Recording Tom Waits (2004)

soundonsound.com

64 points·camtarn··5 comments

"He told me he realised one night that as he was writing a song, he found himself asking 'If I write this, will Bones like it?' I said to him that we were getting to be kind of like an old married couple. I said I don't want to be the reason that an artist can't create. It was time for him to find another producer. We shook hands and that was it. It was a great ride."

That's really interesting. I've always wondered about long-term creative/prdouction relationships, like Radiohead and Nigel Godrich, U2 and Steve Lillywhite, and some film directors who work with the same crews for decade after decade. Yes, you have that trust and magic and consistency, but can it hold the artist back in some ways?

Tom Waits has such a unique guttural sound, I can't get enough of it. Daniel Durchholz said of his voice: "it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZS-B1Afc1c

I had forgotten that one. Here's another that shows some of the complexity of his voice and melody-making: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ow45kTJqhg

It was not always like this. In first albums it was quite smooth, for lack of better word. He started experimenting with voice straining a bit later. I always wondered if he "destroyed" his voice by this.

Host that rag.

The story of Tom Waits before Kathleen. Post Kathleen Tom Waits became the alternative music darling. His entire oeuvre deserves a serious listen but I recommend starting with Rain Dogs. And don’t hesitate to watch Buster Scruggs. Tom Waits is a treasure.

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