Tom Waits album by album

AllMusic:

In the work of American songwriter Tom Waits, swampy blues, Beat poetry, West Coast jazz, Tin Pan Alley, country, 1930s-era cabaret, and post-Civil War parlor songs meet neon-lit carnival music, and the wheezing, clattering, experimental rhythms (often played by makeshift musical instruments from car radios to metal pipes and tin cans -- hence his love of Edgard Varese and Harry Partch) form a keenly individual musical universe. It has often been imitated but never replicated. Since the '70s, Waits has charted a path from playing fleabag dive bars to opera theaters and prestigious concert halls all over the world. His recordings -- from early masterpieces such as Small Change and Blue Valentine and the twisted, dramatic, and blackly humorous artsongs on the trilogy of Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs, and Frank's Wild Years, to the deconstructed experimental soundworlds erected for Bone Machine and Mule Variations -- have charted the lives and circumstances of the humble, forgotten, evil, demented, abandoned, cursed, and just plain down-on-their-luck humans to places of honor in our pantheon in a spirit akin to the photographs of Robert Frank and Diane Arbus. He has charted an iconoclastic path through Stephen Foster and George Gershwin, Howlin' Wolf, and Captain Beefheart as well as writers from the Beat Generation, and Charles Bukowski, Nelson Algren, and Mark Twain to create a holistic body of work whose appeal criss-crosses generations and blurs pop's arbitrary boundaries. Waits has won two Grammys and is a member of the 2011 class of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is included among the 2010 list of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers, as well as its 2015 list of 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.

Wikipedia:

Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. His music is characterized by his distinctive deep, gravelly voice and lyrics focusing on the underside of society. During the 1970s, he worked primarily in jazz, but since the 1980s his music has reflected greater influence from blues, vaudeville, and experimental genres.

Waits was born and raised in a middle-class family in California. Inspired by the work of Bob Dylan and the Beat Generation, as a teenager he began singing on the San Diego folk music circuit, relocating to Los Angeles in 1972. He worked there as a songwriter before signing a recording contract with Asylum Records. His first albums were the jazz-oriented Closing Time (1973) and The Heart of Saturday Night (1974), which reflected his lyrical interest in nightlife, poverty, and criminality. He repeatedly toured the U.S., Europe, and Japan and attracted greater critical recognition and commercial success with Small Change (1976), which he followed with Blue Valentine (1978) and Heartattack and Vine (1980). He produced the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola's 1981 film One from the Heart and subsequently made cameo appearances in several Coppola films.

In 1980, Waits married Kathleen Brennan, broke from his manager and record label, and moved to New York City. Under his wife's encouragement, he pursued a new, more experimental and eclectic musical aesthetic influenced by the work of Harry Partch and Captain Beefheart. This was reflected in a series of albums released by Island Records, including Swordfishtrombones (1983), Rain Dogs (1985), and Franks Wild Years (1987). He continued appearing in film, taking a leading role in Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law (1986). In the 1990s, his albums Bone Machine (1992), The Black Rider (1993), and Mule Variations (1999) earned him increasing critical acclaim and various Grammy Awards. In the late 1990s, he switched to the record label Anti-, which released Blood Money (2002), Alice (2002), Real Gone (2004), and Bad as Me (2011).

Waits' albums have met with mixed commercial success in the U.S., while they have occasionally achieved gold status in other countries. He has a cult following and has influenced many singer-songwriters, despite having little radio or music video support. In 2011, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[1][2] He was included among the 2010 list of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers,^[3] as well as the 2015 Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.

The Albums

Closing Time  (1973) 

A beautiful album that repays repeat listening.

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 10

The Heart Of Saturday Night (1974)

Good, but not as good as the debut.

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Nighthawks At The Diner  (1975) 

This feels so false and strained. There's an attempt to create a jazz nightclub, but it falls flat. It's like a plastic flower. If there was an intention to be ironic, that might make sense, but the intention was genuinely to make this studio album sound like a jazz night club - the producer even got in a stripper to get the invited audience in the right mood. Gee. And the songs are not strong, and Waits is straining his voice unnaturally. Every now and again there's a moment that is suggestive of what he can do, and a memory of the tunes and verses of his debut album float in, but all too quickly float out, and we have the artifice again. A sad failure. 

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Small Change (1976)

It was seeing Waits sing "Small Change" on The Old Grey Whistle Test that got me interested. When I went out to a record shop (in Watford), all they had was Closing Time. But I'm glad I discovered the debut.

