Peter Gabriel III vs. Swordfishtrombones

I was reading a review of Peter G. Part III online (the lovely, lovely George Starostin), where he said that the album comes across as a bit of a smack in the face at the start of the eighties, what with the avantegarde production and revolutions like cymbal-less drums. 

And when I was listening to "Intruder," and contemplating this deep fact, it suddenly occured to me that there was one other album, released the same year (I THINK, don't quote me on it so fast) that was also a smack in the face to growing 80's values...hell, it was a challenge to a duel. Tommy Waits' Swordfishtrombones. Consider the opening songs; both have minimalist, "different" percussion, weird, jagged guitar riffs, strange lyrics. Both albums have a stretch backwards (Pete's old art rock influences, Tom's jazz ones) and a lean to a future (Pete's avantgarde pop, Tom's avantgarde...nonsense). As a whole, I think there's a slight spiritual connection between the two albums...or maybe they were both just made by total loonies, which is more likely.

As for me, I prefer Swordfish. Which is nothing against PG III, oh no; if anything, it's evidence of how much I like the Waits album. In other words, Peter Gabriel is good, Swordfishtrombones is better.