Tom Waits - Rain Dogs ALBUM REVIEW 

You could almost make an entire classics week of just Tom Waits albums

Tom Waits: Worst to Best please!!

LET ME FALL OUT OF THE WINDOW WITH CONFETTI IN MY HAIR

This video is actually a really good crash course in Tom Waits for anyone that wants to check him out. You however forgot to mention that he's one of the coolest people alive. And when he dies he'll be one of the coolest dead people. He was probably cool before he was even born. He popped out of his mother like 'Hey mannn...!' and put some grease in his hair and immediately started smoking.

the awesome blues guitar on Big Black Mariah is courtesy of Keith Richards for anyone interested in such trivia

Tom Waits could read the ingredients off a ketchup bottle and it would sound fantastic. Rain Dogs is one of the Top Ten greatest albums ever recorded. Tom is a musical chameleon. A master of his craft.

A Tom Waits album is like 6 straight songs of the most cacophonous noise you've ever heard followed by a song with a melody as sweet as honey.

I would consider "Swordfishtrombones" to be his "a-ha!" moment that became the template he'd build with for the rest of his career, or however you put it. That album isn't dissimilar from "Rain Dogs" at all, it's his first album to make that leap to experimental Waits. I see Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs as practically companion pieces (they came out a year apart and are basically the same approach stylistically). That said, while they're both classics, Rain Dogs is the better album, if only slightly. It's arguably his greatest album. Definitely in the top 10 of the 80s and one of the best albums of all time really.. Good review, though! Thanksthony!

FOR I AM A RAIN DOG, TOO! That album is incredible, and served as an intro to so much other great music for me.

This tape bumps in the whip

Anywhere I Lay My Head is my favourite song of all time. Perfect song, perfect album.

where's pink season at

The Pixies: Doolittle Nick Drake: Pink Moon The Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique Television: Marquee Moon The Doors: Self-titled Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life The Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs Public Enemy: It Takes A Nation of Millions... Daft Punk: Discovery Death: Leprosy Modest Mouse: The Lonesome Crowded West Spiritualized: Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space DO THEM YOU MELON!

PINK SEASON

a generic comment praising the album, praising the artist and acknowledging, in a patronising way, that Mr Raintony Dogtano gave this record a fair review.

Lift weights Lift Tom Waits

We are all entitled to our opinion when it comes to art, but I don't know how you couldn't appreciate "downtown train" on this album. Yes, it is a bit more "produced" and traditional for Waits, but it is a really well written song! It adds to the sheer versatility of the album as a whole, IMO.

The Strokes: Is This It The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main St. The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds

Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral Do it

Oh shit I just noticed symbolic and leprosy in the background, nice

When I was in high school I saw Fight Club and I heard the song "Goin' Out West." The hard rock, clanging percussion and growling vocals caught my ear. I look up who performed the song and all I had was a name, Tom Waits. I never delved too much into it, but upon hearing a custom track list of songs one day, a friend asked, "Oh, you like Tom Waits?" I then was introduced to my first full exposure, "Real Gone." It was much more challenging and odd than I was accustomed to with music, but I felt a connection to the lyrics and style. After that I dug deep into the musical earth and discovered his other works. Upon wanting to know more, I discovered that "Rain Dogs" was considered his greatest and from the moment I heard it, I understood why. To this day, I'm not sure if it's my favorite of Wait's work, but it's one I can feel comfortable in introducing him to those unaware. I've got friends who would say they love his "lounge" version more than his "cookie monster' guttural days, but each album of his tells a variety of stories and elicits a wide range of emotions that I'm happy to sink into and rise from. "Rain Dogs" is a great example of his range vocally and musically, with themes, inspirations and rumination of a man who has been at the bottom and dreamed of the blurry skies above him. Whether or not one could find this to be just a maudlin notion or not, I'm happy to listen and stumble and sing with him.

not even an honorable mention of the musicians on this record? come on, man

Tom Waits and Beefheart should've made a Troutmask Replica 2 together. Both are really odd characters...

My favorite record hands down. Only negative is every song's a fadeout.

The best album of the 80's

One of my all-time favourite albums, with some of my favourite lyrics. “I don’t care if they miss me, I never remember their names”. Oh that line

In an David letterman interview Tom did say that Swordfish Trombone, Raindogs, and Frank’s Wild Years, were a trilogy. An odyssey fallowing one character named Frank. Each character in these three albums are the same person really.

Awesome , Glad you reviewed this Gem . This Album is truly special . Along with Swordfishtrombone .

Trout Mask Replica, Remain in Light, and Rain Dogs are all some of my favorite albums ever. thanks, Dadthony Fathertano.

