Nighthawks At The Diner

“Live” album of Tom Waits doing his thing. Weird lyrics. Jokes. Sparse instrumentation beyond the piano. Definitely not up to the standards that he will hit later in his career but a lot of fun here. Wish it was tighter as a single album though.

What quite sure what to expect from Tom waits album. I think I recognize him more from from appearances and a few random songs. Entertaining story teller. Could easily picture being in crowded room listening to him, much like the cover of the album.

Good Jazz album

love the piano, need to read the lyrics

A very interesting album that I'm having a hard time rating. I thought the performance was fun and engaging especially once the album gets going towards the end of side 1, but a lot of the meandering felt out of place for a music record. This feels like an album that would have been best to experience in person. Lot to love here, but suffers from inconsistency and parts that don't translate well without a visual component. Top tracks: Eggs And Sausage, Better Off Without A Wife, Nobody

This is the first Tom Waits album (out of 5 so far) that I'm giving over a 3. And just barely. I thought it was conceptually quite interesting, but I still don't find his songwriting musically compelling or his voice tolerable. 3.1/5

Spoken word accompanied by a jazz quartet. I enjoyed the story telling, but probably won’t listen again in a long time. 3/5

3.4/5 feels like i’m there at his show the banter and transitions make it come to life

3.5

Waits is super funny, he has a ton of personality and carries the record very well. The instrumentation is great too, I particularly liked the piano. I felt the fake jazz club vibe worked really well, it didn't feel forced to me, it's a great vehicle for Waits' spoken word parts. I found the album to be a bit overlong and at some points a bit boring though, around the halfway point (around "Better Off Without A Wife"). The best were "Warm Beer and Cold Women", "Emotional Weather Report" and "On A Foggy Night".

One part jazz, one part standup, and twelve parts a man just talking at a crowd for the hell of it. And for why was this enjoyable? I’m not sure. I desperately need someone to explain this album to me. It did run on quite long though, but I really enjoyed how he designed this album to sound live. Made it feel like you were really there in that diner on a late night just having a good time listening to this charismatic guy with a gravelly voice croon over a microphone. It really did run on long though.

Atmospheric and moody, this record is unique and breaks the mold but is difficult to appreciate as a standout album. It is far more impressive as a recording than a collection of music, but still impressive as that

Correcto

Tom Waits er jo bra nok, liker musikken, men ikke det albumet eller de låtene som har truffet meg mest. 2-3

not bad, love the vibe

not my favorite of his. 3

A bit too long and the live thing might be a bit of a gimmick but personally Tom really makes it work with his personality and humor, just truly a fun record with a noir film type of vibe. Not as weird as his later albums or as sweet as his debut but it works well anyway

Not a bad way to spend an hour.

Nice album for a long drive. Would have been a 4 if we'd been driving at night.

A little too raspy on the vocals for me but I liked it enough to add it to my library.

I bet this guy smokes. I normally wouldn't go for an album like this, but this wasn't bad. Interesting stories and a bit of comedy. Many of the references I wouldn't get, because I didn't live in NYC in the mid 70's. I did get the Bowery Ballroom reference, because I saw Mineral play there. I'm still not a huge Tom Waits fan, but I give this a 3. It was a fun listen.

Tom Waits is a difficult one for me. More of a spoken word poetry album than a "Music" album but good none the less.

Good but a bit too long. I'm excited for the more iconic Tom Waits albums on the list

Almost got 4

Konseptet er gøy, og jeg får faktisk følelsen av å sitte på en sliten, røykfylt jazzklubb. Men som på en ekte jazzklubb kjeder jeg meg midtveis og lengter etter å gå ut med røykerne for å få et avbrekk og sosialisere. Føler jeg burde like Tom Waits bedre, men det blir liksom aldri meg og han. Særlig på "Nighthawk Postcards" og "Warm Beer and Cold Women" høres han ut som Daffy Duck

Een soort fake-live album met toch wel een aardig sfeertje. Ome Tom had blijkbaar door dat 'ie eigenlijk geen geweldige zanger is, dus is hij op dit album overgestapt naar vertellen. Een prima keuze wat mij betreft. Het scheelt bij mij toch wat ergernis. Verder heb ik weinig met dit album. Het is enigszins fijne achtergrondjazz, maar de kans dat ik dit nog een keer aan ga zetten lijkt me nihil. Het is vooral geinig vanwege het hoge CKV gehalte. Ik sleep er een 3tje uit, want het is wel weer een aparte ervaring en dat is altijd beter dan een nietszeggende ervaring. Plus het is verre van het vervelendste Tom Waits album op deze lijst.

This is a concept album in essence, and it works. Once you get Tom Waits you understand his schtick. Nighthawks isn't my favorite Tom Waits album but it is my favorite painting. 3.5/5

I've known about Tom Waits for years but hadn't gotten around to listening to him. I can see why people like him, I just dont love the spoken word set to jazz in a raspy voice thing.

Music is great, I just can't handle his voice. I'd love an album of cover versions of the set.

yeah man I'm not a talking type guy but this is talking the talk and shit, man.

2.6

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Eggs and Sausage, Warm Beer And Cold Women I don't know. The first time around it was a novel enough experience to enjoy it. There's crowd work, comedy, improvisational jazz, wildly creative lyrics and vocabulary. But honestly, by the end of the second listen, I was done. 2 hours and 26 minutes of Tom not shutting the fuck up was a bit too much. It was too light on the jazz, improvisational or otherwise. Perhaps that's harsh; No one made me listen to it twice. I liked this, but the novelty wore off quick.

