01	Ol`55						03:58
	02	I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You						03:54
	03	Virginia Avenue						03:10
	04	Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)						03:40
	05	Midnight Lullabay						03:26
	06	Martha						04:30
	07	Rosie						04:03
	08	Lonely						03:12
	09	Ice Cream Man						03:05
	10	Little Trip To Heaven (On The Wings Of Your Love)						03:38
	11	Grapefruit Moon						04:50
	12	Closing Time						04:20

Closing Time, 1973
(P) & c 1973 Elektra Entertainment SD 5061 (a division of Warner Communications Inc.) for the US
and WEA International Inc. for the world outside the US.
Fifth Floor Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
Asylum SD 5061 (1973). Asylum SYL 9007 (1973). Asylum K53030 (1976)
Tom Waits: Celeste, Vocals, Main Performer, Guitar, Piano (all songs written by Tom Waits)
John Seiter: Drums, Vocals (Background)
Tony Terran: Trumpet
Bill Plummer: Bass
Shep Cooke: Vocals, Guitar
Delbert Bennett: Trumpet
Arni Egilsson: Bass
Jesse Ehrlich: Cello
Peter Klimes: Guitar
This production committed to Asylum by Herb Cohen
Jerry Yester: Producer for Third Story Productions
Richie Moore: Engineer
Cal Schenkel: Package design
Ed Caraeff: Photography
Herb Cohen: Management


Recorded at Sunset Sound, Hollywood,
Engineered by Richie Moore;
Mixed at Wally Heider Recorders
Package design: Cal Schenkel; Photography by Ed Caraeff
All selections written by Tom Waits;
All selections published by Fifth Floor Music Inc., ASCAP
This production committed to Asylum by Herb Cohen






TOM WAITS

"An inebriated good evening to you all"



General Rating: 3

General Category: The singer-songwriting mishmash of the 60s/70s

Introduction

ALBUM REVIEWS:

1971: The Early Years Vol. 1
1971: The Early Years Vol. 2
1973: Closing Time
1974: The Heart Of Saturday Night
1975: Nighthawks At The Diner
1976: Small Change
1977: Foreign Affairs
1978: Blue Valentine
1980: Heartattack And Vine
1983: Swordfishtrombones
1985: Rain Dogs
1987: Franks Wild Years
1988: Big Time
1992: Bone Machine
1993: The Black Rider
1999: Mule Variations
2002: Alice
2002: Blood Money
Disclaimer: this page is not written by from the point of view of a Tom Waits fanatic and is not generally intended for narrow-perspective Tom Waits fanatics. If you are deeply offended by criticism, non-worshipping approach to your favourite artist, or opinions that do not match your own, do not read any further. If you are not, please consult the guidelines for sending your comments before doing so. For information on reviewing principles, please see the introduction. For specific non-comment-related questions, consult the message board.

For reading convenience, please open the reader comments section in a parallel browser window.

Introduction

It's a little tough to write anything on Tom Waits - he's one of those artists you have to really really dig deep into before you can actually pronounce final and firm judgement, and I've only been listening to him for several months as of the time of this writing. Despite all of his controversies, diversity, and weirdness, Tom fits into the "singer-songwriter" category quite fine, if only because to Mr Waits, music was always only one side of the schtick - and more often than not, an inferior one. It's not that Waits could never write melodies. I'll be the first to admit that, unlike many of his singer-songwriting colleagues (say, the one whose name begins with a season and ends with an age period, for instance), Tom paid a good deal of attention to melodies more often than not; less in the early period, much more so in the later period. Besides, essentially Tom is more of a jazz than of a rock person, and you know the jazz definition of melody is quite a different thing altogether. But that's not the thing - the thing is, it's the combination of the music, the lyrics, and the vocal delivery that does the trick. I'd say even, it's the vocal delivery that does the trick most effectively: were Tom to sing la-la-la all the time, it wouldn't have worked out that well, but it would still be laudable.
The most amazing thing about Mr Waits, of course, is how he managed to reinvent himself so drastically and radically over the years. He began his career in the early Seventies as a simple, unpretentious piano balladeer - filling in a niche in the pop/rock world that had so far been neglected. If Dylan was essentially dwelling in the back of his own mind and Springsteen was dwelling in the slums of the big city, Waits chose the night life of said big city as his emploi and settled his protagonist in/outside of/close to the cheapest saloon in town. First the protagonist just romanticized on any subject he could find, but soon enough he also began rambling philosophical and in the end Waits settled down into a joint emploi, as is the usual term, 'beatnik-poet-meets-Hollywood-noir', you know the drift. With increasingly sophisticated lyrics and increasingly lowered voice (until he started sounding like a cross between a white Louis Armstrong and Azrael the Angel of Death), Tom managed to capture both emplois to a tee.
Then "trouble came", as in the early Eighties, with albums like Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs, Waits almost completely reinvented himself as a rather detached, weird, slightly gaga, even, er, 'crooner' belting out rambling and inaccessible lyrics over totally crazy and increasingly complex jazzy patterns that used to border on avantgarde and often crossed that line. In other words, the guy became a Captain Beefheart of sorts, strange, incomprehensible, and for many people, totally off his rocker. And yet, his reputation hadn't suffered a bit - people who welcomed him as the ultimate barroom hero of all time unexpectedly accepted his new status as that of the revolutionary 'alternative' hero. To be fair, it should be noted that Waits' evolution was not as immediate as it may seem: attentive listening to his catalog in chronological order shows that this evolution was gradual, and Swordfishtrombones (1983) will not sound so completely shocking to anybody who's preceded it with Heartattack And Vine (1980), although, of course, putting that album back to back with Tom's first two records would be simply forcing the unconnectable puzzle pieces to connect, even more so, maybe, than when we juxtapose the first and last Beatles' album. Even more, despite the obvious and standard limitations of the entire 'singer-songwriting' genre, no two albums Waits ever made, apart from maybe two or three exceptions, really sound the same. There's always some new element added, some new twist of style to interest the listener.
Still, the very fact of that evolution is amazing. Many times in the history of pop/rock people had moved from something 'inaccessible' to 'accessible' - such was the fate of most prog-rockers, for instance. The reverse process, however, only happened while a band was 'growing up', like, for instance, the Beatles when they were maturing from a singles-based pop band to an album-based art-rock outfit. But Tom never had this need for maturation: his official debut album already beat out all competition, heck, even the Eagles took a song off it to cover it. You know how this 'sincere songwriting' business goes, anyway: once you've established your niche, you don't usually stray too far away from it. Waits is by far the only person I know who strayed so far away he nearly forgot the way back. For that alone, he certainly deserves recognition. And then there's the inventiveness, the voice, the magnificent lyrics, the clever arrangements... boy, where do I begin. Shit, let's just head on to the reviews.

