Rain Dogs  by Tom Waits

The 1985 Rain Dogs becomes Tom Waits' ninth studio album and picks up the thread from where the 1983 Swordfishtrombones left off. Rain Dogs, with its nineteen compositions, is a showcase of a perfectly and masterfully recorded album belonging to experimental rock.

All compositions are by Tom Waits except for Hang Down Your Sorrow, which he co-wrote with his wife, Kathleen Brennan. The album's production is by Tom Waits himself. A standout moment of the album is Jockey Full Of Bourbon, a song that "ties in" like few songs at the opening of Jim Jarmusch's 1986 film "Down By The Law." Another interesting moment of the album is Downtown Train, whose cover by Rod Stewart (!) in 1989 became a great hit. Among those who helped build this small masterpiece are Keith Richards with his guitar on three songs, Tony Levin with his bass on one song, Chris Spedding with his guitar, and many others.

Tom Waits' compatriots ignored him once again. Rain Dogs only reached No. 188 on the Billboard chart. Fortunately, Europe treated one of this great American songwriter's most complete albums differently. For example, the album reached No. 29 in the United Kingdom and No. 12 in Norway (!)