci sia molta sostanza però in altri momenti ho la sensazione opposta. La sua voce è un pò la gioia e la condanna di questo disco perché accentra l'attenzione, il tono è efficace e complesso, ma di conseguenza confonde enormemente l'ascolto che fa fatica a concentrarsi sulla parte musicale che sembra nascondere cose interessanti. Alla lunga la teatralità mi stanca però mi l'espressività del disco non mi sembra finta.

You know, Tom Waits. It's cool if I'm in the mood, but sometimes I like his earlier stuff better.

When it hit it was kinda good. Too much boring stuff tho.

I love Tom Waits but this one is honestly a very middle of the road album for him. still, about half the album slaps so I suppose you could do worse.

A slightly darker and huskier Tom than I’d choose to spend time with. Though the ‘back 9’ is an absolute joy.

So far Tom Waits has accounted for 3% of the albums generated in this here group we’re in. Now I’m not saying he doesn’t warrant it - manifestly he’s a singular, extraordinary, influential voice in storytelling songs - it’s just *interesting* is all. Now: to the album. I enjoyed it. There’s more creativity and exploration in any single track than most artists manage in their whole careers. Here is an artist who gambles on weirdness like a man at the tracks where all the horses are called Weirdness. And it works: it’s inviting, obtuse, odd; the voices Waits conjures here are fantastic - a few featuring a high-pitched departure from his usual concrete-mixer grind. But (isn’t there always a but?) I didn’t feel this had enough to delineate it from Waits’ usual offerings to truly stand out. Perhaps if I’d heard this before Rain Dogs, or Swordfishtrombones I’d be talking about it differently. To me this just sounds like a fine Tom Waits album, rather than one of the 3% of albums that I absolutely must listen to before I die (or else!!!!).

I can respect it, but most of it just isn't for me.

I'm still new to Tom Waits, and I'm not sure if I should like him more than I do. This album is getting 3 stars because of rounding - and an assumption that the album might grow on me a little after a second listen.

Pretty much what you'd expect from Tom Waits. Intense singing, quirky instrumentation. Not pleasant, but interesting.

I'm very open to Tom Waits, but this is not my favourite album

Fucking odd but interesting

6/10. I really wish I didn't dislike how Tom Wait sounds so much, because I like his songwriting. That said, this album sounds a lot more chaotic and unpleasant right off the bat than Heartattack and Vine was, and the songs are more all over the place. "Who Are You This Time", and "A Little Rain" are pretty good though. If there was anything that would justify how bad some of this sounds it would be the lyric "In the colosseum, we call 'em as we see 'em". Honestly this is growing on me as I listen through it. "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" is nice too.

I find some of the songs more enjoyable than others. Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of gravelly voices, so it’s not my favorite, but it’s okay.

Not my stuff

Production: 14/20 Songwriting: 13/20 Innovation: 16/20 Bangers: 5/20 Emotional response: 8/20 =56 Interesting and enjoyable Tom

I'd give it more but it makes me want to cough the whole way through. Great songs, great lyrics, great atmosphere. Waits' voice is just a tad too much for me though.

There were some songs that I liked and others that were not it for me. In my eyes there are definitley a couple of good melodies and beats on this album. The way he was singing was sometimes destroying it a bit for me though.

ja best vet, super rauw en anders maar wel comfortabel om naar te luisteren. gekke gast wel 3/5

Rugged album

I have to be in a certain mood for Tom Waits. This album is good, but not great, in my opinion. I like quite a few of the songs, but it seems really disjointed. But definitely a 3.5 star more than a 3.

I think there’s a lot of context I’m missing to Tom Waits, but in both acclaimed albums I’ve now listened to, I’m just really not compelled to seek that context out. I’m sure there’s plenty of people he appeals to, but not me. I do appreciate the really creative instrumental direction and subtle production, but that voice is basically intolerable.