READER COMMENTS SECTION

General Evaluation:

Listenability: 3/5. Tom's weird weird weird musical structures do take some getting used to...
Resonance: 5/5. Everything resonates. Absolutely. Tom doesn't write his melodies for the hooks, you know.
Originality: 3/5. He isn't the most original guy in history, but he did create a totally unique style out of a totally generic style.
Adequacy: 4/5. At times you'd say he goes over the top, but... uh...
Diversity: 2/5. Not much over here. But that ain't no big deal.
Overall: 3.4 = * * * on the rating scale.

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CLOSING TIME

Year Of Release: 1973
Record rating = 9
Overall rating = 12

I've never yet heard an album that would be more adequate to its title...
Best song: MARTHA

Track listing: 1) Ol' 55; 2) I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You; 3) Virginia Avenue; 4) Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards); 5) Midnight Lullaby; 6) Martha; 7) Rosie; 8) Lonely; 9) Ice Cream Man; 10) Little Trip To Heaven (On The Wings Of Your Love); 11) Grapefruit Moon; 12) Closing Time.

It's a very, very funny coincidence that Tom Waits' debut album came out in the exact same year as did Bruce Springsteen's one. Both men were apparently working in the same direction - establishing a distinct roots-based singer-songwriting style with a huge (and obligatory for every singer-songwriter) emphasis on introspectiveness and life philosophy, meaningful lyrics and a gruff, rough, down-to-earth vocal style. Both were Dylan fans. Both featured jazzy piano/brass arrangements to convey their thoughts (although Bruce did rely somewhat more on guitar).
And there the coincidences end, because Tom Waits has something Mr Springsteen didn't have, at least, not at the time: humility and lack of pretentions. Closing Time is light years away from Waits' schizophrenic Eighties' period; there's no way you could predict the bizarre turns and twists of Tom's career by listening to these simple, humble tunes, and frankly speaking, unless you have a high level of tolerancy for roots music, you'll have a really hard time sitting through this stuff, as it requires at least a couple of listens for the melodies to stand out. And when they do stand out, oh boy, do they stand out. Waits is thrice the melodymaker than the Boss could ever hope to be. Not that I blame the Boss - the Boss had other things to do with his life. Tom, meanwhile, just has to write interesting melodies, because so far, it would be hard for him to get by on the lyrics alone.
Not that the lyrics are bad. True to the album's name, it gives us a series of 'portraits' - lyrical portraits of people sitting down there at the bar, you know, all those losers with their complexes and depressions and memories and stuff that waste their time late at night with a drink and a... never mind. Very simple lyrical portraits. Simple is the word. A guy dreams of his old car; another guy watches a girl sitting in the corner; yet another guy phones a long-lost love; there's a guy wandering nearby who simply has nowhere to go; a guy sitting on his windowsill dreaming of a girl he can't get; you know how it goes. No cheap sentiments, no phoney heroism, no fake romanticism, no long-winded metaphors. Just realistic poetry, so realistic it almost hurts. The amazing thing is that what with all that simplicity and lack of complex forms, Waits somehow manages to evade cliches, or at least makes even the cliches seem right in their places. In a sense, Waits is acting like a "poetry sanitation agent" - ripping away all the artistic garments that had been piled upon it in the past years and returning to pure basics. Which is a harder and more dangerous occupation than trying to pile up a new garment, but Waits gets away with it.
But yeah, like I said, it would be a bit hard to make all the album dependent on lyrics alone and make the listener's interest never fade away. More good news is that Waits actually has a lot of stylistic diversity here. Sometimes he goes for painfully long stretches of watery piano balladry that's still beautiful, but can eventually become monotonous. But at other times, he interpolates his ballads with straightforward country, blues, fast rollicking jazz-pop and slow cabaret jazz stuff. So it's all in the same vein, yet everything is a little different.
