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Tom Waits
34,341,659 plays (711,841 listeners)
Listening now: clemensey, jazz1968, Zatziki
Pomona, Los Angeles CA, United States (early 1970s – present)
Tom Waits (Thomas Alan Waits, Pomona, California, December 7, 1949 ) is a prolific American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor.
He started his career in the early 1970s as a singer in spit ‘n’ sawdust bars. Initially, he was deeply influenced by the beat generation (poets like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs). He could not make a living from his music, although he was well accepted by the critics. The people at that time didn’t like his classical bar music, pre-rock and americana styles reminiscent of musical genres of the 40’s and 50’s, such as blues, jazz, and vaudeville.
Waits has a devoted cult following and has influenced subsequent songwriters, despite having little radio or music video support. In fact, his songs are perhaps best known to the general public in the form of cover versions by more visible artists, such as the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, and Rod Stewart.
Although Waits’ albums have met with mixed commercial success in his native United States, they have occasionally achieved gold album sales status in other countries.
Lyrically, Waits’ songs are known for atmospheric portrayals of bizarre, seedy characters and places, although he has also shown a penchant for more conventional and touching ballads.
While opening for Frank Zappa, the audience catcalled and refused to listen to him. It appeared that Wait’s classical americana and Zappa’s avantgarde jazz Rock were a less than a perfect match. Waits’ voice back then was soft, warm and clear. He sang songs about the losers on the streets: alcoholics, junkies, prostitutes and social outcasts.
He started his career in the early 1970s as a singer in spit ‘n’ sawdust bars. Initially, he was deeply influenced by the beat generation (poets like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs). He could not make a living from his music, although he was well accepted by the critics. The people at that time didn’t like his classical bar music, pre-rock and americana styles reminiscent of musical genres of the 40’s and 50’s, such as blues, jazz, and vaudeville.
Waits has a devoted cult following and has influenced subsequent songwriters, despite having little radio or music video support. In fact, his songs are perhaps best known to the general public in the form of cover versions by more visible artists, such as the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, and Rod Stewart.
Although Waits’ albums have met with mixed commercial success in his native United States, they have occasionally achieved gold album sales status in other countries.
Lyrically, Waits’ songs are known for atmospheric portrayals of bizarre, seedy characters and places, although he has also shown a penchant for more conventional and touching ballads.
While opening for Frank Zappa, the audience catcalled and refused to listen to him. It appeared that Wait’s classical americana and Zappa’s avantgarde jazz Rock were a less than a perfect match. Waits’ voice back then was soft, warm and clear. He sang songs about the losers on the streets: alcoholics, junkies, prostitutes and social outcasts.
Top Albums
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Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
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Closing Time
Tom Waits Buy- Download Album
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Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits Buy- Download Album
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Bone Machine
Tom Waits Buy- Download Album
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Top Tracks
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Singapore
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Jockey Full of Bourbon
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Downtown Train
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Rain Dogs
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Cemetery Polka
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Time
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Tango Till They're Sore
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Hang Down Your Head
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Big Black Mariah
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Gun Street Girl
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Anywhere I Lay My Head
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9th & Hennepin
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Shoutbox
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marxito23 wrote:
And all I can Think of... Is ALice
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OdioAPrimaVista wrote:
Mr. Nick I love you.
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serpientedesud wrote:
He's cooler than morning coffee.
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rottmadgers wrote:
How awesome is "Tom Tales?" I mean, come on, how cool is Tom Waits?
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Larkin02 wrote:
The Glitter and Doom version of Lucinda is sooo great.
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ninjacat11 wrote:
Glitter and Doom Live may be the best live album I've ever heard.
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a-polo wrote:
glitter and dooooooooooooom!!
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Droog75 wrote:
Got the Glitter and Doom album today. Fantastic. Great to have a track from the Dublin show too !! Ah memories ......
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Yamber wrote:
http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Waits/+images/36602427
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anakin45 wrote:
NASA - Spacious Thoughts (feat. Tom Waits et Kool Keith): http://atticawebzine.free.fr/blog/?p=1325
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kiwibeard wrote:
his new live album is the best record of 2009 (so far)
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JAMESisCreepy wrote:
anyone that does that love heart thing with the arrow and the three is a fucking idiot! p.s. tom waits is deadly!
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DeadAliveSoul wrote:
he is unbeliavable)<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
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jakesonaplane wrote:
Glitter & Doom is even better than I thought it'd be
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Antisepti-K wrote:
Awesome!
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gEEEERa wrote:
awesome new album is awesome
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SchWarG wrote:
Glad I decided to finally check this mans work out. Makes me wanna kick back in my chair in a lowly lit room, smoke a cig and have a drink.
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Timppa2000 wrote:
new live album is really five stars out of five
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MNordskog wrote:
Tom Tales <3 God, how I want to see this man live....
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sub-midget wrote:
The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)
Videos
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News
Pre-Order 'Glitter and Doom Live'
13 Oct 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/tomwaits
Glitter and Doom Live hits stores on November 24th and is currently available for pre-order in a whole slew of different bundles! Take a look below to see everything that's offered!
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12 Oct 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/tomwaits -
13 May 2009 | from blog.myspace.com/tomwaits -
18 Jun 2008 | from blog.myspace.com/tomwaits
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Recent Activity
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jmbelly, kramef, frankcello and 28 other people added Tom Waits to their libraries. 4 minutes ago
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marxito23 tagged Tom Waits with experimental and singer-songwriter. 11 hours ago
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marxito23, DesireeGomez and DJViviKalil added Tom Waits to their libraries. 11 hours ago
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surfing8bird tagged Tom Waits with singer-songwriter and blues. 11 hours ago
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Roma333, jmunnf, Camilalalala and 18 other people added Tom Waits to their libraries. 11 hours ago
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x-TheLastSong-x tagged Tom Waits with jazz and blues. yesterday evening
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vanja_arsen and the_bejb added Tom Waits to their libraries. yesterday evening
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mrsantares tagged Tom Waits with alternative, rock, experimental and 2 other tags. yesterday evening
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mrsantares, superalnumber9, paulwbenjamin and 19 other people added Tom Waits to their libraries. yesterday evening
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planetShhhh wrote about Tom Waits in My Albums Of The Noughties. yesterday evening
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