Tom Waits, Grapefruit Moon - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction
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- Опубліковано 14 тра 2024
- #tomwaits #virginrock
Should we call this eclectic? Certainly! Hodge-podge? Certainly not!
Here’s the link to the original song by Tom Waits:
• Tom Waits - "Grapefrui...
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/ @littleliesel
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by Tom Waits
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Ah Tom Waits. Now theirs somebody who’s worth dwelling on for a while.
Amy: "What else can he do?"
Tom: "Hold my beer."
The piano has been drinking (not me)
What only the beer...
Tom... you ain't ever getting my Bourbon 😎....😉
😂
@@nicksurma3269 Amy Shafer: "What else can he do?"
Stumbling onto Waits when an entire audience walked out of the local Queens College (CUNY) Cellar campus performance cabaret bar back circa late 1970's when I was bar-tending my way through early higher education encounters and Waits's jazz trio was booked into a room perhaps redolent of the Beat Poetry stylings of previous decades, yet it was a rock club booked room and by Waits & Trio's first set of spoken word & jazz vamping & grooving jams (pre the rock term: Jam Band, although any fan of Grateful Dead knew that's what they were) surely 2]3rds of the packed small pub room in basement of the Student Union building filtered out.
That is when I realized Waits was actually closer in his inhabiting and theatrically expressing his muses to a Performance Artist than a touring rock, jazz or club musician. Here is what I mean in terms of the theatricality of what Tom Time Waits tracks can embody on his fully realized audio albums. Here's an existential piece from those familiar with novels, plays and screenplays along with radio plays emerging with the post WW II Existential Period:
ua-cam.com/video/W9mhsW5aWJM/v-deo.html
Tom Waits - "God's Away On Business"
ANTI- Records
373K subscribers
6,948,316 views May 12, 2008 #tomwaits #bloodmoney
"God's Away On Business" by @tomwaits from the album 'Blood Money,' 2002
Directed by Jesse Dylan
(This record company video promotional clip of the track "God's Away On Business" is actually directed by Bob Dylan's son Jesse....another Existentialist Artist in song of higher or lower degree depending on how you define Existentialism, philosophically speaking....)
Here's to the replies here that answer Amy Shafer's U. of Tube seminar on first impressions of Tom Waits tracks in which Waits lyrics echo in response. This intro from a "live" double album from very early in Waits's off-beat career on Asylum Records (bless David Geffen if he had anything to do with Waits even landing a rock artist contract) conveys some the Performance Artist inhabiting Beat Poet circa 1950's & 60's improv re-creating the milieu of a late night Diner from his NIGHTHAWKS AT THE DINER album and a spoken word interlude (no pun intended with 'lude...) as jazz combo vamps behind his poetic witticisms on the qualities and deficits of Diner coffee for the congregated Nighthawks at the Counter:
genius.com/Tom-waits-intro-to-eggs-and-sausage-lyrics
And an audio clip from U. of Tube for the Eggs & Sausage staged in studio "Live" track:
ua-cam.com/video/ORCLfN1yNYk/v-deo.html
Tom Waits - Intro & Eggs and Sausage
George
515 subscribers
24,066 views Aug 3, 2013
Tom Waits: vocals & piano
Mike Melvoin: electric piano
Pete Christlieb: tenor sax
Jim Hughart: upright bass
Bill Goodwin: drums
Health and balance
Keep on listening, gabbing and sipping from living if brewed coffee
Tio Mitchito
Mitch Ritter\Paradigm Sifters, Code Shifters, PsalmSong Chasers
Lay-Low Studios, Ore-Wa (Refuge of Atonement Seekers)
Media Discussion List\Looksee
Tom is going to get you more than anything else you've listened to thus far. There is nobody quite like him and he is to be utterly adored.
He"s a very special one, not really able to sing, gut doing that with an enthusiasm and feelings which cause goose bumps and tears. I ❤ his ballades!
