h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"...little old lady got mutilated late last night. Werewolves of London again."

Tom Waits is almost unbeatable for a good lyric...

"I've lost my equilibrium, my car keys and my pride"

"Tom do this, Tom do that, Tom... don't do that"

"And the dawn cracks out a carpet of diamond,
Across a cash-crop car lot filled with twilght Coup deVilles"

"My steak walked down the counter, tried to beat the shit out of my cup of coffee. Christ, the coffee wasn't strong enough to defend itself"

"So, 'round about 2.30am you end up taking advantage of yourself. Yeah, making a scene with a magazine. Yeah I know, things are tough all over. I ain't weird about it though. I don't tie myself up first or anything"

"I watch the taxis pull up and idle,
I can't claim title to a single memory"

"Using parking meters as walking sticks, on the inebriated stroll"

I could go on all night.

Well, you've convinced me to start listening to Mr. Waits.

Name a couple of good albums. I'll fake a birthday or something and buy them.

(For true lyrical joy, I always turn to Robyn Hitchcock. But Tom sounds a lot of fun).

I'd start off with The Heart of Saturday Night, Nighthawks at the Diner and Small Change, and probably in that order.

HoSN was his second album and possibly my favourite album by anyone, ever. It's somewhat bluesy/jazzy, and his voice hadn't yet turned into the phlegm-loaded growl that we all know and love, but it was clearly heading in that direction.

Nighthawks came next and is a live album, recorded in a studio before a small invited audience, and it gives a good insight into Tom's humour and his ability to relate a good yarn. Most of all though it really lays before you his unique way with words and descriptions.

On Small Change (his fourth LP) he's clearly descended into the Bohemian urban lifestyle that he became associated with during the 70s when he was living at the Tropicana Motel on Sunset Blvd with Chuck E Weiss and Ricky Lee Jones (yes, 'Chuck E's in Love' is about Chuck E Weiss). 'Step Right Up' and 'Pasties and a G-String' are two of his funniest songs, whereas the sadness of 'Tom Traubert's Blues' will rip the heart right out of your chest and smash it to a pulp.

I shall pick up those very things, and heartily entreat you to investigate Mr. Hitchcock, the musical David Lynch.,

I have had a crack at Robin Hitchcock, but not a very sustained one. Perhaps I should give him another try.

Maybe I should add that I own an original copy of '(I Want to be an) Anglepoise Lamp' by The Soft Boys

Fegmania, Gotta Let this Hen Out and Jewels for Sophia are my faves. And I keep stumbling over Robyn Hitchcock in the oddest places, He turns up in the remake of The Manchurian Candidate, well worth a watch by the way, being enigmatic.

I've seen the remake, but never the original. And I know they have copies of both at Cheapo.

OK, so now I'm slightly grumpy.

It turns out that Nighthawks at the Diner and Small Change and The Heart of Saturday Night are Gradient-Friendly in the extreme.

I can see I need more storage space. Thanks for the recommendations, Gosho!

You're very welcome.

If you plan on extending your collection I'd do it chronologically - this website will help you out in that repect http://www.officialtomwaits.com/music/music.htm (unfortunately the site hasn't been updated for some time).

Waits's music comes in two very different flavour. There's his original, bluesy storytelling style which is all on the Asylum label and lasts up until Heartattack and Vine. Then he moved to Island and became much more experimental. My preference is for his earlier work although I do like most of the later albums too.

After The Black Rider (1993) he released nothing new until Mule Variations in 1999 which continues in the experimental vein.