"The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)" by Tom Waits. From the album Small Change (1976)
I have a feeling that a disturbing number of randomness readers are pretty much unaware of Tom Waits. This is the song that made me fall in love with his work. On first listen you'll immediately be taken aback by his growling and, perhaps, by what will at first sound like nonsensical lyrics. On repeated listenings the song will snap out at you and convey all of its brilliances. It somehow manages to be tear jerking, funny, drunken, beautiful, depressing and uplifting all at once.
It's a sort of sister piece to another song on the album, "Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)," which, to me, is one of the greatest works of the past century.
Posted by mikewolf at September 12, 2004 05:36 PMMy intro to Waits was by way of Nighthawks at the Diner, a fine live double album. It also got me interested in jazz with its great music, and Waits' smooth & easy talking style. I like pretty much all his albums but especially Foreign Affairs with the great Potters Field piece.
Posted by: Hugh Lovell on September 13, 2004 12:14 AMi love tom waits. i like 'diamonds on my windshield' the best.
Posted by: zen_mantra on September 13, 2004 02:20 PMNever heard Tom Waits?! I wonder just who you have in mind. ;^) Heck, even my kids know and love him, and not just because he's in Shrek II. A major parenting highlight was hearing my daughter sing "Flower's Grave" in her bedroom when she didn't think anyone was listening.
It's hard to believe he's been recording over 30 years. The earlier stuff is great, but most of all I love what he's written w/ Kathleen Brennan since the mid-80s. Great taste in sidemen, too: Charlie Musselwhite, Marc Ribot, Larry Taylor.
Posted by: Vernam on September 14, 2004 12:20 AMHey Mike, do you know of a song he sang called 'On the Nickel'? I saw him performing this song about twenty years ago, and think about it often. But I haven't been able to locate a recording of it. Can you help? He's great. As are you.
Posted by: kathleen on September 14, 2004 07:39 PM