Try for instance: somewhere / silent night / the whole Album closing time / the heart of the saturday night/ on a nickel/ hold in / ........... Enjoy!
Greetings from Austria
Could add Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Allan Holdsworth. Well worth diving into.
@@haraldobermaier5965 I think Closing Time is my favorite of his albums.
'Hell broke Luce' for example. It's not musically emotional like Dire Straits' 'Brothers in Arms', but gets deeper into my bones.
It is also about war, but is founded instead on rough texture and rhythm, without the soothing floatiness of a dying narrator.
@@DinsdaleDinsyPiranha God I love Hell broke Luce. I love all of his off-kilter stuff anway.
There's always a ragged vulnerability to Waits' voice. This song's conventional singing marks it as a very early entry in the Waits catalog. I think Waits is a genius. He created and embodied a series of personas through his career before marrying Kathleen Brennan, now listed as co-author of many of his songs, and creating something new, a synthesis of everything that came before sprinkled with the man's own unique creative genius. I love the early sentimental ballads but what I really prize in Waits is the journey on his way to authenticity. The lyrics to this song seem to bare the man's heart, but the conventional singing and piano playing mark it as an act, an adopted genre. Later in his career, you will hear him step away from those safe personas and be himself. His music can be challenging. It can seem unmusical. But it never fails to be moving. You'll see.
Ah, Tom Waits. So glad you got to him. As others have expressed, he's a real treasure. And he has never been one to follow trends.
My discovery of him is specific to a particular place, and a particular time. I believe it was in 1987. I had moved in with Martine, a Swiss girlfriend, in the least respectable neighborhood in Geneva. She was multi lingual and had wide ranging taste. She had an astonishingly broad record and book collection, including many in English. Among her records were some Waits. Among her books were short stories by Sam Shepard, and Brave New World, by Huxley. I pored through them all. Hearing Tom Waits again reminds me of that wonderful time with her.
Alas for times long gone, but fondly remembered.
Oh the rabbit hole that you just went down... I would love to see you explore the many extremely different styles of his music. There is no one like him. Such a treasure.
Tom Waits is surly one of a kind, he created a unique universe of his own, both musically and lyrically.
His work and catalog is so big and versatile, but in some time so uniquely his own.
I consider him a great artist after all, as actor he played in movies od Jarmush, Coppola and many others, from small art movies to Hollywood A production.
He never was interested in stardom as he was interested in anything he thought it is just interesting.
You can make a whole series on different time periods or musical adventures he was part of, Tom Waits is an ocean deep, and don’t be afraid to dive in to magical worlds he created.
Keep on good work Amy and greetings to Vlad and Kid’o!
'great to see you dipping into Tom's world... 'hoping this becomes a larger series.
Even though Bob Dylan was one of the main reasons Waits got into singing and songwriting, Dylan has called Waits one of his "secret heroes." High praise, indeed.
There's a full ashtray on the piano Waits is sitting next to on the cover of the album this song comes from. Like a lot of the sixties and seventies folkies, cigarettes and alcohol did a lot to his voice over the years, and he sounds like a totally different singer just a few years after this song was released. (He may have also damaged his voice from deliberately imitating gravely-voiced singers.)
Waits may be one of the least commercially successful musicians in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but he got in easily because he's been such a huge influence on so many rock musicians who came after him. I hope you get a chance to listen to a wide variety of his work over the decades, because it's so varied and excellent throughout.
The mad scientist of 20th century music.
Tom Waits is a genius.
I just agree, do more with Tom Waits.
Tom Waits is an American treasure. His songs can make you laugh and weep at the same time, and his lyrics always add layers that you can discover and rediscover with each listen. So many wonderful songs for you to explore. Thanks for sharing this one. 🙂
Tom Traubert's Blues is my favorite. And his pairing with Crystal Gayle for the movie One From The Heart - inspired
Definitely one the best and under appreciated song in the last 50 years.
Great movie - and a sumptuous sound track I regularly listen to.
