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October 25, 2011
15. Heartattack and Vine, 1980
A schizophrenic collection of songs rough-edged and tender, Heartattack and Vine is almost more interesting as a museum piece: all of the elements of Waits, past and future, are in place here, though they've yet to be integrated. There's the stomp and holler of the title track, the faux-nightclub atmosphere of "In Shades," and the weepy grandeur of "Ruby's Arms." "Jersey Girl" was later appropriated by Bruce Springsteen for certainly one of the most fitting Waits covers. (The least fitting is, of course, Rod Stewart's "Downtown Train.")
Listen: "Ruby's Arms"
14. The Heart of Saturday Night, 1974
Though Heart contains a little too much of the finger-snappin' leer that characterizes Waits' early work, it's still pretty charming. "Depot, Depot" is entertainingly bluesy, and the title track is a fine portrait of a weekend night's ephemeral glee. "Please Call Me, Baby" glides along on soaring strings and Waits' wounded croon: "If I exorcise my devils, then my angels may leave too."
Listen: "Please Call Me, Baby"
13. One from the Heart, 1982
The score for an overlooked Francis Ford Coppola film, One From the Heart finds Waits playing the bad cop to Crystal Gayle's good one, and the pairing actually makes more sense than you'd expect. Like many of Waits' jazzier albums, One From the Heart features a top-notch backing band: drummer Shelly Mann had worked with Sonny Rollins and Bill Evans, and Teddy Edwards provides great sax throughout. It's a fine addition to the Waits canon.
Listen: "Picking Up After You"
12. The Black Rider, 1993
The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets was a stage musical — a collaboration between Waits, Robert Wilson and William S. Burroughs. Though it's disjointed and surreal, the album is still a welcome break from the barroom aesthetic of Waits' previous work. Burroughs himself pops up on "T‘Ain't No Sin," and Tom tries on a new accent in the weirdly endearing title track.
Listen: "Just the Right Bullets"
Commentarium (32 Comments)
Ol'55 is so damn good it hurts.
Hard to pick a favourite off Rain Dogs for sure. I would've gone for Tango Till They're Sore. What a tune!!!
Come on!!! I know it's all opinion, but whoever did this list is SOOOO off! I mean "Closing Time" and especially "The Heart of Saturdaynight" have to be in the top Five. Rolling Stone named "Heart of..." on of the 500 best albums of all time. "Nighthawks" is amazing too! I think the most Obvious choices were made here. Yeah Rain Dogs is a classic, I agree, but his BEST? No way.
Gun Street Girl is so good. His lyrics in the Rain Dogs album are so vivid and beautiful.
"Blue Valentines" never leaves my turntable, if I had one.
Tom Waits is one of the greatest musicians of our time! I could go through his collections, album by album, and each song with have a different affect on me. His sharp-witted lyrics (esp. in his spoken word songs) are genius. I only wish I had been born in the 60s so I'd be able to witness him in action at the beginning.
Yeah I dunno. I'd rather have seen him in the late 80s -- fresh off the Island trilogy. That early L.A. stuff gets a little cloying for me.
I would have included his live albums on the list too: On "Big Time", the versions of "Rain Dogs" and "Way Down in the Hole" are excellent, and original songs like "Strange Weather" and "Falling Down" are amongst my favorite Tom Waits Songs. "Live on Broadway" is a great live album too. And why no "Orphans" on this list? The Bawlers cd is so beautiful: "Widow's Grove" and "Fannin Street" especially.
I know, I know. But we exclude live albums from Ranked, generally, and Orphans, despite having some great songs (I especially like "Down There by the Train" and "Never Let Go"), is a collection of b-sides and rarities -- we didn't include "The Early Years" volume 1&2 for the same reason, even though it has some favorites like "Had Me a Girl" and "Pancho's Lament."
i'm not sure i'm ready to rank tom's work, but his career output is super impressive. the ones that get the most action in my truck are 'blood money,' 'orphans,' and 'mule.' i guess i favor the slightly newer stuff. gave 'bad as me' an online listen and wasn't sure what i thought. but i'm sure i'll buy it at some point.
If you want to download "Bad As Me" for super cheap, right now Amazon has it at $2.99. I got it for Christmas and love the album.
I might have agreed with this list had it not been completely screwed up.
thanks for sharing
I shouldn't be so harsh. No need for that. I've been a huge Waits fan for years and I in no way would want to tackle a task like this. Hats off to the writer for stepping up to the plate.
You are incorrect. There are no 'worst' albums by Tom Waits.
I disagree. I think most of his pre 1978 work was weak. Lets not make him a saint.
After Steve Jobs I think we have the making of a "saint bubble"
so true. It's a testament to a totally different era where an artist could make like five pretty so-so albums in a row but still show potential, so people would keep paying him to make records as he developed. The other side of that is out of all his records, only Rain Dogs and Bone Machine are essential in a moderate music snob collection.
I love his early work. his early work, the franks wild years trilogy and the newer crunchier experimental stuff are his best imo. my top ten would look pretty different from this list. not that i can imagine trying to rank a complete works. maybe tiers, but not album by album.
I disagree, Small Change is one of the most heartbreaking and fantastic records ever. Blue Valentines has some of Waits' very best songs, Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis, Kentucky Avenue and Blue Valentines are all essential!
Great list, and no small feat of compilation. "Anywhere I Lay My Head" and "Make it Rain" are sadly absent from your round-ups, but you can't get'em all.
"I'M CLOSE TO HEAVEN / CRUSHED AT THE GATE. " Chills....
Check out my Spotify playlist, recently edited down from six hours to two.
tom waits is one of the true voices of america, and a hero for art, artists and people who love these everywhere across the world.
what more could you ask for but that he keeps going?
HOIST THAT RAG!
i was in total agreement there at the beginning, but started disagreeing around Heart of Sat. Night (which should me much higher). but it's subjective.
the best three are, in no particular order: Bone Machine, Heart of Sat., and Closing Time
i love foreign affair and nighthawks.
Cait, I too wish I was born in the 60's, because it was the 40's ;-) I can probably be counted as one of his oldest (in each sense of the word) fans. Been one since I first saw young Tom live at a nightclub in Ithaca in the early 70s - no band, just Tom and his piano in a very intimate setting. I was hooked. I'm still partial to his first three albums - Closing Time, Heart of Saturday Night, Nighthawks.
I believe that I would have included Orphans, Bawlers and Brawlers in there. it's pretty spectacular,(in my opinion).
saw Tom Waitts at the Paramount in Oakland, 1977. Can't get much better than that! Set was an old gas station pump, and old chevy. For an encore, set changed, he came out in a ratty bathrobe, sat down in a ratty arm chair, looking at an old TV that was nothing but fuzz. Turned to the audience and said, "well, looks like nothing is on, night" and left the stage. Classic!
tom waits is the man. all of his albums are pretty tit. all of the reviews on this site are weaksauce. terrible.
Can't argue too much with the list; they put my three favourite albums of his in their top 5.
Heart of Saturday Night has to be in the top 5
frank's wild years at number fucking 7? what are you smoking? definitely top 3.
Nighthawks At The Diner is probably my second favorite Waits record (after Blue Valentine and maybe tied with Small Change for second place). I can't believe you rated it 3rd worst! Of all his records, I think Nighthawks is the one I've listened to, from start to finish, the most.