Aaaaaaand finally... we're delighted to welcome Sam Clements to the show for an extended farewell to the podcast, discussing the process involved in producing a weekly music show for 8+ years. Martin and Sam fess up to a few things, talk about the work involved behind the scenes, and consider what a project like this affects the people involved.
It's been a pleasure folks, the time went so quickly. Speak soon. x
Having gone through all of Waits's music Song by Song, we're obviously well-placed to say which ones are best... or maybe least-worst... perhaps just from our perspective... subjectively good in these two people's opinions... but then who are we to say? Anyway, in this penultimate episode, Sam and Martin have a little chat about The Old Favourites as the podcast enters the final straight.
For once, no show notes... for our favourites and less-than-favourites, listen along to the show...
Having done the work, put in the hours and carefully considered all the options, Martin and Sam discuss exactly where they think a new listener to Waits's music might want to start, considering the various angles and perspectives one might have, as well as a little discussion of Tom's compilation albums.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Classic Tom Waits starter playlist - Sam's picks from Closing Time (1973)
Lyrical Tom Waits starter playlist - Martin's picks from Rain Dogs (1985)
9th & Hennepin, from Big Time concert film, Tom Waits, dir. Chris Blum (1988)
Theatrical Tom Waits starter playlist - Sam's picks from The Black Rider (1993)
Beat-Poet Tom Waits starter playlist - Martin's picks from The Heart Of Saturday Night (1974)
Comic Tom Waits starter playlist - Sam's picks
Experimental Tom Waits starter playlist - Martin's picks from Bone Machine (1992)
Bounced Checks, compilation album, Tom Waits (1981)
Anthology of Tom Waits, compilation album, Tom Waits (1984)
Asylum Years, compilation album, Tom Waits (1986)
Beautiful Maladies, compilation album, Tom Waits (1998)
Used Songs - 1973-1980, compilation album, Tom Waits (2001)
Log into the Spotify web player to hear these tracks.
Our second set of music videos brings Philippa back to Martin and Sam for the last decade-and-change of Waits music videos. Sampling the work of Jesse Dylan, Matt Mahurin and various others, we consider what these videos mean in a post-YouTube world, as well as Waits's filmed promos in the 21st century.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Hold On, Tom Waits music video from Mule Variations, dir. Matt Mahurin (1999)
Come On Up To The House, (unauthorised?) Tom Waits music video from Mule Variations, dir. Anders Lövgren (1999)
What's He Building, Tom Waits music video from Mule Variations, dir. Lex Brand (1999)
Scandal Makers from Arrested Development S2E17 "Spring Breakout" (2005)
God's Away On Business, Tom Waits music video from Blood Money, dir. Jesse Dylan (2002)
Tom Waits Library entry for Top Of The Hill music video, detailing contents and origins
Lie To Me, Tom Waits music video from Orphans, dir. Danny Clinch (2006)
Tom Waits Press Conference, promo for Glitter&Doom tour, dir. unknown (2008)
Tom Waits' Private Listening Party, promo for Bad As Me, dir. unknown (2011)
Satisfied, Tom Waits music video from Bad As Me, dir. Jesse Dylan (2011)
Hell Broke Luce, Tom Waits music video from Bad As Me, dir. Matt Mahurin (2012)
Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythms Of The War Drums, A Perfect Circle music video from Emotive, dir. Nick Paparone / Paul Thiel / Steven Grasse (2009)
Bad As Me, (unreleased?) Tom Waits music video from Bad As Me, dir. unknown / Jesse Dylan? (2011/2013?)