What’s the point of listening to a Tom Waits album if “Step Right Up” isn’t on it?

Uplifting.

Seems like a very divisive album - some love it, some hate ut. Unfortunately I’m on the side of those who don’t like it. Creepy at moments, with a sometimes umpleasant voice. It does sound authentic and original, I’ll give it that. It’s also certainly cohesive. Music to ambient a haunted mansion in halloween.

I like Tom Waits...usually. This album, not so much. The lo-fi production, kindergarten class percussion, and the bizarre (even by Waits' standards) vocals just make a combination that I don't enjoy. The lyrics are interesting, but there's just too much noise to get through to appreciate them.

achei um horror, lamento

Not my thing unfortunately, made me continuously uncomfortable. Which is the point in a way, so it's not quite getting one star.

Never really got Tom Waits - a stripped down Beefheart with all the good and bad weirdness that implies. Then every few tracks, along comes a country love song with a tortured sounding protagonist. This is an hour of that. It's alright but I don't get anything much from it. Maybe another one of his on here will do it.

🤪

I guess it has some artistic merit, its certainly unique and interesting. But man will I never listen to this one again, in fact probably would have been just fine not listening to it at all.

- i cant ts genuinely not for me - its so gotham city walk down the street with grayscale to the max - id rather suck dih than listen to ts - i owe burger music apology

Nicht mein Favorit

Bah

Great

3/10 Not my thing, dude sounds like he needs a sip of water so badly.

Hold on, are you telling me this guy has more albums on the list than Pink Floyd?

that was weird.

I like Tom Waits voice, reminds me of The Wire theme song he did.

Tom Waits is interesting but a little goes a long way for me. Favorite track: Goin' Out West

Really not my favourite Tom Waits

Je n'ai pas compris l'album qui -disons le poliment- est expérimental avec une bande de copains bourrés qui s'essayent à la musique... mais quelle voix !!! Par sympathie je lui donne 2 étoiles

Starts off intriguing, but the gravely vocal schtick and pared down instrumentation gets really old really fast. Maybe would have if it had half the runtime, but there's nothing all that musically interesting. At its strongest when the songs are songs instead of abstract set pieces. Top tracks: Dirt in the Ground, Goin' Out West

Not the worst thing I've heard, almost started to enjoy it.

Tom Waits has one of the most unique voices in the alternative scene. In truth his music is rarely like anyone else, a combination of spoken word, miscellaneous growling and voodoo blues. That said, I actually didn’t like this album. Get why it’s here, and respect toward fans and artist, but if felt too Danny Elfman meets Screamin’ Jay Hawkins in a backwoods bayou Deliverance kind of way. Jesus Gonna Be Here and Who Are You were key tracks, and A Little Rain was pretty and soulful, but not enough to save the whole album for me. If I could give this album a 2.5 I would.

Meh.

I like Tom's voice as long as he uses it "conventionally". His high pitched pressurized (I don't know how to put it) singing is not for me, neither is the experimental nature of this album. One or two Ok-ish songs.

Tom just isn't doing it for me.

Yeah it’s fine

Gear: Hifiman HE6se v2 SE Artwork: 😱🩻⬛ Production (2023 Remaster): 😐👍🆗 Music: 😌🎤🤦 Rating: 🦴🦴/5

This album was rusted. I enjoyed the unique echo vibe my boy had going on, and how he kept that but had several vibes cooking at once throughout the album. However, it was just not the most enticing musically, so sorry buddy. Interested to explore more of Tom Waits' work, but this ain't quite my tempo. Favorite track was The Earth Died Screaming.

I'm too old for this shit

Don’t really get Tom Waits

I like Waits early stuff but this one doesn't do much for me. It was the critics darling but to me it's not musical and just odd. 2.5 stars

Bro what's the point of this The only track I kinda liked was Black Wings because of the instrumental.

Not for me.

Sonically very cool, love the percussion. But musically does nothing for me and found it rather boring.