Waits' voice constantly intimidates me, and I love that.

Anywhere I Lay My Head is one of my favorite songs. I find it heartbreaking. The vocal performance and the lyrics always hit me like a truck. So beautiful. played it on my buddies speaker at work once. everyone fucking hated it. 😂

Fucking love this album

One of the greatest albums of all time. Good review.

Tom Waits is one of a kind story teller, i can't get enough of his stuff post 2000

Such a beautiful, well-thought out, and thorough review of one of my favorite albums. Thanks needledrop!

Love the review but I would consider Sword Fish Trombone to be his Aha moment.

I never say that an album is my favorite, but...this is one of my favorite albums of all time. It's just so unique and raw. And it's made me respect Tom Waits even more as an artist...even if some of his tracks literally haunt me.

_Cookie Monster_ writes surprisingly interesting lyrics

Good job, man! I loved your explanation of his different characters. Tom Waits is a storyteller with an open mind for sounds. Your perspective is so refreshing. I will definitely check out your other videos!

To me, RAIN DOGS the album is one massive, fiery crescendo, that leads up to DOWNTOWN TRAIN; all the pain of feeling like a loser or a failed person but still having dreams, even if they "fall like rain..." such a work of art. we're so lucky tom chose music !

Subscribed. Thank you for reviewing the GREATEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME. Even though I disagree with your opinion of the peerless Downtown Train, your overall insight is pretty much on the money.

Would love to see a worst to best for Tom Waits. Not to mention of The Cure.

Thanks for this review Antoine Fantoine, I'm a pretty big fan of Tom Waits's earlier work but I hadn't given this album much of a listen prior to watching this review. It's great!

Thanks for making this, one of my favorite albums

This has been my favorite classics week so far, not just because of the album choices but the reviews are so well spoken and translate my feelings for the albums perfectly. I agree that the drums and 80s style guitar on Downtown Train bring the song down a bit...I highly recommend the VH1 Storytellers version of Downtown Train over this studio one for anyone that's interested.

I fuckin love Tom Waits. His music is like a dark version of Disney.

Been waiting for a Waits review from you man, didn't dissapoint

LOVE TOM WAITS. (Really enjoy your reviews, thanks for covering a wide range of influences.)

One of the very best albums I've ever heard. I've listened to it dozens of times and it gets deeper every time. The instant hits are there ("Downtown Train," "Hang Down Your Head") but the deep cuts are so fucking good. There is not a single wasted moment on this record.

if you've ever stumbled through a downtown district with a broken heart and drunk after a bar fight you will "get" Tom Waits

So glad you chose to review a Waits album. one of.my all time favourite artists. Feels like he's been a little overlooked the last few years.

loving the classics reviews this week Anthony.its nice to hear what you think of these albums. maybe you should do like a vid a month of your favourite albums?we would love that.

I love this album. I let a friend borrow it, and he kept it in his car. Then his car got repossessed. He still owes me a new copy, but he's dead now so I'm probably out of luck.

Anthony we'd like to hear cals take on pink season

The ONLY person I've ever heard able to properly describe Tom Waits. Well done, that wasn't an easy task! Subbed for what it's worth, love your videos man :D

Great review! Love Tom, love this album!

listened to this record hella times in 9th grade

I grew up listening to this album, my dad exposed me to it when i was 5.

I think this is my favourite album of all time. You really brought out the flavour well. Well done!

Loving your choices on the classic albums.

Oddly enough, I always loved Downtown Train, and sort of had a problem with Union Square.

anime was a mistake

Nighthawks at the Diner got me into Tom and his catalog is very impressive overall. You can't help but smile any time Singapore comes on. Tom is an incredible artist and I'm always glad I stumbled onto his work.

You've really delivered with this review! Thanks manthony.

Glad to see some Death on display, give them a review!

good album nice review but i didnt watch it

This is one of the best reviews you've done in a while. It doesn't rushed or just done out out of routine. You seem like you actually know a lot about the album.

I love that you reviewed Tom Waits. Thanks Anthony!

REVIEW DOOLITTLE OR I BURN A SWANS VINYL

No comment on "Rain Dogs"? Maybe my favorite track. It's so brilliant. But overall great review. But, seriously, Rain Dogs is my fave songs. Encapsulates the vibe of lost sadness really perfectly.

When I discovered Tom’s back catalogue, it was always hugely inspiring to me that his sound progressed, with massive complexity, once he became teetotal; eventually doing away with the boozed-up crooner ident. The love and creative push of his wife, began a wildly unique sound. The definitive Waits sound which became even more badass, where alcohol didn’t speak for him

This album was the first of Tom's that I really listened to, and it signified for me a beginning of branching out, going out of my comfort zone, and really going after music as a whole. I'll never forget it.

