Orphans

Tom Waits will release a 3-CD album of B-sides and outtakes, entitled (in true Waits style) Orphans. Not as good of news as brand new material or a large-scale tour, but good news all the same. I'm sure I've covered it before, but Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Elton John/Bernie Taupin and Lennon/McCartney when it comes to songwriting teams. Waits has an incredible hold on the nuts and bolts of pop songwriting, though it is sometimes hard to see through the gravelly voice, sparse instrumentation and macabre lyrical themes.

What does Waits have to say about the album?

"Orphans [contains] rough and tender tunes. Rumbas about mermaids, shuffles about train wrecks, tarantellas about insects, madrigals about drowning. Scared, mean, orphaned songs of rapture and melancholy. Songs that grew up hard. Songs of dubious origin rescued from cruel fate and now left wanting only to be cared for. Show that you are not afraid and take them home. They don't bite, they just need attention."

Well there ya go.

Tom Waits- The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) from 1976's Small Change.

Tom Waits- Day After Tomorrow from 2004's Real Gone

Tom Waits- Tango 'til They're Sore from VH1's Storytellers.