Some of these songs aren't bad. Murder In The Red Barn for example. It's fine on its own, but after listening to practically the same song 10 times in a row it gets boring. The vocals aren't that bad and the instrumentals are very limited, but I think it works. At least it can work and in some songs is does. But as a whole, it just makes for a forgettable album. I like the cover though.

2.1 Second Tom Waits album in 11 days, yikes. Saving grace is that this was a lot better than Swordfish trombone, but that isn't saying much. There's actually some interesting stuff on here, but it gets ruined by too many songs just being shite and unnecessary. I think a refined approach, stripped down songs, less intensity on the accented vocals, would make it a palatable album. But at the end of the day that's not what he's going for. I respect that, but I still think it's shite because of it.

Tom Waits is always a weird one for me. I love the grit in his voice, but sometimes he just sings...weird. I don't know how to explain it. There's songs where it sounds like he is actually singing authentically, and there are others where it sounds like he's "putting on" a voice to fit a theme. This, in the case of this album, often does not work to its benefit. However, there are a fair amount of songs where Tom does use his actual voice, and it sounds nice. I like the "working in a coal mine" or "hanging out in a tavern" vibe. It started out pretty bad, but it fortunately did improve a bit with time. Still, one of the weaker albums from Waits' discography, in my opinion.

I only liked "The Earth Died Screaming", the rest it was unbearable to me.

4.5/10

Some of the music itself was interesting, but the vocals were a bridge too far.

We get it you smoke a lot of cigarettes

This is definitely interesting and there are parts of the chaos that I actually really enjoy, and then there are parts where I just get annoyed.

Just not for me.

I was familiar with Tom Waits, though not with this album. “Bone Machine” has changed my view of him—and not exactly for the better. In the first four songs, he manages to completely hide his undeniable talents as a singer. After that, it sounds as if Tom Waits is singing in the kitchen and accompanying himself with the sounds of whatever objects are lying around. It actually only gets a little better when he finds the piano in the next room—“A Little Rain,” for example, is a real song, and not a bad one. Overall, I view “Bone Machine” as an experiment, and it’s simply in the nature of experiments to sometimes fail. However, on this list, I would expect only the successful ones.

There might be a good song or two in there somewhere, but Tom does not make it easy.

1.5

#880. I see that, at the time of this writing, that this album has an average score of 2.84, and I find that odd. Not because I think it should be higher, but because it is the lowest rated of all his albums on here, and if anything I think it's the best of the five, and all the other shit heaps should be rated even lower. This was really the only one of his that I found even slightly tolerable really, but I think maybe it's because I listened to it as if it was Zachariah Rigsby from Seven Psycopaths singing. Because Tom Waits is a real person, so if he's out there making music this terrible, then shame on him. But listening to it as if it's a serial killing psychopath singing, it fits much better. I noticed that my ratings of Mr. Waits' albums on here somewhat align with the five stages of grief. First, I was in denial that Heartattack and Vine could exist in the first place and be so terrible. Then, with Rain Dogs, I was angry that more than one of his albums were on this list, and angry at myself for listening to it. And then the bargaining step with Swordfishtrombones, where I gave it 2 stars, trying to convince myself more than anyone else that I was still having a good time. Nighthawks At The Diner filled me with depression and nearly caused me to rage quit this entire list altogether. And now here we are at Bone Machine, where I've come to accept that there's just a lot of shitty music out there, and there's nothing I can do about it. 2/5: fuck it, it's not like any of this matters anyway.

Unfortunately these (mostly) fine songs are delivered by Tom Waits doing his haunted-junkyard-gargoyle routine. I kept mentally recasting the vocals: “Who Are You” with the smoky warmth of Maggie Rogers, “A Little Rain” sweetened up by Vince Gill, and “Whistle Down the Wind” with the proper raspy ache of Ryan Bingham. Can we get a tribute album or does he need to die first?

