[newfreep]

As a related aside...

In the 70's, Tom Waits was easily the best songwriter whose voice was an acquired taste. The songwriting was spectacular and his masterpiece "Small Change" is arguably the best album of the 70's.

That said...

"Small Change" album cover featured a young "pre-Elvira" Cassandra Peterson. In typical Tom Waits banter, she has never confirmed or denied but says

"I don't know if that's me! I don't know. People say it is, it looks like me, but I don't have any recollection of ever doing that. But it was the '70s, so I don't have a recollection of a whole lot that I did then.

[Chode]

damn dint know her hair was that light, never saw her without the wig...

here’s one of the alternate covers that didn’t make it

http://rockcellarmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/TomWaits2.jpg

[Chode]

[BBell]

I had to look up the album cover to get a better “look.” It could be Cassandra Peterson. I found a lot of pictures of Cassandra Peterson from the 70’s.

[SamAdams76]

Tom Waits is very under-appreciated. Yes, he is an "acquired taste" like most good things are in life. Over the years I've acquired a taste for fine wine and cheeses and once I had some of my family over and they gagged on the stuff. They asked if I had any Cracker Barrel cheddar, Ritz crackers and Gallo. Oh well. At least I got to save the good stuff for after they left.

But I find that some of the best and most genuine music out there is by artists with rough and "unpolished" voices. Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin to name a few.