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By BILL BENTLEY
 his three-disc set is a mesmerizing mish mash of all things Tom Waits. It’s got his industrial equipment sound, the romantic ballad approach and, of course, plenty of oddball one-off recordings, done for various tribute albums and other collections. The different discs, titled either Brawlers, Bawlers or Bastards, have slightly separate stylistic tones, but when it comes to Tom Waits’ music, there is a definite thread of artistic accomplishment that ties everything together, no matter what you call it. He started way back in the alley, fought his way to respectability and by the time he began collaborating with famous film directors and playwrights, it was clear here was a true American original. There are almost three dozen new recordings on Orphans alongside everything else, so you can’t really call this box a reissue, just like you can’t really call Waits anything but amazing. The only thing missing is a written essay explaining this fine mess, but then again, that would be the last thing the man behind the music would do. Confusion and conflict reign supreme, and it’s all over but the shouting. Yow.
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