There are people who love tom waits growling and his lyrical artistry. I cannot admit to being one of them. This kind of delivery wears thin after a while. Musically there is a lot going on though.

2,1/5

This man can't sing

This didn't click with me as much as Heartattack and Vine. It's depressing and the strange percussion parts didn't really come together into enjoyable rhythms. Some songs have real Captain Beefheart vibes too, but without being as interesting.

2/5

This one hits with all the trademark grit and clatter, but the piercing, metallic edge of his voice makes it tough to settle into. The songwriting is vivid and the percussion experiments are cool in concept, yet the delivery pushes past my comfort zone.

Greyið maðurinn hefur ekki fallegustu söngröddina. Byrjunarlögin fengu mig til að ímynda mér hunda/katta hljómsveit þar sem þau eru að rokka feitt en svo við mannfólkið heyrum bara gól og glamur. Sum lögin inn á milli ágæt

I like a couple/a few tracks, but the rest was weird or just not good.

Tom Waits is a visionary looking through broken and filthy welding goggles. He does have fantastic, wonderful, and genius level songs but they are very few and far between. Unfortunately this album didn’t contain any in my opinion.

I feel like I could maybe enjoy this live with the experimental percussion. I think the setting would matter too, maybe a deserted mine shaft, a ghost town, or a prison. Not my thing.

I had listened to 4 or 5 of his albums but never this one. It didn't add a lot to his cannon for me. If I'm going to listen to him it's probably going to be Rain Dogs or Mule Variations. This one has a lot of the same elements - gravel voice, klink/klank percussion, alternating between pretty and challenging songs but not many that broke through for me.

2/5 - If someone compiled 10 good Tom Waits songs for me, I might enjoy it. Unfortunately, Tom Waits is unable to do this himself. A small portion of the time, you get something that is unlike anything else you've heard before and hits just right. For most of the rest, he brings you back to that Thanksgiving dinner when your drunk uncle is banging pots and pans while growling at your dog.

Not really for me...

I like Tom Waits. But not always.

2.5

Can't get past the vocals

This album could have been quite beautiful if he didn't sing like a constipated antelope

fun ahh album cover i have mixed thoughts. some parts were really good but others im confused about the artistic direction favorite song: such a scream

Like bad villain music from a disney film if the voice actor had a sore throat

Didn't like Tom Waits music before, still don't.

Nah

I like Tom waits but not this one per se...

Well this album is certainly an experience, wouldn't say it quite struck me, but definitely found the listening experience intriguing. I really enjoyed couple of the songs on the album, but unfortunately felt like most were just filler. The country feel of the track"Black Wings" was somewhat surprising concidering the otherwise experimental tune of the album. In the end that ended up being my favorite track.

My neighbours’ kids were screaming and I really thought it was part of the track for a good 30 seconds

206/1001 Tom Waits - Bone Machine Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ After my last album from Tom Waits (Swordfishtrombones) and just about thinking it was ok. This was far harder going to enjoy. I just found a lot of songs that were practically impossible to get into. However, with impregnability of some songs, there were some ballads to ease the listening process.

Brorsan älskade Tom Waits. Han hade iaf typ alla skivor. Har hört mycket Tom Waits, second hand-hört. Fastnade aldrig själv. Tycker tex soundet och trummorna på denna skiva låter som en "knarkarkvart" å inte på ett coolt sätt. Men jag diggar verkligen "I dont wanna grow up". Det var också den läten min bror lyssnade mest på på denna skiva. Resten är fan sisådär.

:/

Très mauvaise première impression. Un coup j'aime bien c'est mélodique et sa voix cassée va bien, puis un coup il prend une voix nasillarde de merde avec une mélodie freaky et c'est vraiment nul. En gros hésite pas à boire une tisane Tom.

Blev lite skärrad i början men återhämtade mig lyckligtvis. Väldigt blandat, kan uppskatta hans röst, men ibland får jag bara upp bilden av ett dansande skelett i en kuslig scen i en barnfilm.

