ers@moscom.UUCP (Randy Stuckless) (10/12/84)
[] What is happening with Tom Waits? Does he have any plans for a tour? What is his latest album and when did it come out? I had a chance to see him about two years ago and he was great. He is simply fascinating, one of the sharpest performers I have ever seen. For those of you not in the know, Tom Waits is a first rate balladeer (sp?). His songs have been recorded by the likes of the Eagles (Old '55) and the Manhatten Transfer ( Foreign Affairs ). His songs have genuine emotion that is so rare these days. His vivid lyrics combined with beautiful melodies and a nice piano style makes for very lush music. His voice, after too much scotch and too many Lucky Strikes, has all the smoothness of an excited bullfrog but it's coarseness really brings home the fact that this guy is what he sings. His big theme is that human dignity is not related to your table manors, but to the way the you treat the people around you. I would recommend any of his albums that I have heard so far. "The Heart of Saturday Night" would probably be the best introduction album since it has some of his most accessible songs. "My Piano Has Been Drinking, Not Me" - Tom Waits -- E. Randall Stuckless rochester!ritcv!moscom!ers
acsgjjp@sunybcs.UUCP (Jim Poltrone) (10/19/84)
> What is happening with Tom Waits? Does he have any plans for a tour? > What is his latest album and when did it come out? I had a chance to see him > about two years ago and he was great. He is simply fascinating, one of the > sharpest performers I have ever seen. I am not sure on the latest Tom Waits info; all I know is that I've been hearing his song "Missing You" on the radio recently. The first line, "Every time I think of you", is also the name of a song by his old band, The Babys. (They were around back in '77-'79, I believe). Keeping my feet on the ground, and always reaching for the stars... -- Jim Poltrone (a/k/a Poltr1, the Last of the Raster Blasters) uucp: [decvax,watmath,rocksvax]!sunybcs!acsgjjp ARPAnet, CSnet: acsgjjp%buffalo@CSNET-RELAY
acsgjjp@sunybcs.UUCP (Jim Poltrone) (10/23/84)
> I am not sure on the latest Tom Waits info; all I know is that I've been > hearing his song "Missing You" on the radio recently. The first line, > "Every time I think of you", is also the name of a song by his old band, > The Babys. (They were around back in '77-'79, I believe). Whoops. A few folk music aficionados have pointed out my error. Tom WAITS is a folk singer, who did "Swordfish Trombone", "Rumblefish", and others whose names escape me. John WAITE is the one I mentioned in the previous article (735@sunybcs.UUCP). I'm sorry for the mistake. Lo siento. I'll try to catch Tom's act if/when he comes to the Tralf (The Tralfamadore Cafe) next time. -- Jim Poltrone (a/k/a Poltr1, the Last of the Raster Blasters) uucp: [decvax,watmath,rocksvax]!sunybcs!acsgjjp ARPAnet, CSnet: acsgjjp%buffalo@CSNET-RELAY
mls@husky.uucp (Mark Stevans) (10/23/85)
Oleg Kiselev wished to know more about Tom Waits. For his benefit, and any other possibly interested third parties, herehenceforthwith: Tom Waits is from Los Angeles, California, and he has been recording since about 1969. He plays piano, organ, and guitar, sings, and writes almost everything he performs. His image is that of a down-on-his-luck hobo minstrel, lonely, downtrodden, but good-natured, humorous, and optimistic. He is reputed to have arisen from the coffehouses of early 1960's California, where bongo players wearing dark sunglasses, goatees, and black French artists berets would exclaim "Like wow, man.... Cool, daddy-o!" at irregular intervals. Waits is widely acclaimed for his transcendentally beautiful melodies. He does not fall into any single musical category, encompassing as he does elements of jazz, rock, classical, and popular music of the 1940's. In terms of instrumentation, no two Waits songs ever sound the same: he has used African drums, carillons, full orchestras, marching bands, synthesizers, and everything else imaginable. On the other hand, some songs consist of almost nothing but Tom's voice. There is only one consistency: all vocals are supplied by a single track of Waits (except for one duet). "Closing Time" is Tom's first and best album; in my opinion, a masterpiece. He is known for his deliberately rough vocals, where he tries to sound like a chronic alcoholic. This album is a definite exception to that, but I guess Tom felt that his voice sounded too ordinary or something. Recommended other albums are "Heartattack and Vine", "Small Change", and "Swordfishtrombones". Mark Stevans ritcv!husky!mls
54326jj@hou2f.UUCP (J.JOHNSON) (10/30/85)
One more note about Tom Waits: he is the one who wrote "Jersey Girl", which, of course we all know, was made famous by Bruce Springsteen. Did Waits have Bruce in mind when he wrote this song? Jo-Ann
hhs@hou2h.UUCP (H.SHARP) (10/30/85)
Tom Waits also wrote "Ol' 55" which the Eagles recorded on one of their early albums, and "(Looking for) the Heart of Saturday Night" which Jerry Jeff Walker recorded. Jerry Jeff also mentions Tom in some liner notes. Tom is also an associate of Ricky Lee Jones. He also appears as a soda jerk in "Rumblefish", a show announcer in "The Cotton Club" and co-wrote the soundtrack to "One from the Heart." What is his connection to Coppola? You will also hear a Waits song "Invitation to the Blues" in the movie "Bad Timing" (dir. by Nicholas Roeg and starring Art Garfunkel). The album "Nighthawks at the Diner" is a live recording which is representative of his style. There was also a Soundstage (PBS) which featured Tom Waits and Leon Redbone which was pretty good.