Bad As Me, YouTube audio from official ANTI- featuring colour photo from the Satisfied shoot showing full costume (2011)
Misery’s the River of the World, Tom Waits music / lyric video from Blood Money 20th Anniversary re-release, artwork by Casey Waits / animation by Sarah Sheikh Bridge (2022)
Lost In The Harbour, Tom Waits music / lyric video from Alice 20th Anniversary re-release, artwork by Christy Smith / animation by Sarah Sheikh Bridge (2022)
God's Away On Business, Tom Waits music / lyric video from Blood Money 20th Anniversary re-release, artwork by Casey Waits / animation by Sarah Sheikh Bridge (2022)
Top Of The Hill, Real Gone, Tom Waits (2004)
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Continuing our season of specials on material outside the show’s main remit, Philippa Spanos returns to help Martin and Sam consider the creative and commercial aspects of Waits’s music videos. Starting with a long-overlooked animation experiment from the 70s, we chart how these films function in relation to the music, the commercial purpose of a video, as well as all the tiny tiny guitars.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Tom Waits For No-One / The One That Got Away, short film feat. Tom Waits, dir. John Lamb (1979)
Aragorn trips and falls in Lord of the Rings, dir. Ralph Bakshi (1978)
An Exhaustive History of Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings, video essay via YouTube, Folding Ideas (2021)
In The Neighbourhood, Tom Waits music video from Swordfishtrombones, dir. Haskell Wexler (1983)
Welcome to the Black Parade, My Chemical Romance music video, dir. Samuel Bayer (2006)
Rain Dogs Promos, dir. Chris Blum (1985)
Pachinko adverts feat. Nicholas Cage, dir. ???? (mid-2000s?)
Downtown Train, Tom Waits music video from Rain Dogs, dir. Jean-Baptiste Mondino (1985)
Blow Wind Blow, Tom Waits music video from Rain Dogs, and Limousine Interview promo, dir. Chris Blum (1987)
Temptation, Tom Waits music video from Franks Wild Years, dir. Betzy Bromberg (1987)
Lee Baby Sims Obituary, Media Confidential Blog (2015)
It's Alright With Me, Tom Waits music video from Red Hot + Blue, dir. Jim Jarmusch (1990)
Going Out West, Tom Waits music video from Bone Machine, dir. Jesse Dylan (1992)
Closer, Nine Inch Nails music video from The Downward Spiral, dir. Mark Romance (1994)
Ricky Jay Plays Poker, dir. Jesse Dylan (2007)
I Don’t Wanna Grow Up, Tom Waits music video from Bone Machine, dir. Jim Jarmusch (1992)
Coffee and Cigarettes III - Somewhere in California, dir. Jim Jarmusch (1993)
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Our final season wouldn't be complete without a look at the emails sent in by you, dear listeners, covering some errors and omissions, new theories, questions about remasters and several lovely well-wishes as we head towards the end of the show.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Singapore, Rain Dogs, Tom Waits (1985)
Shiver Me Timbers, The Heart of Saturday Night, Tom Waits (1974)
You Have Beautiful Eyes, Over The Garden Wall OST, The Blasting Company (2014/2016)
Black Box Theme, The Black Rider, Tom Waits (1993)
Russian Dance, The Black Rider, Tom Waits (1993)
Tome of the Unknown, short film (Narrator voices by Warren Burton), Patrick McHale / Cartoon Network (2013)
"Enoch Punishment" clip from Over The Garden Wall (Enoch voiced by Chris Issak), Patrick McHale / Cartoon Network (2014)
"The Beast" clip from Over The Garden Wall (The Beast voiced by Samuel Ramey), Patrick McHale / Cartoon Network (2014)
Buzz Fledderjohn, Orphans: Brawlers Bawlers and Bastards, Tom Waits (2006)
Piosenki Toma Waitsa (Songs by Tom Waits), album, Kazik Staszewski (2011)
Discogs listing for Piosenki Toma Waitsa, featuring title translations
NPR presentation of Glitter & Doom tour performance from The Fox Theatre, Atlanta GA (5 July 2008)
Chicago, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Cold River, Master of Disaster, John Hiatt (2005)
Hell Broke Luce, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Sixthfinger from Topper Toys, advert (1965)
Why Oh Why, Songs to Grow On for Mother and Child, Woodie Guthrie (recorded 1947, released 1956/1991)
Soldier's Things (original via YouTube), Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits (1983)
