Tom Waits – Real Gone

Heard the remaster of "Hoist That Rag" while streaming. Totally different. There's trumpet and guitar interplay on the remaster I did not hear when playing the original LP release. Loved the original when it came out but I think I prefer the remaster (of "Hoist That Rag" at least). Looking at the credits on the original release, "trumpet" is not listed.

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I listened to two versions. I like 2017 better. Why - it’s more musical. I don’t understand why someone doesn’t like the increase in tools. Or maybe it’s all about the first press. people - listen to the music. not money.

Somehow I skipped over this in Tom’s oeuvre but it’s fast become a favorite. Love Tom as I do, I sometimes find his albums very disparate in mood. This one has groove through and through, and lots of the slow to mid-tempo I particularly like. Marc Ribot is in top form. His guitar was made for Tom’s atmosphere.

I only having streaming to compare the vinyl to, but it sounds fantastic. It’s a dense and often noisy affair with grit on grit. Nice to have a 2xlp of his work. It really lets it breathe.

Just got a well cared for copy of this and its so nice to hear these songs the way I was introduced to them. Claypool's basslines are gitty af. The remasters are great but this original sound is grittier and more raw which for Tom Waits might go a little over board but in a great way. The sound peaks a bit sometimes and some of the instruments get a bit lost so it's both better and worse but it feels so good to hear them this way again. Yes please He's a damn genius.

I got the remix LP--I wish it had a booklet explaining the process or motivation here, otherwise it seems like overwriting history. I loved Real Gone (cd) for years and years: So gritty, and playful, and at times a little tired, but certainly not bland. I had heard he gave his son the reins to mix the CD, and it has a kind of early home PC/Cubase/Acid charm to it.

Fans of Bone Machine will love the CD. Fans of Swordfishtrombones or Bad as Me will likely prefer the LP, as it is less distorted and more lush with instrument variety. The radio tracks (Metropolitan Glide, Rain, and Day after Tomorrow) are just about the same, I think. But if you've only had the CD since it came out, this will blow your mind!

I liked how I could understand pretty much all the words on the LP. And the song of the Spooky Barn is thus all the richer. But because they are so different, neither mix will be the Ultimate. I guess I figured this updated version was full of restored tracks, clearer EQ settings; if Waits/Brennan added new material in 2017, it's a different affair, less of a scientific discovery and more of an experiment. I'm glad it exists, though, less edgy though it is. The horns on Hoist that Rag do come across as an afterthought, and make the song feel overproduced. Don't return to the scene of the crime, Waits! It took me a long time to enjoy the drawn-out minimalism of Sins of the Father on the CD, and this one is similar but has a ton of subtle fx.

If you haven't heard it, give it a spin. I did think it felt like a televised big production performance of Real Gone coming sentimentally and way later in time, crooned with fondness and signature intent. That's pretty Waits right there.

Fair warning: I haven't listened to this album in 15 years, but I saw it at my local record shop the other day and picked it up. To me, it sounds fantastic. I don't remember the original enough to compare the updated mixes to original, so ignoring whether or not you might like the updated mixes: my pressing sounds clean (well, Tom Waits Clean) and has a lot more depth than I was expecting.

Hi all. on my release the last song, Chick A Boom, is not really mentioned. everything is correct. the recording quality is excellent

I much prefer the mastering on this pressing, there is an intentional murk over everything, sounds right

I have no idea why Tom went back and re-tooled these recordings. The 2004 release was fantastic. Many of the songs on this re-issue have additions like more horns and unnecessary guitar riffs. It makes for a much more chaotic and less slick collection of songs. I'm more inclined to listen to my 2004 CD than this version.

I didn't quite care for "Bad As Me", so in my mind "Real Gone" is the last truly great Waits album. (And has it really been 16 years?!) It feels like a concept album, the way that Waits brings in a unified production sense to give each song its place in the overall album. Amazing chorus hooks shouldn't work as much as they do in "experimental" lo-fi rock music, but Waits is the master of them.