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Greg's Collection

Tom Waits   12/05/1978

Austin City Limits, Austin, TX
Media NTSC DVD   1 disc
Notes Singer-songwriter Tom Waits was born in 1949 in Pomona, California, but moved throughout the State as a child with his troubled family. Waits was interested in music from an early age - he was a big Bob Dylan fan - but never seriously considered it a career choice; instead, he dropped out of high school to work odd jobs in restaurants and nightclubs. After relocating to Los Angeles, Waits began performing publicly, soon attracting the attention of industry insider Herb Cohen, Frank Zappa's manager. With Cohen's help Waits signed to Asylum Records and released his debut “Closing Time in 1973. Like the rest of his future output, “Closing Time didn't garner radio play or spawn singles; rather, Waits' dark, poetic lyrics about nighthawks, barflies and outsiders earned him a cult following via strong critical praise and word-of-mouth. As his following grew, his voice grew raspier, his lyrics more spoken, his music increasingly ornate. During the 70’s he released a string of theatrical, jazz-oriented albums for Asylum. This show is from a rebroadcast of Tom Waits' appearance on the "Austin City Limits" television program that was originally recorded on December 5th 1978 in Austin, Texas. It is a lovely snapshot of the early, theatrical Waits, before the 80’s saw him move to Island Records and reinvent his sound, moving away from jazz poetry towards harder rhythms and bleak soundscapes. Pro-shot with menus and chapters, this show features a great setlist and some very interesting and long!) interpretations of classic Wait’s material. The performance is nothing short of amazing! There is also filler on the disc which includes a Son Volt appearance on ACL and a hilarious clip of Hunter S. Thompson on The Conan O’Brian Show. IMHO you can never go wrong with early Tom, and this just helps prove my theory! Awesome stuff! Thanks so much Jason!
Trades Allowed Yes   Traded from: Jason Poe
Ratings Show: A    Sound: A
Owned by Greg · Last Updated May 23, 2023