Soldier's Things (2023 remaster), Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits (1983)
Crossroads (original via YouTube), The Black Rider, Tom Waits (1993)
Crossroads (2023 remaster), The Black Rider, Tom Waits (1993)
Dave The Butcher (original via YouTube), Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits (1983)
Dave The Butcher (2023 remaster), Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits (1983)
Swordfishtrombone (original via YouTube), Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits (1983)
Swordfishtrombone (2023 remaster), Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits (1983)
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We're delighted to bring you an extended interview with the man who literally wrote the book on Tom Waits, Barney Hoskyns. Bouncing through a selection of Waits's material from the 70s to the present day, we discuss what it's like to interview and write about artists, what changed (and stayed the same) in Waits's music, and how you should always take a suggestion from Nick Cave seriously.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Ol' 55, Closing Time, Tom Waits (1973)
Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets To The Wind In Copenhagen), Small Change, Tom Waits (1976)
Shore Leave, Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits (1983)
Goin' Out West, Bone Machine, Tom Waits (1992)
Take It With Me, Mule Variations, Tom Waits (1999)
Satisfied, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
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Into the 1990s, Martin and Sam return for more unreleased Waits tracks, splitting the decade into two more manageable chunks. This first episode sees some repurposed music, a few live songs, as well as Waits delivering heart-felt advice alongside Thelonius Monster.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Serrano, flexi-disc insert for the book 'Sylvia Plachy's Unguided Tour', Tom Waits (1990)
Russian Dance, The Black Rider, Tom Waits (1993)
I Left My Heart In San Francisco, live recording, Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco CA, w. George Corey / Douglass Cross (31 December 1990)
I Left My Heart In San Francisco, I Left My Heart In San Francisco, Tony Bennett (1962)
Auld Lang Syne, live recording, Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco CA (31 December 1990/1 January 1991)
It’s Alright With Me, Red Hot + Blue, Tom Waits / w. Cole Porter - music video dir. Jim Jarmusch (1990)
It's Alright With Me, Can-Can Original Broadway Cast Recording, C.K Alexander / w. Cole Porter (1953)
It's Alright With Me, We Must Believe In Magic, Crystal Gale (1977)
Thousand Bing Bangs, Devout Catalyst, Ken Nordine / Tom Waits (1991)
A Thousand Bingbangs (solo version), Transparent Mask, Ken Nordine (2011)
First Kiss, Orphans: Brawlers Bawlers & Bastards, Tom Waits (2006)
The Movie, Devout Catalyst, Ken Nordine / Tom Waits (1991)
I'm Not Your Fool Anymore, Mississippi Lad, Teddy Edwards / Tom Waits (1991)
Adios Lounge, Beautiful Mess, Thelonius Monster / Tom Waits (1992)
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More discussions of Waits's unreleased recordings brings us to the 1980s, featuring several demos, a bunch of covers, and significant collaborations with other musicians, both big and small. Highlights this week include his contribution to a poetry documentary, a live Ewan MacColl cover, and his evening of collaborations with The Replacements.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Purple Avenue / Empty Pockets, live recording, Expo Theatre, Montreal Canada (3 July 1981)
Purple Avenue, Punishing Kiss, Ute Lemper (2000)
Once Upon A Town / Empty Pockets, One From The Heart OST, Tom Waits (1982)
Smuggler's Waltz / Bronx Lullaby, from Poetry In Motion, dir. Ron Mann (1982)
Poetry In Motion (expanded version), documentary, dir. Ron Mann (1982?)
Frank's Wild Demos, bootleg, Tom Waits (1986?/2006)
The Black Rider Demos, bootleg, Tom Waits (1990-1992/2011)
Yesterday is Here (demo), unreleased recording, Frank's Wild Demos (1986?)
Carnivalins, unreleased recording, Frank's Wild Demos (1986?)
Vegas Theme, unreleased recording, Frank's Wild Demos (1986?)
