Was flipping through a page for Bruce Dickinson's solo albums and I found this in the "related" section, so I had to drop in here quickly and give my two cents.

Anyways, when I first heard this album, it was my first Waits album, and it was very different! Yet I inevitably loved it, his voice was very unique and easy on the ears. Great lyrics too, something I've never heard before as well. Just the opening lines of "Singapore" was enough to get me hooked. Downtown Train is definitely my favorite song on the album on here, and some other great classic tracks include Gun Street Girl, Clap Hands, Diamonds and Gold, and Blind Love. He's definitely better than a lot of the crap we hear on the radio and TV nowadays.

So anyways, if you want something different, be sure to give Waits a try, he has a very interesting voice and some of his lyrics are amazing.

This "Tom Waits" guy sucks. What a horrible voice! He sounds like a piece of raw meat ran over by a truck. Listen to REAL music like Nickelback or St. Anger by Metallica if you want a truly enjoyable listening experience.

I consider "Rain Dogs", "Swordfishtrombones", and "Heartattack and Vine" the three core albums that any Tom Waits fan must have. While his earlier albums have an an aesthetic that some fans enjoy--I don't as much--these three show him finding his new footing as an artist. They are the three that I simply could not do without. The subsequent albums are treasures as well, but are, to a certain degree, fine tuning of his style, with a few variations. "Rain Dogs" contains a perfect balance of sentimentality and noir callousness in brilliant poetry that any artist can achieve once in a lifetime if they're lucky.

With most of my favorite musicians I can't pick one CD that stands out over all the others, but much as I love Tom's other work I am convinced Rain Dogs is the best album.

One thing you need to know about Tom Waits is that you can't have just one of his albums. Not because at so many of his records on this site are labeled Essential Recording (those don't mean ______ remember?). It's true, if you get hooked on this guy, you will need more of Tom Waits. Chances are, if you really like albums like Rain Dogs and Bone Machine, don't hesitate to dig deeper into the library of Tom Waits, he's got quite a bit. True, all of his albums may not be winners for you (or me), but that's what sound samples are for (as well as listener reviews, but they shouldn't be your main source for wanting to buy albums).

Regardless if you like Tom Waits or not, you got to give the man props for getting such a rabid fanbase and a voice that no one else can match. Indeed, there will never be a singer like Tom Waits. And he's on top form during the 80's.

The term Rain Dogs refers to a dog who has lost all scents from the rain and can't get home, and the whole album are about those people like those dogs. Signapore, Cemetary Polka, Anywhere I lay My Head, Downtown Train, and Rain Dogs are all about the following. Indeed, the lyrics on here are fantastic as usual, he creates a character that you can't help but like. It's another one of those albums that don't have lyrics about one certain thing that's so obvious. Some will open your imagination, while some are quite unexplainable. But those characters are all rain dogs. It's got imagery that will conjure up as well. Really, how could you go wrong?

The best thing is the music, of course. It's got the signature Tom Waits blues and country, but some of the songs are more than that. Clap Hands, Cemetary Polka, Midtown, Signapore. Talk about unconvential. I do love the way Cemetary Polka sounds like a carnival song, Signapore's Sea Shanty. Indeed, there's a perfect balance of totally listenable and cryptic music. No matter what his band does, it works. I tip my hat off to Marc Ribot's guitar playing. Love his playing.

Oh, and you got Tom's voice, as emotional and ruff as you want it. I think that goes without saying, his voice is incredible. Eat your heat out, disney. You'll never touch the way real singers do.

I'll say one thing bad, Downtown Train is a musical disaster. Not only is the song rather weak (Wait's version), Rod Steward killed it. Thankfully, all the other tracks make up for it. It's nearly an hour, anyway.

It's common these days that the word singer/songwriter ain't exactly that powerful. With hacks like Daniel Prowter and John Mayer plugging up the airwaves, it's not getting any better. But this guy is truly a talented soul. I understand this guy, and you just might to. If you don't, that's fine. If you do, you've found an artist.