Shit vad bröligt det är! En aning för mycket för mina stackars ömma öron. Men det är rätt ballt. Är jag sugen på mer då? Nää

• Hadn’t realized how much Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters owed to Waits. While not the original, I like Apple’s album far better . . .

Oof yeah idk I like Waits but man he really must’ve been on something for this album. Kind of haunting the whole thing but a classic waits song or two to salvage

I really couldnt get into this one. I wanted to like it, but the songs are all over the place and Waits' voice can be grating at times. I think he took a big swing but it didnt quit connect for me.

2/5

Waits at his growliest, playing up the scruffy vagabond. The songs are good as always but it makes the execution not the easiest to listen to

I just hate this kind of singing so much. Everything about this is interesting, though. The percussiveness is really different, but also interesting and actually pretty solid to listen to. The songs that are heavy on vocals are painful to get through. I hate this album, because the majority of it is really good, and then any sort of singing ruins anything going on. The piano and steel guitar in "A Little Rain" is so beautiful, really well composed, and expertly mastered. But his voice sucks so much. It's like rubbing a cheese grater on my ears. The one song that does actually kind of work is "Black Wings". It ends up feeling more like spoken poetry with good music behind it, which is a niche that I actually like. I think it really only works because it does feel further from singing than all of the other songs. I just wish I didn't hate his singing so much, because then I think I would really enjoy this. Favorite Song(s): Black Wings

ehhhh...

I'm not really sure what I just experienced. It sure is an experimental / alternative album from an artist where I have just heard a few songs before. While interesting its not something for me... at all.

Hard listen - one or two songs I thought were ok Didn’t hate everything but it definitely wasn’t for me

huh?

Reminded too much of Doctor Jones, but this dude definitely didn't practice no medicine.

Not my favorite Tom Waits album. More than a bit grinding.

Nope, sorry Tom i still don't get it. Maybe the lower pitch ones i can just about listen to, but the higher pitched ones sound like a drunk, out of tune tramp has broken into a studio and commandeered the equipment

I really want to like Tom Waits; his music is different & the lyrics unusually strange which demonstrates his creativity & talent. Having said that it just simply doesn’t work for me.

Malardo

The vocals on "Dirt In The Ground" remind me of the Jack Black inward singing thing so that's pretty cool. I like the beat poetry ones but you can miss me with the blues stuff and definitely miss me with the funeral ballads. Bone Machine's sounds are intriguing and unique which is worth something. The spooky production and sparse instrumentation add to the creepiness of many of the tunes.

I think this is the 4th or 5th Tom Waits album I've had on here. I think he has like 20 albums so I fully expect more. He's authentic, original, and maybe insane. All that doesnt make this good or even listenable.

Hilariously, this album titled ""Bone Machine" sounds like what I imagine a drunken skeleton from a cartoon movie singing that he lost his jazz bar. Or maybe a grungy cat come to life. Either way, the lyrics become much more comical with the visuals.

I bought this album when it came out. Only thing I ever remembered was how Tom Waits sang "In the Colosseum". So gritty and just not the type of music I was interested in. It was comical. Years later I tried to give the album another chance. Wasn't impressed. Today I listened to it again for the first time in over a decade. I still don't get it. Reminds me of a sober Shane McGowan if Shane was American. The lyrics are probably prophetic and poetic and deal with serious dark topics... but I find it difficult to listen to as a whole album. I know it won best Alternative Album and I'm sure those that like weird stuff love this album. I love Mr. Bungle... but this I find grating. Having said all of that, I discovered the song "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" which I kinda liked. Buried as the 14th track it's not surprising I didn' remember it as I probably never made it that far too often. I also found it interesting Keith Richards co-wrote a song and played on "That Feel" which is the last track. Odd place for a song with a such a high profile guest. I like 1 out of 14 tracks after 30 years of trying.