Downtown Train (alt take), NME's Big Four 7" EP, Tom Waits (1986)
Downtown Train, Rain Dogs, Tom Waits (1985)
Harlem Shuffle, Dirty Work, The Rolling Stones (1986)
Harlem Shuffle, alt. long version, unreleased, from Dirty Work sessions (1985)
I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Knew (About Her), live recording, Beverly Theatre, Los Angeles CA, Tom Waits with Elvis Costello and Lou Reed, w. Cecil Null (4 October 1986)
I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know, Memories, The Davis Sisters (1953)
I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Knew (About Her), Self Portrait, Bob Dylan (1970)
Papa's Got A Brand New Bag, live recording, Massey Hall, Toronto Canada, w. James brown (7 October 1987)
Papa's Got A Brand New Bag Part 1, single, James Brown and the Famous Flames (1965)
Mack The Knife, live recording, Freie Volksbuhne, Berlin Germany, w. Bertolt Brecht / Kurt Weill (8 December 1987)
Die Moritat von Mackie Messer (Mack The Knife), from the film Die 3 Groschenoper (The Threepenny Opera), sung by Bertolt Brecht, w. Brecht & Weill (1928/9)
Mack The Knife, That's All, Bobby Darin (1959)
Big Rock Candy Mountain, from the film Ironweed, dir. Hector Babenco (1987)
Once More Before I Go, from the film Candy Mountain, dir. Robert Frank and Rudy Wurlitzer (1988)
Date To Church, single b-side, The Replacements / Tom Waits (1989)
Date To Church - Matt Wallace Remix, Dead Man's Pop, The Replacements / Tom Waits (1989/2019)
Lowdown Monkey Blues, Dead Man's Pop, The Replacements / Tom Waits (1989/2019)
If Only You Were Lonely, Dead Man's Pop, The Replacements / Tom Waits (1989/2019)
If Only You Were Lonely, single b-side, The Replacements (1981)
I Can Help, studio outtake / Dead Man's Pop, The Replacements / Tom Waits, w. Billy Swan (1989/2019)
I Can Help, I Can Help, Billy Swan (1974)
3oclockreep, digital release, The Replacements (2008)
We Know The Night - Rehearsal Version, Dead Man's Pop, The Replacements / Tom Waits (1989/2019)
We Know The Night - Full Band Version, Dead Man's Pop, The Replacements / Tom Waits (1989/2019)
Take It As It Comes, live recording, Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles CA, w. The Doors (31 December 1988)
Take It As It Comes, The Doors, The Doors (1967)
Pennies From Heaven, live recording, Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles CA, w. Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke (31 December 1988)
Pennies From Heaven, single, Bing Crosby and the Georgie Stoll Orchestra (1936)
Dirty Old Town, live recording, Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles CA, w. Ewan MacColl (31 December 1988)
Dirty Old Town, Black And White, Ewan McColl / Peggy Seeger (1983)
Dirty Old Town, I Know My Love, The Dubliners (1968)
Dirty Old Town, Rum Sodomy and The Lash, The Pogues (1985)
Hound Dog, live recording, Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles CA, w. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (31 December 1988)
Hound Dog, single, Big Mama Thornton (1953)
Hound Dog, single, Elvis Presley (1956)
Roy Orbison and Friends - A Black & White Night, concert film, Cinemax (1988)
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Our second episode dealing with the non-album work of Tom Waits (and our second from the 1970s) brings a variety of covers, live performances, outtakes and re-uses from studio sessions... including the Hokey Pokey. Check the show notes for versions of everything we're discussing, and hopefully you'll find some new favourites.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Martin Goes And Does Where It’s At / Bombed Anyway, I'm Everyone I've Ever Loved, Martin Mull feat. Tom Waits (1977)
Tom Waits appearance on Fernwood Tonight with Martin Mull and Fred Willard (1977)
Just Another Dime Store Novel, unreleased recording - possibly from the Foreign Affairs sessions / Filmways Heider Recording, Tom Waits (1977)
Used Erotica, from the Big Time Concert Film, dir. Chris Blum (1988)
Annie’s Back In Town, Paradise Alley Soundtrack, Tom Waits (1978)
(Meet Me In) Paradise Alley, Paradise Alley Soundtrack, Tom Waits (1978)
With a Suitcase (Street Band Version), unreleased recording - from the Paradise Alley sessions, Tom Waits (1978)
With a Suitcase (Rhythm Section Version), unreleased recording - from the Paradise Alley sessions, Tom Waits (1978)
Tijuana, Jack Tempchin, Jack Tempchin, w. Tom Waits (1978)
Summertime, live recording, The Royal Horse, Osaka, Japan, w. George Gershwin (March 1978)
Summertime / Putnam County, live recording, Park Motor Inn, Madison, Wisconsin (31 October 1977)
Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo', live recording, Zilker Park, Austin TX (5 December 1978) OR Warner Theatre, Washington DC (21 November 1978)
Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo' / I Wish I Was In New Orleans, live recording, Austin City Limits, Texas (December 1978)
Waitin' For Waits, Hollywood Madness, Richie Cole / Eddie Jefferson feat. Tom Waits (1979)
Gee Baby Ain’t I Good To You, live recording, Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, w. Andy Razaf and Don Redman (8 October 1979) OR Beacon Theatre, New York w. Andy Razaf and Don Redman (5 November 1979)
Gee Baby Ain’t I Good To You, Ella and Louis Again, Ella Fitzgerald / Louis Armstrong (1957)
Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You, The Complete Capitol Recordings, Nat King Cole Trio (1993/1943)
Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You, Cameron Diaz / Susan Boyd, from The Mask, dir. Chuck Russell (1994)
Whose Sports Coat Is That, live recording, Uptown Theatre, Kansas City (8 October 1979) OR Beacon Theatre, New York (5 November 1979)
Trash day, live recording, Uptown Theatre, Kansas City (8 October 1979) OR Beacon Theatre, New York (5 November 1979)
Since I Fell For You, live recording, Capitol Theatre, Sydney Australia, w. Buddy Johnson (2 May 1979)
Since I Fell For You, Presenting Buddy Johnson, Buddy Johnson (1939)
Since I Fell For You, Nina Simone Sings The Blues, Nina Simone (1967)
Since I Fell For You, Bonnie Raitt, Bonnie Raitt (1971)
Do The Hokey Pokey / Pasties & A G-String, live recording, Capitol Theatre, Sydney Australia (2 May 1979)
I Feel Good, live recording, Paramount Theatre, Seattle WA, w. James Brown (7 October 1979)
I Got You (I Feel Good), I Got You (I Feel Good), James brown and the Famous Flames (1965/1966)
In Shades, Heartattack & Vine, Tom Waits (1980)
When The Saints Go Marching In, live recording (197?/198?)
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Having determined not to waste everyone's time with a comprehensive coverage of ALL of Waits's recordings... Sam and Martin return to the podcast to do exactly that. Sorry? In this first of several episodes, we consider some of the most prolific years of Waits's career, covering as many recordings as we can find between 1971 and 1977.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Cover Me Blog - 20 of Tom Waits' Rarest Live Covers
The Tom Waits Library
Getting Drunk On A Bottle / I Like To Sleep Late In The Morning, live recording, Snap Sessions - KPFK FM - Santa Monica OR Folk Arts Rare Records, w. Dave Blue (November, 1973)
I Like To Sleep Late In The Morning, Sing Songwriter Project, Dave Blue (1965)
Friday’s Blues, live recording, Snap Sessions - KPFK FM - Santa Monica OR Folk Arts Rare Records, w. Ray Bierl (November, 1973)
Good Night Loving Trail, Dime Store Novels vol 1 - Ebbets Field, w. Utah Phillips (1974)
Goodnight-Loving Trail, El Capitan, Utah Phillips (1975)
Spanish is the Loving Tongue, live recording, San Diego, w. Charles Badger Clark / Bill Simon (1974)
Original poem 'A Border Affair' by Charles Badger Clark (1907)
Spanish Is The Loving Tongue, Another Self Portrait 1969-1971, Bob Dylan (2013/1970)
Colorado Trail / Spanish Is The Loving Tongue / From Here On Up / Texas Girls / Swarthmore Girls / We Pity Our Bosses Five / The Scabs Crawl In, Rainbow Quest, Pete Seeger (1960)
Blue Skies, single from The Heart of Saturday Night Sessions, Tom Waits (1974)
Your Sweet and Shiny Eyes, Home Plate, Bonnie Raitt (1975)
Apartment For Rent, live recording, Mainpoint - Bryn Mawr (June 1975)
Tom Gets Hustled At 9 Ball, live recording, KWFM - Lee Furr's Studios - Tucson Arizona (1975)
Saturday Night Fish Fry, live recording, Santa Barbara, w. Louis Jordan / Ellis Walsh (February 1975)
Saturday Night Fish Fry, single, Louis Jardan and his Tympany Five (1949)
On A Foggy Night, Dime Store Novels vol 1 - Ebbets Field, Tom Waits (1974)
Standing On The Corner, live recording, Agora Ballroom - Cleveland/ Ohio, w. Frank Loesser (August 1976)
Standing On The Corner, single, The Four Lads (1956)
Standing On The Corner, single, Dean Martin (1956)
What Else Is New, unreleased recording - Small Change sessions, Tom Waits (July 1976)
Stray Dog Help Yourself, unreleased recording - Small Change sessions, Tom Waits (July 1976)
Cupid, live recording, Westchester, w. Sam Cooke (1976)
Cupid, single, Sam Cooke (1961)
Playin' Hooky, unreleased recording - Foreign Affairs sessions, Tom Waits (July/August 1977)
Scarecrow, unreleased recording - Foreign Affairs sessions, Tom Waits (July/August 1977)
Cinny's Waltz, Foreign Affairs, Tom Waits (1977)
A Nickle’s Worth of Dreams, unreleased recording - Foreign Affairs sessions, Tom Waits (July/August 1977)
Mr Henry, Bounced Checks/Asylum Years - Foreign Affairs sessions, Tom Waits (1977/1981)
Log into the Spotify web player to hear these tracks.