While I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as Rain Dogs Tom Waits really shows off his personality and humor here while creating really great imagery through his lyrics. Music for rainy nights watching movies that don’t exist. I was so ready to compare this to that famous painting of the diner at night until I googled that painting and realized what was going on and how stupid I am. I am art illiterate. Favorite songs were Eggs and Sausage, Better Off Without A Wife, and Putnam County.

Tom Waits is ond of my favourite artists. Tom Waits early jazz stuff is my least favourite Tom Waits, well behind ssd folky balladeer Waits and junkyard Waits. Over an hour of him being sort of weird and jazzy is still better than most jazz but beyond Eggs and Sausage only a couple of tracks I could say I really enjoy. Perhaps my least favourite of his first 3 albums. Not sure what the audience is laughing about half the time!

Listened to this on a long drive. Really fun live album. Might get into more Tom Waits now, he had so much fun doing this.

Not really my vibe

More a drunken comedy act than a piece of music. The instrumentals are servicable but what makes or rather breaks this is Waits' drunken recollections. The laughing track was set way too sensitive, maybe the audience in the studio was seeing something a listener can't. We'll never know. Interesting idea but as a piece of music it scores low.

I love Tom, this album is nowhere near his best though...

Bon album de jazz chill, un peu répétitif

Blues / jazz. Ambiance de bar, tard le soir !

Les instruments sont sympa mais je n'ai pas trop aimé la voix. Jazz qui s'écoute bien. 3/5

Pretty cool

Un álbum de estudio que pretende ser un club de jazz de esos lleno de humo, público medio o del todo ebrio, y mucha clase, en el que Tom Waits a medias canta y a medias narra una serie de historias costumbristas sobre bares por la noche, restaurantes de carretera, personajes urbanos, corazones rotos, conductores fantasma, y otras cosas de la vida. Las protagonistas son las letras, inteligentes y mordaces, aunque no haya comprendido muchas de las referencias, cantadas con esa voz de fumador carretero típica de Waits. A veces parece más un humorista de stand-up con una banda de fondo que un álbum al uso. Pero es que Tom Waits no es un artista al uso, y no se le pueden negar su agudeza y estilo tan únicos a la hora de contar historias. Y, envolviéndolas perfectamente, una banda de jazz muy buena que dota al álbum de una atmósfera íntima y acogedora. La verdad es que comprendo lo polarizante que puede ser Waits. El álbum es muy largo y su voz supongo que es un gusto adquirido. Además, las letras y esa imitación de club de jazz en vivo pueden resultar pretenciosos. Pero con todo, me ha molado y, aunque tampoco sea de mis artistas favoritos, me alegro mucho de que esta lista me lo haya dado a conocer.

A bit of the knowingly charming-but-twisted showman starts to creep into Tom's work here, perhaps the most playful of his early work and my favourite from before all the really good stuff.

Good port, horrible singer.

05/08/2025 I honestly can't work this guy out. Is he good? Is he naff? It just baffles me.

Didnt enjoy the live audience part much. But the music was solid. Standouts songs: Nighthawk Postcards Spare Parts I

2/3

A bit a weird album to be on this list. Love Tom Waits, but this was too much at times.

Found it quite interesting and entertaining. Lasts a bit long and not sure when I'll put it back on though.

Lounge singer vibe; classic gravelly voice

One of the funniest albums I've listened to for sure. Appreciated the food listing in eggs and sausage.

This was actually quite entertaining. I'm not a Tom Waits fan, but I can listen to a track now and then. This jazz club live recording felt real, even as it was staged in a studio. Jazz isn't my thing, but I can tolerate it if it's well performed, like it's the case here. Tom's skits might have been ok in the '70s, but now they are massively outdated.

His 3rd record and his final form as a mostly-traditional jazz troubadour. Small Change comes next and the music and the persona begin expanding. If you’re in the mood for this vibe, it will provide. I return more often to either Rain Dogs or Mule Variations, but he had to be this incarnation to become the Wacky Jack of all musical trades he eventually blooms into.

Good artists teach you, through their work, how to experience their work. Tom Waits does exactly that. This was so unique and interesting: cafe society jazz with a layer of grizzled beat poetry on top. It was the wrong decision to listen to this on the airplane, so I paused. Leaving it for this morning’s coffee and stroll through the San Francisco fog? That was the right decision. Tom Waits, you’re a good teacher.

Felt like I was in the jazz club watching it live 🎶

Immersive and good vibes but went on too long. Would definitely hit more in person

This is different from the Tom Waits I'm familiar with, but it makes sense. He's always been primarily jazz and blues, and secondarily weird, so a jazz/beat poetry album fits. It works, I guess, but there's nothing specifically to recommend musically here. There wasn't a single track that I perked up at.

Not my style. Obviously talented and unique, but one listen is enough

I like it

Spoken word over jazz.

Pretentious sounding mf. Not too bad, but the in studio, but also live setting is a bit weird. Bass player is insane of course. Loved the bass sounds throughout. Altogether it's not better than a 3 tho

I feel like I just listened to "Alice's Restaurant" six times in a row.

I loathe Tom Waits, but this is seemingly the only setting and gentle in which he feels natural and not like a pox on the entire concept of musical expression. The studio audience really added to the whole conceit. I very nearly liked it.

It's a really cool concept, sounds nice as well. But I don't see myself revisiting this all that often

I was waiting for Tom Waits! This one didn’t really do much for me, apart from that voice, it sounds more like A Nightclub, which isn’t my scene. Holding out for Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs, Blue Valentine, and Frank’s Wild Years.

