There are few artists who have had as enjoyably weird of a career as that of Tom Waits. With a career spanning over 45 years, he has reinvented himself countless times while providing some of rock's strangest, most eclectic tunes imaginable. Over the course of 2019, my goal with The Tom Waits Project is to explore every single one of his studio albums as well as live albums and soundtracks (no compilations) and chart the shifts in his career as well as hopefully understand what makes him so ubiquitous in pop culture. He's an artist who has always been there, making things weird, but there's a good chance you haven't truly noticed him. Here's your chance to join me every other Wednesday on a quest to find out what makes him so special.
Album: "Glitter and Doom Live"
Release Date: October, 2011
Label: ANTI- Records
Certifications:
-Diamond (200,000 copies sold throughout Europe)
Singles:
-"Bad As Me"
-"Back in the Crowd"
-Diamond (200,000 copies sold throughout Europe)
Singles:
-"Bad As Me"
-"Back in the Crowd"
Track List:
1. "Chicago"
2. "Raised Right Men"
3. "Talking at the Same Time"
4. "Get Lost"
5. "Face to the Highway"
6. "Pay Me"
7. "Back in the Crowd"
8. "Bad as Me"
9. "Kiss Me"
10. "Satisfied"
11. "Last Leaf"
12. "Hell Broke Luce"
13. "New Year's Eve"
*NOTE: Listen to it here.
2. "Raised Right Men"
3. "Talking at the Same Time"
4. "Get Lost"
5. "Face to the Highway"
6. "Pay Me"
7. "Back in the Crowd"
8. "Bad as Me"
9. "Kiss Me"
10. "Satisfied"
11. "Last Leaf"
12. "Hell Broke Luce"
13. "New Year's Eve"
*NOTE: Listen to it here.
Track Analysis
This section is a song by song breakdown in hopes of understanding what makes each song special in his catalog. Other things considered will include best song, most interesting standout, and other fields deemed relevant to the album.
"Chicago"
The one fact that people will notice will be doing research is that this is Tom Waits' first album of original content in seven years since "Real Gone." It's crazy to think, but then it makes sense once the opening chords here just blare through the speakers and show a man who is still as hungry as ever to perform. It sounds like he's on a train and rarely has there been more focused in the instrumentation. He feels like he's hellbent on a mission to get to Chicago, and one can't help but wonder what he'll find when he gets there. Maybe this is going to be like "Swordfishtrombones" and this will tee off a story of what he finds there. It's plenty exciting to know that even this late in his career, he still has the energy of a madman.
"Raised Right Men"
What's in Chicago? Not enough good men, that's for sure. As the organ cuts through the beat, we find Tom Waits convulsing all over the song. He seems to be trembling as he gives another penchant story about men who can't quite get it together. The guitar is dripping along behind him, as if something sinister is about to happen. At times this is like if blues met a Scooby-Doo episode, and it's fun to hear him break out with a "Heavens to Murgatroyd" at one point. It's another fun song full of an intensity that takes him back to a time prior to his past 20 years of experimentation. He's just wanting to make a great, focused album and it's hard not to love it when it does all of the things he's known for.
"Talking at the Same Time"
While this is the slowest song so far, it may be the most interesting one. Tom Waits has spent the majority of his past 10 albums growling and playing with harsher tones in his voice. To hear him go softer is something rare, and it actually works beautifully here to convey the struggle between opposing forces. With the brushing percussion and the piano that sounds like it's falling down the stairs, there's plenty to love in how it finds a moment of peace among the chaos. Everything is going on, at threat of crashing into each other. All that Waits can do is keep his cool and hopefully not fall victim to it.
"Get Lost"
As the song suggests, Tom Waits wants to get lost. It makes sense that you can hear his eagerness in his voice as it rattles around, impatiently waiting to escape his mouth. The guitar is a trip on its own, managing to bring in some old school Muddy Waters blues with a brief solo that blares like a siren beautifully capturing the passion. The back half of the song may find Waits just starting to get lost, but it features some of his most enjoyable moments on the album as he contemplates what he's going to tell his boss before taking on multiple impersonations to show just how crazy the journey ahead is. These people aren't going to be around for long, and soon he's going to be lost. Where is he going? That's for the remaining few tracks to figure out.
"Face to the Highway"
It's another song about taking off. However, where the previous song comes off as an impulse, guns-blazing of a decision, this one feels like he has put more thought into it. He is now a bit more aware of why he needs to go on a journey. There are certain things that are inevitable about the world, such as a cell and a solitary man. There's so much in his selections of imagery that mix morbidity with reality in a way that makes this a bit sad. Still, one can't help but know that he has to face this journey on the highway. One hopes that it doesn't kill him in the process.
