Rain Dogs

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  If you could define this genre of music, this would be the defining album for it. Rain Dogs is one of those albums that only comes around only so often. It has everything you could want from a Tom Waits album. You got those creepy classic Waits numbers like "Singapore", "Clap Hands", "Tango till you're sore" and "Rain Dogs"; and there are the nice melodic ballads like "Hang down your head", "Time" and "Downtown Train"; the ... (show more)

  If you could define this genre of music, this would be the defining album for it. Rain Dogs is one of those albums that only comes around only so often. It has everything you could want from a Tom Waits album. You got those creepy classic Waits numbers like "Singapore", "Clap Hands", "Tango till you're sore" and "Rain Dogs"; and there are the nice melodic ballads like "Hang down your head", "Time" and "Downtown Train"; the finger snapping beat of "Walking Spanish"; the country flavor of "Blind Love" and it ends with the prolific "Anywhere I lay my Head". It doesnt get any better than that. This is one of my favorite albums of all time. I love how it is so theatrical and diverse. This would probably be the best place to start if you are thinking of checking out some Tom Waits material. Rain Dogs have a wide selection of material, so if you don't like some parts of it, you may like others. Amazing stuff for sure. (show less)

   

   

  by Kent Billingham on Oct 18, 2009 at 05:10AM

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  A combination of beatnik poetry, a fascination with the dregs of life, Cuban arrangements (Manuel Galban would be proud of the guitar work on "Jockey Full of Bourbon"), Taj Mahal, the Stones, Salvation Army horns, and a splash of Dixieland to finish it all off; if it sounds like a glorious mess, well, you're right. It may also be Tom Wait's best album ("Small Change" is a close second). There's hardly any of the amphetamine induced monotone ramblings that have dominated ... (show more)

  A combination of beatnik poetry, a fascination with the dregs of life, Cuban arrangements (Manuel Galban would be proud of the guitar work on "Jockey Full of Bourbon"), Taj Mahal, the Stones, Salvation Army horns, and a splash of Dixieland to finish it all off; if it sounds like a glorious mess, well, you're right. It may also be Tom Wait's best album ("Small Change" is a close second). There's hardly any of the amphetamine induced monotone ramblings that have dominated some of his earlier records (although some of those ARE hilarious, such as "Step Right Up" from Small Change). But for the most part it's just a bunch of great songs reflecting America's vast musical legacy. It's great all the way through, but if one had to pick some highlights, I'd go with the wonderful "Hand Down Your Head", "Jockey Full of Bourbon", "Time", "Walking Spanish", and of course "Downtown Train", which was a hit a few years later for Rod Stewart. Bonus: Keith Richards plays guitar on three tracks! (show less)

   

   

  by Andrew Rosner on Sep 16, 2009 at 01:36AM

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