Not my jam. But a fun concept nonetheless. Tom Waits + jazz band ain't too bad

Not terrible. But too long. Just a drunk at a bar telling stories over some light jazz. Would definitely be entertaining live, with a drink in a dark bar atmosphere. Going to be generous with a 3. But it’s just over the 3 line for me.

Originally ruined my day seeing another tom waits album. This was surprisingly tolerable

I see the significance of this album regarding influence on other musicians (also a lot of Rolf/Dr.T from the Muppets) but it’s just not my thing, the spoken lounge/jazz music - although the lyrics are impressive.

LOVE the opening intro...until he 'sing talks' So honestly I didn't expect to like it this much - but it's 100% because of the jazzy tones behind him. Most Tom albums will sit at alike a 2-2.5 for me. But this might be a 3.5. Once again wish we could give it halves...but here we are! Keys are absolutely awesome. Also fun that the sax player is the same sax soloist from Steeley Dan's 'Deacon Blues'. An underappreciated legend who worked with: Chet Baker, Quincy Jones, Count Basie, Vince Guaraldi, and of course Mr. Waits. Music's a funny thing, man. You have gifted lyricists with incredible voices, you have incredible voices with shotty lyrics, and then you have Tom Waitts. Who during the recording, allegedly turned around to face the band and read the classified section of the paper while they played. 'It was like Allen Ginsberg with a really, really good band'

my high school's mascot is the nighthawks

Waits’ other album was at least strange in an interesting way. This one was a little disappointing; a lot more spoken word poetry which I don’t really like. Still an alright album

Aight

Enjoyable enough, I liked the second to last song

Also has letst wuche glosst und sisch scho sehr speziel. Aber au fun. Findi cha mer mache. 3 motivierti biz verrücktig eichhörnlis

I liked this album. And I don't usually like live albums, but this one feels more like a comedy album set to music, and I like that about it. I like pretty much all of the songs, and though his voice is unconventional, it's only really off-putting on a few tracks. Overall very enjoyable. 3.75

Tough one to rate. I thought I was starting to get a taste for Tom Waits after Heart Attack and Vine. I didn't enjoy this one so much. The actual songs are pretty good here when he decides to perform something that sounds like music. Some great lyrics and storytelling as you'd expect, but about half the album is just talking and intros. That puts a cap on my score

Koncept jest niesamowity. Muzyka na żywo, instrumenty, śmiech, mówione wstawki. Jak w jazzowym lokalu, pełnym dymu i niedomytych szyb. Czułam się jakbym siedziała na wysokim stołku i sączyła łychę z kwadratowej szklanki. No ale… sama muzyka niezbyt domaga. Jest zbyt monotonna. Lubię waitsowy bełkot, ale tu każdy kawałek był taki sam. Nużyło mnie to. 6/10

Wel leuk, maar iets te verhalerig

Didn’t really get into it.

Good album

This is my first time listening to Tom Waits and I really like it! This made me laugh a ton, his voice fits the music, and the intros and interludes and stuff are engaging (even if a few of them didn't have to be separate tracks). I do think the album fell off a bit after Nighthawk Postcards (from like a 9 to an 8) but besides that I really really enjoyed this. I hope Rain Dogs is like 10x better because I think that's his magnus opus, right?

далековато от меня. на концерт бы сходил

This album really gives the vibe of a live jazz performance, and I've never heard an album of his, it was great, and the segments, the commentary really bring everything together. A notable record.

Слишком высокие требования к знанию английского языка, спокенворд сплошной.

3/5

Love me some tom

-this was a very interesting idea! Fake live album set in jazz club… I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like this in the list so far. Tom Waits has some cool ideas -it was a pleasant and convincing thing to have sort of on in the background, with some great individual songs, but definitely went on a bit long. oh well I guess that was part of the bit -Favorites are Eggs and Sausage and Better Off Without A Wife

Jazzig und ganz sweet

I like his weirder records. This is too normal. Kind of boring.

I don't like Tom Waits, so this album was quite a surprise. I did like this album, but I likely won't ever listen to it again. The atmosphere created for this album makes me want to have attended the "show." The crowd sounds fun, and the seemingly improvised nature of Waits' performance sounds like a good time. The band is great too. I don't much care for when Waits actually attempts to sing, as he does in Warm Beer and Cold Women

3.5? Kind of interesting for something different. Gravelly stranger voice but an interesting album.

An odd record for me. Blues / jazz spoken word, which intros to each ‘song’ that are barely distinguishable from the actual song itself. Not bad, but I would definitely need to be in a certain mood, and I’m not sure what that mood actually would be, to want to listen again.

I knew absolutely nothing about Tom Waits before listening to this album. I love his raspy voice and delivery. I love that this is comedy/live and the laughter from the audience makes it even better. I did think I would get bored with it, but I didn’t!

I’m not really sure how I want to feel about this one. Waits certainly succeeds in capture the Jazz club “vibe”. I feel like he’s sitting right in front of me, puffing smoke right in my face. This is difficult to rate. Because it doesn’t really feel like Waits is the performer I came to see this night at the diner. It feels more like I came to the club and he sat across from me and drunkenly tries to have a conversation with me while I try to listen to the jazz band performing on the stage. I don’t know. Maybe if I spent some more time with it, it could grow on me. And maybe I could get into some other of Waits projects because my favorite moments are when he’s actually singing. I find his voice to actually work really well against the backing band. And can I say, the band playing is pretty fantastic. The bassist constantly steals the show for me - I’m a real sucker for upright jazz bass. I don’t know. Difficult one to give a rating since it’s just sooo different from other studio albums.

