Tom Waits on vinyl: bar piano, blues and theatre
In short: Tom Waits (b. 1949) from California started out in the seventies as a songwriter at the bar piano, with stories of night owls and outsiders. From the eighties his sound grew rougher and more idiosyncratic – with clattering percussion, old instruments and a voice like gravel. The Vinyl Room currently has 5 Tom Waits records.
What makes Tom Waits special?
Two worlds in one body of work: “Closing Time” (1973), his first album, is tender and melancholy – with songs such as “Ol’ ’55”. Decades later he and Kathleen Brennan wrote songs for theatre productions by director Robert Wilson.
From this came the two albums “Alice”, after Lewis Carroll, and “Blood Money”, after Georg Büchner’s “Woyzeck”, both released in 2002 – dark, beautiful songs full of waltzes and blues. Plus “Lie To Me”, a song from the period of his collection “Orphans” (2006).
From our stock
Records by Tom Waits
→ Anti- · Asylum Records · Experimental · Rock on vinyl
FAQ
What was his first album? “Closing Time” from 1973.
What are “Alice” and “Blood Money”? Two albums from 2002 with songs he wrote with Kathleen Brennan for productions by Robert Wilson.
What is “Blood Money” based on? On Georg Büchner’s play “Woyzeck”.
Which records do you have? Mostly newer editions – 5 records in all.
