For the first time, Tom Waits makes his 2006 classic 56 song release Orphans available as three different records: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards. The collection of 56 songs went far beyond a simple career retrospective. It dipped back as far as 1984 with the bulk of it’s songs hailing from the mid-nineties onward. Over 2/3 of the material had never been heard when originally released in 2006 and had 30 newly recorded songs. Orphans also featured a number of songs finding a home on a Waits’ album for the first time. They included Waits’ unique interpretations of songs by such diverse talents as The Ramones, Daniel Johnston, Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht and Leadbelly. These outtakes, rarities and the previously unreleased material were separately grouped into themes and named, Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards. And now these titles are released individually. Brawlers is a collection of raucous blues and full-throated juke joint stomps. Bawlers is a collection of Celtic and country ballads, waltzes, lullabies, piano and classic lyrical Waits’ songs. Bastards is a collection of experimental music and strange tales.
