Been on a huge Waits jag. I say he's, after Mick and Charlie, Keith's greatest running partner yet, including Woody, Brian, and Steve Jordan.

Dig these gems (if you haven't already), featuring Richards on guitar and vocals.
This is about the most ferocious piece of music I've heard since I don't know when...the Clash?
RIP Lance Corporal Jeff Lucey, USMC.
http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-05-19-jeffreylucey.png
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fju9o8BVJ8

Another of the four cuts from Tom's last album ('Bad As Me', 2011) featuring Keith, this one his tribute to the Stones, name checking Mick and Keef.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHn_Kb4Dz40

Also from 'Bad As Me', this beautiful number. Richards is the only backing/harmony singer Waits has used on record in 30 years. You can hear why...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g51lUrbZlc

The lead off track from 'Bad As Me', Keith on guitar. The great migration north post-WWII...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAjtkyGVDxc

Co-written by Keef, also features on backing vox and guitar, from 'Bone Machine', 1992.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbNg5_Jtd8k

From 'Rain Dogs', 1985.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r3RuX3TiqE

Also from 'Rain Dogs'. Keef overdubbed his guitar part to mirror the late, great Robert Quine's licks. Guitar heaven.
Also features on a beautifully elegant backing vox bit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aII2lzeepI

Third cut from 'Rain Dogs' with our boy; tough as anything the Stones ever did (yeah, I just said that).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMbtAi0UKS4

My first introduction to Tom was "Jersey Girl", which a friend played me because we'd heard Bruce had covered it (and unusually for me, I've never much cared for Bruce's version compared to the original).

However the first album I bought of his was "Rain Dogs", which I only really got because Keith was playing on three songs on it. Been a huge fan ever since that.

That song "Hell Broke Luce" is an utter beast. Thunderous guitar by our man on it. Amazing video too. One of the best i've seen by anyone in recent years.

Got to see him twice. Dublin Olympia Theatre in November 1987 on the tour that was commemorated on the "Franks Wild Years" live album and video and again on the "Glitter and Doom" tour in Edinburgh on his last visit in July 2008. That was a short tour and a hard ticket to get.

Well worth it. Both times I've seen him he was mind-blowingly good. I wish he'd tour more.

This just made me laugh out loud :

The Orphans Tour is an American concert tour by Tom Waits that took place in August 2006. Waits announced in a press release on 5 July 2006 that he would play 8 dates in places he had not played in years. When asked why he picked these dates  he said "We had to go down to Tennessee to pick up some fireworks and somebody owed me money in Kentucky."

Can't stand Waits. Absolutely, incredibly awful. Worst piece of shite ever heard put voice in front of a mic...............But I'm sure he's a nice guy. :interestingstuffronnie

I like Waits, but I mostly like the old Waits, the stuff with the horn sections, like The Heart of Saturday night. I mostly like him with horns.

Weirdly, the guy who plays the horns on Frank's Wild Years is now a friend of mine and I would sit in with him and his band and sing "Shave 'Em Dry" sometimes this past year. Really cool dude.

Love Tom Waits!  Bad As Me is a great record. 

No Keef, but some interesting dialog here:


http://youtu.be/49tTzEifY6M

SheRat wrote on Jan 29^th, 2015 at 11:00pm:

I like Waits, but I mostly like the old Waits, the stuff with the horn sections, like The Heart of Saturday night. I mostly like him with horns. Weirdly, the guy who plays the horns on Frank's Wild Years is now a friend of mine and I would sit in with him and his band and sing "Shave 'Em Dry" sometimes this past year. Really cool dude.

You're mates with Ralph Carney? Ace player he is. Great tone on tenor, good Akron boy. His nephew Pat is the Black Keys drummer.

Tom seldom used horn sections even on record; Ralph overdubbed a few songs on 'Franks Wild Years' ('87), but prior to his '83 re-birth he only ever used a tenor player or the occasional trumpet. Oddly enough it's his last album - 'Bad As Me' - features a couple songs with actual section work from the New Orleans outfit the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Yep. He's also an Aquarius. One of my guitar players and he are old friends and so he sat in with us once and we really clicked. Really, really great guy and everyone he plays with is really cool too, they're all really talented musicians and really nice dudes, no bullshit egos--I was very lucky to be able to play and drink with them. Unfortunately, my time in SF was short by then, so alls I could ever do was sit in. Miss playing with those dudes.

Weirdly, he went to high school with one of my dad's many brothers (Dad is from Akron also).

Ralph also played with one of my all time fave bands, the Waitresses from Akron and NYC. On record he only played played on one song but it was a biggie - his loopy solo on "I Know What Boys Like". Gigged with them a bit too, but had too much going on so was replaced by Mars Williams (who went on to play with the Psychedelic Furs).

Lotsa greats from Akron - Chrissie Hynde, Robert Quine, Devo, etc.

Ralph's done a lot of cool stuff. Right before I left he played with the Trruckers at the Fillmore, which was funny 'cause he first heard a DBT song while driving me home from a gig!