@@linnightl9277 the contrast of their two voices is amazing
@@surferles589 So agree on that. I have heard versions of the songs on her own album without Tom Waits. They don't hold my attention the same. Absolutely love her voice on the movie sound track though.
Very gentle introduction to Tom Waits with this early melodic effort. He has been on such a journey since. Question is how far down his road are you willing to travel? It is quite a journey to take.
Tom Waits is often awesome. I don't like everything, but what I do like I love.
If you listen to "I Want You" and then listen to "God's Away on Business" you'll get a sense of the extreme ends of the Tom Waits spectrum.
Tom Waits is a national treasure and I'm delighted to see you react to him. He has different modes of singing/writing, one of which is sort of sentimental ballads like this one. There are a number of other good songs in this vein ("Time", "Anywhere I Lay My Head") but he also does these clangorous, rough, gnarly songs full of weird sounds. You probably want to try the rougher side of Tom Waits, as you suggested at the end of your video. Give "Chocolate Jesus" a try.
Personally I'd love to hear her work through the entirety of Rain Dogs start to finish.
These four of the more ragged ones come to my mind: Filipino Box Spring Hog, In the Collosseum, Hoist that Rag, Hell Broke Luce. Tom Waits is absolutely a favourite artist of mine.
@@BobbiasCemetery Polka off Rain Dogs is a good starting point for the more rugged Tom Waits, I think.
Tom Waits can shift from one of the most beautiful songs you have ever heard, to one of the most jarring and it always feels right. A genius composer and a master manipulator of atmosphere.
Enjoyed a concert of Waits in1982, it was perhaps the most memorable musical experiences I've had.
Oh wow, you're at Tom Waits. Enjoy the journey!
I think his live performance of waltzing matilda in 1977 is one of the finest things in music history!
Three sheets to the wind in Copenhagen!😝
Anything from Blue Valentine will have her hooked in a single play.
@@user-bf6zy5lh2e Yes, any version is great imo but I meant the live ( Tom Trauberts Blues) on Rockplast, is the ultimate performance for me. So glad this was caught on film.
An unusual choice for a first Tom Waits listen. But I do like the idea of proceeding chronologically with Waits, and gradually experiencing him turning into a mad carnival barker.
I love it when people get introduced to Tom Waits. I’ve had the opportunity to see two of his live shows and I think I could go back every weekend if they were available. it’s almost like church to me.
This was a very unexpected and quite tame introduction to Tom's work. I'd love to see you delve into the rabbit hole of post meeting his wife Kathleen Brennan, which opened up his world to the likes of Captain Beefheart.
Also, yet again a wonderful reaction and on the spot analysis 😊
Yes, his early stuff is lovely, but it really kicks in from 1983's Swordfishtrombones.
@@matthewzuckerman6267 Heart Attack and Vine and Swordfish as a pair were stylistic turning points but his whole career produced gems.
Tom becomes the characters in his songs. His voice is the palette that paints words and sounds that we can see and even smell.
I'm happy to see you tackling his music!
As an actor Tom Waits, he played Renfield in the film Bram Stoker's Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola and played a supporting character in the film Rumble Fish also by Coppola, among many other films. He also starred in a segment, alongside Iggy Pop, of Jim Jarmusch's film, Coffee & Cigarettes.
Grapefuit Moon is a song from his first album. In the second (The Heart of the Saturday Night) the change in the voice begins to be somewhat noticeable, in the third, recorded live (Nighthawks at the Dinner) the change in the voice becomes more noticeable and almost definitive, in the fourth (Small Change), the voice is already the distinctive one of Tom Waits. However, although his musical style had many changes, the use of strings remained and will always or almost always accompany him in some way or another.
Tom Waits provided the vocals for Tommy the Cat, on a Primus album. Les Claypool (bass), Larry LaLonde (guitar) and Bryan 'Brain' Mantia (drums), from Primus (Mantia, in addition to being part of Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, had a stint in Primus), are guests on the song 'Big in Japan' from the album Mule Variations by Tom Waits.