It started off okay and I only got more impatient with it as it went on. I was just straight up not having a good time.

Don't like this at all

I had Tom just 4 days ago, and I didn't like it then either.

Why theres yet another Tom Waits album I don't know. After Rain Dogs don't really need more

Oh Tom Waits, I don’t know what to do with your works. It’s definitely unique and he writes some great songs but the performance just doesn’t work for me. I’m going to be generous and say 2+ stars.

Intresting, some songs were up my listening alley but others just sounded repetitive between them. Enjoyed it but not sure i would save it in my library. 7/10.

Pretty mid

I really don’t have anything productive to say about this album. The only thought going through my head is that someone in the world enjoys listening to this. I would love to have a conversation with them, not to belittle or bash them, but to understand what it is about it that grabs them. So salute to the people who like this, unfortunately, I was vehemently not on one of them.

One good song and some frustrating songs where the singer can't find their voice.

I was wondering when we'd get a Tom Waits album, but I wasn't anticipating it being this one.

Growly.

weird lil fella expertly using his weird lil fella privilege, but you gotta be in the mood for it, or it needs to be halloween or something

My man why are you coughing on the track. Even before (and continuing after) that this album felt a lot more yelly and a lot less fun than the other two (I think) we've had previously. Three albums feels like a lot for one artist and I didn't really think that they had such big differences that they were all necessary (as opposed to some of the Bowie albums and Beach Boys albums).

made for Hollywood and its just trying to hard to make music for films rather then for music

Both terrible and interesting

Didn’t resonate with me. Found this to be not very good. 2/5 Won’t listen again

i think i’d like this more if someone else were singing….

It was alright

This is certainly interesting, but that doesn't make it good. I dunno man, some songs work, others don't. I guess I'm glad I can say I've listened to a Tom Waits album, but I'd rather not listen to any another.

a grammy for this????? WHAT. what am i missing here

Sounded like a person who was having fun in the studio without putting much thought into it, relying on hus already established reputation. But I didn't warm to this experiment.

Like Leonard Cohen, just never understood the appeal.

More annoying than melodic. Sometimes I like Tom Waits, most of the time it just sounds like groaning with accompaniment

My dad played this album a lot when I was young so there’s a sense of nostalgia: albeit, not necessarily a good one. This album always made me feel uneasy but I chalked it up to me being young, so I went into it with an open mind thinking I would understand it as an adult. Nope, still feels like I’m in a horror movie. The percussion sounds are like something out of a torture chamber, vocals like an insane patient, guitars distorted like a bad acid trip. Anytime this album goes on it feels like all the positivity in my life has been undone. But I guess the album did its job causing intense feeling, as opposed to my previous rated album that felt hollow and boring. Can’t say this is boring - not many other albums sound like this; it’s just a little morbid for me. With that said, I’ll give it a 2 based on acclaim and individuality. This is either you love it or hate it.

05/10/2025 I dont look forward to this guy, honestly boring. Spotify listeners: 1.4 million

Baustelle, Dischingen, Deutschland. Etwas öde.

Definitely interesting and I like the industrial percussion but it was just too downbeat and depressing for me to enjoy

shit from an ass 2/5

Not another one.. I find myself getting annoyed with his voice. I like him as a person, and actor, and I respect him. I just don't dig his albums. It's not him, it's me. I suck. 2.

Too weird for me, couldn't finish

This album encompasses the strange to the bizarre. Definitely not for everyone. Still not sure it’s for me.

Jao, dosta lejm. Jednostavno predosadno. 2/5, 3/10

not bad, i was never a huge fan

Couple of good songs, but his voice - just couldn’t get used to it.

