The Holy Grail !

Orphans - Tom Waits

"A yellow dog know when he has sinned"

Thanksgiving Indeed ! A major release from my favorite musician is reason enough for giving thanks. Though Tom is not everyone's cupa joe this lengthly set offers a sizable portion of grit and groan. Orphans, delivered on 3 CD's titled Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards introduces his unique array of charactors through a cacophony of percussion and effects. As prolific and profound as Dylan though perhaps not as accessable, Mr. Waits will provide passage to places beyond your imagination if you are willing to get on board.

This is one of my four favorite releases this year (including Miles Davis-The Cellar Door Sessions, Alejandro Escovedo-The Boxing Mirror, Bob Dylan-Modern Times, and Ornette Coleman - Sound Grammar).

Norah Jones recorded one of the songs on this set Take The Long Way Home on her 2004 CD Feels Like Home. Unfortunately, there are no liner notes in the 94 page book that accompanies this release to give further details regarding the dates of the recordings or the projects for which these songs were written. We will have to find out that information somewhere else.


For the curious listener wishing to sample the goods for a less damaging ante I would recommend the 1999 release Mule Variations. This CD offers a generous (less expensive) sampling of the mature artist with nearly the breadth of style included on Orphans.


I wouldn't say that Tom Waits is an aquired taste, I think you'd either like his unique style or not. If you're in the second catagory there's an excellent alernative offered by renowned bluesman John Hammond.

His excellent CD released in 2001
titled Wicked Grin is comprised completely of Tom Waits songs, and features the master himself on one of the cuts.

This CD is more accessable to the average listener and is, pound for pound, the heaviest lyrical output on a CD since perhaps The Basement Tapes was released under the Bob Dylan catalog in 1975. Well worth a listen.