Tom Waits fans - recommend songs!

Dave!

Hey folks,

I only discovered Tom Waits about a year or two ago, but I'm not a fan of all of his songs! The ones I like tend to be his softer ballads, usually with just him on the piano or guitar. A few examples:

Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Kentucky Avenue
On the Nickel
Time
Jersey Boys

He's got a rather huge catalogue, so rather than digging through them all , I figure I'd just ask fans for suggestions of his songs that are in a similar vein. I find that I can take or leave some of his jazzier tunes, and some are just a bit nuts altogether But he has some serious talent as a songwriter!

Cheers folks

Dave!

Just reading through some other threads on Tom, and the consensus seems to be that the crazy sh*t is harder to get into, but once you do you don't look back Well I'll get a few albums when I'm back in Ireland -- for the time being the soft stuff is what I'm after! I'm a p*ssy, I know

Fanny Cradock

Dave! wrote: »

Just reading through some other threads on Tom, and the consensus seems to be that the crazy sh*t is harder to get into, but once you do you don't look back Well I'll get a few albums when I'm back in Ireland -- for the time being the soft stuff is what I'm after! I'm a p*ssy, I know

I actually find it hard to listen to some of the early stuff now. It's all a little too schmaltzy for my taste. website where you can stream a couple of songs from each album.
If you want an easy introduction, I reckon you start at the beginning (Closing time) and work your way up. But you can't beat Rain Dogs and his most recent stuff, IMO.

henryporter

If you want something in between the two extremes of barroom crooner and junkyard symphony try 'Mule Variations' (the album - in its entirety). Me? - I like them all!

stiffler123

Closing Time, I don't want to grow up and Step Right Up or some of my favourite songs of his.

nbrady20009

This is a cracking little Tom Waits song; Jockey Full of Bourbon, but sung by Youn Sun Nah. Better than the original I reckon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgWefgUxH2Y

kingofpain

norah jones - the long way home

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1m4fd_norah-jones-the-long-way-home_music

postdarwin

I suggest you get a hold of The Early Years Vol I and II

Bootsy.

A few of my favorites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7UHd7NVegE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cMWfKS5HxY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfXSef8FOAg

Setun

All good suggestions so far - Mule Variations is actually my favourite of his. His voice can be a bit "a drunk singing the american national anthem" (does that make sense??) for me at times, but I still love The Heart of Saturday Night. Real Gone is great if you want a bit of musical mayhem - God's Away On Business is a seriously good track.

kingofpain

Most of Orphans disc 2

also mostly limited to the softer ballads, through the rambling noisy stuff does have its charm (in smaller portions)

d'Oracle

I'm surprised "Tom Trauberts Blues: Three sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen" hasn't been mentioned. Make sure you YouTube the Old Grey Whistle test version.

Also:
Fallin' Down
Bottom of the world.

The whole Rain dogs album.

Wildebrian

Rain Dogs Rain Dogs and More Rain Dogs.

spongehaed

"All the world is green" off Blood money is brilliant, and yeah like others have said everything off raindogs. Give his cookie-monster stuff a chance and you'll never go back to "I hope I don't fall in love with you"

cursai

Hold on
Going out West
Phantom 309
Downtown Train

joewicklow

Nighthawks at the Diner.

Just treat the whole album as one song.

Hermy

Swordfishtrombone was my introduction to Tom.
Still one of my favourite albums of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvS5JKZ5GCk

Lady von Purple

Ice-Cream Man is one of my favourite Tom Waits songs. Slow intro and then it gets quite jazzy. So worth listening to.
Afte that, Dead and Lovely, very morose but fabulous lyrics.
How's It Gonna End is another softer ballad of his.
There's also Diamonds & Gold, Jockey Full of Bourbon, Gun Street Girl.

I love his ballads. Then again, I really suggest giving Everything Goes to Hell Anyway a listen, and actually the entirety of Blood Money because Tom Waits has a few different styles. He's got kinda jazzy songs like Ice-Cream Man, a whole different style in Blood Money -my favourite album- he's got his ballads which are great and then the insane stuff like the Alice album and Big in Japan which is harder to get into (imo).
My point there, long-winded though it was, is that you should try out a few songs from all of his styles because you'd probably like way more than just the ballads.

Anyway. Back to the playlist.
Ol' 55, I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You, Burma Shave, Barber Shop, Hold On and Fannin Street.

And give Blood Money a listen to because Tom Waits is such a talented songwriter and Everything Goes To Hell and Misery of the World are such wonderfully cynically poetic songs.

8826markb

Am a songwriter myself & thoroughly recommend the following Tom Waits albums:

Closing Time

Heart of Saturday Night

Small Change

Asylum Years

Heartattack & Vine

Oh & my stuff too @ http://www.reverbnation.com/mgctm1 :cool:

real rocker

8826markb wrote: »

Am a songwriter myself & thoroughly recommend the following Tom Waits albums:

Closing Time

Heart of Saturday Night

Small Change

Asylum Years

Heartattack & Vine

Oh & my stuff too @ http://www.reverbnation.com/mgctm1 :cool:

Hi Mark,
Your recommends on Tom Waits are spot on and your own material is worth a listen.
Well Done!
Sean Brophy www.dublincityfm.ie

damselnat

Gosh I love most of Waits' stuff...Rain Dogs and Blue Valentines are probably my favourite albums - Tango Til They're Sore up there as one of my absolute favourite songs full stop - and I really love his schmaltzy old stuff, but the wackier stuff has some absolute gems as well, I haven't listened to Orpahans...in a while, but one that sticks in my head from it is Lucinda, I loved that...must go back for another listen now, can't believe how long it's been!

Kwekubo

Orphans is essential if you're into Tom Waits, especially the Bawlers disc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1ehe3lsS3I

N.G.P

All the world is green

http://grooveshark.com/#/search?q=tom%20waits