Tom Waits, Rain Dogs...

Jax2, thanks for your insight. Nicely put.

Marco,
That's an excellent overview, I'd say. If you want to try some Springsteen that's a little closer to the darkness and depravity in Waits' music, give a listen to "Nebraska." It also is much starker musically, and closer to Waits in this way--which is not to say that it really SOUNDS like a Waits' album at all. It's just closer than any other I can think of....

Hey Walter - thanks for that. Nebraska was one of three Springsteen albums I used to have, and it was the one I liked the best of the three. The other two were, "Born in the USA" and "The Wild and the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle". I lost them all when I sold all my vinyl :-( Given the thread (thanks Dreadhead) I'll have to give "Nebraska" another listen.

I can't really think of anyone who actually reminds me of Waits because he's so unique. There's certainly artists who sound as if they have similar influences, but they are few and far between, and a far cry from combining all of the unique talents Waits demonstrates. Some who come to mind Jeremy Wallace whose voice strikes of a younger Waits (check out his version of St. James Infirmary on "My Lucky Day"), and Damien Jurado's very dark CD "Where Shall you Take Me" (the cut "Amateur Night" reminds me very much of Waits' songs, "What's He Building in There" and "Frank's Wild Years", though Jurado does not use the kaleidiscopic tapestry of noises and atmospheric sounds that Waits likes to weave, nor does it have the wicked humor that is such a trademark of Waits tunes. Waits is such a craftsman with words...you get the sense that he really loves "words"...like some 'collector' might. Waits has me smiling frequently...just like the most appropriate title of John Hammond's cover album, "Wicked Grin". His humor is as sharp as a straight razor.

Yeah, I agree that Waits really is one of a kind. My first experience with his work was hearing "Heart Attack and Vine" in college. It blew me away, and I've been a big fan ever since. "Swordfishtrombones" is my personal favorite, although there are lots of great ones to choose among. The lyrics really are just about perfect, but I also do love those "kaleidoscopic" soundscapes you mentioned. Have you heard the two Latin Playboys albums? The band is a kind of side project for members of Los Lobos, and they get that same kind of vibe, at least in terms of the sound. Much different from anything Los Lobos has done, even their more experimental records, like Colossal Head and Kiko.

Thanks for your suggestions! I will track them down.

I find this thread interesting because my first reaction was similar to Marco's. Upon further consideration, as Springsteen's music has gotten darker over the years, I can see where it's starting to approach Waits' sandbox(at least lyrically). In that way, they are plying the same territory. Musically, IMHO, the best you can say is that both are rooted in the blues which occassionally allows for some overlap.

To me, the biggest difference is that Springsteen is literal (both musically and lyrically) where Waits is more fantasical (word advisedly chosen to reference the literary genre). Waits' musical style abstracts traditional rock vocabularly while Sprinsteen's celebrates it. Waits' lyrical style takes dark tales of America toward the surreal, rather than Sprinsteen's real.

I'll take Waits, but I'll also take TC Boyle over Richard Russo - not necessarily the first alternatives you might pair, but not unlike the one posed by this thread and, IMHO, not unreasonable. My taste runs toward the more obviously "imaginative" take on certain common themes, but I also understand why some folks would go the other way.

Marty