Basically, the first seven songs on here are all winners. 'Ol' 55' is a gorgeous nostalgic ballad with some of the most touching piano chords you'll ever encounter in this whole genre; contrary to the majority, I think the Eagles covered it in a good way (they were Waits' label buddies and probably decided to do the beginning songwriter a favour, eh?), although it's obvious that the Eagles would have a hard time trying to beat Waits at his own game. 'I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You' switches from piano to acoustic guitar; it's the one song that tells about a guy watching a girl (nothing else) and while most of its chords are straightforward and fairly generic, the vocal melody somehow manages to be completely original and memorable, not to mention absolutely devastating in its simplicity and "naivete". 'Virginia Avenue' gives us Mr Waits in his 'gruff' emploi - the rampant self-inassured guy wandering from place to place with nothing to do, drunk, of course, and utterly miserable but not quite realising it himself. Note how Waits sings in unison with the ominous piano chords from time to time! Revel in that!
'Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)' is straight country, pulled out by Waits' vocal delivery and Waits' vocal delivery only. Put this song on Sweetheart Of The Rodeo and watch it crumble into dust; see, sometimes a gruffy-scruffy vocal delivery works where perfectly arranged vocal harmonies do not. But it's nothing compared to 'Midnight Lullaby', often called one of Waits' best songs ever - I don't know if I'd go that far, but I'm really astonished at how much energy and desperation it really packs in itself. A slow, loungey jazzy tune with mild piano chords and a lazy sax blowing and Waits singing his 'sing a song of sixpence, pocket full of rye/Hush-a bye my baby, no need to be crying' lines in a seemingly prostrated state, and yet every time he ends the verse with 'come on and dream...', the prostrated state becomes a self-imposed penalty rather than a random situation. If that doesn't make sense, let's just consider this sentence an incentive for your going out and getting acquired with this stuff, in case you aren't.
Still, my favourite is 'Martha' - I never thought a simple piano ballad backed with cheesy orchestration can be so beautiful, unless it's the Beatles or the Kinks, but yeah, I guess it can. The "those were the days of roses, poetry and prose" chorus really makes me weep if I'm in the mood for weeping. Amazing how a young guy in his Twenties can communicate an old man's genuine and sincere feelings with so much emotional power... the only other gentleman I know who'd be able to do that, but in an entirely different way, would be Mark Knopfler, I guess. And then there's 'Rosie'. Funny how 'Martha' and 'Rosie' follow each other. They have nothing in common mood-wise and everything in common arrangement-wise. Funny, eh? 'Rosie' is a good song, too.
I'm not iron solid, so I can't deny that the album loses me a bit in the final numbers - stuff like 'Lonely' and 'Little Trip To Heaven' is way too diluted for me, although even here ol' sly Tom has a move of salvation, suddenly putting out the only fast number on the record, the rollicking jazz-pop number 'Ice Cream Man'. At first it seems kinda incompatible with the rest of the album - hey, it's a fast smutty number about a woman lover that has nothing to do with depression or nostalgia and has that stupid arrogance that's lacking on the other songs. It's only on second listen that you understand the song fits in perfectly on this quasi-concept album - it really complements the big picture without falling out of it.
And so, with the final title track being an instrumental suite that's really supposed to symbolize the last minutes of the workin' day of our late-night bar, we fizzle out, and do we want to return there again? Well... I sure do. It's been a nice trip, well worth repeating. And in a certain way, I guess one could dub this Waits' best album, his first and freshest vehicle of self-expression that's nevertheless fully mature. Many people would consider this the beginning and end of their artistic growth; it is to Tom's favour that he didn't.





TOM WAITS

READER COMMENTS SECTION



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Introduction

Michael J. West (04.07.2001)

Moreover, some people were initially drawn to Tom Waits BECAUSE of his later, weirder work. I always had the same sort of overall feel from all of Tom's early records--sort of like Randy Newman's evil twin. You know, Randy is mumbling his Tin Pan Alley-like songs in a Holiday Inn bar, while Tom is groaning along in the smoky, seedy nightclub across the street. Good stuff, and grand listening, but nothing REALLY distinguishable outsideof the lyrics.
But then there was Swordfishtrombones. Wow! Does it get more original than that? Great mood, great sounds, and just an amazing sense of creativity. That's what made Tom Waits for me.

