classick albums: Rain Dogs

"We sail tonight for Singapore, we're all mad as hatters..."

Last summer, I was flipping through a record store in Amsterdam for the better part of two hours, and came across what appeared to be an original pressing of Tom Wait's legendary album, Rain Dogs. Two Euros. Mint. But how to get it back safely to the States? An overstuffed backpack isn't exactly the best place for precious vinyl. I decided not to risk it, to allow someone else the opportunity, and have regretted it ever since. Still, this album remains one of my favorites to really listen closely to, the vividly-drawn characters interacting like a movie in your mind, brawling and bawling their way through cheap hotels, foreign jail cells, and more rowdy bars than you can shake a porkpie hat at. Be careful though, as I've gone on jags where I listened to this album 3 or 4 times in a row, unable to escape. Your best bet is to wash it down with Andrew Bird's Thrills, and forget about that dream life as a boxcar-hopping hobo. You wouldn't last a week.

Here's a cut from Rain Dogs, and be sure to check out Tom intimidate the shit out of Iggy Pop in this scene from Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes:

Tom Waits- Jockey Full of Bourbon