This is the first Tom Waits album I ever heard - I checked it out from the library in 1987. What a storyteller Tom is. The images conjured by his lyrics get stuck in your brain and refuse to leave. Rain Dogs borrows sound and textures from many sources and not just music. His odd discordant, dysfunctional sound has become a trademark, and sometimes resembles a warped circus caliope running out of control. I also dig the bamboo - sounding percussion on this album as well as "The Black Rider", which I highly recommend. Tough getting the uninitiated to listen, but these moldy, strange stories are the equivalent to fine dining vs.the fast food of popular music. Check it out if you have a sense of humor and are musically adventurous.