Vasiliy Zavorochayev (28.12.2001)

I cannot call Tom Waits as well-known and popular musician. But he is one of the most unequal and principal musicians and songwriters. All his creation was always non-commercial and full of musical investigations. We can recognize his style by moment: nobode else has such wonderful crazy-retro sound as Waits, sometimes it reminds the ages of Great Depression, sometimes we feel the intonations of pre-2nd-World-War-times, or sometimes Waits sounds as "respectable" jazz-man of 50-s... In any case Tom Waits sounds excellently! He hasn't really weak albums in his creation, though I can call some peaks in discography of Waits - albums of 1975 & 1976, 1985, 1993 & 1999 (sometimes I think about: what did Tom between 1993 and 1999?). It's particularly enjoyable to me that Tom Waits goes on to create masterpieces now - in the edge of Commercial Music Expansion and Crisis of New Ideas. I hope Tom will enjoy us in future yet.

Sam Mortlock (08.01.2002)

I really enjoyed reading your reviews of Tom Wait's albums and found them very perceptive. It's hard to find people (non-fanatics) who can enjoy and understand both parts of his career. However I really can't get my head around your ratings system. How can a great and original Tom Wait's album like Bone Machine (12) receive a lower overall rating than a bad and generic Who album like Who Are You (13). Otherwise great site - much better than other "amateur review" sites that I've seen on the web.

Raghu Mani (19.01.2002)

It is great to see that you have reviewed Tom Waits. He's been a favorite of mine for a very long time and he's one artist who has been cruelly neglected by both the music buying public as well as, to some extent, music reviewers (both amateurs and professional). I first heard of Tom Waits in 1985 in an issue of NME. NME had just come out with a list of the 100 greatest albums of all time and Swordfishtrombones was at #6. At that time I was still in India and couldn't find that album anywhere but I did find Rain Dogs and have been a big fan ever since. Of course the situation has improved after I came to the US and I have acquired most of his recorded output. However it has been hard to find any other fans - even in California where he supposedly lives. Most people haven't even heard *about* him - let alone heard anything by him. The situation seems to extend to the web reviewing community - as best as I can tell yours is the only Tom Waits review page out there. BTW - you are missing one album - the soundtrack for One from the heart. It is completely composed by Tom and features him and country singer Crystal Gayle singing all the songs - it works surprisingly well and is probably his most accessible album. And, to make things even better, he is coming out with *two* new albums in April this year. Hope to see reviews of those on your website soon!!

(26.01.2002)

there has been a time , when everyone (and i mean everyone) was teatened to listen to this man. i have got 3 waits lps in my collection, for which i didn`t paid a penny. people always thought, if someone ownes 5000 records, he MUST love tom waits. and i hated him so much. even the jarmusch-movies where going very sad, cause of this extrem phoney guy.
and all the graphic design students, who never even take a walk near the railwaystation after midnight told each other how authentical feelings of rotten hotelbeds with a lot too much whiskey the last night came over listening to these records. real bullshit this man.

What do YOU think about Tom Waits? Mail your ideas



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ALBUMS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE EARLY YEARS VOL. 1

No reader comments yet.

Looks like I'm up Shit Creek again! Where are your ideas?



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THE EARLY YEARS VOL. 2

No reader comments yet.

So it goes - mail your ideas



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CLOSING TIME

Adrian Denning (23.12.2001)

'Martha' and 'Lonely' are the highlights for me. They make me cry every time. This guy can write songs! And he sings in such an affecting manner! A wonderful debut proper.

Eric Miller (09.01.2002)

Most singer-songwriters become blander and more commercial with time--Tom worked backwards. In my (apparently unique) opinion, this is easily Tom's most overrated album. Don't get me wrong--it's solidly-written and entertaining enough, but the 70's AOR production on many of the tracks ultimately brings it down. In addition, his early singing voice is considerably less interesting than the rougher-than-sandpaper vocals he'd soon adopt. To tell you the truth, if he'd kept making albums like this I wouldn't be a fan.
Of all Tom's albums, this sounds the most comtemporary. "Ol' 55," "Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)," and "Rosie"--while good--are nevertheless dated country-rock.
The other side of the coin is 30's/40's late-night jazz balladry. In my opinion, "Midnight Lullabye" is the best song on the album. The way the heartfelt vocals combine with the lazily rolling piano (and that lovely coda) ensures a classic, simple yet affecting--just like a real lullaby! Meanwhile, "Grapefruit Moon" and "Little Trip to Heaven" are highlights worthy of Sinatra (or maybe Robert Goulet).
When I see the album cover, I imagine the song "Lonely."
Overall, this album is superior to whatever else was going on at the time, but only a hint of the greatness to come.