"Pay Me"
The story of going on the road only continues to get more somber in what may transparently be Tom Waits' most personal song. He's being paid not to go home, which would be depressing to anyone upon first glance. However, he's talking about performing on a stage, kicking lights and singing in a cage. It's the life of a musician, longing for some normalcy. However, he can't get it without disappointing those around him. They pay to see him perform, and it sounds like decades of experience cropping up in this song, presenting a journey that may be more autobiographical than his previous albums put together. Even the sweet piano at the end has a sense of somberness that is reminiscent of his first album as if it's long been in his mind.
"Back in the Crowd"
We have reached a personal part of the album where Tom Waits is talking about something that sounds like only he'd understand. Following a song about being trapped as a musician, he is now singing about how he wants to free his loved one of a pointless relationship. With a nice flamenco guitar, he subverts the love song genre with a sense of dourness by asking them to move on if there's no feeling there. It's beautiful in that there's total acceptance and not an ounce of cynicism or pettiness in his lyrics. He just wants to go back to living a life with some meaning, and whatever he currently has is not doing it for him.
"Bad As Me"
There are two ways of looking at this song. Either he's feeling desperate following the break-up, or he's pleading with a new woman to take him in. After all, his metaphors all have some sense of shady lateral purpose. He wants to believe that they understand him as well as he does, and he is clearly losing his grasp of composure in the process. It's a tense song that finds him at his lowest point, wanting someone who is bad instead of working on something better. The song also ends with another slight nod to Spanish culture as he takes on another accent. Maybe this is a trip down Mexico way, or at worst border states. It's an interesting flavor, even if the general technique of filling lyrics with singular metaphors is kind of wearing thin on this album.
"Kiss Me"
This is the closest in over 30 years that Tom Waits has come to making a "Closing Time"-era song, and it works. With the piano sounding like it's barely holding on, he sings about meeting someone he knows and wanting to be able to feel that passion that he used to with her. He longs to be kissed but knows that there's too much baggage there. After all, they're the same kind of bad. Instead, he wants her to kiss him like a stranger, allowing for the new feelings to arise. It's in a smoky room, full of quietness and depression. It's the familiar setting that Waits has always been, so it's hard to not have some association with the past even as a listener, realizing that even if we could, we can't see him as something new.
"Satisfied"
Following the previous few tracks being about trying to rekindle a hopeless love, the egos emerge again to reflect a man who wants to have satisfaction. He wants to perform and have a good time at any cost. He sings with a vibrancy that crackles in the chorus about his mortality, believing that he deserves this moment. It also helps that Tom Waits is performing with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards here, allowing the bluesy song to have a deeper significance in his songbook. He's just having a good time, looking to be satisfied as a performer for his gifts to the world. It's a fun song that is classic blues in all of the ways you'd expect from Waits.
"Last Leaf"
Anyone who has listened to Tom Waits enough will know that he's always singing about his mortality. However, this is one of the few times that it feels like he may mean it. He has indeed outlived so much as an aging bluesman. He claims to have outlived President Eisenhower, and now he's alone in the world. While it's a song that may be about his personal life, it's one that feels like Waits as a musician, trying to find a reason to keep going when he's the last thing on a tree. He's got nothing else to look forward to and the tree may be dead soon enough. Even the backing vocals don't sound reassuring as he tries to justify continuing on. Is he really that satisfied after all?
"Hell Broke Luce"
After a fairly conventional album of Tom Waits material, he remembers his more recent material, specifically from the "Real Gone" era. With a buzzing guitar that sounds like hell rising over the monstrosity and smoke of the song, it creates this intensity of war that is only perfected by the chorus. Waits' gruff voice is only improved by the backing vocals singing just enough out of tune. It's a political commentary song that is so rich with detail that you can sense he hasn't quite gotten over the Bush-era chaos that informed his last album. It's a bizarre fit on the album but is a good reminder that even in old age, he still has a lot of fire in his belly.
"New Year's Eve"
It seems to be an ironic ending (to date) for Tom Waits that his final song was about the end of a year, maybe even era. The territory he's covering isn't exactly new. He wants to leave town and is singing of the vagrants who populate his life. Given that the album has taken a wayward direction, it's the familiar end in that he's looking back on how life could've been better. Still, it's nice to know that he ends by roping in "Auld Langs Syne" in the middle and trying to have a sense of optimism. It's not common for him to think positively, and yet one can hope that he has mellowed in his old age, having been freed of his legacy of crazy antics and bizarre song choices.
Closing Remarks
This is the end of the line for The Tom Waits Project, and it's both a bittersweet day but also a relief. For starters, there were portions in the middle that felt more exhausting, especially during his experimental phases like with "The Black Rider" where you're just a little tired of hearing him lay on the same tropes. Separately, they're great albums that find an artist challenging him in unexpected ways. It's also fascinating to hear him grow as a musician, eventually peaking around the mid-80s following a partnership with Kathleen Brennan that only improved his career. Still, for all of the time-consuming headaches like "Orphans," the final results are at worst diamonds in the rough. For a performer so prolific and all over the place, he was always interesting and gave me something to write about.
