Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones

Underground - 5
Shore Leave - 4
Dave The Butcher - 4
Johnsburg, Illinois - 3
16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six - 4
Town With No Cheer - 3
In The Neighbourhood - 4
Just Another Sucker On The Vine - 3
Frank's Wild Years - 5
Swordfishtrombone - 4
Down, Down, Down - 4
Soldier's Things - 4
Gin Soaked Boy - 3
Trouble's Braids - 4
Rainbirds - 3
Total - 57 stars / 15 tracks = 3.80 stars

Tom Waits is one of those folks that you're supposed to like, but until now, I never had any particular reason to. The album "Frank's Wild Years" didn't blow me away, and the movie "Mystery Men" was stupid. Then I heard "Swordfishtrombones" and I became a justified fan. My two favourite tracks show what Waits is best at: "Underground" demonstrates his ability to perfectly emulate a troll, and "Frank's Wild Years" showcases a Sahara-dry sense of humour, even when dealing with issues like Wife-i-cide (Eminem, start taking notes).

Many of the remaining songs effectively pair distantly-related, if not downright surreal lyrics with cool, original music. Some are not as effective as others, particularly the instrumental tracks (like Rainbirds), which, without Waits' distinctive voice, lack a lot of the character that makes the rest of the album so great.