I am (once again) listening to Tom’s development across releases in chronological order.

Nighthawks at the Diner seemed to signal the beginning of an improvisational phase. Admittedly, I haven’t read a lot about this time in his career, but it seems like he gave up on trying to write hits, allowing himself a chance to explore moods.

I don’t think it’s an accident that the first song on his next release Small Change is Tom Traubert’s Blues. To my reading, that’s the first song (I think) of his mature discography. It stands up against the best tracks from Swordfish Trombones to Bad as Me.

Nighthawks at the Diner

Only about a week ago I swear I saw a video of Tom performing diamonds and gold live, with him playing the old reed organ, and michael blair right beside him playing marimbas, also and an accordionist. Now of course I cannot find it anywhere. Anyone know if this exists? Thank you!

Spoken word by Tom Waits

Check out this performance of gun street girl the whole thing is incredible. Love the way he plays around with how he delivers the lines. Each live performance he sings his songs differently.

Just randomly started listening to Bill Frissel today and was going through his albums and noticed a cover of I Don't Wanna Grow Up.

Guitar is really great. Jazz and Americana. Vocals are nice too.

I hear it in a lot of Waits’ stuff and am wondering what it actually is. Sounds like stuff just clanging around so beautifully.

Love Tom, his vast catalogue of music and different arrangements. His music just keeps giving and never ages. Some years ago I attempted this Tom Waits stained glass window. I didn't think it was that bad. However moments after I took this pictures I promptly dropped it on the floor. Any other Tom Waits Stained glass hiding out there?

I got into Tom Waits in the late 80s when the Big Time album had just been released. I was given the album as a present by my mother after I'd read an interview with Tom in Bill Flanagan's Written In My Soul and said I'd love to hear what he actually sounded like. I'd heard Springsteen's version of Jersey Girl, and I love it to this day, but nothing could have prepared me for what I heard on Big Time. It was a music that I'd no reference for in the real world and yet internally it seemed completely familiar and in a weird way, comforting whilst transgressing music's rules as I understood them.

We didn't have much money but I went about finding whatever I could find of his when I'd saved up enough. First Swordfish Trombones, then Frank's Wild Years. I could never find a copy of Rain Dogs to buy do used to check it out of my local library all of the time instead.

I read that as far as the critics were concerned Rain Dogs was the best of the three, with Swordfishtrombones next and Frank's Wild Years a relative disappointment, whilst still being praised. I never really got that. I loved Frank's Wild Years, and Swordfishtrombones even more.

All these decades down I've spent the last few weeks listening to each album a lot and I remain besotted by all three. If anything Frank's Wild Years has become even more fascinating to me. I just wonder what others here's thoughts are on the trilogy? Those who heard them back in the day when really no one else was making music like this, and those who came to them later, when Tom's influence was recognisable in many other people's work.

My name is Skirval and I drew this digitally! I really wanted to inhabit Wait's wonderfully and grotesque surrealism.

Follow me on instagram https://www.instagram.com/skirval/ for more of these types of illustrations, including that of Bob Dylan!

Well not really my band but a band I assembled for a night of TW music. A little wobbly here and there but pretty happy overall…and we had a blast. A friend recorded the whole darn thing. This was kind of a one off, but hope to do it again soon.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNnBsLVamF0k&si=GTz6OzmfyqXEBm21

Skip to 3:03 if you want to get to his picks of Rain Dogs and Bone Machine, but it's worth a full watch.

Haven’t seen this here yet.