Swordfishtrombones by Tom Waits

You remember that time you met a drunken sailor on shore leave? How about that guy showing you the photo of his wife he keeps in his wallet? Then there was that story about a used office furniture salesman called Frank who went crazy, killed his wife, torched his house and drove off into the night.

Each and every one of the songs on this album is a perfect vignette of life that will stay with you for a long time after the record has stopped spinning. Has there ever been a more evocative image than a fire burning “Halloween orange and chimminy red” or an old soldier’s medals for sale in a thrift store? Even 40 years after first hearing this, I’m still wondering what a Swordfishtrombone might be.

As well as Tom Waits’ famous gravelly voice that can croon or growl as required, the range of instruments used on this album is remarkable, including bagpipes, a harmonium and a haunting glass harmonica, each used to evoke a particular mood or feeling, from the joyous cacophony of life in a busy neighbourhood to the mournful sound of a dusty, abandoned town with no beer to be had to quench your thirst.

Definitely one of the best and most memorable albums on this list