Gruff, raw Americana. Waits at his most theatrical, and also his growliest—like he’s been chewing on beer cans, drinking tar, brushing his teeth with sand paper, and gargling with gravel. If you haven’t heard dear Tom before, don’t start here (try Blood Money or Rain Dogs), but if you have, you’re in for a treat. Mix of Wild West Americana rock, bittersweet ballads, lion mating noises, dabblings in country and blues, storytelling, pseudo-operatic riffs, and an overall beautifully emphysemic aura. FCC on track 16. Disc 2 is a long story track with a few FCCs.

Recommended tracks: 2, 4, 7, 10, 13



Disc 1

1. Romping, rollicking track with growl-tastic segments around 2 min. and 4:30. A lot of crowd noise on this track, which was a bit annoying. [5:37]
2. Very theatrical, almost Pirate-like rendition of Singapore. Less gruff than album verion. And those beloved marimbas! Dissonant and funky deceleration starting at 3:15, then back to Tom’s voice and an apparent rocket ship takeoff at the end! Dag! Lots of crowd noise/cheering in last 5 seconds. [5:00]
3. The return of Waits’ classic slappy percussion, honky harmonica, and general tumbleweed aesthetic. Vox hyper-gruff, like aural steel wool. Wicked harmonica solo during minute 4. Recommended for grating the ears of your listeners. [6:26]
4. One of Waits’ sweet ballads, though his voice is much rougher than the studio version (from Orphans: Bawlers). Still, quite a lovely tune. [4:16]
5. Jazzy, melancholy tune. Waits sounds like a satirical lion opera singer. [5:18]
6. Sort of simple, Country Rock-esque song… Pretty lame sax solo in the middle—definitely not John Lurie! [2:54]
7. Circus-like story track. Fantastic. [5:04]
8. Rockin’ song, originally from Bone Machine. Pure Waitsian growl sauce with a bluesy rhythm and a Western vibe. [3:48]
9. Mediocre tune with some piano and an insipid guitar solo. Waits’ voice sounds like crap, not artsy or even comically rough. Bleh. [4:21]
10. This song is like tiptoeing over broken glass while wearing tap shoes. Grinding, but also melodic and haunting. Strings and clarinet contrast nicely with Waits’ voice. [5:06]
11. Growly, moody pirate rock song. [5:06]
12. Funky, noisy tune. A bit chaotic. [3:09]
13. Quirky, over the top love song. Great mix of Waits’ gruff and operatic vocal styles. [4:25]
14. Jazzy, mid-tempo rumination. Complete with a whistling part around 2:00! [3:20]
15. Rockin’ and roarin’ track with thumping bass. A lot of crowd noise, including clapping bit at the end. [3:58]
16. *FCC (“fuck” at 0:35)* Waits tells a hilarious story about buying the last dying breath of Henry Ford on eBay. [2:02]
17. Sweet, gruff ballad. Kind of sentimental (both in instrumentation and lyrics). [3:47]



Disc 2

1. A few FCCs… Waits talking about everything from vultures to how stingy shrimp are (“they’re shellfish”) to the size of barnacle penises. Jokes, random facts, and loads of wit. [35:53]