One additional note: you might want to check allmusic or something before buying any albums. Because otherwise you might get yourself into somthing you didn't expect, like the sound of some Germanic Captain Beefheart bellowing through a megaphone while smacking around the trash in a junkyard. The three '80s Island albums are very, um, clangy (not to say there aren't great melodies in there, too). And then the two early 90s albums get into a weird primal thing, with a lot of distant mic'ing, atmospheric noise, etc. Mule Variations kind of mixes his different styles well. Alice and Blood Money contain music written for plays, and they are very theatrical, and both generally pre-rock in their musical vocabulary. Real Gone is much more modern in terms of its instrumentation. And now Orphans is all over the map.

My personal Waits favorites are those from 1983 onward. It's pretty hard to go wrong with any of them from that era and after:

swordfishtrombones
Rain Dogs
Frank's Wild Years
Bone Machine
Black Rider
Mule Variations
Alice
Blood Money

I admit, I don't like 2004's Real Gone as much as those. And I really do like Blue Valentine, which is from the later '70s. Otherwise, I'm not as big a fan of his 70s stuff, although I do like it and own it, too. It's more the lounge-jazz influenced, whereas from the 80s onward he took in, well, other influences.

Anyone get this 3-disc set of rarities, re-recordings and new material yet? I got it Tuesday, and think it's fantastic. I'm curious how other Waits fans feel about it. (Non-Waits fans, let me do your work for you: "He can't sing, he croaks, he's weird, etc." There. Your part is done.)

You're all giving me ideas of other bands I think are overrated.

U2, I think of as just like Radiohead. I think they did have a strong run when they could've been considered among the best bands. But since the mid-90s...eh. No thanks. REM is kind of in the same boat.

And Coldplay--not interested. At all.

As for Beyonce, that's easy: she's gorgeous. Pop is largely about looks, and, well...

As for Radiohead, I really think that the OK Computer to Amnesiac albums were great, but the previous stuff was, for me, mixed. And the stuff since hasn't been able to keep my interest. Still, those albums I mentioned above, I do consider among the best albums of the past decade. I guess I just feel like they haven't proved that their time hasn't passed.

Tom Waits, Orphans. (Released yesterday in the states, a 3-disc set originally intended to be a rarities album, but that ended up with new songs, re-recordings of old songs and rarities. Something like 30+ new ones)

Amusingly, I just LOVE Zappa and Beefheart, both already named as overrated. I'd probably call them both underrated!

For me, I don't rank the following anywhere near as high as some critics do:

Weezer
Rolling Stones (whom I do like...I just don't think they're among the greatest bands ever)
Any of Steve Winwood's bands, like Traffic, Blind Faith, etc.
Radiohead, aside from their brilliant run from about '98-'02
Any Beatle's solo career

[wrong thread. deleted msg]

Hmm...I agree with what some others have said; my eventual opinion of this song will likely depend pretty heavily on the final production. With the demo version's annoying drum sound, multiBrians, etc., I fear BrianCheese. (I'm having fun making words with Brian in them.) But if the tune is cut with the band, including natural instruments and at least their backing vocals (if not leads or parts of leads), it could be a cool finished song. It won't change my life, I don't think, but I don't really care about that. I just want Brian to keep recording and releasing material with the group.

(And I hope someone can continue to convince him to avoid synthesizers and overdoing his own vocal overdubs.)

Well, one was up before, but has some significant changes (such as a trumpet, bells and percussion). First two at:

www.myspace.com/thebeaumondes

No particular BW influence on these two, to be honest.

Whoops, that's My Latest Novel's Wolves.

I thought the Lips was their worst since they began working with Fridmann. Still better than most of the stuff out there, but not anywhere near their best.

There's a lot of great stuff out there - get listinin!

Are you telling me to listen to more albums? I've probably listened to 200 albums released in 2006, so you might be barking up the wrong tree with me on that one. I was just saying the Lips' mediocre efforts are better than many other people's best. I tend to be one of the people around here who champions new music (as opposed to the old/rehashed crap). You might want to go back and look at all my '06 suggestions from this thread.

Whoops, that's My Latest Novel's Wolves.

I thought the Lips was their worst since they began working with Fridmann. Still better than most of the stuff out there, but not anywhere near their best.

Also,

the Mountain Goats' Get Lonely
Wolves' My Latest Novel

No way! Whole thing, straight through.

I'd kill (well...maim) to see him live. I missed him in about '98 in Minneapolis, and he hasn't been back (to my knowledge) since! I heard about his little recent mini-tour after the fact, and thus didn't get to see him--I would've gone to Chicago for him.

I thought Friendly Fire was pleasant, if pretty light. Awful lyrics, surprisingly nice melodies. Sounds kind of like a Paul McCartney album in places, which is funny from Lennon's kid.

One thing I know: it's got to be a mixed bag being him. On one hand, you have a mediocre album but Capitol puts it out (realistically, if he were anyone else, he'd be on an indie label or not out at all). On the other hand...everyone will compare it to John and/or the Beatles, and there's no way he'll ever even come close.

I think Tom Waits is among the top half-dozen lyricists in pop history, and his melodies are beautiful, too. His singing voice...not so much. But it's got character. Still, songs like "Coney Island Baby" off of Blood Money, "Flower's Grave" off Alice, or a dozen other songs off of other albums are just beautiful.

Tom Waits-Alice, sucks.......Smile is a much better choice........PMcC

It is probably his best album, and that's a man with a long list of great albums. I love it.

Eh...they are ok in a Flaming Lips kind of way, but it's always just more and more of the same. Plus...kind of cultish. A bit weird for me. Like Jesus freaks without the Jesus.

In rough order, but not quite precise:

Half-Handed Cloud, Halos & Lassos
Belle & Sebastian, The Life Pursuit
Bob Dylan, Modern Times
Voxtrot, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Wives (if EPs count)
Joanna Newsom, Ys
The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls in America
Bob Parins, the Kissing Rocks
The Theater Fire, Everybody Has a Dark Side
Heartless Bastards, All This Time
Belles of Skin City, You Do the Company Proud

In David's case, he was on enough of the biggest selling hits that he makes out OK...not great, but he doesn't have to work outside of the music industry so that is a luxury of its own. 

While I'm not saying artists shouldn't be paid more than they are, that certainly is a luxury. It's amazing how many of today's best bands--generally on indie labels with limited airplay or distribution--have day jobs. Most of my favorite bands of the past decade spend their time at ad agencies, writing copy, making donuts, delivering pizza or answering phones for a living--doing the same things anyone else does, only worse, since they so often have to take leaves of absence to play shows! To be able to be paid enough to play and not do anything else is truly a blessing. I'm glad David is able to do it--he certainly deserves it.

Thanks to the knowledgeable people contributing to this thread. I'm woefully under-informed about these issues.

I wrote and recorded this song today, posted as a demo at my band's myspace. (I don't even tell the other guys when I'm doing this stuff. I wonder if I'll be kicked out of my own band for it.)

The song is "Matter of Fact," and it is just a guitar-and-voices demo.

www.myspace.com/thebeaumondes

I've got some new songs on mine:

www.myspace.com/thebeaumondes

www.myspace.com/thebeaumondes

This one is called "Second Chance," and you'll find it at the above url. I'm curious what you think.