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Foreign Affairs (1977)

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Blue Valentine (1978)

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Heartattack and Vine (1980)

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One From The Heart (1982)

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Swordfishtrombones (1983)

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Rain Dogs (1985)

Generally regarded as Waits best album. Described in a 2002 review in Rolling Stone: "With Rain Dogs, he dropped his bedraggled lounge-piano act and fused outsider influences - socialist decadence by way of Kurt Weill, pre-rock integrity from old dirty blues, the elegiac melancholy of New Orleans funeral brass - into a singularly idiosyncratic American style."

Reviews: Rolling Stone (1985); 

Released	September 30, 1985
Recorded	RCA Studios
Genre	Experimental rock
Length	53:46
Label	Island
Producer	Tom Waits

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Singapore"		2:46
2.	"Clap Hands"		3:47
3.	"Cemetery Polka"		1:51
4.	"Jockey Full of Bourbon"		2:45
5.	"Tango Till They're Sore"		2:49
6.	"Big Black Mariah"		2:44
7.	"Diamonds & Gold"		2:31
8.	"Hang Down Your Head"	Kathleen Brennan, Waits	2:32
9.	"Time"		3:55

Side two

No.	Title	Length
10.	"Rain Dogs"	2:56
11.	"Midtown" (instrumental)	1:00
12.	"9th & Hennepin"	1:58
13.	"Gun Street Girl"	4:37
14.	"Union Square"	2:24
15.	"Blind Love"	4:18
16.	"Walking Spanish"	3:05
17.	"Downtown Train"	3:53
18.	"Bride of Rain Dog" (instrumental)	1:07
19.	"Anywhere I Lay My Head"	2:48
Total length:		53:46

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10 
Score: 8 1/2 

Franks Wild Years (1987)

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Big  Time (1988)

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The Early Years Vol. 1 (1991)

Rough recordings made in late 1971, a number of songs later appeared re-recorded on Waits' debut album. A pleasant collection, but if you have Closing Time this offers little extra. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Goin' Down Slow"	2:48
2.	"Poncho's Lament"	4:17
3.	"I'm Your Late Night Evening Prostitute"	3:16
4.	"Had Me a Girl"	5:32
5.	"Ice Cream Man" (A different recording later appeared on Closing Time (1973))	3:11
6.	"Rockin' Chair"	3:15
7.	"Virginia Ave." (A different recording later appeared on Closing Time (1973))	2:41
8.	"Midnight Lullaby" (A different recording later appeared on Closing Time (1973))	3:26
9.	"When You Ain't Got Nobody"	3:23
10.	"Little Trip to Heaven" (A different recording later appeared on Closing Time (1973))	3:02
11.	"Frank's Song"	1:56
12.	"Looks Like I'm Up Shit Creek Again"	3:03
13.	"So Long I'll See Ya"	3:30

Wikipedia 

AllMusic: 

Score: 4 
 

Bone Machine (1992)

Continuing Waits' delve into the world of Captain Beefheart due to the influence of his wife, Kathleen Brennan, a clear Beefheart fan. Moderately interesting with stand out track being  "The Earth Died Screaming". Sometimes it feels as though Waits is stretching a bit, and at times this comes across more like a Kate Bush album than something genuinely artistic - all the noises, sounds, and quirky things are in place, but rarely do they coalesce into something awe-inspiring or beautiful. Putting all the right ingredients in the pan doesn't always mean you'll end up with a well cooked meal. Having said that, this album appears highly placed in almost all Best Tom Waits Album lists, sometimes placed top. 

Released	September 8, 1992
Recorded	Prairie Sun Recording (Cotati, California)
Genre	Experimental rock[1]
Length	53:30
Label	Island
Producer	Tom Waits Kathleen Brennan (associate)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Earth Died Screaming"	Tom Waits	3:39
2.	"Dirt in the Ground"	Waits Kathleen Brennan	4:08
3.	"Such a Scream"	Waits	2:07
4.	"All Stripped Down"	Waits	3:04
5.	"Who Are You"	Waits Brennan	3:58
6.	"The Ocean Doesn't Want Me"	Waits	1:51
7.	"Jesus Gonna Be Here"	Waits	3:21
8.	"A Little Rain"	Waits Brennan	2:58
9.	"In the Colosseum"	Waits Brennan	4:50
10.	"Goin' Out West"	Waits Brennan	3:19
11.	"Murder in the Red Barn"	Waits Brennan	4:29
12.	"Black Wings"	Waits Brennan	4:37
13.	"Whistle Down the Wind"	Waits	4:36
14.	"I Don't Wanna Grow Up"	Waits Brennan	2:31
15.	"Let Me Get Up on It"	Waits	0:55
16.	"That Feel"	Waits Keith Richards	3:11