Ironweed!🙏
Tom Waits also works as an actor from time to time. Maybe that's how you came across the name before.
He is one of my favourite musicians / lyricists of all time, and his compositions have been covered a lot by other artists from different genres of popular music (jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, rock, punk, electronic music...).
Wow! I wasn’t expecting this. One of my favorite tunes. This first album of his has been a favorite of mine for the last 35 years when I first heard it in my late teens.
I really enjoyed your reaction. I have only listened to bits and pieces of Tom Waits' work, and I learned a lot from your comments.
My first exposure to Waits was Frank's Wild Years, which I immediately fell in love with and then I dove into his discography. I like the early torch songs/beatnik/blues stuff a lot, but its his later incarnations (really starting with Rain Dogs) that I really connect to, and feel he becomes a more vital and challenging artist as he gets older.
Great Review! Waits is a genius at developing soundscapes. Whether its sinatra-esque bar singer, cartoonish villain, nightmarish carnival or intimately romance crooner, Waits transports your soul by painting a picture for your ears.
A Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis is a must listen. Beautiful, haunting. 2 favorite albums are Blue Valentine and Heartattack and Vine. Every track completely captivating
Tom waits for no one. He would be an interesting artist to dive into. Interesting story and artistic evolution. Great analysis and reaction. You nailed it when you mentioned the textures. Very textural in words and music. He’s one of those artists that can take you back to a time that never really existed.
I think another good point would be something from Heart of a Saturday Night or Small Change. I am partial to Shiver Me Timbers or Step Right Up.
Tom Waits is amazing.
Check out his song "Singapore."
Very fun and bouncy almost sea chantyesque two beat number.
BTW, as this is an early work, his now signature tobacco soaked, gravelly barroom baritone is absent.
Again, Amy, check out "Singapore." 😊
Agreed, Singapore was my introduction to Tom Waits and I've loved him ever since
Yes, finally, Tom Waits! Please do on “The Nickel.” Beautiful song.
Most tragically that song of NORMALIZED (not even News-worthy as Wars are news-worthy) HOMELESSNESS in the wealthiest nation in quantified human his\herstory only gets more relevant the longer we accept that situ's "NORMALIZATION....."
Tio Mitchito
You brought our attention to the textures of this song. I never stopped to consider that he uses extreme textures purposely in his music. I've had trouble enjoying his music because of those extreme textures. I 'm going to challenge myself to listen more carefully to him to expand my palate.
Waits has always been one of my favorite American artist , great reaction vid. His voice gets alot more raspier and deeper with age, and I really think there are many, many songs and stories that Waits has produced that I think you would find very interesting and hopefully fulfilling. One of my favorites songs ever is the Irish ode-like "Flower's Grave".
You've finally reached the greatest, unique and incredibly talented
you´ll surprised by the great Tom Waits
gracias
About 15 years ago I took a deep dive into his work. I then spent over a year listening to nothing but him! He’s got something for every mood.
That whole album is a kick in the "Feels" in a great way. That said this album is 50+ years old and definitely different from what came after it. Enjoy the ride.😉👍✨
You'll be going deep down the rabbit hole,Amy, if you're exploring TW. I recommend the album swordfishtrombone- it being a stylistically pivotal album.
This guy Tom Waits is so moving. I am a big fan of him. Wonderful
Just reminds me of Bob Dylan ❤🎉I love this song very much...great choice and analysis ❤🎉
I've enjoyed listening to you. Good selections a bit off the beaten path. If you need to do a more commercial thing I would understand. Appreciate you're expertise in the meantime while we've got you.❤
Oh what a journey Tom can take you on. I fell in love years ago and I actually got to see him in the late 80s. It was unforgettable.
