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Tom Waits — Long Way Home
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boober
(KC,Mo)
Posted: Mar 18, 2013 - 13:57
 
My girlfriend(now my wife)and I caught Tom Waits at Trenton State College in 1977.He played in a small classroom to a crowd of about 75 people.I loved his show.After he and his band were finished I walked out with my girlfriend but decided to double back and see a friend(who was also was at the show).

To my surprise,Tom wasn't done with the show......he stepped outside the classroom with his band and was talking about the gig.

"Jesus christ.....I can't believe we just played this piece of shit"
"Like pulling teeth trying to get some applause" 
Then he sees me and my girlfriend and he says....."You missed the best show ever man"
I said...."We were at the show Tom....I thought you were done"
He says..... "Well now(puffing on a cigarrette)what do you think.....should we go back in and play an encore?.....I don't want to leave ALL those people hanging"
He(and his 4 piece band) went back in with me and my girlfriend right behind them.He's one of a kind!       

Lazarus
(Bethany)
Posted: Mar 18, 2013 - 13:43
 
 Cynaera wrote:

You have such a lyrical way of cutting through the bullshit. {#Lol}  I agree, though - his voice, these days, is definitely an acquired taste. I happen to love it and hate it. I love it because he's still singing. I hate it because he's done immeasurable harm to his vocal cords, and he won't stop. He'll probably die gritting out his incredible lyrics on a voice that gave up the ghost a decade ago.  Still, I love his music, and I'll sit through his near-monotone growling, because to me, he's just that good.

 

Miss you so much, Cynaera...

love this song...
 

d-don
(Oregon)
Posted: Mar 12, 2013 - 11:21
 
"Money's just something
to throw off the back of the train.
Got a head full of lightnin'
and a hat full of rain."

Say what you want about his vocals, I love his lyrics.

GarageDragon
Posted: Mar 12, 2013 - 11:20
 
Mr.  Waits,  can I get you a throat lozenge, sir? 
hbs47
(SE England)
Posted: Feb 15, 2013 - 04:28
 
Wow an almost listenable TW song.  Should stick to song writing and let others cover his songs IMO.

Sweet_Virginia
Posted: Jan 30, 2013 - 05:54
 
Love it. My fav from Tom. You can hear the burden of his life and experience in his song - and appreciate why it has been a long way home (and why he is looking for refuge). Often vocals are more than sounding nice.

bpkengor
(East Coast, USA)
Posted: Nov 28, 2012 - 12:43
 
 agkagk wrote:


Add Leonard Cohen to that list. They've written some amazing songs/poetry (particularly Cohen). Too bad they also chose to perform (i.e. sing) them. They should have left that aspect of it to someone (anyone) else. The poetry is brilliant, but they can't sing.

 
so, would it be OK if they sang each others songs?

rdo
(DC)
Posted: Oct 06, 2012 - 15:23
 
Give him a lozenge already.  For pete's sake.

finoufk
(in my bed)
Posted: Sep 11, 2012 - 04:58
 
{#Stop}

richlister
Posted: Sep 05, 2012 - 02:17
 


midreaming
Posted: Aug 04, 2012 - 15:08
 
 LizK wrote:
A voice like a smoker's cough. Brown phlegm 
  maybe.. but like Dylan's, i prefer to think of it like he's got the blood of the land in his voice


Grammarcop
(i've successfully infiltrated the 1% without being detected!)
Posted: Jul 10, 2012 - 06:53
 
Waits was on Letterman last night, hawking his latest album. 

LizK
(Houston, Texas)
Posted: Jun 08, 2012 - 13:54
 
A voice like a smoker's cough. Brown phlegm 

meatballsmom
(Valley of the Sun - Arizona!)
Posted: Jun 08, 2012 - 13:52
 
{#Frustrated}

jocelynsart
Posted: Feb 18, 2012 - 07:46
 
a + ........ discovered this awesome station!
a - ........ discovered this horrid singer lol!