It was not only in his songs, but how he used his voice as a narrative tool. It's hard to believe that the guy behind "Closing Time" would have a vocal range that conveyed different aspects of his life. His characters and songs were just as fun, but how he managed to convey sadness and delusion on "Frank's Wild Years" is phenomenal and reflected a true artist. The way he plays with mechanical sound on "Bone Machine" is riveting and anarchic. Even "Real Gone," which wasn't my favorite album, had something going on. He may have been a bit repetitive in theme, but take any of those songs on their own and there's bound to be something worth talking about.
I wanted to listen to Tom Waits because I had only ever heard two of his albums, both in the year 2011. I picked up "Rain Dogs" at Amoeba Records during my only visit there. It had a profound impact on me and by coincidence "Bad As Me" came out months later. I bought the special edition and found myself just as invested in it. I never thought to listen to the rest, and only ever heard a stray single here or there. Still, "Bad As Me" was a fun record that made me believe in a certain kind of Waits. It wouldn't hold by the time I got to "Bone Machine," but it only showed how much he could surprise me. Still, I found him fascinating as a songwriter and wanted to learn more.
What makes "Bad As Me" a fascinating endpoint is how much it feels to a return to what I loved most about him. He isn't scratching his voice or making vocal loops. No, he's just making a mix of blues and experimental "Rain Dogs" era music that I felt was his best period. The story that ends the album, "New Year's Eve," has been one of my favorites going on eight years. He clearly sounds to an extent like he's running out of energy, but the passion is still there. I love it, especially knowing how every vocal shift impacts the mood of a song now. It also feels fitting because while he's had hundreds of songs about defeat, this one feels like he's commenting on his career, and how he's reached the end of things. It may have been a quiet retirement album given songs like "Pay Me" is so sad in their honesty. If that's the case, there's far worse ways to go out.
I did this as an experiment to see if I could listen to an entire discography of an artist I had admired but knew less than I thought about. What I found is that he never took the easy route and ended up making one of the richest catalogs of any one musician I have heard. He's done it all, and I am thankful to have done this project. While I think that 24 columns were at times unwieldy, I think the end results were worth it. I learned about an artist who never was satisfied and pushed boundaries to where he wanted, making masterpieces like "Mule Variations" in the process. While I don't know that his 21st-century output is necessarily his best, the lag in quality doesn't show enough to suggest he's losing it. He may not be at his peak, but he's far from boring. He still produces a great song now and then. I wonder if he'll ever release another song or album again. If so, I will return to write about it. Until then, I now have 100's of new songs to obsess over in my playlist.
Up Next: A new series coming in 2020.
It was not only in his songs, but how he used his voice as a narrative tool. It's hard to believe that the guy behind "Closing Time" would have a vocal range that conveyed different aspects of his life. His characters and songs were just as fun, but how he managed to convey sadness and delusion on "Frank's Wild Years" is phenomenal and reflected a true artist. The way he plays with mechanical sound on "Bone Machine" is riveting and anarchic. Even "Real Gone," which wasn't my favorite album, had something going on. He may have been a bit repetitive in theme, but take any of those songs on their own and there's bound to be something worth talking about.
I wanted to listen to Tom Waits because I had only ever heard two of his albums, both in the year 2011. I picked up "Rain Dogs" at Amoeba Records during my only visit there. It had a profound impact on me and by coincidence "Bad As Me" came out months later. I bought the special edition and found myself just as invested in it. I never thought to listen to the rest, and only ever heard a stray single here or there. Still, "Bad As Me" was a fun record that made me believe in a certain kind of Waits. It wouldn't hold by the time I got to "Bone Machine," but it only showed how much he could surprise me. Still, I found him fascinating as a songwriter and wanted to learn more.
What makes "Bad As Me" a fascinating endpoint is how much it feels to a return to what I loved most about him. He isn't scratching his voice or making vocal loops. No, he's just making a mix of blues and experimental "Rain Dogs" era music that I felt was his best period. The story that ends the album, "New Year's Eve," has been one of my favorites going on eight years. He clearly sounds to an extent like he's running out of energy, but the passion is still there. I love it, especially knowing how every vocal shift impacts the mood of a song now. It also feels fitting because while he's had hundreds of songs about defeat, this one feels like he's commenting on his career, and how he's reached the end of things. It may have been a quiet retirement album given songs like "Pay Me" is so sad in their honesty. If that's the case, there's far worse ways to go out.