Raghu Mani (25.01.2002)

My first Tom Waits album was Rain Dogs, then Swordfishtrombones, then the later releases and finally worked my way back to his earlier albums. So when I heard Tom's voice on this one, I had quite a shock. My first reaction was 'that's not Tom Waits!!' - and I immediately disliked the album. After several listens, that feeling went away for the most part but I still do not like it as much as some of the later stuff. You put it on a par with stuff like Bone Machine and Frank's Wild Years - somehow I cannot rate it quite so high. Yes, its got some nice tunes but nothing really grabs me the way most of his other albums did.

Closing time! But you can still mail your ideas.



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THE HEART OF SATURDAY NIGHT

Eric Miller (09.01.2002)

A major improvement. The over-production is gone, and the songs have suddenly taken on a timeless quality. I'd give this album a higher rating than Closing Time, and I can't decide whether this or Small Change is his best pre-1983 album. Perhaps its strength lies in its consistency; from the opening notes, Tom sets an evocative late night low-life mood that he successfully maintains for the entire 40 minutes. He still sings with the same voice from the first album, but sometimes there's a bluesier edge to it. This was his first album produced by Bones Howe, and the arranger was Michael Melvoin (who worked with Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Michael Jackson, among others). Both sides open with fairly rollicking jazz numbers, then give way to thoughtful piano-and-orchestra ballads. "San Diego Serenade" is the best song on the album, though "Diamonds On My Windshield" may be the most important: Tom's first Beat poetry recitation is not only his best, but also one of the best in the genre. "Drunk On The Moon" is one of his best exercises in 40's vocal pop.
"The Ghosts Of Saturday Night"--a second recitation-- plays like a rehearsal for the next album.

Raghu Mani (25.01.2002)

Same as before, maybe just a little better. Tom's singing is quite similar to the last album and its got quite a few nice tunes. The change in subject matter from mostly simple love songs - this is quite a bit darker and more biting. Another thing that helps is that there seems to be a little more variety on this one - 'Diamonds on my Windshield' is a nice change of pace. I simply love the title track - more than any of the other stuff on either this or the previous album. So, I'd rate this a little higher than Closing Time but a fair bit below some of his later albums.

Please call me baby, and mail me your ideas.



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NIGHTHAWKS AT THE DINER

Eric Miller (10.01.2002)

You're pretty much dead-on. This album is really a cumulative experience. It isn't about songs--only 5 out the 18 tracks on the CD version are conventional songs by my estimation. Of these, "On A Foggy Night" is my favorite. It has a 40's torch-song quality, like something you'd here in an especially atmospheric film noir. "Better Off Without A Wife" and "Eggs And Sausage," which Tom performed on Saturday Night Live in 1977, are decent. The other two feel undeveloped, but that's hardly relevant in the context of the album.
Beat poetry recitations form the crux of the album. The profound influence of Kerouac and Bukowski on Tom is most keenly felt here, as Tom paints a picture steeped in anachronistic American Gothic. It's hard to pick a favorite among these, but I'd say "Putnam County," with some of Tom's best imagery and a melody perfectly suited to its theme.
The intros border on cheesy stand-up comedy, but that's not necessarily bad. The story about asking himself out on a date is hilarious.
The best way I can sum up this album is by saying that it's simultaneously intimate and affected. I can only recommend it to hardcore Waits fans.

andre hunt (20.01.2002)

THis is more of a general comment about the man, but I had to pick an album to fit this in. Do you ver get the feeling that there is something missing from almost every review, of either music or writing or art? In the past year I've been collecting a great deal of unreleased Waits on video and CD...the Drunk On THe Moon Boot, with outtakes from Freign Affiars, Paradise Alley, and Soundstage in Chicago, THe Bremen concert, the Ontario and London shows on video...the pull toward all this is irresistable, finding treasures like "Playin Hooky, Empty Pockets, Midnight Lullaby, The Undone, and the stark Scarecrow. You toss this in the computer, and you find yourself listening over and over to material that normally takes a half year to get to know so well....it's a facet of computer use that I've grown to greatly appreciate....It just starts up again when you restart, and it's always just a finger away from you when you're working or online. What this has done for me, is listen more deeply to phrasing, sound and space. An unknowner like Undone opens it's arms and wings to you, and you hear how much feeling Tom puts into the phrasing of each line. There's more content in a single sentence, phrasing-wise, then there is in a hundred popular tunes. Even blues songs don't have the content that Tom's songs have. These are truly sung from a deep inside space...you wonder if the shear sound of the phrasing has to come out, and that it's not just the need to song-write or perform, it's the depth of expression that Tom needs to explore. It then seems to come back to him and feed his talent and mind to push him to new levels. "The evenin' staggers home with it's tie undone...He's as poor as a churchmouse...and whistlin' out a nun...Tuggin in his shirt tail....jigglin a church key..... Then a whistle is heard). I hear such a great love and sympathy for the characters he writes about...It's this that carries through to me, as his piano just barely touches the keys to whisper a sad melody that oh so gently places you in the quiet. A great picture tells you how much in life you aren't really seeing, that perhaps you're coasting these days...that's why Tom is held so close to so many hearts. I think of him and a great warm feeling spreads across my chest...Sometimes I think I could give my life for him.

