Tom Waits has been releasing music for almost 40 years, but the veteran songwriter still knows how to surprise us, recently releasing his own 78 RPM record (plus a player) and allegedly being considered for a role in The Hobbit at one point. Now, the gravel-voiced singer will celebrate his unpredictable career by reissuing his first four albums.
The records will be in stores just in time for Christmas, on December 21, via Rhino. Ahead of that, Waits's official webstore is selling exclusive versions of the records on 180-gram red vinyl. The coloured vinyl will be limited to 1,000 copies per album.
The albums being reissued are 1973's Closing Time, 1974's The Heart of Saturday Night, 1975's Nighthawks at the Diner and 1976's Small Change. One of the records, Nighthawks at the Diner, is a double LP. There aren't any bonus tracks, but in case you need a reminder about what's on each album, you can see the tracklists below.
You can pre-order the albums here. Any purchases made before December 18 are expected to arrive by Christmas Eve.
Closing Time:
1. "Ol' '55"
2. "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You"
3. "Virginia Avenue"
4. "Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)"
5. "Midnight Lullaby"
6. "Martha"
7. "Rosie"
8. "Lonely"
9. "Ice Cream Man"
10. "Little Trip to Heaven (on the Wings of Your Love)"
11. "Grapefruit Moon"
12. "Closing Time"
The Heart of Saturday Night:
1. "New Coat of Paint"
2. "San Diego Serenade"
3. "Semi Suite"
4. "Shiver Me Timbers"
5. "Diamonds on My Windshield"
6. "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night"
7. "Fumblin' with the Blues"
8. "Please Call Me, Baby"
9. "Depot, Depot"
10. "Drunk on the Moon"
11. "The Ghosts of Saturday Night"
Nighthawks at the Diner:
LP 1:
1. "(Opening Intro)"
2. "Emotional Weather Report"
3. "(Intro) to On a Foggy Night"
4. "On a Foggy Night"
5. "(Intro) to Eggs and Sausage"
6. "Eggs and Sausage"
7. "(Intro) to Better Off Without a Wife"
8. "Better Off Without a Wife"
9. "Nighthawk Postcards (from Easy Street)"
10. "(Intro) to Warm Beer and Cold Women"
11. "Warm Beer and Cold Women"
LP 2:
1. "(Intro) to Putnam County"
2. "Putnam County"
3. "Spare Parts I (A Nocturnal Emission)"
4. "Nobody"
5. "(Intro) to Big Joe and Phantom 309"
6. "Big Joe and Phantom 309"
7. "Spare Parts II and Closing"
Small Change:
1. "Tom Traubert's Blues"
2. "Step Right Up"
3. "Jitterbug Boy"
4. "I Wish I Was in New Orleans"
5. "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)"
6. "Invitation to the Blues"
7. "Pasties and a G-String"
8. "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart"
9. "The One That Got Away"
10. "Small Change"
11. "I Can't Wait to Get off Work"
The records will be in stores just in time for Christmas, on December 21, via Rhino. Ahead of that, Waits's official webstore is selling exclusive versions of the records on 180-gram red vinyl. The coloured vinyl will be limited to 1,000 copies per album.
The albums being reissued are 1973's Closing Time, 1974's The Heart of Saturday Night, 1975's Nighthawks at the Diner and 1976's Small Change. One of the records, Nighthawks at the Diner, is a double LP. There aren't any bonus tracks, but in case you need a reminder about what's on each album, you can see the tracklists below.
You can pre-order the albums here. Any purchases made before December 18 are expected to arrive by Christmas Eve.
Closing Time:
1. "Ol' '55"
2. "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You"
3. "Virginia Avenue"
4. "Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)"
5. "Midnight Lullaby"
6. "Martha"
7. "Rosie"
8. "Lonely"
9. "Ice Cream Man"
10. "Little Trip to Heaven (on the Wings of Your Love)"
11. "Grapefruit Moon"
12. "Closing Time"
The Heart of Saturday Night:
1. "New Coat of Paint"
2. "San Diego Serenade"
3. "Semi Suite"
4. "Shiver Me Timbers"
5. "Diamonds on My Windshield"
6. "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night"
7. "Fumblin' with the Blues"
8. "Please Call Me, Baby"
9. "Depot, Depot"
10. "Drunk on the Moon"
11. "The Ghosts of Saturday Night"
Nighthawks at the Diner:
LP 1:
1. "(Opening Intro)"
2. "Emotional Weather Report"
3. "(Intro) to On a Foggy Night"
4. "On a Foggy Night"
5. "(Intro) to Eggs and Sausage"
6. "Eggs and Sausage"
7. "(Intro) to Better Off Without a Wife"
8. "Better Off Without a Wife"
9. "Nighthawk Postcards (from Easy Street)"
10. "(Intro) to Warm Beer and Cold Women"
11. "Warm Beer and Cold Women"
LP 2:
1. "(Intro) to Putnam County"
2. "Putnam County"
3. "Spare Parts I (A Nocturnal Emission)"
4. "Nobody"
5. "(Intro) to Big Joe and Phantom 309"
6. "Big Joe and Phantom 309"
7. "Spare Parts II and Closing"
Small Change:
1. "Tom Traubert's Blues"
2. "Step Right Up"
3. "Jitterbug Boy"
4. "I Wish I Was in New Orleans"
5. "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)"
6. "Invitation to the Blues"
7. "Pasties and a G-String"
8. "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart"
9. "The One That Got Away"
10. "Small Change"
11. "I Can't Wait to Get off Work"