Having determined not to waste everyone's time with a comprehensive coverage of ALL of Waits's recordings... Sam and Martin return to the podcast to do exactly that. Sorry? In this first of several episodes, we consider some of the most prolific years of Waits's career, covering as many recordings as we can find between 1971 and 1976.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Cover Me Blog - 20 of Tom Waits' Rarest Live Covers
The Tom Waits Library
Getting Drunk On A Bottle / I Like To Sleep Late In The Morning, live recording, Snap Sessions - KPFK FM - Santa Monica OR Folk Arts Rare Records, w. Dave Blue (November, 1973)
I Like To Sleep Late In The Morning, Sing Songwriter Project, Dave Blue (1965)
Friday’s Blues, live recording, Snap Sessions - KPFK FM - Santa Monica OR Folk Arts Rare Records, w. Ray Bierl (November, 1973)
Good Night Loving Trail, Dime Store Novels vol 1 - Ebbets Field, w. Utah Phillips (1974)
Goodnight-Loving Trail, El Capitan, Utah Phillips (1975)
Spanish is the Loving Tongue, live recording, San Diego, w. Charles Badger Clark / Bill Simon (1974)
Original poem 'A Border Affair' by Charles Badger Clark (1907)
Spanish Is The Loving Tongue, Another Self Portrait 1969-1971, Bob Dylan (2013/1970)
Colorado Trail / Spanish Is The Loving Tongue / From Here On Up / Texas Girls / Swarthmore Girls / We Pity Our Bosses Five / The Scabs Crawl In, Rainbow Quest, Pete Seeger (1960)
Blue Skies, single from The Heart of Saturday Night Sessions, Tom Waits (1974)
Your Sweet and Shiny Eyes, Home Plate, Bonnie Raitt (1975)
Apartment For Rent, live recording, Mainpoint - Bryn Mawr (June 1975)
Tom Gets Hustled At 9 Ball, live recording, KWFM - Lee Furr's Studios - Tucson Arizona (1975)
Saturday Night Fish Fry, live recording, Santa Barbara, w. Louis Jordan / Ellis Walsh (February 1975)
Saturday Night Fish Fry, single, Louis Jardan and his Tympany Five (1949)
On A Foggy Night, Dime Store Novels vol 1 - Ebbets Field, Tom Waits (1974)
Standing On The Corner, live recording, Agora Ballroom - Cleveland/ Ohio, w. Frank Loesser (August 1976)
Standing On The Corner, single, The Four Lads (1956)
Standing On The Corner, single, Dean Martin (1956)
What Else Is New, unreleased recording - Small Change sessions, Tom Waits (July 1976)
Stray Dog Help Yourself, unreleased recording - Small Change sessions, Tom Waits (July 1976)
Cupid, live recording, Westchester, w. Sam Cooke (1976)
Cupid, single, Sam Cooke (1961)
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WE DID IT! Just over 8 years and several hundred episodes since Ol’ 55, we’ve songed all the songs there are to Song by Song. Along with a little look back at Bad As Me, Kirk, Sam and Martin also give this alphabetically-first-but-chronologically-last track full consideration, and quickly check in to see how The Eagles have been doing. Plus - BONUS! A final appearance of the Smooth Marble Egg theory of art!
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
After You Die, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
I Wish You Peace, One Of These Nights, The Eagles (1975)
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A quintessential and sincere song of advice and experience for Kirk, Martin and Sam this week, perhaps also bordering on the sentimental? We discuss the paired imagery in the lyrics, more rhythmic shifting, and examine the questions these songs are asking (along with the answers they suggest).
