Tom Waits - Raindogs

EarsEarsEars

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Feb 18, 2009
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Came across Tom Waits stuff on Last FM recently and really enjoyed it so bought Raindogs a couple of weeks ago.

Can't believe I'd never heard of his stuff before. Absolutely brilliant and a bit bonkers. Often at the same time. The guy has an amazing voice and I'm loving the whole album's creativity. Also like the way the second half of the album moves from the sort of experimental percussion and drunken New-Orleansy, Cuba-ish feel of the first half and into a bluegrassy style.

I'm clearly finding a description heard to nail down, but had to mention it becasue I think it's just brilliant.

Cheers!

Ears
 
A

Anonymous

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Mr ears, You have just discovered a truly exceptional album by one of music's true artists and the second best lyricist in the history of rock'n'roll.

His earlier period (Small Change etc) is indeed fab – smoky jazz-inflected barfly blues, late night whisky-drinking, tall tale-telling, croaky-voiced drunk piano playing etc etc –

But the period in which Waits' music crucially changed (beginning with Swordfish Trombone, then Rain Dogs) was one of the most brilliant and brave artistic adventures embarked upon in the recent history of music. Inspired by a new wife and (apparently) Captain Beefheart, Waits tried – and succeeded – in creating a new American musical dialect: a blues-based soundworld of clanking percussion, banjos, guitars that sound like they're strung with chicken wire, tin cans, train horns and bits of railroad banging on an ol' shed door. And other brilliant bonkers stuff.

Rain Dogs also features the most underrated guitarist in the world, the sublime Marc Ribot – his solo on Clap hands is the most perfect blend of concision and utter madness you're ever likely to hear on a six-stringed instrument. Boring, cliched shredders the world over ought to listen to it and hang their heads in abject shame.

Enjoy and keep on enjoying, my friend: you have there an album that won't ever get tired. Rain Dogs is a classic.
 

EarsEarsEars

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What an excellent and informative post!

Makes me feel nearly as good reading that as listening to the album. You should, like, work for a magazine or sommat ; )

I think Swordfish Trombone will be next on the list.

Thanks for the great little synopsis.

Ears
 

ayjaycee

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The Heart of Saturday Night which, I think, was his second album (released 1974) has always been a fave of mine and, indeed, was one of the first that I bought on CD to replace the vinyl version when I bought my first CDP.

I have always regarded Rickie Lee Jones as the female equivalent of Tom Waits and cannot recommend her work highly enough. Her first album ('Rickie Lee Jones') from 1979 sits very near the top of my all time faves list and even after all this time is never far away from the HiFi.

Recommend you check them both out and see where that takes you.
 

survivor

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I also recommend `The Heart Of Saturday Night` along with `Closing Time` and `Heartattack and Vine`. No collection is complete without a bit of Tom Waits!
 

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