Press release from Anti-Records: The one and only TOM WAITS is set to release a 3CD set titled ORPHANS: BRAWLERS, BAWLERS AND BASTARDS. It’s a wide-ranging collection of 54 songs, including 30 new recordings, equaling over three hours of rare and never-before heard music with a 94 page booklet.

“Orphans are rough and tender tunes. Rhumbas about mermaids, shuffles about trainwrecks, tarantellas about insects, madrigrals about drowning,” says Waits. “Scared, mean, orphans songs of rapture and melancholy. Songs that grew up hard. Songs of dubious origin rescued from cruel fate and now left wanting only to be cared for. Show that you are not afraid and take them home. They don’t bite, they just need attention.”

Each of the three CDs is separately grouped and sub-titled – “Brawlers,” “Bawlers” and “Bastards” – to capture the full spectrum of Waits’ ranging and roving musical styles. “Brawlers” is chock full of raucous blues and full-throated juke joint stomp, “Bawlers” contains Celtic and country ballads, waltzes, lullabies, piano and classic lyrical Waits’ songs, while “Bastards” is filled with experimental music and strange tales.

In addition to the new work, Orphans features a number of tracks finding a home on a Waits’ album for the first time - songs originally recorded for the cinema, the theatre and other projects. They include Waits’ unique interpretations of songs by such extraordinarily diverse talents as The Ramones, Daniel Johnston, Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht, Leadbelly, Kerouac and Bukowski.

BRAWLERS
1. Lie To Me 2. LowDown 3. 2:19 4. Fish In The Jailhouse 5. Bottom Of The World 6. Lucinda 7. Ain’t Goin’ Down To The Well 8. Lord I’ve Been Changed 9. Puttin’ On The Dog 10. Road To Peace 11. All The Time 12. The Return Of Jackie and Judy 13. Walk Away 14. Sea Of Love 15. Buzz Fledderjohn 16. Rains On Me

BAWLERS
1. Bend Down The Branches 2. You Can Never Hold Back Spring 3. Long Way Home 4. Widow’s Grove 5. Little Drop Of Poison 6. Shiny Things 7. World Keeps Turning 8. Tell It To Me 9. Never Let Go 10. Fannin Street 11. Little Man 12. It’s Over 13. If I Have To Go 14. Goodnight Irene 15. The Fall Of Troy 16. Take Care Of All My Children 17. Down There By The Train 18. Danny Says 19. Jayne’s Blue Wish 20. Young At Heart

BASTARDS
1. What Keeps Mankind Alive 2. Children’s Story 3. Heigh Ho 4. Army Ants 5. Books Of Moses 6. Bone Chain 7. Two Sisters 8. First Kiss 9. Dog Door 10. Redrum 11. Nirvana 12. Home I’ll Never Be 13. Poor Little Lamb 14. Altar Boy 15. The Pontiac 16. Spidey’s Wild Ride 17. King Kong 18. On The Road

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Personally I note that if nothing else, disc 3 has Heigh Ho, Waits doing a Disney song. I’ve loved it for years upon years and am just glad for it to finally get out to the world like this.