I like a few Tom Waits songs but i find this kind of music insufferably pretentious.

Live levy mikä ei oikeasti ole live. Äijällä härö nauru ja ääni. Joku huutistelee yleisössä. Spoken-wordia ja jazzia, kai jollain tavalla yrittää olla komiikkaa. En pysty keskittymään sanoihin. Eka se ärsytti, mutta ei tämä sit niin paha ollut. Kuitenkin lyriikoiden ymmärtäminen olisi isossa roolissa. Parhaat: Big Joe And Phantom 309 (Kappale kertoo rekkakuskista xd), Nighthawk Postcards

A smoky dive bar album. Loose, rambling, and a little too in love with its own coolness. Feels like Leonard Cohen and Dr. John met at a diner and spent the whole night chain-smoking and bullshitting. The stories are good, but the performance winks too much. You either sip along with it or walk out before last call. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Emotional Weather Report - Better Off Without A Wife

My favorite Tom Waits work I've heard thus far. Thanks for sending it over.

Cool concept, but still pretty boring and overly long.

2.8

Rating: 6/10 Pretty entertaining, Tom Waits is pretty funny but it sounds like one very long song.

Better than the other one I listened to

loses a bit of the fun spontaneous sounding energy and jazziness towards the back end but brings it back solidly with the last track,l. I understand the change in vibe/ tempo from a composition point of view but the less jazzy slower songs are generally weaker than the rest. I really enjoyed the live jazz bar feeling, feels like a jam with great musicians at points. Production and sound design is super on point and really helps setting the stage/ ambience. Vocals take a second to get used to if you haven’t heard any Tom Waits before but it’s very soulful and I personally quite enjoy it. Instrumental performances are tight but don’t feel overly rehearsed and feel like they can breathe. A little bit too long though, could really benefit from dropping a couple of the weaker tracks. 3.5/5

Het is een soort café optreden. Wat interactie met de gasten, vrijwel alleen piano, etc

Cabaret Jazz Comedy - not a popular genre. Entertaining for sure.

++: (Opening Intro), Emotional Weather Report, (Intro), On a Foggy Night, (Intro), Better Off Without a Wife, Nighthawk Postcards (From Easy Street), (Intro), Warm Beer and Cold Women, Putnam County, Spare Parts I (A Nocturnal Emission), Nobody, Spare Parts II and Closing +: Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson), (Intro), Big Joe and Phantom 309 +-:(Intro) -: (Intro) 7,7/10

It might be the Beat poetry aspect of his style, but it kinda sounded like an old drunk guy sitting around telling stories with some musical interludes. Not as terrible as that description makes it sound though.

WHEEEE!!!!! idk if i will ever be a full on tom waits convert i think i just can't like... get INTO into it in the way i want... but i really enjoyed listening to this as almost like a stand-up set. fun!

It was weird but good

Tom's sound is raw and rough and rugged and yet also refined, and in some ways warm and comfortable. I really enjoyed listening to this and appreciated how well the production captured his dynamic qualities. It all sums up into a nice album. It's a good thing I'm not hungry because Tom really does take you to the diner here. His crooning on "Eggs and Sausage" feels like I'm back to my late teenage years and trying to sober up at a New Jersey 24 hour establishment and my eyes are scouring an oppressively long menu and not ever finding something I want to eat until I land on one magical item that is actually exactly what I want.

This is a very well realized concept album. There are many shades of Tom Waits. This version, entertaining though it may be, is not my favorite. I'm all about the ballads. This still has some charm, and his Seth Rogan-like laugh in the intros to songs gets him bumped up to a 3 star.

It's very jazzy, oddly comforting somehow. But it's not my favorite Waits album, and I think this one kinda dragged on for too long, being a double album. 3/5

What an enigma… not my favorite, but definitely interesting!

Enjoyed the jazzy bluesy vibes. Could have done with some of the filler tracks being edited out.

So fucking cool

What an interesting atmosphere creating album. This puts you in a certain place and time like not many albums can. Dim bar type of vibe, funny storytelling in between songs. Music isn't anything groundbreaking but a cool find

Overall the cutesiness ran a bit long, but Nobody and Big Joe rounded out the set with sincere sweetness

Better than the previous Tom waits album I listened to (heart attack and vine) excellent band and a more cohesive album but he’s still not for me

It's kind of hard to call this an album. It does a great job of capturing the feel of the performance though. Worth being on the list. Can't imagine I'll come back often but I'd like to be in a room where this was happening.

The audio quality is great. I enjoyed this listen and I'm glad this exists. Wouldn't be in a regular rotation. I don't think this needs to be on this list.

Went on a bit too long. I got the point after 4 songs. 3/5

I love jazz and a good storyteller! The atmosphere is really cool. The big flaw of this album is the lack of immersion. There is a very specific chemistry between Tom and the audience that was captured for the album, but the only feeling it gives me is the desire to be there live and enjoy that moment. Under no circumstances would it make me go out of my house to buy this album, because it is not the same. Performances like Tom Waits' are intimate and have something very special, but only at the moment of the performance. It does not work well on a recording. In short: Great performance, terrible album. I will give it 3 stars because I like storytellers!

Like a dream of an authentic nightclub experience.

Not my thing at all however I appreciate him as an artist.

