Tom Waits, 1983-1987
51. Just Another Sucker On The Vine
50. Straight To The Top (Rhumba)
49. Midtown
48. Down, Down, Down
47. Frank's Theme
46. Ninth & Hennepin
45. Bride Of A Rain Dog
44. Straight To The Top (Vegas)
43. Diamonds & Gold
42. Big Black Mariah
41. 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six
40. I'll Take New York
39. Shore Leave
38. Hang Down Your Head
37. I'll Be Gone
36. Soldier's Things
35. Dave The Butcher
34. Clap Hands
33. Cemetery Polka
32. Blow Wind Blow
31. Town With No Cheer
30. Temptation
29. Union Square
28. Frank's Wild Years
27. Innocent When You Dream (Barroom)
26. Way Down In The Hole
25. Blind Love
24. Hang On St. Christopher
23. Rainbirds
22. Tango Till They're Sore
21. Trouble's Braids
20. Yesterday Is Here
19. Gun Street Girl
18. Anywhere I Lay My Head
17. More Than Rain
16. Johnsburg, Illinois
15. Downtown Train
14. Underground
13. Please Wake Me Up
12. Rain Dogs
11. Telephone Call From Istanbul
10. Gin Soaked Boy
9. Train Song
8. Walking Spanish
7. Singapore
6. Cold Cold Ground
5. In The Neighborhood
4. Jockey Full Of Bourbon
3. Swordfishtrombone
2. Innocent When You Dream (78)
1. Time
A golden age. (Also, T-Bone Burnett's version of Time is the best song on his best album.)
Reverse Time and In the Neighbourhood and we have ourselves a list!
I am a little confused about Big Black Mariah's low placement, but I'll let it slide.
a.k.a. insufferable schtick, the early years. i will fight all comes on this point, tom waits 1973-1982 DESTROYS all other tom waits eras. shit, "martha" alone could win this war.
@iantenna Martha is a miraculous song, and I don't like the rubbishing of the pre-82 stuff that you sometimes get. But I will argue for the post-82 material all the same.
@iantenna: Hearing that song for the first time was the beginning of my reconciliation with my given name. Plus it was a big help in pulling guys in college.
I would have "A Soldier's Things" up in the top five. But, really, it is hard to fault this excellent listicle!
@Dave Bry "A Soldier's Things" definitely in my top ten. And "Anywhere I Hang My Head"! So I very much fault this listicle. I FAULT IT.
Me too. "A Soldier's Things" at #36??? Come on.
'Frank's Wild Years' was when I jumped off the Tom Waits train. Drink some bloody cough mixture!
@Alex Pareene "A Soldier's Things" and "Johnsburg, Illinois" together constitute an entire 4-sided concept album.
I was totally prepared to come flying into this comment box guns blazing, and then I saw that "Time" was in fact number one, and I calmed down.
I like that Blind Love is in the middle.
Dead at the tender age of four. We still miss you, Tom.
Nick Cave, 1976-1983
willis alan ramsey, 1972-1972
@Miles Klee Henry Rollins will never die. But you'll probably never listen to his music.
I was born in 1987.
I "discovered" Tom Waits in 1987.
I saw the brackets without the years and my heart fell through my balls.
I could put any of Cold Cold Ground, Jockey Full of Bourbon, or Singapore at 1, but then I'd disagree with myself 2 days later. My opinions here are as strong as they are shifting.
Way to confuse the numbers "38" and "1" Balk.
So what you saying is we are 138? Okay.
Did you know that I was born in 1987
But are you from Reno? Are you.
can you please not write any more posts whose titles are "tom waits" followed by two dates connected by a hyphen? a girl scrolling quickly by could have a heart attack!
also, i hate to quibble after being treated to an awesome tom waits retrospective inside my brain, but "jockey full of bourbon" not in the top 3? wrong.
@vendetta73 a girl scrolling quickly by effectively had a heart attack!
@vendetta73 This girl too. Don't scare me, times are scarifying enough lately, dear Alex.
Just noticed there are numbers. I'll have #19, please. The "day-old bread in kerosene."
9th and Hennepin, 16 Shells both too low. But every Waits fan will have nitpicks and those are my only big ones. Good listicle, also a reminder of how ridiculously good his output was over those years!
Curious why these are related stories to this post…
# Who Has The World's Largest Testicles? (The Awl)
# How Do Men Fake Orgasms?
@philonius70 tom waits has big balls but often fakes his orgasms.
I'm afraid "Singapore" and "Rain Dogs" are vastly under-ranked.
@Hamilton
They're all vastly under-ranked.
Damn you for the few horrible moments I thought he was dead, after a too-quick glance at your title.
"Martha" (1973) FTW!
Listen and learn, Beefheart haters.
16 Shells should be much higher on that list and Rain Dogs should be much lower.
he has such an expansive collection of music that every time i make a compilation of his work for someone, it's completely different, depending on who i'm making it for. to me, tom waits is delightfully strange perfection.