Music

Retro Review: Tom Waits ‘Rain Dogs’

Published

13 years ago

August 1, 2011

Let’s journey back to 1985, shall we? Reagen kicked off the year by being sworn in for his second term. We Are The World is recorded. The first Wrestlemania kicks off at Madison Square Garden. Back To The Future becomes the highest grossing film of the year. Tetris is released. And as for classic horror films? How about 1985 seeing these films come out: Re-Animator. Nightmare On Elm St. 2. Return Of The Living Dead. Fright Night. Day Of The Dead. Friday The 13th Part V. Vampire Hunter D (a personal favorite). Overall, I’d say a pretty awesome year!

1985 also saw the release of Tom Waits‘ ninth studio album Rain Dogs. The second in a trilogy (surrounded by Swordfishtrombones and Franks Wild Years), Rain Dogs is a loose concept album about the life of the “less-fortunate” of New York City. Musically resembling something out of a 30’s carnival, this is an album that garnered much acclaim over the years. However, does it still hold up? Check after the jump.

Opening up with Singapore, the album already let’s you know that you’re in for a ride. Instruments that sound out of tune and Waits’ raspy voice grating over everything makes the song sound like it belongs in an insane asylum. However, it’s only the beginning of a wild, old school blues, noir-jazz ride that contains what might be some of the most poignant lyrics put to music. A personal favorite line is in the lullaby-esque track Time, where Waits croons, “And when she’s on a roll/she pulls a razor from her boot/and a thousand pigeons fall around her feet.” Breathtaking.

Production wise, this album does show it’s age. However, that age only adds to the magic of the music, much like a fine wine. It is very similar to the effect of hearing scratches or dust on vinyl; technically a flaw, yes, but a flaw that can be very pleasant on the ears and evoke certain powerful emotions.

Some of my personal favorites on this album are the aforementioned Time, Clap Hands, and Tango Till They’re Sore. These tracks, for me, are the highlights and I can listen to them anytime, any day.

The Final Word: Definitely not an album for everyone and one that requires a very specific mood to enjoy, Rain Dogs is a tough sell for many people. However, if you can accept it’s quirkiness and vintage sound, a beautiful album with poetry for lyrics lays underneath. This truly is a Tom Waits classic.

JonathanBarkan

Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

2 Comments

Music

“He Walks By Night” – Listen to a Brand New John Carpenter Song NOW!

Published

2 weeks ago

April 9, 2024

John Squires

It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.

Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.

Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.

“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.

“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”

You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…