TerryS
(Another SW)
Posted: Feb 02, 2012 - 16:49
 
 Cynaera wrote:

You have such a lyrical way of cutting through the bullshit. {#Lol}  I agree, though - his voice, these days, is definitely an acquired taste. I happen to love it and hate it. I love it because he's still singing. I hate it because he's done immeasurable harm to his vocal cords, and he won't stop. He'll probably die gritting out his incredible lyrics on a voice that gave up the ghost a decade ago.  Still, I love his music, and I'll sit through his near-monotone growling, because to me, he's just that good.

 
Give the new album a listen and see if you like the 'new' voice he uses (on the tracks I've heard, anyway).  It'll take some getting used to, for me anyway.



boober
(KC,Mo)
Posted: Jan 27, 2012 - 12:43
 
Yeah,Well......Hmmmm....(.cough,spit.)..."I like Tom Waits."....he said with kinda of a half- way grin,cigarette dangling out of his mouth as he reached for his shot of tequila.

A treasure!

david927
Posted: Nov 25, 2011 - 01:16
 
Tom has a new album.  I'd love to hear this, for example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCbPkr9AEG4&ob=av2e



On_The_Beach
(Vancouver BC, Bud)
Posted: Aug 22, 2011 - 12:44
 
 Mexilicious wrote:
 Precisely my three favourite singers. I love the fact that they sound like they just rolled out of bed with a hangover and are groping around for a half-smoked cigarette butt while they try to remember how they wound up in that cheesy motel room. Especially Tom Waits. But aren't there any women to add to the list of great bad singers? Or do we just have a much healthier lifestyle? 
 
Hmmm, Patti Smith maybe? Marianne Faithfull from the mid-70s and beyond?

Mexilicious
(Paradise, literally)
Posted: Aug 12, 2011 - 16:42
 
 Proclivities wrote:

Yes, heaven forbid that three of the most prolific and talented singer/songwriters in history get out and sing songs that they wrote, in defiance of your rules.
  
Precisely my three favourite singers. I love the fact that they sound like they just rolled out of bed with a hangover and are groping around for a half-smoked cigarette butt while they try to remember how they wound up in that cheesy motel room. Especially Tom Waits. But aren't there any women to add to the list of great bad singers? Or do we just have a much healthier lifestyle? 


Proclivities
(Carrboro, NC)
Posted: Jul 12, 2011 - 07:54
 
 koryreagan wrote:
Bill, you're killing me slowly with Tom Wait and Bob Dylan songs. I turn down my volume when these two make an appearance.
 

 agkagk wrote:


Add Leonard Cohen to that list. They've written some amazing songs/poetry (particularly Cohen). Too bad they also chose to perform (i.e. sing) them. They should have left that aspect of it to someone (anyone) else. The poetry is brilliant, but they can't sing.

 
Yes, heaven forbid that three of the most prolific and talented singer/songwriters in history get out and sing songs that they wrote, in defiance of your rules.


The_Enemy
(...is within)
Posted: Jun 26, 2011 - 15:14
 
 fredriley wrote:
F*ck me, he sounds pissed as a fart in the opening part. You'd think it was some wino croaking into his cider bottle. Which is precisely the effect Tom Waits is after achieving ;)

A great songwriter and poet, highly perceptive, writes from the streets, but his voice is a 'challenging' listen, as they say.
 
Back in the '80s, while I was between moving cities, I stayed with my sister at her apartment in downtown Toronto. The entrance way to her place was off an alley.

One night, I was listening to some Tom Waits and my sister entered the room and screamed "IT'S YOU!!!!"

"I'VE BEEN AFRAID TO LEAVE THE APARTMENT BECAUSE I THOUGHT THERE WERE DRUNKS IN THE ALLEY."

:) 

Cynaera
(South of Neanderthal)
Posted: Mar 23, 2011 - 20:51
 
 fredriley wrote:
F*ck me, he sounds pissed as a fart in the opening part. You'd think it was some wino croaking into his cider bottle. Which is precisely the effect Tom Waits is after achieving ;)

A great songwriter and poet, highly perceptive, writes from the streets, but his voice is a 'challenging' listen, as they say.
 
