With its jarring rhythms and unusual instrumentation -- marimba, accordion, various percussion -- as well as its frequently surreal lyrics, Rain Dogs is very much a follow-up to Swordfishtrombones, which is to say that it sounds for the most part like The Threepenny Opera being sung by Howlin' Wolf. The chief musical difference is the introduction of guitarist Marc Ribot, who adds his noisy leads to the general cacophony. But Rain Dogs is sprawling where its predecessor had been focused: Tom Waits' lyrics here sometimes are imaginative to the point of obscurity, seemingly chosen to fit the rhythms rather than for sense. In the course of 19 tracks and 54 minutes, Waits sometimes goes back to the more conventional music of his earlier records, which seems like a retreat, though such tracks as the catchy "Hang Down Your Head," "Time," and especially "Downtown Train" (frequently covered and finally turned into a Top Ten hit by Rod Stewart five years later) provide some relief as well as variety. Rain Dogs can't surprise as Swordfishtrombones had, and in his attempt to continue in the direction suggested by that album, Waits occasionally borders on the chaotic (which may only be to say that, like most of his records, this one is uneven). But much of the music matches the earlier album, and there is so much of it that that is enough to qualify Rain Dogs as one of Waits' better albums.
I may not have a living will, but I have my funeral song all picked out. Tom Waits' Anywhere I Lay My Head says it all. I decided it years ago, and the song only gets more powerful to me as the years go on. And though the first half of the song is a dirge, a lament even, I love that it changes to a New Orleans bop. Life goes on, the obvious message.
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Well it's Ninth and HennepinAll the doughnuts have names that sound like prostitutesAnd the moon's teeth marks are on the skyLike a tarp thrown all over thisAnd the broken umbrellas like dead birdsAnd the steam comes out of the grillLike the whole goddamn town's ready to blow...And the bricks are all scarred with jailhouse tattoosAnd everyone is behaving like dogsAnd the horses are coming down ...
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years of self-therapy down the drain mix (v.01)Sebadoh : On Fire : HarmacyThe Afghan Whigs : Be Sweet : GentlemenThe Murmurs : Big Talker : Pristine SmutKind of Like Spitting : Blue Period : Nothing Makes Sense Without ItHaywood : Happy On My Bike : Men Called Him MisterPapas Fritas : It's Over Now : Buildings and GroundsCalexico : Alone Again Or : Convict PoolGnarls Barkley : Gone Daddy Gone :...
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December is the month of the phonograph record. I made that up. But it is. I'll be observing it all month at my mog and I encourage you to observe it with me. For the original post declaring December the month of the phonograph record, click here. Join the conversation!I had been in Baghdad for two weeks. It was Spring 1999. I had no music.When I was packing back in Chicago, I made a hasty dec...
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So, this is MOG, huh? -looks around- I like it! So, on to more important subjects. There's a question I ask a lot of people at work and I think it says a lot about a person. The question is, "If there were any song out there that you could have as your theme song; as your introduction into a room or store or just walking down the street, what would it be?" It's a good question and I think there...
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Not only am I obsessed with music, but I am a like a level 7 film geek too. I am no film historian to be certain, but the films that I love I really love, and obsess over them.(See Magnolia and Midnight Cowboy for instance)Anyway, Here is a song that if I were ever to write/direct a movie, it would have to be in there somewhere. Some songs just paint a perfect picture for you...like that last s...
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years of self-therapy down the drain mix (v.01)Sebadoh : On Fire : HarmacyThe Afghan Whigs : Be Sweet : GentlemenThe Murmurs : Big Talker : Pristine SmutKind of Like Spitting : Blue Period : Nothing Makes Sense Without ItHaywood : Happy On My Bike : Men Called Him MisterPapas Fritas : It's Over Now : Buildings and GroundsCalexico : Alone Again Or : Convict PoolGnarls Barkley : Gone Daddy Gone :...
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I've abondoned the dreams...so onto a film. This isn't a biopic, but still musically inclined. Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni. Guess I'm a little slow on the uptake, film circa 1986.
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Well it's Ninth and HennepinAll the doughnuts have names that sound like prostitutesAnd the moon's teeth marks are on the skyLike a tarp thrown all over thisAnd the broken umbrellas like dead birdsAnd the steam comes out of the grillLike the whole goddamn town's ready to blow...And the bricks are all scarred with jailhouse tattoosAnd everyone is behaving like dogsAnd the horses are coming down ...
More >
December is the month of the phonograph record. I made that up. But it is. I'll be observing it all month at my mog and I encourage you to observe it with me. For the original post declaring December the month of the phonograph record, click here. Join the conversation!I had been in Baghdad for two weeks. It was Spring 1999. I had no music.When I was packing back in Chicago, I made a hasty dec...
More >
I may not have a living will, but I have my funeral song all picked out. Tom Waits' Anywhere I Lay My Head says it all. I decided it years ago, and the song only gets more powerful to me as the years go on. And though the first half of the song is a dirge, a lament even, I love that it changes to a New Orleans bop. Life goes on, the obvious message.
More >
So, this is MOG, huh? -looks around- I like it! So, on to more important subjects. There's a question I ask a lot of people at work and I think it says a lot about a person. The question is, "If there were any song out there that you could have as your theme song; as your introduction into a room or store or just walking down the street, what would it be?" It's a good question and I think there...
More >
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 "Rain Dogs")