You should review self-titled Townes van Zandt for classics week!

I honestly think Time is Tom's greatest song, it just pure, quiet beauty. And the lyrics are so unbelievably gorgeous.

I was waiting for your review on Tom Waits, thanks fantany.

Exceptionally well done review. Concise and right on the money.

Just let me fall out of the window with spaghetti in my hair

"Singapore" isn't an instrumental; it's a song, with vocals. That rhyme. Just saying.

I've always loved your initial rant about Tom Waits in general on your Bad as Me review, knew from there you're as huge on the man and his music as I am, and therefore I love the fact that you're finally reviewing a classic Tom Waits album, this one was way over due. Rain Dogs is a masterpiece. I'd really like to know: if you had to pick a favorite Tom Waits record, what would it be and why? Besides that, this is the passionate, engaging RU-vid review a brilliant album like Rain Dogs needs and deserves. Keep up the good work, Anthony.

bone machine was how I first fell for the charms of tom very quickly followed by this masterpiece, but they are all almost universally excellent... would also urge you to give big time a listen a live album from the sword/rain/wild year's period. This album though is very special to me as it opened my ears to the miriad possibilities of music from whatever genre or era truly changed my perceptions and I am forever grateful

Anyone else waiting super impatiently for the Nightside Eclipse review?

You had me at "clap hands". You killed it. Tom was a character in interviews. I looked for him to get serious - I don't believe I ever detected a crack in him. He's straight up performer. He's on all the time. The only thing we'll ever know of Tom's weights will be in his interviews and songs. (That is unless his wife family or friends tell us something "good" about him.) If I had only 5 albums to have for the rest of my life, one of them would be Rain Dogs. I did not encounter the album or the songs until I was 41 years old. Where had this been? Why was some of this never on the radio? Controlling the narrative. That's why. Anyway, I waste no time putting it on whenever I feel like it now. This is some of the greatest music I've ever heard yet it sounds, bar band, new orleans street band. It sounds junky, clunky, sloppy yet it's choreographed. There's no sloppy performance in it at all. That band could perform that album the way it is right now before you, every note. It's a hobo sounding masterpiece. Musically to me, it's in the same way of Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd - no one sounded like them or they didn't Right light them. But above all his work for me, Rain Dogs is the one. in the sense that no one is like them at all. No one. Subscribed. "Licked" 😝 Peace🤘

No way. I did not expect you to review this masterpiece! KUDOS, because this is one of my favorites of all time.

It's funny , because I listened to this album today again after a while and now your review is online. :) This is one of my favorite albums of all time!

Great review of such a great album! Fell in love with "the first time I heard that song. I don't think a lot of people like it because of its pop melody but I don't give a fuck. I also did a piano tribute on my channel here on RU-vid after years of just listening to it. Still one of my favorite songs besides all the darker stuff of Tom!

I like to title the thumbnail "When it's classic week and your entire fanbase wants you to review Pink Season".

YAY TOM WAITS!!!!!!! Thanks for reviewing one of his crowning achievements. Maybe Mule Variations could be a future review?

Probably my favourite Waits records, thanks for doing this one!!

I love this album, good review. I have to disagree with you about Downtown Train, I think it's a beautiful song. It has a sense of longing to it that contrasts in an interesting way with the rest of the album. Also, interesting fact: the snare sound in Big Black Mariah that you mention, is Tom slamming down a 2x4 against an old dresser in a bathroom.

Would be cool to see a review of some classic Smashing Pumpkins

I grew up with Tom Waits and love everything he's ever done.

Can't wait to hear you talk about STGSTV tomorrow!

"The Heart of Saturday Night" is easily my favorite Waits album. Always felt this one was a tad overrated.

Review New Order for classics!

One of my favorite albums of all time.. I've owned probably ten copies. Absolutely essential and classic.

I always have a memory of songs, of a place or a time but few albums have ever made the kind of impression that this lp had on its first play. I felt like I got sucked into an alternate existence, one I may have never left. My friend Nico said..take this one home, have a listen. I did. I put it on and only remember the place when I return, like a reoccurring dream that you only remember when you return. Thank you Nico! It’s a shame that they haven’t rereleased the Island years.

The Gun Club - Fire Of Love review it

Tom Waits for no man, don't you know

Really good review. Good job.

The Heart of Saturday Night is one of Tom Waits best album by far, one of my favorite albums ever. Rain Dogs is great too, but if it hits your ears wrong seriously give Saturday Night a try, it's a lot smoother. For something kind of in between Small Change is another great album. Bad Liver and a Broken Heart is such a good song. I love Tom Waits.