Gentle introduction to Tom Waits. There's a youtube of him playing 'Tom Trauberts Blues' on The Old Grey whistle test in 1977 that is extraordinary. And to follow that up, another amazing and rough vocalist, Shane MacGowan and the Pogues with "The Band played Waltzing Matilda" for pure emotion.
If you know Margie Gillis, the coreographer and dancer, she has a very famous piece where she dances to Tom Waits’ « Tom Traubert’s Blues ». It’s worth a watch if you can find it.
What a great album! Closing Time, Heart of Saturday Night, and Small Change are almost perfect albums.
Woo hoo! Tom is just about my favourite artist. This is from his first record and if you think his voice sounds a little raspy towards the end of the song you aint heard nothing yet!!
My Friend I'm a disabled 64 yr old grampa to 9 I would like you to listen to Genesis Fly on a windshield I'm older I lost a leg but enjoy ur teaching u r a nice person from my perspective
"his voice sounds a little bit dry and raspy".......you have no idea...lol
😂
Haha my thoughts exactly. She actually compared him to Frank Sinatra! She needs to listen to something like "God's Away on Business."
I love Tom's music, I've been a fan for decades, but I'm also grateful for his acting career. I occasionally play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, and Tom Waits is an excellent "junction" for the game. Waits was in the movie Queen's Logic with Kevin Bacon, so his Bacon number is 1, and he was also in three specific movies - The Outsiders, Mystery Men, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - that had literally dozens of big names in them, connecting him to almost anyone else you can think of in very few steps. Edit: someone else mentioned he was also in Bram Stoker's Dracula, another movie with a few big names. So, yeah, Tom Waits is literally one of the best possible junctions for Six Degrees.
(Unrelated to Waits, Linda Fiorentino was also in Queen's Logic, and she was also in Dogma and Men in Black, so if you're having trouble connecting someone to Bacon through Waits, you can probably go with her instead)
I'm so glad you're encountering Tom Waits. I hope you get to his later, more idiosyncratic (and thus more unique) work, from Rain Dogs on. Otherwise you'll miss an incredible opportunity to hear someone be deliberately off key and off time (in his playing and his singing) like a bad Salvation Army band and somehow create heartwrenching musical masterpieces, all while wielding lyrical ability that can break your heart with a line ("She got into a van with a vagabond, and the last thing she said was 'I love you, Mom'"). I hope you delve deeper and I envy you your journey. (An obvious influence neglected in the notes was New Orleans jazz in general, and Louis Armstrong in particular. )
Tom traubert’s Blues (waltzing Mathilda) is my favourite Tom Waits song. That voice…
He’s in some great movies including Bram Stokers Dracula.
His music truly spreads across genres.
From the gritty “Going Out west” to the experimental “Clap Hands” to the truly bizarre yet enjoyable “Gods away on business”.
Delve in and enjoy!
Funny story: My wife walked down the aisle to the Tom Waits song: "Midnight Lullaby"
Tom’s voice is Marmite to most people (Brits will understand) this is his gentler more romantic timbre (if that is the right word). I must admit I like the full on gravel version. A wonderful talent, I do hope that you listen to a lot more.
Oh, how I have been waiting for this!!
Wow, just wow! "Grapefruit Moon" was a favorite of his early songs when I was younger. He grew and broke so many rules, and I will follow hoping you do more. Perhaps "The Part You Throw Away" from "Glitter and Doom".
As you read in the beginning, this, or any other of his songs, will ever be representative of his collected work. There is such a width. But one word perfectly sums up his whole career; GENIUS.
I'm not typically a fan of reaction videos to music that I know and love. But I went on a journey with the song and I recognize her musical knowledge, and it was fascinating to see her reactions and interpretation and opinions. It added depth to a song that I know and love.
Has the piano been drinking? Great stuff.
My favorite artist ever! Great song!