I've enjoyed various Tom Waits albums and TV/movie appearances over the years, so it's nice to get him in this collection, even if what I've heard before is *much* more recent than this album. I'm not at all surprised that in many ways he sounded much the same in 1977 as he did in the 90s or 2000s (more gravelly as the years passed). Given that it appears there are five (5!) Tom Waits albums in this project, though, I do wish this wasn't quite as long as it is, but it's still an interesting experiment. If I hadn't read up on the album in Wikipedia, I wouldn't have realized that this was recorded in a studio, albeit one with a bar, tables, invited guests and an opening strip show to set the mood. (I love how the producer described the experience as "It was like Allen Ginsberg with a really, really good band.") I particularly enjoyed "Eggs and sausage" and "Warm beer and cold women". That said, I found it hard to appreciate either the music or Waits' semi-spoken-word lyrics. It sets an interesting mood, but I kept realizing that I was acting like those annoying customers at a jazz lounge who barely register the music as they try to have a conversation with a tablemate. Not at all fair to the band members or to Tom Waits, all of whom are talented musicians. This may be a good exemplar of Waits' early career, but it's too long and probably too much Waits for this collection (given that there are four more albums by him).

This didn't feel like an album to me as much as the recording of an experience, and while Waits writes some great lines, musically it didn't do a lot for me. The musicians sounded superb; I just didn't get a lot of melody or much sustained playing.

All he has going for him is the too much cigarettes voice. As the album goes on the jazz arrangement grows on you though

I very much prefer the later stuff, although the voice and the humour are already in place here. Jazz piano ballads are not really my thing, but some of the lyrics are fun - for instance Better Off...

Everyone loves a bar room drunk playing the piano, right? Actually, I do. Yes, this dragged on. But then you try calling time on the BOOZE. The songs rather than the spoken word rambles work best. Chin chin.

i appreciate albums that want to achieve an aesthetic, it went for it and i felt immersed in it

Very Tom Waits - quite an experience, probably better to have experienced it live rather than listening randomly on a weekday.

It would be higher, this is just not my style.

Very much better than I expected, but probably not something I would listen to a bunch…good, but plays as a novelty.

This is good background music Tom Waits than active listening Tom Waits. Big fan of a lot of his albums, never really listen to this one.

Found it hard to hold my attention on it but I really like the atmosphere and attitude he brings and also really like the closing

I like Tom Waits. I like his smoky, boozy voice. I like his music. I don't like the album. It may have been a recording of a great live performance. If you weren't there, his introductions to the tracks are simply too long. That bloats the whole album to over an hour. And it's not worth it. 3/5

feels a little dated, not my jam

A lot of not too interesting filler. I really liked Emotional Weather Report and Spare Parts though

This is really a good vibe, sounds like a hell of a show, but it wore for me just a little bit as it went on. But Tom Waits rules and I’d never heard this one before! I like the looseness and jazzy nature of this performance, and Waits, as always, has such a compelling voice

i like tommy boy and its great to get a sense of his personality with a release like this - really silly and fun! great tunes

Classic Tom, interesting

Had never really listened to Waits, kind of thought he was country but really enjoyed it.

Love LOVE the music, vocals are okay. We saw a group at Cliff Bells in Detroit, and the guy sounded just like Tom Waits.

3.4

I like the concept of this record, if not necessarily the execution. Too long.

I love jazz. If I saw this live, in a jazz club, I'd probably be all for this album - in fact if I was in a jazz bar, or somewhere that matched the atmosphere of this album, I'd definitely rate this higher - but honestly, I just don't feel this translates well onto a record. Obviously it's not the instrumentals that's the issue, it's Tom rambling on and on about some of the dumbest things I've ever heard: You can't go fishing because of your wife? Various things you had for breakfast? Who's in the diner while you're eating? What the fuck? The whole concept of this album is whack. This album really does have some standout tracks, Warm Beer and Cold Women just worked - because he stopped doing his stupid rambling mumbling shouting, and actually used his harsh, gravelly voice in sync with the jazz behind him. And it worked. The song is great. A shame it can't be said for the rest of the album, because like clockwork, it's back to rambling about masturbating or some other nonsensical shit. This album isn't for me, because for all the faults I have with Tom's vocals, the band behind him are pretty damn faultless. I was hard tossed between a 2 and a 3 here, but I'm going to go with a 3, just because I think if I listened to this in the right mood and in the right place, I'd actually enjoy this record. I'm going to re-listen in the future and I think my opinion will change, but I'm definitely interested in listening to more Tom Waits in the future.

Highlights Warm Beer and Cold Women, Eggs and Sausage. Nighthawks Postcards was very fun. Big Joe and Phantom 309 was reminiscent of a Johnny Cash tune if it was quite loose. Last song sounded like he was closing out a stand-up set. Very humorous album. I enjoyed it overall, the jazz and at points country music was great. I don't think it's something I'd listen to again, but it was a unique, enjoyable, albeit long album.

This album is like a comedy album for people who don't find things funny anymore. I could put this on in my flat and it would transform it entirely, this album is oozing with atmosphere but it is not an album to actively listen to and consume like I normally would. It is difficult to rate this album. Love the atmosphere, but I find it repetitive. Love the vocals, find the lyricism irritating. The instrumentals are sparse and barebones, and I find it difficult to even classify this as music. Regardless, I am going to give it a 3/5 as this is great background /noise/ rather than a musical album per se.

Chit chat jazz with ol gravely.

