Whenever there's a Tom thread on this board, this disc is completely absent from it. It's probably the least accessable of the Island albums, lacking the out and out mastery of Rain Dogs and Swordtrombonefish, the post appocalyptic poetry of Bone Machine, and the distrubing beauty of Alice and Blood Money, but I found it odd that no one has an opinion on it. After owning it for 2 years, I finaly became enveloped in it's over the top wierdness with the underlying of some of the best lyrics he's written. Songs like Innocent When You Dream, Train Song and Yesterday Is Here are amongst the best stuff he's written. (Despite that IWYD sounds like a drunken German afterhours bar singalong.) If it's been something you've left sitting on the shelf due to the operaetic bellows in Temptation or the Vegas Sinatra parody version of Straight To The Top andI'll Take New York, you need to give it a second glance. It's well worth it. And remember, never trust a man in a blue trench coat, and never drive a car when you're dead.
---->Jeff Compton

it's the first tom waits album i purcchased and it is also my favorite

I've only got asylum years and i pretty much like every track on that.Been wanting to get another Tom waits album but dunno where to start.

Originally posted by Radiofred
I've only got asylum years and i pretty much like every track on that.Been wanting to get another Tom waits album but dunno where to start.

If you want more Asylum era stuff, get Small Change. If you want to try his more experimental Island marterial, go with Rain Dogs (and if Singapore turns you off, like it tends to do to people not associated with his over the top stuff, just skip it and listen to the rest of the album. There's enough diversity that you'll find something you'll like and then, trust me, it will all grow on you, even Singapore (which I like imediately, but I seem to be amongst the minoriety).