I've loved Waits for decades. I caught up with him early in his career and was brought onboard by his at times musical simplicity, his lyrical expertise, and his wit. These early years of recording he most was a poet of the beaten man. His habit was spending tome in dive bars with the alcoholics and the compromised women, people on the edge with little or less. But he wrote their existences into songs with compassion and dignity. There was no doubt that he saw their hearts and souls and respected them. The humanity of the those in his songs is unmistaken and clear.
If you continue with Tom Waits and get to his whiskey-and-chain-smoking voice, understand that Waits INTENTIONALLY pushed his voice to thar extreme; it was a stylistic choice, for performance and recording purposes. He did it for his art, and there are several interviews where he states that clearly.
A few Tom songs to look into next: God's Away on Business...or Jockey Full of Bourbon...or Make it Rain...or his version of What Keeps Mankind Alive? by Brecht/Weil
Please try Innocent When You Dream.
Tom Waits is incredible. He has a huge progression and range through his career from his early "atmospheric late night piano Jazz" thing to his fantastical Brechtian carnival barker thing. The Rain Dogs album is a really good place to go to get into his more experimental stuff - it's brilliantly weird and over the top but still accessible (Rain Dogs or Jockey Full of Bourbon might be a good song to pick)
I've been waiting for this. An entry to one of the most important artists alive, in my opinion. Yet I'm surprised with the choice of Grapefruit Moon. Still, I'm thrilled, and hoping for many more!
On your movie channel, you reviewed The Book of Eli. Tom Waits played the role of the shopkeeper/tinkerer in the town early in the movie.
Tom is a brilliant lyricist. So many great lines, like "The moon's a silver slipper pouring champagne stars", or "How do the angels get to sleep when the devil leaves his porch light on". Every song has gems in the lyrics. The evolution of his voice is truly a wonder.
Been listening to Martha lately. Just looping it. So good.
If you want to see the range of his voice and musicality then you need to listen to at least 4 of his songs - this being one, but Earth Died Screaming, Tom's Wild Years (or What's he Building in there), Small Change (from the album - all of which is worth a listen). That's just a starting point, when it comes to Tom's sounds. Alice is one of my other favourites - I love the original, but I also love to sing it in a crooning, soft, love song - rather than the dark, almost broken form of the original. A fish and a Bird from the same period is lovely too. Then there's Rain Dogs (the Album! - ALL of it!).
Enjoy. There's so much more to discover. :D
Thank you for your great job Amy. I didn't know this song and never paid too much attention to Mr. Waits. But I like this song and his way of sing. It's a beautiful song and his raspy voice is strange for a singer, but I cannot deny it serves this kind of song well. I think we can call this genre of music as a cabaret rock. What do you think?
Interesting idea! Sure, why not?
Treat your ears and soul listen to the album Blue Valentine.💙😎🌌🧙🏻♂️
There are so many different styles you can explore with Waits from his early Diamonds on My Windshield to his more experimental Bone Machine album.
Little things mean so much in music.
Yes more Waits please!
This is only one sample. How can you have never heard of him. You've got SO MUCH catching up to do. I wish I was hearing his entire catalog for the very first time. And, amazingly, he's as great an actor as he is anything else. His ballads break me every time.
YES!! Tom's the king of "Well, that was something...". Check out Red Shoes By The Drugstore or Heart Attack And Vine or Underground.
Want to hear more? I recommend the song 'swordfishtrombones' - Tom Waits in about 1980, i think. A really wonderful original piece. Or anything from the album Rain Dogs. Or 'Invitation to the blues' from the album Small Change.
Great artist!
Ive been listening to Waits since 1976. A unique talent to say the least. Try listening to His song Tom Traubert’s Blues. It will take you away, where i don’t know but somewhere. Waits sometimes makes you feel like you’re eavesdropping.
he played Renfield on Bram Stoker´s Dracula... and a fabulous devil on one of the movies of Terry Gilliam... the other Big Maestro
Oh wow, this is unexpected.❤
Please do some more Tom Waits!
Tom Waits is my guy, my Elvis. You say you're curious what else he can do? I ask how much time you have, because he is fantastically diverse.
