I am a huge Tom Waits fan, both of the softer, melodic stuff and some of the more experimental crazy stuff. Tom Traubert’s Blues, though, is my all time favorite. Based on what you’ve posted here, Sattua, I know you’ll love it. Quite possibly my favorite song of all time.
Gotta second this post - *Bawlers *is excellent. Down There by the Train gives me chills every time I hear it. I also love his stories on that album, they’re hilarious.
You should be drinking Chivas regal in a four dollar room.
With a pint of green Chartreuse, ain’t nothin’ seems right.
A more obscure item worth acquiring is the sound track from “One From the Heart.” I believe that SDMB movie maven Equipoise has called the film her favorite musical.
Waits and Crystal Gayle (extremely pure high voice) trade off vocals and occasionally duet. There’s an album’s worth of “real” songs on the CD (maybe 10) as well as soundtrack snippets. The highlight for me is Gayle performing"Old Boyfriends" but it’s solid all the way through, and very accessible (as a soundtrack needs to be.)
This thread made me dig out my copy of Swordfishtrombones again. Never could stand that dog.
This thread made me dig out my copy of Swordfishtrombones again and Soldier’s Things is giving me chills. Utterly simple and understated, and completely heartbreakingly beautiful.
Have you picked up any more of Waits’ albums yet, Sattua? I think I’m going to take advantage of this thread and do that myself.
I have listened to a lot of the linked songs, but I haven’t bought anymore whole albums, no. I got sidetracked by Mary Margaret O’Hara, and Rain Dogs is taking a long time to digest, and I’m wrapped up in finishing a first draft of a novel, and my husband and preschooler have had the stomach flu, and and and 
. Excuses, always excuses.
But it is here for future reference. I’m tempted to try Swordfishtrombone next. I guess it’s kind of grouped together with Rain Dogs, and someone here said that it has some of his prettiest songs.
I’m sitting here at work reading this thread, with shivers running down my spine just from reading the song titles posted.
I’d just like to mention the album The Black Rider, another musical. Perfect autumn soundtrack, especially (obviously) ‘November’. And it features William Burroughs!
Since we’ve brought William S. Burroughs into it…
Here is his version of Kurt Weill’s “What Keeps Mankind Alive”
and
Here is Tom Waits’ version of the same.
The first time I listened to Mule Variations, which was the first time I ever listened to Tom Waits, I was like “aw yeah. Sometime, this guy has done What Keeps Mankind Alive. Let’s go look for it…”
I’m not only a huge Tom fan, I’ve been on a major listening jag lately, having recently picked up the Uncut Ultimate Guide to Tom Waits and so been inspired to revisit all the albums (and plug up the gaps in my collection). So hard to pick a favorite, but I do tend to think of him as having essentially two careers, the beatnik jazz poet followed by the howling Brechtian rocker. In the former category, I think I’d recommend Small Change for the newcomer, as I find it his most consistently strong effort of the period. “Step Right Up” was the first Waits track I fell in love with, and “Small Change” itself I’ve been listening to obsessively. (“And the gypsies are tragic, and if you wanna buy perfume/Well they’ll bark ya down like carnies, sell ya Christmas cards in June …”) And for the later period, another vote for Rain Dogs. Just amazing throughout. And “Anywhere I Lay My Head”? Gorgeous.