It's funny, it's groovy, let's listen again. 3

Ostensibly, I like Tom Waits. His raving madman shtick does pretty well for me. This is a weird one, since it's a "studio" album, even if that album is being recorded in front of a live audience. The backing musicians are tight, and everything sounds great, it just runs pretty long and Waits can get pretty heavy on the ramble. Call it a 2.5. Favorite tracks: "Nobody", "Warm Beer and Cold Women"

Tom got better once he stopped trying to be a weird jazzman and started just being a weirdo. This goes on for way too long. It's not bad, it's just thirty minutes in you get it and nothing really changes.

The idea works well and well executed. Within the first 30 seconds I did feel transported to a small, smoke filled jazz bar with an intimate crowd. It was very immersive. Due to the nature of the album though, nothing truly stood out for me. I liked ‘Better off without a Wife’ and ‘Nighthawk Postcards’. I also like the inspiration for the album name coming from Hopper’s Nighthawk painting as it’s one of my favourites.

Fine I guess

Not sure I like the jazz club conceit, but good album regardless

Tom Waits makes me feel like I should be walking on a dark, snowy street in the middle of winter or I should be drinking a martini in a smoky jazz club. Getting this album in the dog days of summer did not match with his vibe, but still solid nonetheless.

I feel like I should probably hate this album, but something about it is weirdly charming. I don't know, this album is just a vibe. It could have probably been trimmed down to ~45 minutes or so, but it is fine. high 3

Really great to get to hear Tom Waits. His story telling and live entertainment style were funny and enjoyable

Enjoyable ! I really felt I was in a club with him !

Musically the group is very talented however the album was a lot of drunken spoken word poetry

This album has a lot of pleasant instrumentals with pretty enthralling stories and world building, to the point where I'm genuinely always intrigued in the next tale, and was even getting into the non-jokes Waits was spewing that the crowd couldn't get enough of. Nothing actually gut-bustingly hilarious, but the charm got to me at about the forty-five-minute mark. However, I struggle to call this an album of music. It feels more like stand-up and poetry with instrumental backing that may be my favorite part, but feels needless, and if this album is truly not actually live, it just feels like the whole album is mocking itself. Perhaps that is the intention, I don't know, but a lot of tracks are just not songs, and so I think rating it on that same musical scale feels unfair, but if this is one of Waits' main releases, I kind of have to look at it that way. All the pieces are there for it to be a cool, albeit long, live album, but as a studio performance with lots of rambling and relatively simple songs, I know Tom Waits has a lot more in him, whether it is from this early era or not. This is a good one-and-done album, but I can't see myself returning to this, and I think if any other artist tried this same shtick, I'd be far more annoyed. It truly is worth that single listen though, mileage will just vary.

Tom Waits is in my top 10, but this is my least favorite album of his. No noteworthy songs. But listening to it in it's entirety, I did enjoy it.

This was surprisingly listenable and fun for an artist I don't particularly like. Good work Tommo.

Solid Tom Waits album, but in general I'm already familiar with his work and not a particular fan of his. Without reference to influence or importance, I generally prefer a few of his other albums more (Rain Dogs, Swordfishtrombones).

While the actual songs are decent but nothing special in the most part, the humour throughout makes you want to have been there at the weird "gig" set up

Likes the feel of this but couldn’t remember a single song

Slow piano jazz with a classic Waits talking whiskey voice vocal about drinking and life. Not exactly a masterpiece, but ok background listening. Background sounds from the audience if it were recorded in a bar. Don’t know if it is.

Weird as shit but somewhat interesting. Probably won’t give it a second listen.

Not one of my favorites. This one is akin to a comedy album, in that once you've heard the bits a couple times the novelty wears off. Smooth backup band tho.

Some parts were quirky & humorous, but this honestly reminded me of that one jazzy Gremlin from the first movie. This was just too on the nose.

I don't enjoy this one nearly as much as Closing Time, but this era of Tom Waits is always a good listen. 3.5

Distinctive. A bit repetitive. But also quite enjoyable.

This is a live album, and includes the lengthy song intros. While I love this stuff in the context of a concert venue, it doesn’t work for me on an album. I just wanted him to get to the music.

This was interesting and I am really glad I listened to this record. As a live recording it was fun to hear Waits entertaining and interacting with the crowd. As much as I didn’t like the first album I heard this one was jazzy, it felt like he tried to sing and it really sounded like he was enjoying what he was doing. It was refreshing!

first thoughts: I'm worried. It's too long, and I don't generally like interludes, and this album has 7 "intros." On the flip side, I think I like Tom Waits - or at least I quite liked Bone Machine. We'll see. Starts out jazzy with the first intro, a live set where he's just kinda talking to the audience. It has the line, "I'm so goddamn horny the crack of dawn better be careful around me," which I appreciate. So it appears the album is a live jazz performance. It's good for jazz, his voice definitely lends itself to this kind of thing. I think it's enjoyable, but not particularly interesting or novel. I wonder about replay value due to the riffing and crowd work. It's interesting the first time, but how many times can you listen to it before it loses its appeal? Overall, I'm glad I listened to it, but I don't see how I can give it higher than 3 stars. One good thing, though, is that it's confirmed that I *do* like Tom Waits.

lyrics are great but music is too loungy for me

I think I have a specific idea of what Tom Waits is, and I think this is ACTUALLY what he is, and it's good but not for me.

I wanted to like this but it's a bit contrived. I guess it's a novel idea though so not all bad. It grates after a while, Tom's voice is so in your face.

It was pretty good but it got super repetitive. He's funny! And that is ace at the start but it gets old quick.