Delve into the 'Bone Machine' album, maybe 'Dirt on the Ground'. I've long said I love a good dirge, and this track is my bliss.
Tom Waits. That's a pleasant surprise.
Dearest Amy, please take to heart, what everyone is saying. Waits, will take you down almost every musical path imaginable. I can think of NO musical artist, who covers as many genres, sub-genres, and at such depths. At times, you may forget that the performer you are listening to, is the same one, you analyzed, yesterday. Young lady, you have struck "gold", with this one!
Great video. I promise to also like any other Tom Waits songs you listen to! Please?!
I think this is a beautiful introduction to Waits. It shows the kind of conventional beauty he is capable of, and gives you a solid footing from which to begin examining his music. However, this song does not at all show just how unconventional much of his music is. I'm absolutely looking forward to seen you discover that side of his discography.
Next one "Waltzing Matilda" or "Invitation to the blues".
You will receive requests to listen:
"Waltzing Matilda"
"Tom Traubert's blues"
"Four Sheets To The Wind In Copenhagen"
All they are the same song.
The actual title of "Waltzing Matilda" is "Tom Traubert's Blues or Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen"
I suggest "Hang On St. Christopher" or "Telephone Call From Istanbul" from the album "Frank's Wild Years" next.
Try 'Wicked Grin' by John Hammond for a Blues LP, all tunes by Tom Waits in collaboration with John. Splendid. Cheers, --bd
With this introduction to Tom Waits you've started on a long and diverse journey. It's striking that you've keyed on the variation in voice between "Grapefruit Moon" and "Tommy the Cat" and speculated that this might be just a hint of what he is capable of, as one of the main elements of his artistry, to my mind, is his varied voice. This, surprisingly, is one of the more "traditional" sounding songs, voice-wise- much smoother, more melodic, and less overtly humorous than usual. As a fan I've been mentally categorizing his vocal styles for years. For instance, there's:
Tom Waits #1: Romantic, downtrodden, low life sop who desperately loves a woman but feels like he is not worthy of her... but still has to tell her how he feels. Example song: "All the world is green"
Tom Waits #2: The Drunk Lounge Singer with a bawdy, yet strangely intellectual, sense of humor: Example Songs: "The Piano Has Been Drinking", "Postcard from a Hooker in Minneapolis"
Tom Waits #3: Mysterious denizen of the night, enamored with creepy things and cynical about existence. Example Song: "Jockey Full of Burbon"
Tom Waits #4: The Sleazy Salesman/carnival barker. Example song: "Step Right Up."
Tom Waits #5: The Bayou Swamp Dweller, recorded seemingly on a front porch somewhere with an ancient microphone. Example Song: "Chocolate Jesus"
Tom Waits #6: The Guttural Yawlp From Hell: Example song: "16 shells from a Thirty Aught Six" "Fillipino Box Spring Hog"
The Waits #7: Sentimental old guy struggling against the limitations of his own voice. Example songs: "House where nobody lives," "Georgia Lee"
Tom Waits #8: That goofy Storyteller in your neighborhood #8: "Children's Story", "The Pontiac"
... and so on.
dude wrote this song when he was in his early twenties I think. damn.
this is early Waits when his diction was still intelligible... His 1970s period was brilliant... Tommy the Cat was recorded almost 20 years after Grapefruit Moon. Waits' voice changed dramatically over those years. I was fortunate to see him perform in 1974 as the warm up act to Leon Redbone, another musician in a similar vein as Waits.
This is early Waits and it's beautiful, kind of innocent. So, so many great songs from Tom's catalogue, starting here on Closing Time, then on Heart of Saturday Night and Blue Valentine, my favourites. Try 'Martha', 'Please Call Me Baby', 'Invitation to the Blues' and his version of 'Somewhere' is like nothing you'll ever hear anywhere else. Get ready for gravel!
To hear a similar style but newer sound, check out Little Bit of Poison.... and remember it's the same guy.