You have such a lyrical way of cutting through the bullshit. {#Lol}  I agree, though - his voice, these days, is definitely an acquired taste. I happen to love it and hate it. I love it because he's still singing. I hate it because he's done immeasurable harm to his vocal cords, and he won't stop. He'll probably die gritting out his incredible lyrics on a voice that gave up the ghost a decade ago.  Still, I love his music, and I'll sit through his near-monotone growling, because to me, he's just that good.


shmuelman
(Denver)
Posted: Mar 17, 2011 - 16:56
 
 johnjconn wrote:

If you remove the Cohen's, Dylan's and Watt's vocal performance, all your left with is a bunch of American Idol type singers.
Long live the raspy voiced song writters who live and die by their songs.  I only wish more artist like Lenny, Bobby and Tommy were around today,  it makes the song more interesting. 
I'm tired of the pretty boy and bimbo girl voices.
 
A-effing-men. There is a difference between being a "great singer," like Dylan and Waits, and having a "great voice." Like looking at a Mark Rothko painting and saying "I don't get it."


On_The_Beach
(Vancouver BC, Bud)
Posted: Feb 04, 2011 - 17:50
 
 aelfheld wrote:
Half right.  Waits, yes.  Dylan, no.

Half right.  Waits, yes.  Dylan, yes.


lerxst
(A Planet in the Solar Federation)
Posted: Feb 04, 2011 - 14:49
 
He has a voice like a thousand angels...moaning in agony and despair.

fredriley
(Nottingham, UK)
Posted: Jan 04, 2011 - 07:20
 
F*ck me, he sounds pissed as a fart in the opening part. You'd think it was some wino croaking into his cider bottle. Which is precisely the effect Tom Waits is after achieving ;)

A great songwriter and poet, highly perceptive, writes from the streets, but his voice is a 'challenging' listen, as they say.

aelfheld
Posted: Dec 13, 2010 - 14:58
 
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Bill, you're keeping the vast majority of listeners happy with Tom Waits and Bob Dylan songs. We turn up the volume when these two make an appearance!  {#Music} 

Half right.  Waits, yes.  Dylan, no.


grungepuppy
(Flagstaff, AZ)
Posted: Dec 03, 2010 - 16:52
 
 Stefen wrote:

This is one of those songs where I like everybody's version.  Thanks Tom.


 
Yeah, good song. I like the Norah Jones cover of it too.


kentbigdog
(Lost and Confused)
Posted: Nov 11, 2010 - 20:07
 
Drinkin' and thoroughly enjoying Mr. Waits. Thanks!

scraig
(Santa Barbara, CA)
Posted: Oct 01, 2010 - 09:18
 


If Charles Bukowski could sing, I imagine his voice would sound like Tom Waits. 

johnjconn
(chicago land)
Posted: Sep 15, 2010 - 14:26
 
 agkagk wrote:


Add Leonard Cohen to that list. They've written some amazing songs/poetry (particularly Cohen). Too bad they also chose to perform (i.e. sing) them. They should have left that aspect of it to someone (anyone) else. The poetry is brilliant, but they can't sing.

 
If you remove the Cohen's, Dylan's and Watt's vocal performance, all your left with is a bunch of American Idol type singers.
Long live the raspy voiced song writters who live and die by their songs.  I only wish more artist like Lenny, Bobby and Tommy were around today,  it makes the song more interesting. 
I'm tired of the pretty boy and bimbo girl voices.

JamesB
(Coastal Carolina)
Posted: Aug 30, 2010 - 09:28
 
I'm with you, On_The_Beach.  Tom and Bob are at the TOP of my list.  BTW, they are excellent singers.  Masters of phrasing and inflection.{#Roflol}

 On_The_Beach wrote:

Bill, you're keeping the vast majority of listeners happy with Tom Waits and Bob Dylan songs. We turn up the volume when these two make an appearance!  {#Music}
 



agkagk
(Aurora, Ontario, Canada)
Posted: Aug 14, 2010 - 14:10
 
 koryreagan wrote:
Bill, you're killing me slowly with Tom Wait and Bob Dylan songs. I turn down my volume when these two make an appearance.
 

