Lina
01-03-2006, 07:08 PM
Make sure they play my theme song, I guess daisies will have to do
Just get me to New Orleans and paint shadows on the pews
Turn the spit on that pig and kick the drum and let me down
Put my clarinet beneath your bed 'til I get back in town
-Tango Till They're Sore
Rain Dogs is the tenth of 18 albums released by Tom Waits so far. I own nine of these albums (plus two compilations) and I plan to buy every one of them on vinyl before I die. Needless to say, I’m a bit of a fan.
Rain Dogs holds such a blend of so many different sounds. Some of the album influences include polka, blues, country and rock – he then throws in a trademark ballad or two, a spoken word and tops it off with a James Bond-esk instrumental for good measure. Never one to follow the norm, Waits packs so much in to one album that it feels rather like an eclectic musical road trip with ever-changing (and often surreal) scenery.
I’ve owned this album for about six years and I don’t believe a month has gone by without my listening to it at least once. Every once in a while I will notice a shift and my favourite song will change – my first love was Clap Hands, which has a dark vibe as Waits hisses through the song. My favourites at present are Jockey Full Of Bourbon which includes part of a nursery rhyme, Tango Till They’re Sore with it's drunken sounding trombone, and the guitar pickin' Gunstreet Girl – all have their individual charm, which I’m at a loss to describe adequately. The combination of the tone and lyrics of these tracks is what makes them my favourites. Unfortunately, thanks to bloody Rod Stewart, I can’t listen to Downtown Train, which is an awesome song. Stewart covered Downtown Train (and left a permanent scar on my brain) in the late 80s or early 90s and reached number 2 in the charts. How can a man, who was once kicked out of Spain, has a raspy singing voice and used to be a gravedigger, be so uncool?? One of lifes mysteries.
http://forum.zgeek.com/gallery/files/1/7/1/TomWaits.gifIt never fails to blow my mind that so much music from the 80s is complete tripe (sorry 80s lovers) and even my beloved Dylan and Cohen succumbed to that popular 80s sound to varying degrees, but Rain Dogs was released in 1985 and nary a 80s influence you will find on the album. It’s bloody fantastic! I found one website that claims Rain Dogs is similar to Dylan’s 80s release, Empire Burlesque but I strongly beg to differ.
I think it’s a bit of a cliché to say that Waits has a gravelly, raspy voice – but it’s true. I can’t think of a better description. A quote I once found described his voice ‘…like how you'd sound if you drank a quart of bourbon, smoked a pack of cigarettes and swallowed a pack of razor blades. . . late at night. After not sleeping for three days.’
I’m of the opinion that Rain Dogs should be a standard in any music lovers collection. If you haven’t heard it, give it a go. It’s one of those albums that just keeps on giving.
Just get me to New Orleans and paint shadows on the pews
Turn the spit on that pig and kick the drum and let me down
Put my clarinet beneath your bed 'til I get back in town
-Tango Till They're Sore
Rain Dogs is the tenth of 18 albums released by Tom Waits so far. I own nine of these albums (plus two compilations) and I plan to buy every one of them on vinyl before I die. Needless to say, I’m a bit of a fan.
Rain Dogs holds such a blend of so many different sounds. Some of the album influences include polka, blues, country and rock – he then throws in a trademark ballad or two, a spoken word and tops it off with a James Bond-esk instrumental for good measure. Never one to follow the norm, Waits packs so much in to one album that it feels rather like an eclectic musical road trip with ever-changing (and often surreal) scenery.
I’ve owned this album for about six years and I don’t believe a month has gone by without my listening to it at least once. Every once in a while I will notice a shift and my favourite song will change – my first love was Clap Hands, which has a dark vibe as Waits hisses through the song. My favourites at present are Jockey Full Of Bourbon which includes part of a nursery rhyme, Tango Till They’re Sore with it's drunken sounding trombone, and the guitar pickin' Gunstreet Girl – all have their individual charm, which I’m at a loss to describe adequately. The combination of the tone and lyrics of these tracks is what makes them my favourites. Unfortunately, thanks to bloody Rod Stewart, I can’t listen to Downtown Train, which is an awesome song. Stewart covered Downtown Train (and left a permanent scar on my brain) in the late 80s or early 90s and reached number 2 in the charts. How can a man, who was once kicked out of Spain, has a raspy singing voice and used to be a gravedigger, be so uncool?? One of lifes mysteries.
http://forum.zgeek.com/gallery/files/1/7/1/TomWaits.gifIt never fails to blow my mind that so much music from the 80s is complete tripe (sorry 80s lovers) and even my beloved Dylan and Cohen succumbed to that popular 80s sound to varying degrees, but Rain Dogs was released in 1985 and nary a 80s influence you will find on the album. It’s bloody fantastic! I found one website that claims Rain Dogs is similar to Dylan’s 80s release, Empire Burlesque but I strongly beg to differ.
I think it’s a bit of a cliché to say that Waits has a gravelly, raspy voice – but it’s true. I can’t think of a better description. A quote I once found described his voice ‘…like how you'd sound if you drank a quart of bourbon, smoked a pack of cigarettes and swallowed a pack of razor blades. . . late at night. After not sleeping for three days.’
I’m of the opinion that Rain Dogs should be a standard in any music lovers collection. If you haven’t heard it, give it a go. It’s one of those albums that just keeps on giving.