Zack: For those of you who don’t know, here’s a
beginner’s guide to Tom Waits: his voice sounds like he does vocal warm-ups by
gargling gravel, he’s the only man in the world that can wear a fedora without looking like a jackass,
and he sang the second best version of the intro for The Wire. Oh, and for the
sake of everyone living in the Northeast, we are never listening to another Tom
Waits album after this one. Not because it is bad and everyone in the Northeast
lives vicariously through us (while the latter may be true, Nighthawks is
awesome, as I will get to), but because both times we were due to listen to a
Waits album, inclement weather has happened. For those of you who haven’t
dedicated our entire blog to memory, we listened to Rain Dogs during Hurricane
Sandy (the appropriateness of which I’m only now seeing), and I got to this
album the day after a blizzard put life from New York up into a standstill. I’m
disappointed that we have to have this policy done, even if it is for the
greater good, because I really did enjoy this album. Whereas Rain Dogs was an
eclectic mix of several different genres into something that our
hyphen-obsessed music journalists would undoubtedly dub Tom-Waits, Nighthawks
is a more pure jazz album. It’s recorded in a small jazz club, which really
helps give the appropriate feel of what I assume seeing Tom Waits live would
look life (i.e. obscured through a thick cloud of tobacco smoke). He spends a
decent amount of time introducing each song by rambling and cracking
inappropriate jokes while the band keeps a steady pace behind him. Normally, a
lot of banter is annoying on a live album, but here it’s the second best part
of the album. The absolute best part is all the music, which is fantastic.
While I love songs like Clap Hands on Rain Dogs, I’ll admit there are a few
songs on there where Waits goes more experimental and I’m not as big a fan
(Cemetery Polka being the biggest one). None of those are here. Nighthawks is
just really solid all the way through, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Favorite Tracks: Putnam County; Eggs And Sausage (In A
Cadillac With Susan Michelson); Nobody
Emily: I didn't get the chance to listen to this album straight through, as I normally like to. I started at school, stopped when it was time to leave the library, started up again when I got home, took a break when my roommate made dinner, and then came back to it while reading a patent application for class tomorrow. Needless to say, this is not how Nighthawks at the Diner should be experienced. As a live album, each track flows seamlessly into the next like a live performance. When you're starting and stopping and taking breaks in between, it's hard to really get the rhythm going. However, one of the great things about Nighthawks is that no matter where you are or how you're listening, Tom Waits transports you to an underground, smoke-filled jazz club. Every quip to the audience, every saxophone solo, every character built out of words and notes - each piece works together to take you back to that night in 1975 when Waits and his band performed this wonderfully creative jazz set.
Favorite Tracks: Spare Parts I (A Nocturnal Emission); Nobody; Better Off Without a Wife
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