Rediscovered
Talent:
Tom Waits
Each month, musicbizadvice.com profiles an artist from the past. Some you may have
heard of, some not, but we hope you'll take time to check out their music...especially if
it's something different than you usually listen to. This month, we rediscover Tom Waits.
Whether you’re a Tom Waits fan or not,
there’s no denying the guy’s creative. In fact, Tom Waits is so creative that
trying to describe his music in an article for those who’ve never heard it before is
no easy task. (A fact Tom Waits no doubt would love.) Take Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, and Leon
Redbone, put them in a blender, and then stick pins in the result until it screams, and
you might come close to describing the music of Tom Waits. To put it bluntly, the guy is out
there (a description Waits would also probably love). But he’s also one of
the most influential singer-songwriters since Bob Dylan, and this influence can be heard
in the music of artists as diverse as Aerosmith, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi,
and Los Lobos. |
Just the list of
instruments Tom Waits has used over the years would be enough to make other artists’
A&R reps run screaming. Tuba, concertina, accordion, musical saw, pump organ,
harmonium, upright bass, banjo, marimba, and a plethora of homemade instruments are just
some of the sounds Tom Waits has used during the course of his career. His voice acts as
yet another instrument, employing different sounds as needed by the characters depicted in
the song lyrics: old-time jazzy and raspy in "Temptation", folksy and
Dylan-esque in "I Hope That I don’t Fall In Love With You", and howling
primal screams in "Clap Hands" are a few vocal styles he’s employed.
He’ll even put on a German or British accent if he feels a song needs it, as in
"The Black Rider" and the live version of "Strange Weather". Next
Rediscovered Talent
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