On a foggy night there's nothing better to do but mail your ideas.



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SMALL CHANGE

(05.07.2001)

I've always been intrigued by folks outside of New York, LA or Middle America who appreciate Tom Waits. For a while there it was getting tough to recommend what the budding Waits fan should buy next, since only a handful of his albums sound like others. Though listening chronologically it's entertaining, to say the least, to hear his voice slide down the gravel from croon to croak. Me, I love it all. "Step Right Up" was one of the first songs of his I heard, and it always puts me in the mindset of watching (pre-cable, pre-remote) TV in the 70's on a hot summer day, with all the loud commercials selling mortgages, aluminum siding, hide-a-beds and K-tel hits collections. They are cliches he's spouting, but all taken from American television at the time. Which, depending on your opinion of American pop "culture", may or may not be a good thing. Looking forward to your views on the rest of the Waits catalog, George!

Eric Miller (10.01.2002)

Again, I agree completely. This was Tom's pre-1983 critical and commericial apex (his only album to make the Billboard Top 100 till Mule Variations). And it's a lounge masterpiece. Well, maybe the word "lounge" is taking it a bit too far, but whenever I listen to it, I wonder whether it was put in the Rock or Jazz section of the record store. I mean, there are no guitars to be found--just Tom and his piano, backed by a seasoned jazz trio and occasional orchestration. And almost every song begins with the piano introducing the melody, then Tom crooning in a voice that now sounds like Louis Armstrong. During his concerts at the time, the audience usually applauds after a solo, like it's a jazz performance.
Anyway, "Tom Traubert's Blues" is easily the best song on the album. It's probably his most famous song, and suffice it to say, it's a defining moment in his career. "Invitation To The Blues" is also among his best. I can't believe it wasn't on the recent Used Songs compilation CD. One of his all-time catchiest melodies and most powerful vocal performances--it could've been a single! The part where the mournful strings enter as he says "Get me a room at the Squire/ and the fillin station's hiring" makes me want to cry.
Your comparison of "Step Right Up" and "Pasties And A G-String" to hip-hop is interesting. I guess it shows how Beat poetry played a big role in the development of rap?
Some of the other songs are kind of boring. An intelligent album, but not one to be analyzed. This one's from the heart. In our cynical, desensitized third millennium, it's an immeasurable consolation to hear something so real.

Raghu Mani (25.01.2002)

This is more like it. This is the first of his albums where he starts to sound like the Tom Waits I am familiar with (I have not heard Nighthawks at the Diner yet). The somgs are fantastic too. Right from the start, it grabs you and doesn't let go. My favorite song on the album is 'Invitation to the Blues' but three or four other tracks come close. Unlike you, I do not get worn out at the end of the album. I wouldn't call either 'The One that Got Away' or the title track standouts but I enjoyed them immensely. This one fully deserves the rating you gave it.

Step right up and mail your ideas.



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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Raghu Mani (18.02.2002)

Probably the worst album during his years at Asylum records. However, I do not find it as bad as you seem to. I listened to the Bette Midler duet fully expecting to hate it but it wasn't quite as bad as I expected it to be. I don't think I'll ever love it but it is interesting in its own way. By the way, Tom's work with Crystal Gayle on One from the Heart is a lot better than this. I cannot rave about any of the other songs except 'Burma Shave' which is a classic. However, most are listenable and some are quite nice. Anyway, I shouldn't complain too much - if this is his worst album then I have to say that the guy has maintained an amazingly high standard for most of his career.

Eric Miller (18.06.2002)

Definitely the cheesiest album Tom released! "I Never Talk to Strangers" is one of the very few songs by him I dislike, sounding way too much like something from a bad 70's variety show. "Jack and Neal/California Here I Come" isn't much better - and it's not a medley!
On the plus side, "Muriel" and "A Sight for Sore Eyes" are enjoyable if typical excursions into world-weary late-night piano balladry. Of course "Potter's Field" and "Burma Shave" are flat-out classics - the aural equivalent of watching a moody film noir.
The last two tracks bring the quality down again, but it's still a decent album. By all means try to find the out-takes/unreleased songs from this period. I can't understand why he didn't use a couple of them here...