I did this as an experiment to see if I could listen to an entire discography of an artist I had admired but knew less than I thought about. What I found is that he never took the easy route and ended up making one of the richest catalogs of any one musician I have heard. He's done it all, and I am thankful to have done this project. While I think that 24 columns were at times unwieldy, I think the end results were worth it. I learned about an artist who never was satisfied and pushed boundaries to where he wanted, making masterpieces like "Mule Variations" in the process. While I don't know that his 21st-century output is necessarily his best, the lag in quality doesn't show enough to suggest he's losing it. He may not be at his peak, but he's far from boring. He still produces a great song now and then. I wonder if he'll ever release another song or album again. If so, I will return to write about it. Until then, I now have 100's of new songs to obsess over in my playlist.
Up Next: A new series coming in 2020.
Album Rankings
This section is dedicated to ranking the albums from best to worst in hopes of finding which Tom Waits album is the best.
1. "Rain Dogs" (1985)
2. "Blue Valentine" (1978)
3. "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)
4. "Mule Variations" (1999)
5. "Small Change" (1976)
6. "Frank's Wild Years" (1987)
7. "Heartattack and Vine" (1980)
8. "Bone Machine" (1992)
9. "Bad As Me" (2011)
10. "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" (2006)
11. "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
12. "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
13. "Real Gone" (2004)
14. "Glitter and Doom Live" (2009)
15. "Blood Money" (2002)
16. "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
17. "Closing Time" (1973)
18. "The Black Rider" (1993)
19. "Alice" (2002)
20. "Night on Earth" (1992)
21. "Big Time" (1988)
22. "One From the Heart" (1982)
2. "Blue Valentine" (1978)
3. "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)
4. "Mule Variations" (1999)
5. "Small Change" (1976)
6. "Frank's Wild Years" (1987)
7. "Heartattack and Vine" (1980)
8. "Bone Machine" (1992)
9. "Bad As Me" (2011)
10. "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" (2006)
11. "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
12. "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
13. "Real Gone" (2004)
14. "Glitter and Doom Live" (2009)
15. "Blood Money" (2002)
16. "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
17. "Closing Time" (1973)
18. "The Black Rider" (1993)
19. "Alice" (2002)
20. "Night on Earth" (1992)
21. "Big Time" (1988)
22. "One From the Heart" (1982)
Song Rankings
This section is dedicated to finding the best songs from each album and comparing them to each other in hopes of finding which one is Tom Waits' best song.
1. "Hang Down Your Head" from "Rain Dogs" (1985)
2. "Filipino Box Spring Hog" from "Mule Variations" (1999)
3. "New Year's Eve" from "Bad As Me" (2011)
4. "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" from "Bone Machine" (1992)
5. "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard" from "Blue Valentine" (1978)
6. "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" from "Small Change" (1976)
7. "Way Down in the Hole" from "Frank's Wild Years" (1987)
8. "Take Care of All of My Children" from "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" (2006)
9. "Way Down in the Hole" from "Big Time" (1988)
10. "Martha" from "Closing Time" (1973)
11. "Jersey Girl" from "Heartattack and Vine" (1980)
12. "The Day After Tomorrow" from "Real Gone" (2004)
13. "Shore Leave" from "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)
14. "God's Away on Business" from "Blood Money" (2002)
15. "Lie to Me" from "Glitter and Doom Live" (2009)
16. "Potters Field" from "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
17. "Eggs and Sausage" from "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
18. "Watch Her Disappear" from "Alice" (2002)
19. "Los Angeles Mood (Another Private Dick)" from "Night on Earth" (1992)
20. "Please Call Me Baby" from "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
21. "Just the Right Bullets" from "The Black Rider" (1993)
22. "Picking Up After You" from "One From the Heart" (1982)
2. "Filipino Box Spring Hog" from "Mule Variations" (1999)
3. "New Year's Eve" from "Bad As Me" (2011)
4. "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" from "Bone Machine" (1992)
5. "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard" from "Blue Valentine" (1978)
6. "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" from "Small Change" (1976)
7. "Way Down in the Hole" from "Frank's Wild Years" (1987)
8. "Take Care of All of My Children" from "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" (2006)
9. "Way Down in the Hole" from "Big Time" (1988)
10. "Martha" from "Closing Time" (1973)
11. "Jersey Girl" from "Heartattack and Vine" (1980)
12. "The Day After Tomorrow" from "Real Gone" (2004)
13. "Shore Leave" from "Swordfishtrombones" (1983)
14. "God's Away on Business" from "Blood Money" (2002)
15. "Lie to Me" from "Glitter and Doom Live" (2009)
16. "Potters Field" from "Foreign Affairs" (1977)
17. "Eggs and Sausage" from "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975)
18. "Watch Her Disappear" from "Alice" (2002)
19. "Los Angeles Mood (Another Private Dick)" from "Night on Earth" (1992)
20. "Please Call Me Baby" from "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)
21. "Just the Right Bullets" from "The Black Rider" (1993)
22. "Picking Up After You" from "One From the Heart" (1982)
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