Blue Valentine (studio album) by Tom Waits
Condition: Used
Tom Waits bestography
Blue Valentine is ranked 8th best out of 27 albums by Tom Waits on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by Tom Waits is Rain Dogs which is ranked number 111 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 12,168.
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Blue Valentine track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 81 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
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Blue Valentine ratings

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Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 269 ratings for this album.
Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
70/100 ![]() | 03/21/2025 22:58 | dukeboxkool | ![]() | 73/100 |
85/100 ![]() | 01/03/2025 11:37 | cicadelic | ![]() | 73/100 |
80/100 ![]() | 01/02/2025 06:19 | Scrabbler | ![]() | 78/100 |
85/100 ![]() | 12/12/2024 07:02 | matterhornrider | ![]() | 81/100 |
70/100 ![]() | 11/27/2024 04:53 | ![]() | ![]() | 81/100 |
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This album is rated in the top 3% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 77.3/100, a mean average of 75.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 77.5/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.9.
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Tracks 1-3 ?? Other tracks ?

A new favorite album for Friday evenings and a couple of glasses of Scotch...
Great stuff.

Blue Valentine turns whatever you're doing into a movie scene. Something late 70s/early 80s, dark and moody, probably set in New York (though any urban area will do). I get in late from work, throw my Harrington on the hanger and whack this on. Turn the lights on low and pour some wine, and settle in on the sofa, watching whatever view happens to be out of the nearest window. Waits plays out the rest of the scene with his gravely serenade and sleazy instrumentation.
Blue Valentine's individual tracks are damn good in their own right, but when you listen to the whole record in one piece, it achieves a whole new status. Have a gander at the artwork too, both front and back of the sleeve look outstanding.

Bohemien innamorato del blues ed ancor più del jazz, romantico cantore della notte...

A really chill one by Waits and in the same league as his other masterpieces. "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis", "$29", "Whistlin Past the Graveyard", and the title track are all just fantastic, as well as the fabulously evocative "Red Shoes at the Drug Store". If you like jazzy Americana, you've got it here.
Blue Valentine, is the album where Tom Waits starts to move away from the piano, and starts basing his songs around the guitar. It also features hints of his 1980's leftfield turn. The record starts of beautifully, with Waits' stunning version of, somewhere, from west side story. Next up it's, red shoes by the drugstore, it's one of the tracks here that wouldn't sound out of place on, swordfishtrombones, five years down the road. Christmas card from a hooker from Minneapolis, is Waits in character as a, well, you've guessed it, it's brilliant. There's a much more bluesy rock sound on this album with, Romeo is bleeding, $29.00, and, whistlin' past the graveyard, all very good. Almost hidden in all this is one of Waits' greatest ballads. Kentucky avenue, is lovely, anyone who thinks of their own childhood during this song cannot fail to be moved. The album ends with two excellent cuts, a sweet little bullet from a pretty blue gun, and, blue valentines, finish the record on a perfect note. It's a great LP, his second best of the seventies, after, small change.

Yep. It's another solid cocktail rocker. A couple numbers lower the score (Red Shoes by the Drugstore, Kentucky Avenue), but all in all this is good stuff with Whistlin' Past the Graveyard and Christmas Card from a Hooker leadin' the way.
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