Album Review
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“Nighthawks At The Diner”-Tom Waits

“I wanna pull on your coat about somethin’!” That’s one of the first lines said on the album. And what it sets up is something unlike anything you’ve ever heard more than likely. Tom Waits is a songwriter extroardinaire, but “Nighthawks At The Diner” also shows him to be a master MC (not in the hip hop sense), an adept comedian, and one of the great storytellers of the 20th century.
The mood is everything on this record. Waits set up a fictional nighclub known as the “Silver Cloud Lounge” to record this album. And he doesn’t just play the songs, he chats with the audience, endears himself to them, tells them stories, makes them laugh…in short he ENTERTAINS! Each song has in intro to it in which Waits tells these little vignettes and jokes, and some of the best material on this album is in these parts.
But make no mistake, Waits is a songwriter first and foremost. “Eggs and Sausage in a Cadillac” tells about some of the various eating establishments he’s eaten in and some of the people you see in a late night diner, while “Better Off Without A Wife” is about the having the freedom than married men dream of but the underlying sadness that comes with that.
This is a perfect album for a late night at home, or a late night drive, or an after hours party. It’s a great album to put on when you’re alone and don’t want to be, when you want to be with other people who may be lonely, but you don’t want to go to a bar and deal with them. Sounds escapist, but remember, it’s all about the vibe. There are few records that do vibe and atmosphere this well. Download “Eggs and Sausage” or “Nobody” to get a feel for it!