Add Leonard Cohen to that list. They've written some amazing songs/poetry (particularly Cohen). Too bad they also chose to perform (i.e. sing) them. They should have left that aspect of it to someone (anyone) else. The poetry is brilliant, but they can't sing.


On_The_Beach
(Vancouver BC, Bud)
Posted: Jul 29, 2010 - 10:05
 
 koryreagan wrote:
Bill, you're killing me slowly with Tom Wait and Bob Dylan songs. I turn down my volume when these two make an appearance.
 
Bill, you're keeping the vast majority of listeners happy with Tom Waits and Bob Dylan songs. We turn up the volume when these two make an appearance!  {#Music}



Albert1967
(Leusden, the Netherlands)
Posted: May 11, 2010 - 01:31
 
 koryreagan wrote:
Bill, you're killing me slowly with Tom Wait and Bob Dylan songs. I turn down my volume when these two make an appearance.
 
You know what: ditch Bob in favour of Tom ;)

calypsus_1
Posted: May 10, 2010 - 21:02
 

kommienezuspadt by ~nothought
morganne  ©2007-2010 ~nothought

this is tom waits
he sings so honest.


Businessgypsy
(Deepest, Darkest Florida)
Posted: Mar 24, 2010 - 08:31
 
steeler wrote:
Brilliant segue from Jackson Browne's Fountain of Sorrow.

The other side of the emotional journey. Different takes on the same overriding theme.
Well said. I didn't intend to have an emotional morning, but here we are.


steeler
(Perched on the precipice of the cauldron of truth)
Posted: Mar 24, 2010 - 08:22
 
Brilliant segue from Jackson Browne's Fountain of Sorrow.   

The other side of the emotional journey.  Different takes on the same overriding theme.  

Stefen
(West Hollywood, CA)
Posted: Mar 02, 2010 - 14:57
 

This is one of those songs where I like everybody's version.  Thanks Tom.



Derecho
(A Land Without Traffic Lights)
Posted: Mar 02, 2010 - 14:56
 
Sounds like something Johnny Cash would have played.

Businessgypsy
(Deepest, Darkest Florida)
Posted: Feb 20, 2010 - 18:23
 
ranesjr wrote:
Wow, this is painful.
Tom Waits is pretty amazing that way. How he bottles pain in so many subtle sweet variations is the spark of art. Story of the life I'm still writing.


michaelc
(Walnut Creek, CA)
Posted: Jan 04, 2010 - 18:32
 
 ulibcn wrote:
this guy just kills me (and makes me long for more)
 


Tom a bath tub a bottle of burbon a razor and a mind full of sweet painful memorys

fredriley
(Nottingham, UK)
Posted: Dec 04, 2009 - 09:49
 
Four 3s and a 2 - looks like it's another doldrum period on RP, at least for me. Time for a wee break - back in 10.

koryreagan
(St. Louis, MO)
Posted: Nov 18, 2009 - 12:26
 
Bill, you're killing me slowly with Tom Wait and Bob Dylan songs. I turn down my volume when these two make an appearance.

fingerpin
(OhiO)
Posted: Oct 02, 2009 - 10:40
 
But can he sing? {#Devil_pimp}

vandal
(arriving somewhere, but not here. . .)
Posted: Oct 02, 2009 - 10:39
 
 SweTex wrote:
"got a head full of lightning
and a hat full of rain"
9 {#Arrow} 10
 
I'll see your excerpt and raise you this:

Watch your back if I should tell you
Love's the only thing I've ever known

9



DaveInVA
(In a crumbling Queen Anne mansion in Damnville, VA)
Posted: Sep 26, 2009 - 08:43
 
Unlike me, I always take the wrong way home....

jbunniii
(San Jose, CA)
Posted: Sep 16, 2009 - 11:58
 
Amazing, a Tom Waits song I've never heard!  Thanks for playing it.  He has a knack for making songs for obscure movies.


SweTex
(Swede living in Texas)
Posted: Jul 31, 2009 - 09:47
 
"got a head full of lightning
and a hat full of rain"
9 {#Arrow} 10