Tom Waits – The Heart of Saturday Night

I think that I first came across Tom Waits due to stumbling upon Blue Valentine, digging the cover and then totally digging the beat/jazz stylings within. While I appreciate his later, more arty/noisy/whatever work, his 70’s songs are the ones that stick with me – cuz they are real songs. In a nostalgic vein, yes, but timeless in their own way.

This was his second album, coming after Closing Time and the growth between the two is pretty amazing – I would easily have thought that this (that I somehow missed until now) was a few records down the line. While “San Diego Serenade” isn’t that far removed from his previous singer/songwriter-styled tunes, the rest are far more old school jazz crooners, fueled by swinging upright bass by Jim Hughart and tenor saxophone by Pete Christlieb. You can practically see the beatniks snapping their fingers!

I know that some people prefer his later work, but I love this stuff and am happy to find another album’s worth to dig upon! I highly recommend all of his 70’s work!