Home → Tom Waits → Swordfishtrombones
Swordfishtrombones
Rock · 1983 · 15 tracks

Swordfishtrombones

Tom Waits

A radical pivot into junk-shop percussion and surrealist noir. Marimbas, brake drums, and gravelly tales from the urban fringe replace the piano ballads.

September 1, 1983 · Island Records

Find on Amazon

A gritty, surrealist exploration of the urban fringe told through clattering rhythms and weathered vocals.

Tracklist · 15 Tracks
01
Underground
2:01
02
Shore Leave
4:18
03
Dave the Butcher
2:21
04
Johnsburg, Illinois
1:34
05
16 Shells From a Thirty‐Ought‐Six
4:33
06
Town With No Cheer
4:28
07
In the Neighborhood
3:07
08
Just Another Sucker on the Vine
1:47
09
Frank’s Wild Years
1:54
10
Swordfishtrombone
3:08
11
Down, Down, Down
2:16
12
Soldier’s Things
3:23
13
Gin Soaked Boy
2:24
14
Trouble’s Braids
1:18
15
Rainbirds
3:15
Moments Worth Waiting For
The heavy, rhythmic thud of the percussion on 'Underground' that sounds like giants marching beneath the floorboards.
Reviews
AllMusic
Read review
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Swordfishtrombones sound next to the rest of Tom Waits's catalogue?

Mysterious+1.9σ

Mysterious saturates this record notably more than the artist's norm.

If you loved this album for its Sound & genre

The Black Rider
The Black Rider
Tom Waits
1993
Rain Dogs
Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
1985
Blood Money
Blood Money
Tom Waits
2002
Rain Dogs
Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
1985
Bone Machine
Bone Machine
Tom Waits
1992

Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →