Rain Dogs  by Tom Waits

Tom Waits released his ninth studio album titled Rain Dogs in 1985. He had significant help from two notable musicians during its recording. One was Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, and the other was session guitarist Marc Ribot. The producer of Rain Dogs was Tom Waits himself.

Tom Waits wrote most of the album at the end of 1984 over two months in a basement somewhere in Manhattan. The songwriter found this place particularly satisfactory because it offered him the quiet he wanted but at the same time he could hear the sounds of New York City, which is what he actually wanted to capture and convey through his songs. To achieve even better results, he also recorded various other sounds with a tape recorder that came from the city's life, which he matched and used in his new compositions.

Rain Dogs is one of Tom Waits' best works and is often found in lists of the best or most important albums. In the U.S., 500,000 copies have been sold, while another 100,000 copies were sold in Great Britain. Despite the entirely experimental style of the album, it is one of his greatest commercial successes.