Wow, Tom you are all over the place...also why the heck are so many of his albums on this list! I don't hate the concept of the album and pulling together death, chaos, lost love, earth destruction...and at times its not horrible. It has elements of difference that do make it stand out. But I just wish he would sing in a normal voice that you could understand. I get this is all part of his character but it would be so much more effective and less of a joke if he didn't sound like Kermit on crack (Who are You). Also some of the lyrics were just so chaotic the message felt lost because it was so all over the place. Better than one of the albums we had but not as good as another.

This is the 3rd Tom Waits album I've gotten on this list. The first was the worst album I had heard at the time. The second was very slightly better. Surprisingly, this one isn't terrible. It's not great, but the majority of the tracks moved up the scale from terrible to annoying. There were even a few tracks that made it to weird, but listenable. I'm never going to be a Tom Waits fan, or even listen to this again, but it's a bit better.

This is very Trout Mask Replica-esque but not in a good way. but it looks like we've got another 4 albums to come for him to win me over. Great.

Quite a few songs sounded like someone was randomly hitting bins

Waits' scratchy voice, kinda poetic sounding

Every once in a while Tom Waits has a song that's good and I think, maybe I actually don't mind him. Then the next song comes on and I'm like what the fuck is this.

Crazy experimental apocalyptic album with lots of interesting sound bites. Pretty weird honestly but wasn’t a bad listen through, as lots of the songs had unexpected variations that pulled from other genres. Sometimes the songs felt they had some folk, blues, rock, or were even like a ballad. Lots of old school folk inspiration. Wasn’t a huge fan but was interesting. Very raw.

Well... Just really not for me

Tom Waits is tricky because he's one of those guys who needs someone looking over his shoulder and saying "THIS song's great, THAT one should stay on the cutting room floor," but having that kind of person around would probably kill his muse. There are several songs here of the former kind, and they're great, but many of the latter - songs where he seems to just be chasing some scrap of an idea and presenting an underbaked version of the results.

Not my music

Ok

This guy has 5 albums on here, a puzzling fact that I don't quite understand. It's a 2 fa me

I....don't like it? It has some interesting stuff, but is overall not great. It's like an annoying Willie Nelson. Cannot recommend.

My only other exposure to Tom Waits was Nighthawks at the Diner on this list, which may be the strongest 1 I’ve given to date out of my 100 albums. This was substantially better. I didn’t love it, but it actually sounded like an attempt at making music. I actually really enjoyed some of the slower songs on the record, but the voice/gristly/evil delivery of the rest of the songs just really isn’t grooving with me.

I love Tom Waits, but that love is conditional. When he is in "weird freak" mode the love fades completely. While there are a couple of nice tracks here, this album is too weird freak heavy for me.

Love tom waits but not this album

Not my cup of tea

Always thought Tom Waits was cool, but never really listened to him. His voice is an acquired taste. Some songs were good, others bored me.

Tom Waits 1992

I think the reason I can give Björk's weird stuff the time of day is that a) she’s got a beautiful voice b) I love her accent c) she’s fit On the contrary, Tom Waits gives the impression of a down-&-out old busker that has been given the keys to a multi-million pound studio. “Yeah, mate, the percussion is over here; the instruments are over there; just bash and twang and blow whatever you like and I’ll be back in an hour”. On the positive side, it’s entertaining. It’s fun. In fact some of the tracks are actually quite good. He seems to be using a different ‘voice’ for every song so he’s clearly taking the piss and enjoying himself. Not dreadful but not one for my collection. 2½

Meh, I feel like Tom Waits tries to hard to make wacky music. I hesitate to call it that, it’s mostly just sounds.

Tom Waits has a spectrum that goes from “pretending to be a deranged lounge jazz singer” to “pretending to be a steam engine”. The closer he gets to the latter, the worse he is. Some of these songs are kind of great. Dirt in the Ground is kind of great! But for every Dirt in the Ground there’s two songs where he’s like “Hooh! Hah! Clang! Bang!” and it’s a bit rough.

Voodoo blues, interesting for a few songs but not for me

nope

Not my jam, but cool!