I like the concept of the album, the band and even some of the songs but after listening to a whole album it’s a bit much for me. There are some very clever lyrics at times. 2.5

The concept of a “live” recording in an imaginary dive is clever, but couldn’t listen to it regularly without tiring of this conceit.

I understand

The live vibe is cool, but with all the loose spoken word songs feels like you had to be there. Couldn’t really get into it.

Kinda cool and vibey but kinda boring

I like other Tom Waits albums way better. The concept is cool but it gets repetitive.

Unlike the last time I attempted to listen to more than half a Tom Waits song some decades ago... I didn't immediately hate it. I have no experience with the rest of his catalog, and I probably won't seek it out until it pops up on this list again... but I'm honestly surprised I didn't hate this one. So I'll approach the next one with some mixture of confusion and curiosity, rather than dread. Win?

This cat was funny as hell

Fun. Touching. It's been really fun coming across the artists who are just pure entertainers. Tom Waits is a character but also a writer. Definitely took me for a ride. I was in that diner with him! I was in that car with Big Joe! Can't say I'll play this album much but TW gets my respect.

p345. 1975. 3 stars. Great voice, great lyrics and a sense of humour, but there are no tunes to speak of and I'm not a fan of cocktail bar jazz.

A little too weird for my tastes. But a good sound overall

It’s been 10 years since I listened to a Waits record in full, which I don’t recall enjoying. However I liked Nighthawks due to its consistency and for showcasing his humorous storytelling style throughout. I just felt like it was a one-time listen.

Very wordy and long!

An acquired cup of tea for non-Tom Waits fans but can see the charm behind his style.

This one was really interesting. I had heard of Tom Waits but really did not know any of his material before hearing this. Right away you are transported to a jazz club atmosphere, and it continues for the entire album. The songs are fine, and the instrumentation is good albeit rather safe, and his voice takes some getting used to, but overall I enjoyed it.

Great lyrics, amazing atmosphere, but ultimately a little bit boring and quite frankly not what I would enjoy listening to. But that doesn't change the fact that Tom Waits is a national treasure (for every nation, I guess).

“I'm so goddamn horny, the crack of dawn better be careful around me!” klinkt er vanuit het zelfgecreëerde live café van de heer Waits. Reikhalzend keek ik uit naar de ochtend dat mijn spirit animal op m'n telefoonscherm zou verschijnen, maar van dit album schrok ik een beetje. Het is één van z'n platen die ik niet zo goed ken, en hij is door het specifieke concept niet heel goed te vergelijken met het rest van z'n oeuvre, dat al van hot naar her gaat. Het is een soort Mm.. Food van MF DOOM, maar dan de barfly versie. Tom gromt het ene naar het andere dronken vertelsel aan elkaar, met als rode draad dat hij altijd dichtbij de verscheidene ongezonde versnaperingen blijft die een gemiddelde diner in de USA te bieden heeft. Je weet wel, zo eentje die ongeveer in elke Amerikaanse film wel even voorbij komt, waar altijd een paar rednecks of wise guys aan de bar hangen om een krant te lezen en een apple pie te eten. De artificiële atmosfeer neergezet op het album - waarin een authentiek live album werd geveinsd - creëert een uniek geluid, alsof het opgenomen is in een normale studio naast een rokerige jazzbar, maar met de kier van de studiodeur open. Dit pakt aardig uit, maar het voelt ook wel een beetje alsof er een publiek zit die geforceerd interactie met Tom en z'n band zoekt. Hulde voor de eigenzinnige aanpak, maar had hem ook wel graag écht live willen horen. Of de mensen in de studio echt geforceerd meedoen valt te betwijfelen, want de humor en woordspelingen van Tom Waits zijn on point. Allemansproblemen en ludieke ervaringen worden gedeeld op komieke wijze, waardoor het vaak zelfs aanvoelt als een stand-up komedie, die ook echt wel het publiek op sleeptouw had genomen in een jazzclub in downtown LA. 'Emotional Weather Report' is een meteorologische analyse van een mislukte affaire, ronduit briljant. En 'Eggs And Sausage' is instrumenteel m'n favoriet, die glijdt zo lekker voort. Hij zet de scene - die gespeeld wordt - effectief neer, en is de definitie van cool. Maar de vele grappige segmenten worden meer dan eens onderbroken door prachtige melodieën, waar je West Coast barhanger Waits wel voor kon bellen. Ik ben uiteindelijk net iets meer fan van de avontuurlijkere East Coast Waits, maar arrangements als 'Warm Beer And Cold Women', 'Better Off Without A Wife' en 'Nobody' raken wel een gevoelige snaar. Al met al denk ik ook wel dat dit album, ondanks z'n onconventionele aanpak en ietwat eendimensionale vormgeving, een goed beginpunt zou zijn om West Coast Waits te ontdekken. Na z'n debuutalbum, dat leent zich daar nog iets beter voor. Minpunten zijn wel dat ik tijdens het luisteren steeds minder ging voelen voor het fake live idee als ik het publiek hoorde lachen, en ik denk dat z'n meest jazzy album (wat dit absoluut is) het juist qua instrumenten heel goed had gedaan in een realistische setting. Daarnaast denk ik dat het kort maar krachtige 'Nobody' een waardige afsluiter was geweest. Het had het album goed gedaan om zich aan een uurtje te houden. Deze periode werd nou niet echt gekenmerkt door Tom's vocale diversiteit. Het is nu vooral 75 minuten op één grommende toon. Al met al, zijn minst bekende album voor mij levert in ieder geval weer Waits ten voeten uit: Eigenaardige doch herkenbare verhaaltjes, intelligente woordspelingen, ontroerende melodieën en uitstekende instrumentele begeleiding. 7/10 Highlights: Eggs And Sausage Emotional Weather Report Warm Beer And Cold Women

