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Tom Waits | The Dime-Store Novels Vol. 1: Live At Ebbets Field

Quality document of a 1974 show.
CD, Burning Airlines/Bertus

Tekst: Sven Schlijper

Publicatiedatum: 17 april 2002

In 1975, Tom Waits released Nighthawks At The Diner, still my favourite Waits album to this date. This record features a live recording of Waits in his very best guise. Playing at the piano or using the acoustic guitar, he works his way through the songs of little images, snapshots, or even short stories of life in the little hours. But the best feature of this recording certainly is the witty chat and onstage banter between the songs where Tom has all sorts of funny cynical and ironic anecdotes and jokes to share. Since then, Tom Waits has unleashed an impressive amount of recordings, his last offering being Mule Variations, released on punk's very own Epitaph label. With two brand-new albums on their way, The Dime-Store Novels Vol. 1 takes us back to 1974.

Recorded at Ebbets Field in Denver, Colorado, by a local radio station, this show is maybe best described as an ideal prelude to Nighthawks At The Diner. Waits's voice is far more clear than the smoky and whiskey-fuelled howl and growl from '75. This second set of the evening from October 8 is filled with tracks from the first two albums. Classics like The Ghost Of Saturday Night, Ol' 55, and Martha are played alongside the then yet to be released Big Joe And Phantom 309, the famous truck drivers' story. It is quite interesting to also hear the slightly younger Waits play alternate versions of Better Off Without A Wife and On A Foggy Night.

The quality of this live take from years back is remarkably good, and, with the audience audible throughout the gig, one can easily dream away to a smoke-filled booze joint backroom. Tom Waits live is something pretty special, and this CD is a valuable addition to his live catalogue. Let's hope the indicator Vol. 1 does indeed mark the start of a series of live recordings from Waits over the years. Still going strong as Waits is, we might be in for a long line of CDs. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/recensie/tom-waits/the-dime-store-novels-vol-1-live-at-ebbets-field/1468/
Meer Tom Waits op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/tom-waits