Would Tom Waits still be good if he could sing?

[Doctor_J]

I was listening to Pandora's Michael Fracasso channel and Tom Waits' "Day After Tomorrow" came up, and I started to wonder if that classic could be successfully rendered by James Taylor or Josh White or Keb' Mo' or one of the other folk singers who can actually sing. Seems that TOm's delivery is part of the, er, charm of his tunes.

Opinions?

[Scuba]

1. Louis Armstrong and Carol Channing agree that a beautiful voice would ruin Tom's songs.

[onehandle]

2. He's a national treasure. nt

[MiddleFingerMom]

3. If I could choose to sing like someone... it would DEFINITELY be Tom Waits.

[Steerpike]

4. Been listening since the late '70s

[Steerpike]

5. Tommy

Has gone thru several different vocal styles...I think his later vocal styles are what people most identify with. But I still remember his sweeter days...

[cliffordu]

6. He CAN sing.

If you want to hear his uh... 'normal' voice, go get a copy of his first album - "Closing time" from 1973 the one with "'Old 55" on it -

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Or, off the same album - "Grapefruit Moon"

Which breaks my heart.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

7. Well, Neil Young isn't exactly "Live at the Met" either (nt)

[Tom Ripley]

8. I have a friend who brilliantly highlighted the sentimental schlocky heart of a lot of Waits'

songwriting. How did he do it? He sang Dan Hill's wretched "Sometimes When We Touch" in the patented Tom Waits voice. It sounds exactly like one of Waits' "masterpieces"

[mucifer]

9. I have always felt Tom Waits' voice sounds fakey

[Petrushka]

10. "...gonna love you till the wheels come off . . . ."

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