Known for his growling vocals and for the distinct poetry of his lyrics, Tom Waits has amassed over the course of three decades a devoted cult following. The Early Years collects the lyrics—formative and classic—from the first ten albums of this true bard of hard living. A celebration of both his words and of the artist himself, this lyrical biography charts the course from Wait's emotional debut album, Closing Time (1977), to the experimental stirrings in Heartattack and Vine (1991) and One from the Heart (1992). Here the words achieve a new potency, adding further dimension to this singularly gifted artist.

The Lyrics of Tom Waits 1971-1982: The Early Years

Arts & Photography

Waits, Tom

Music

Ecco

Michael O'Brien got out of his car one day in 1975 and sought the acquaintance of a man named John Madden who lived under an overpass. Their initial contact grew into a friendship that O'Brien chronicled for the Miami News, where he began his career as a staff photographer. O'Brien's photo essays conveyed empathy for the homeless and the disenfranchised and won two Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards. In 2006, O'Brien reconnected with the issue of homelessness and learned the problem has grown exponentially since the 1970s, with as many as 3.5 million adults and children in America experiencing homelessness at some point in any given year.
In Hard Ground, O'Brien joins with renowned singer-songwriter Tom Waits, described by the New York Times as "the poet of outcasts," to create a portrait of homelessness that impels us to look into the eyes of people who live "on the hard ground" and recognize our common humanity. For Waits, who has spent decades writing about outsiders, this subject is familiar territory. Combining their formidable talents in photography and poetry, O'Brien and Waits have crafted a work in the spirit of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, in which James Agee's text and Walker Evans's photographs were "coequal, mutually independent, and fully collaborative" elements. Letting words and images communicate on their own terms, rather than merely illustrate each other, Hard Ground transcends documentary and presents independent, yet powerfully complementary views of the trials of homelessness and the resilience of people who survive on the streets.

Hard Ground

O'BRIEN, MICHAEL

Photography & Video

University of Texas Press

The companion songbook to Waits’ 2002 album release, Blood Money contains 13 of his best songs. Includes: Coney Island Baby, Knife Chase, Woe, Calliope and A Good Man Is Hard to Find.  Arranged for piano, vocal, and guitar.

Tom Waits - Blood Money

Humor & Entertainment

Music Sales America

Sylvia Plachy's photographs have freshness and spontaneity, ocnveying drama one moment and prompting laughter the next. Now available in paperback, this first published collection of her images invites a wider audience to join her Unguided Tour of people and places. Winner of the International Center of Photography Best Book of the Year. 120 duotone photographs.

Sylvia Plachy's Unguided Tour

Minneapolis Institute Of Arts

Plachy, Sylvia

Cornerhouse (Gallery : Manchester, England)

Aperture

Tom Waits: Bad As Me

Distributed Art Pub Inc

Tom Waits - The Little Black Songbook: Chords/Lyrics

(The Little Black Songbook). A pocket-sized collection of Tom Waits songs, in chord songbook format, with complete lyrics and guitar chords diagrams. 84 songs include: Alice * Chocolate Jesus * Downtown Train * Hold On * I Wish I Was in New Orleans * Jersey Girl * Long Way Home * Martha * The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) * Soldier's Things * Warm Beer and Cold Women * and more.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Waits, Tom. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Waits, Tom