Wikipedia 
AllMusic: 9 
Score: 4 



The Black Rider (1993)

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The Early Years Vol 2 (1993) 

Another album of rough and simple recordings made in late 1971, some of which were later professionally recorded for some of Wait's Asylum albums. It's interesting to note that he had a significant body of work in 1971 which he continued to dip into and reuse until 1975, but the recordings are very basic with little life in them. Pleasant to listen to, but far from essential. This is for core fans only. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hope I Don't Fall in Love with You" (A different recording later appeared on Closing Time (1973))	5:01
2.	"Ol' '55" (A different recording later appeared on Closing Time (1973))	4:07
3.	"Mockin' Bird"	3:27
4.	"In Between Love"	3:01
5.	"Blue Skies"	2:13
6.	"Nobody" (A different recording later appeared on Nighthawks at the Diner (1975))	2:47
7.	"I Want You"	1:22
8.	"Shiver Me Timbers" (A different recording later appeared on The Heart of Saturday Night (1974))	3:48
9.	"Grapefruit Moon" (A different recording later appeared on Closing Time (1973))	4:36
10.	"Diamonds on My Windshield" (A different recording later appeared on The Heart of Saturday Night (1974))	3:10
11.	"Please Call Me, Baby" (A different recording later appeared on The Heart of Saturday Night (1974))	3:43
12.	"So It Goes"	2:31
13.	"Old Shoes" (A different recording later appeared on Closing Time (1973))	4:24

Wikipedia 

AllMusic: 

Score: 4

Mule Variations (1999)

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Blood Money (2002)

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Alice (2002)

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Real Gone (2004)

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Bad as Me (2011)


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Discography

Closing Time (1973)
The Heart of Saturday Night (1974)
Nighthawks at the Diner (1975)
Small Change (1976)
Foreign Affairs (1977)
Blue Valentine (1978)
Heartattack and Vine (1980)
Swordfishtrombones (1983)
Rain Dogs (1985)
Franks Wild Years (1987)
Bone Machine (1992)
The Black Rider (1993)
Mule Variations (1999)
Blood Money (2002)
Alice (2002)
Real Gone (2004)
Bad as Me (2011)

Best of lists

* Stereogum 

1) Rain Dogs (1985)

2) Swordfishtrombones (1983)
3) Bone Machine (1992) 

4) Small Change (1976) 

5) Nighthawks At The Diner (1975) 

* RateYourMusic 

1) Swordfishtrombones (1983)
2) Rain Dogs (1985)
3) Bone Machine (1992)
4) Mule Variations (1999)
5) Franks Wild Years (1987)

 

* VinylMePlease 

1) Bone Machine (1992)
2) Rain Dogs (1985)
3) Blood Money (2002)
4) Swordfishtrombones (1983)
5) Mule Variations (1999)

* AlbumReviews

1) Rain Dogs (1985)
2) Swordfishtrombones (1983)
3) Mule Variations (1999)
4) Closing Time (1973)
5) Bone Machine (1992)

* BestEver

1) Rain Dogs (1985)
2) Swordfishtrombones (1983)
3) Closing Time (1973)
4) Mule Variations (1999)
5) The Heart Of Saturday Night (1974)

* ClassicRock 

1) Mule Variations (1999)
2) Rain Dogs (1985)
3) Swordfishtrombones (1983)
4) Closing Time (1973)
5) ‘Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards' (2006) 

* RockCellar 

1) Rain Dogs (1985)
2) Alice
3) Swordfishtrombones (1983) 
4) Bone Machine (1992)
5) Blood Money (2002) 

* Ranker

1) Rain Dogs (1985)   2) Swordfishtrombones (1983)   3) Mule Variations (1999)  4) Bone Machine (1992)  5) Small Change (1976)  

Compiled

1) Rain Dogs (1985)
2) Swordfishtrombones (1983)
3) Bone Machine (1992)
4) Mule Variations (1999)
5) Closing Time (1973)

Reviews

* Medium
* FearOfAlbums  
* AdrianDenning 

Links
* TomWaits


Fan sites
* TomWaitsFan 

* TomWaitsLibrary