To the posters who appreciate Waits as an original and a great artist, what is your favorite record, and how do you like the new record? the sound on the new record is a bitmuddy, but then it was recorded in an old abandon school house in mississippi. My personal favorite is Alice (2002 version), who else in music today is writing these kinds of songs? When I think of independent music and musicians, Waits comes to mind. I would have started a new thread on his records but fear alot of people on here dont appreciate his material. I just read that Mark Mcgrath is playing the lead in the US version of the Black Rider......could this be the sugar ray singer??????

Anyone interested in trading Waits live shows, I can send you my show list. I have a ton of shows, and a just about all of his videos, (Big Time in avi format, and a load of live footage) If you've never seen Big Time, my advice is to see it!!!! It is one of the best things to come out of the 80s. The ending with him signing "innocent when you dream" in the shower is heart wrenching. His role in "Down By Law" the Jarmusch flick is just brilliant. I guess you can see I am a huge Waits fan. There is just so much to like about an artist that does it on his own terms, if youve ever listened to his material from 85 to the present you'll know what I mean. His early stuff was alot of shtick, but after Swordfishtrombones and his marraige to Kathleen Brennan his material has continuously gotten better and more "independent".

I'll quit stumping for Waits now.

One of my favorites.

I might just have to go out and buy the new record...

ticdouloureaux wrote:His early stuff was alot of shtick, but after Swordfishtrombones and his marraige to Kathleen Brennan his material has continuously gotten better and more "independent".

as a huge tom waits fan, i have to differ. his stuff now is just as shtick as the 70's stuff was. come on, he's been redoing bone machine for the last 2-3 albums. what makes tom waits work (when i get past the silly persona that's becoming harder and harder to take seriously) is that his tunes themselves are really quite good. and in a lot of ways some of his simple piano tunes are really no differant than stuff off closing time or the early years, they are just ambiently recorded for spookiness/sparceness/effect and his gravely voice. If you take grapefoot moon off of closing time, have him play it on a slightly out of tune upright piano, add a bass clarinet and a kettle drum, and record it so it sounds lo fi in a hi fi way you got what he's doing now. also, swordfishtrombones/raindogs was not the turning point stylistically, it was the soundtrack to "one from the heart". You cant unring a bell is the floodgates for the latter stuff.

I've spent a lot of lonely sad nights drinking beer by myself in crummy rogers park apartment kitchens singing along with closing time, small change, and foriegn affairs.

ps, you are right about kathleen having a huge influence, and he admits as much.

"were all gonna be just dirt in the ground"

yes, i know i am a dork.

Angus Jung wrote:His later records got marginally more interesting due to the good taste of his wife, who made him listen to Beefheart and wrote some good lyrics for him.

actually, thats close, but throw in harry partch and most importantly, the first three Dr. John records. Anybody who is a waits or beefheart fan needs to own "the night tripper" by dr. john. That record is still a mindfuck almost to beefheartian levels. dont confuse his first 3 lp's for the crap he was later to do.

kathleen made him listen to beefheart? Thats comical, he never listened to beefheart before 83? laugh out loud.

ticdouloureaux wrote:kathleen made him listen to beefheart? Thats comical, he never listened to beefheart before 83? laugh out loud.

From the new Magnet:
M:You weren't acquainted with (Beefheart's) music in the 60's
Waits: Nope. I became more acquainted with him when I got married. My wife had all his records.

Zung?

I stand corrected, I still find it amusing to think he never listened to beefheart before he met his wife, thats all. He did say "more aquainted", which leads me to believe he had listened to it. On the other hand, just about evrything he says in interviews should be taken with a grain of salt. Do you have that whole interview, or a link to it?

rain dogs is probably my favorite along with Bone Machine. I'm solidly into Swordfish Trombones and onward minus Mule Variations. I thought that Mule sounded like Tom waits TRYING to sound like Tom Waits. But hey a bad waits album is as least as godd as the masterwork of anbody else.

Waits is great.

I don't quite understand how anyone could think he's been doing Bone Machine over and over again. Mule variations was a slight disapointment, but the music was in a different vein than BM. Blood Money and Alice sound nothing at all like Bone Machine, -nothing.

If you were to compare those last two albums to any other Waits it would have to be Black Rider, even so, they are their own beasts.

However,
I can't believe he would dig Beefheart.

I've heard only one Beefheart album "Ice Cream For Crow" and it is complete shit.

Mindless 3rd Grade shit joke level of intelegence shit.

I'll tell ya more about what I really think as soon as I get to know you all better.

-Wilson

p.s. You've all been sweating over who our next president will be...

well, it apparently is me.

-President Wilson