I never talk to strangers unless they mail their ideas



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BLUE VALENTINE

Ward (06.09.2001)

This is one of his albums I listen to rarely, because while the good stuff is so good, the not-so-good stuff can outweigh it. But on the tearjerking scale, this is the album that gets you right in the stomach. His version of "Somewhere" runs rings around Barbra Streisand's, and I've been trying to figure out the mystery of "Kentucky Avenue" since I first heard it. By the time the strings approach the upper registers near the end (not unlike Barber's Adagio) I'm wiping my eyes. And the whole tune might have 4 chords.

Raghu Mani (25.01.2002)

I don't have Foreign Affairs but this is a bit of a letdown. I do like it - more than his first two - but, hearing this album right after Small Change (I got both at the same time), I was rather disappointed. I don't think songs like 'Somewhere' suit Tom's voice. The rest of the album sounds a bit like an inferior version of Small Change. Not that it's a bad album - I'd fully endorse your selection of '$29.00' as the best song on the album and 'Romeo is Bleeding' is great too - but I was hoping for some kind of progression from Small Change and this didn't quite fit the bill.

Somewhere, somehow, I guess your ideas are on their way



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HEARTATTACK AND VINE

Fidel Juarez (28.11.2001)

Being a Dylan, Lennon, Stones and Kinks' fan and all, I just had to write this:
The last time I shed tears (and I mean big ones, you know: in the size of bullfrogs, which doesn't mean that Waits ought to deserve a Kleenex award of sorts), was over the 1980's song "On a nickel". It touched a vibe, without being threatening. And it's been a while... Thank you Tom Waits.
(Induced with booze, through a sunny afternoon.)

Raghu Mani (25.01.2002)

Of all his pre-Swordfishtrombones albums, this (along with Small Change) is my favorite. There is very little I can say about it that you haven't said - basically I agree with all you say. There's isn't much variety here but nearly all the songs are fantastic. I heard Springsteen's version of 'Jersey Girl' before the original - and loved it. Now that I have heard the original - I must say that it knocks the Boss's version out of the park. My only gripe with this album is the instrumental 'In Shades' - not that it's bad but most instrumentals don't do much for me.

On the nickel over there, waiting for your ideas



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SWORDFISHTROMBONES

Raghu Mani (19.01.2002)

The presence of this album at #6 on NME's greatest albums list was what got me onto Tom Waits in the first place. However, I have to say that it isn't as good as all that. My main problem with the album are the three instrumentals - never been a big fan of purely instrumental music. The three spoken pieces - except for "Shore Leave" - do not do much for me either. The rest of the album is great but it somehow leaves you wanting, or maybe I should say expecting, a little bit more.

Just another sucker on the vine mailing his ideas?



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RAIN DOGS

Adrian Denning (23.12.2001)

Well, 'Singapore' is some way to open! 'Downtown Trains' was covered succesfully by Rod Stewart of all people. A wonderfully rich collection of songs all round and a possible entry point into the delightful world of Tom Waits. Reccomended!

Raghu Mani (19.01.2002)

This was the first album of Waits that I heard and it is still my favorite. It does have two more pointless instrumentals but those are easily skipped over and the rest is just great. It also features a great blend of the Tom Waits of the early years and the newer "crazy" Tom. I have played this and Swordfishtrombones to people and invariably this one seems to be easier to get into than its predecessor. Of course, people end up dismissing him as a Springsteen rip off - which just gets me down.

Clap hands and mail your ideas



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FRANKS WILD YEARS

Raghu Mani (25.01.2002)

Most people put this in a trilogy along with Swordfishtrobones and Rain Dogs and, all too often, it is considered the worst of the three. I don't think it is as good as Rain Dogs but I'd place it a little above Swordfishtrombones. Maybe just because there's more stuff on this album. No pointless instrumentals and no story/song fragments like 'Frank's Wild Years' ;-). I usually do not like songs being repeated on albums but I don't mind that here because the second version of the repeated song is markedly different from the first. Not a single bad song here and several classics including 'Hang on St Christopher', 'Innocent When You Dream' (both versions) and 'I'll be Gone'.

chris (01.10.2002)

'Innocent when you dream', awwww, geeee, its beautiful man, two toms for the price of one in more than one sense. I agree that this is better than swordfishtromnbone but perversely find raindogs REALLY REALLY more accessible. Is that wrong????

I'll be gone but your ideas will stay



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BIG TIME

No reader comments yet.

Strange weather preventing you from mailing your ideas?



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BONE MACHINE

Adrian Denning (23.12.2001)

This album was the first Tom Waits I heard, and appropriately enough, 'Earth Died Screaming' the first song of his I heard. It sounds like nothing else on earth. The 'doomy' atmosphere of this record, lightened by some the ballads works very well. 'I Don't Want To Grow Up' makes me smile all over. The whole thing is done with imagination, flair and Tom Waits character is all over this. A fantastic album.

Raghu Mani (19.01.2002)

Everyone calls this Waits' most inaccessible album and I can see why. However, it was anything but inaccessible for me. I loved it at the very first listen and, if anything, it feels even better now. The album is so incredibly dark - I've never heard anything quite like it. The only thing I suppose that could be close to this is Nick Cave's Murder Ballads (people say similar things about that album) - but I haven't heard that yet. Dylan's "Man in the Long Black Coat" has a similar atmosphere but that's just one song. Of course, this is one album that I cannot listen to many times in a row - too dark for that.

Laurie Brown (27.02.2002)

I'm a little surprised that the reviewer can't see past the 'surface level' darkness of this album. I think the 'tongue-in-cheek' element of Tom's music has been overlooked to a great extent on this page, and no-where is it more obvious than in the review of Bone Machine. Intersting also that you've labeled "Jesus gonna be here" as an anti-Christian song - I think you'll find that Waits' "religious songs" are almost always an attack on the commercialisation of religion, rather than an attack on the faith itself (it could be argued that Waits has strong leanings toward Christianity - but you'd have to ask him yourself). I'd urge those new to Waits to please not ignore the humour, and those reviewing him to avoid trying to explain the songs.
[Special author note: I'm a little surprised that the commentator can't see past the 'surface level' seriousness of this review. I think the 'Tom-Waits-is-multilateral' element of this page has been overlooked to a great extent in this comment, and no-where is it more obvious than in the remark that I've labeled "Jesus Gonna Be Here" as an anti-Christian song, which I obviously did not (it's one thing to say 'a song that could anger the entire Christiandom' and another thing to say 'anti Christian'). I'd urge those new to Waits to please read the reviews carefully, and those commenting on the reviews to avoid trying to make everybody else seem like idiots.]

Who are you? Why haven't you mailed your ideas?



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THE BLACK RIDER

(11.02.2002)

Good driving Waits. Slap it in the car when you are driving through little towns at dusk and spend an hour with Nutty Uncle Tom at the Circus Freak Show. Couple of great Waits ballads thrown in - 'Briar and The Rose', 'Shoot The Moon'. At times subtle, occasionally annoying, often funny, could be the sound track to a Ray Bradbury screen play - by Frank Ia_Tve grown to like it.

Raghu Mani (18.02.2002)

Now this one mixed-up album. On the positive side, some of the weirder stuff actually works rather well. On the negative side the ballads with a couple of exceptions are rather boring and there are far too many pointless instrumentals - one of the few things about Waits I really do not like. And what's with the religion bashing? On every album since Frank's Wild Years, there has been at least one song that takes veiled (and sometimes not so veiled) potshots at religion. Overall, I have mixed feelings for this - a little more focus on the songs and a little less on the overall concept would have made this a good album. As it is, I'd probably have to rate this, along with Foreign Affairs as one of the low points of his career.

T'aint no sin to mail your ideas



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MULE VARIATIONS

Jordan Ruud (04.01.2002)

I actually think Mule Variations is Waits's best album - it's just got an amazing and consistent atmosphere: the ballads are indeed schmaltzy and beautiful - yet in an unpretentious way that makes them seem incredibly sincere. And there's also the brilliant surreal songs like "Black Market Baby" and "Eyeball Kid", which make me think of some Faulknerian lowlifes crawling through a swamp full of dim, glowing lights and strange echoes. It's an essential album for anybody who didn't think Rain Dogs and Swordfishtrombones were too weird.

Raghu Mani (19.01.2002)

Somehow I have never managed to get into this album. Yeah its good but there seems to be something missing. It starts off great with "Big In Japan" but after that it seems to lose its way a little (or at least, it loses me). The last few songs - starting with "Georgia Lee" = are very nice but a lot of the songs till then don't really seem to excite me. A lot of them seem like inferior versions of stuff he did before. Still, overall it is a good album - but it is a bit of a let down after Bone Machine.

Come on up to the house and mail your ideas



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ALICE

Adrian Denning (19.08.2002)

This is one of the most beautiful albums i've heard in my entire life. Tom Waits owes absolutely nothing to my favourite album ever, Pet Sounds, but somedays, this Alice album just makes me weep and cry tears of joy. The title song is THE most gorgeous thing he's ever done, and there are similar such moments sprinkled throughout. One or two more raucous moments provide the neccessary variety, making this is one fine album. I'd place it as a personal favourite and as possibly my favourite ever Tom Waits album. That's how good it is. It takes a little time to sink in, on initial listening it seems as if Tom is doing nothing NEW, but then, the quality of the songs overcome that admirably.

We're all mad here, so mail your mad ideas



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BLOOD MONEY

Adrian Denning (19.08.2002)

A bunch of fine songs, but lacks the emotional resonance of Alice. The songs aren't as good. The emphasis on the 'beating out sheets of metal' Tom Waits sounds results in a clutch of songs, like the songs from Alice, that Tom has covered stylistically before - but unlike Alice, this time round, Tom has done this sort of thing far better in the past.

Everything goes to Hell except your ideas



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