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Tell Me, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Why, Diva, Annie Lennox (1992)
Why, music video, dir. Sophie Muller (1992)
"Walking On Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox, Strong Songs podcast, Kirk Hamilton (2020)
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Diving into the three bonus tracks from the Bad As Me Deluxe edition, Sam and Martin welcome Kirk Hamilton of the Strong Songs podcast to explore isolated sax stabs, irregular rhythmic structures and sparse arrangements. We consider Waits's continued vocal experimentation, the oblique details of his lyric writing, and the politics and history of dancehall/pop crossovers from reggae star Shaggy.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
She Stole The Blush, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Way Down In The Hole, Franks Wild Years, Tom Waits (1987)
It Wasn't Me, Hot Shot, Shaggy feat. Rik Rok (2000)
'Deny, Deny, Deny' from A Guide For The Married Man, dir. Gene Kelly (1967)
'It Wasn't Me' from Eddie Murphy: Raw, dir. Robert Townshend ((1987)
It Wasn't Me, music video, dir. Stephen Scott (2000)
The Story of 'It Wasn't Me' by Shaggy, The Story Of, VICE Media via YouTube (2020)
"Kiss" by Prince, Strong Songs podcast, Kirk Hamilton (2020)
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At the end of the album-proper, Andrea, Martin and Sam consider the festive season as well as all its associated traumas. We return to Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Rickie Lee Jones as well as 1970s Tom Waits, debating possible autobiographical elements, poverty tourism, and which lullaby is best used to ring in the new year.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
New Year's Eve, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Just For Now, Speak For Yourself, Imogen Heap (2005)
A Sight For Sore Eyes, Foreign Affairs, Tom Waits (1977)
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With serious discussion of disturbing events from the start, Andrea illuminates for Sam and Martin some of the context for this song of military trauma. We consider musical presentation of problems and solutions to injustice, sonic and lyrical density, and Waits’s political engagement more broadly
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Hell Broke Luce, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
The Ground Truth trailer, dir. Patricia Foulkrod (2006)
Universal Soldier, It's My Way, Buffy Sainte-Marie (1964)
Song 33, single, Noname (2020)
Snow On Tha Bluff, single, J. Cole (2020)
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We’re heading towards conclusions, both in albums and in life, as Andrea Warner joins with Martin and Sam to examine another Tom and Keith team up. The hubris of Waits’s sentiments, the juxtaposition of humour and pain in music, and a consideration of vestigial tails all feature in this week’s discussion.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Last Leaf, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Pale Green Things, The Sunset Tree, The Mountain Goats (2005)
Pocket Narratives from the Mountain Goats, NPR Interview with Linda Wertheimer (2005)
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Another Keith Richards collaboration brings Waits to a full confrontation with the Rolling Stones, as Song by Song engages with this cryptic track from the second half of Bad As Me. Determination in music and sports, the sexual or metaphorical interpretations of bullets and guns, and the lunacy of Harry Smith all feature in our third conversation with Sara Gran.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Satisfied, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Out Of Our Heads, The Rolling Stones (1965)
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Live in Paris, John Lee Hooker / Carey Bell (1970)
Time Is On My Side, Wish Someone Would Care, Irma Thomas (1964)
When You're Gone, Some Girls (Deluxe Edition), The Rolling Stones (1978/2011)
The Ghost Of Tom Waits, via YouTube (????)
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Waits's yearning for a new (or at least newness in) love brings Sara, Martin and Sam to some inherent features of popular music as well as human nature in general. We have conversations about changing affection in art itself, dig into the truths and lies we tell about the shape of life, and begin an extended consideration of the presence of limerence in music.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Kiss Me, Bad As Me, Tom Waits (2011)
Escape (The Pina Colada Song), Partners In Crime, Rupert Holmes (1979)
Babooshka, Never for Ever, Kate Bush (1980)
Let's Do It (The Ballad Of Barry And Freda), clip from As Seen On TV, Victoria Wood (1986)
Victoria Wood: Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4 (2007) (Waits pick at 21m25s)
The Paris Match, Cafe Bleu, The Style Council / Tracey Thorn (1984)
Marcus Shelby spotlight, KQED Arts via YouTube (2014)
Blue Valentines, Blue Valentine, Tom Waits (1978)
And Then He Kissed Me, single / Philles Records Presents Today's Hits, The Crystals (1963)
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