Tom Waits lists his 20 favorite records:
1 In The Wee Small Hours by Frank Sinatra (Capitol) 1955
2 Solo Monk by Thelonious Monk (Columbia) 1964
3 Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart (Straight) 1969
4 Exile On Main St. by Rolling Stones (Rolling Stones Records) 1972
5 The Sinking of the Titanic by Gavin Bryars (Point Music) 1975
6 The Basement Tapes by Bob Dylan (Columbia) 1975
7 Lounge Lizards by Lounge Lizards (EG) 1980
8 Rum Sodomy and the Lash by The Pogues (Stiff) 1985
9 I'm Your Man by Leonard Cohen (Columbia) 1988
10 The Specialty Sessions by Little Richard (Specialty Records) 1989
11 Startime by James Brown (Polydor) 1991
12 Bohemian-Moravian Bands by Texas-Czech (Folk Lyric) 1993
13 The Yellow Shark by Frank Zappa (Barking Pumpkin) 1993
14 Passion for Opera Aria (EMI Classics) 1994
15 Rant in E Minor by Bill Hicks (Rykodisc) 1997
16 Prison Songs: Murderous Home Alan Lomax Collection (Rounder Select) 1997
17 Cubanos Postizos by Marc Ribot (Atlantic) 1998
18 Houndog by Houndog (Sony) 1999
19 Purple Onion by Les Claypool (Prawn Song) 2002
20 The Delivery Man by Elvis Costello (Mercury) 2004
The runners up:
Martinis & Bikinis-- Sam Phillips (Virgin) 1994
Shakin’ the Rafters--The Abyssinian Baptist Gospel Choir (Sony) 1960
Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues'The Masked Marvel'--Charley Patton (Revonant) 2001
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music-- Ray Charles (ABC Paramount) 1962
Harry Partch Collection Vol 1 (New World Records) 2004
Let The Buyer Beware--Lenny BruceShout! (Factory) 2004
Last Sessions--Leadbelly (Smithsonian Folkways) 1994
Ompa Til du Dør--Kaizers Orchestra Broiler Farm, 2001
You can read his very entertaining commentary on his choices here and here. At least three, maybe four, of the artists in his top ten would also make it into mine and two of the albums would be there: "Rum Sodomy and the Lash" and "Exile on Main Street." Waits's own "Rain Dogs" would be there too. Gonna have to check out a couple of the more obscure things I've never heard of.
