Spike ,'Sleeper'
There's a lady plays her fav'rite records/On the jukebox ev'ry day/All day long she plays the same old songs/And she believes the things that they say/She sings along with all the saddest songs/And she believes the stories are real/She lets the music dictate the way that she feels.
Tom Waits Covers 8
Finger Poppin' Jazzbo
Jersey Girl - Holly Cole. Super cool and distinctly different arrangement from the original. Holly did a whole album of Tom Waits covers titled Temptation which I like a lot, even if some of the versions are a wee bit reverent. This one is not oversafe and better for it.
Romeo is Bleeding - Dexter Romweber. Rockabilly garage rocker goes for Tom's street romance. Yeah, the movie with Lena Olin and Gary Oldman took its title from this song.
Tom Waits Covers 9
Bruised Grooves
Jockey Full of Bourbon - The Blue Hawaiians. Brings out the exotica inherent in Tom, and his love of Spaghetti Western guitar.
Virginia Avenue - Knoxville Girls. Woozy organ crawl with drunken sailors.
Tom Waits Covers 10
Aggro Rhythms
Heartattack and Vine - Lydia Lunch w/ Nels Cline. Harsh and seductive. Love this version. Lydia gives the lyrics a perfect read, and Nels goes all skronk king on the guitar. Screamin' Jay Hawkins also does a good cover of this.
Pasties and a G-String - Jeffrey Lee Pierce. Gun Club's founder covers Tom as a rap song. Works perfectly because Tom's lyrics are very rhythmic and driving. Andre Williams also does a good, sleezy blues version of this.
Awesome, David! Thanks so much for these. I'm excited to snag the John Hammond Jr. one and the Berlin Cabaret stuff in particular.
I'm excited to snag the John Hammond Jr. one
That whole album, Wicked Grin, is excellent. I found mine used and cheap so it's out there.
and the Berlin Cabaret stuff in particular.
I have a ton of that kind of material (all inspired by my discovery of Mr. Waits) so I can hook you up with some more.
I've got a couple more sets to post (like the Five Blind Boys) and the Tom covers will be done.
If people haven't heard, I thought some people in this thread would be dismayed to hear that Sleater-Kinney are calling it quits.
I heard the S-K news earlier. It's very very sad-making.
Now playing on my radio: Johnny Cash's "Five Feet High and Rising."
Har. Har.
Sleater-Kinney are calling it quits.
That is sad. But they were all pretty young when the band started, right? Like, 18-19-ish?
Now playing on WFMU: "People are Strange" cover by Tiny Tim.