Tom Waits live in een Late Night Jazz club. Tjonge daar zou ik toch graag eens bij zijn. Van de atmosfeer van deze plaat kreeg ik zin om een heel pak peuken op te roken, mijn eigen woonkamer blauw te zetten en een fles bourbon achterover te tikken. Toch maar niet gedaan, om 10:00 heb ik een teams-call... De vraag is natuurlijk of een dergelijke atmosfeer eigenlijk wel bestaat in "real-life". Kletsend publiek, klinkende glazen in een benevelde kroeg waar de zanger toch verstaanbaar is en de (jazz)show steelt. Waarschijnlijk niet, maar het spreekt zo onwijs tot de verbeelding. Daarom doet het het altijd zo goed in films. En Waits is zelf de grootste sucker voor dit sfeertje. En het werkt bij mij ook wel. Tom die alle nummers introduceert met een verhaaltje en soepel over gaat in de het nummer. Zijn stem is weergaloos en de rauwe tonen voegen voor mij iets toe aan de jazz waardoor ik het veel interessanter vind dan veel andere jazz-platen. De nummers zelf zijn niet zo spannend en verschillen weinig van elkaar. Maar daar gaat het ook niet om. Tom Waits zet -mede door dit live op te nemen- een sfeer neer waar je prima 1 of 2 uurtjes in wilt vertoeven. Meer Tom Waits graag! 7/10 Highlights -

The instrumentals are fire Saved eggs and bacon

Some okay stuff here. But mostly gibberish

What a douche... but this is the most enjoyable of the waits albums I have had to endure for this list. Please, no more! As usual, hope he damaged his vocal cords while recording this.

Not bad but way to long for me

Tom waits has a beautiful voice but I didn't much enjoy the stand up aspects of this album. There was a lot of crowdwork

I like Tom Waits. Fun to listen to. Not great for work listening though. Can't listen to his commentary in between the songs.

Tom waits. Tom Waits joins the list of full sentence names. 3/5

Tommy w-nice to hear real jazz of his 3/5

I admire the dedication to the bit, but the novelty wore off very quickly.

I can’t imagine ever wanting to listen again, but there were several clever turns of phrase in the lyrics and a consistent vibe.

as of the time of this writing this is (checks notes) the third time a tom waits album has been on the challenge. while i don’t really “get” his music, and that hasn’t really changed. but this one was a little different. he has very specific references that clearly his crowd finds amusing and i would be lying if i said that i wasn’t entertained. the man clearly has a knack for storytelling in a sort of “beat poet” sense and that really comes across in a live setting. however, i just can’t with that voice.

3.0

I thought it was a really cool idea. Tom waits has an amazing voice, and the playing is really impressive. Some of the songs are really groovy

I've been a big fan of certain Tom Waits records for some years now. I've already given five stars to two of his albums in the 1001 group, the peerless "Rain Dogs" and "Bone Machine". And yet, something about his early-mid period (pre-Kathleen Brennan, pre Kurt Weill influence) has always evaded me. After listening to "Nighthawks at the Diner" a few times, I'm not entirely convinced I'm missing much. This third album is a monstrous 73 minutes packaged up as a "live" recording, each song receiving a rambling intro narrated by Waits himself. It's dense. It’s confounding. And in its own twisted and warped way, it's occasionally cozy and romantic. The intros run steadily into the songs themselves, which tip over into singing almost imperceptibly. "Emotional Weather Report" sets the pace with its lolloping jazz, ambling bass and noodly piano. The lyrics are mostly spoken word sprinkled on top, with some wryly amusing analogies to be found, but not a barnstorming opening. As we progress, all the hallmarks of Waits' early music remain up-front: a grouchy and winking sense of humour, gently twinkling ivories, and an iconic voice gargling cement and absinthe. He was in his thirties here, but sounds at least double his age. The ambience of the crowd - a "live jazz bar" recorded in studio - is a nice gimmick, but quickly wears thin, particularly when there's more audience laughter than an average episode of "Mr. Bean". Try and sit through the intro to "Eggs and Sausage", or the admittedly amusing ode to masturbation that is "Better Off Without A Wife"'s opening, without wanting to yell at them all to shut up. To be clear, there are gorgeous moments- "Better Off Without A Wife" is a swooning, misanthropic ballad in the grand Waitsian tradition, and "Warm Beer and Cold Women" is a lovely track too - but these sit hand in hand with meandering jazz non-sequiturs like "Putnam County", "Spare Parts I" and II, or the eleven minute "Nighthawk Postcards (from Easy Street)". When I'm in the mood, it will all be divine: this album may be best enjoyed in the lamp-light, home alone, with a whiskey. In any other circumstance, I fear it just radiates the smugness of a party happening across the street, where nobody's invited except Tom Waits and his band of laughing brothers.

Are those the nighthawks at the diner

My thoughts: - Why does he talk so much? - Wanking jokes. Lol. - Better off Without a Wife = Good 3 stars

Interessante, ma not worth

Ok

Not the kind of music I would seek out and listen to, but had a long morning drive on a rainy, cloudy day when I listened to this and it perfectly fit the mood and was a real enjoyable listen. Not necessarily something I’m going to listen to often, but nice to know it’s there and to know I’ve heard it. 3/5 or 63/100

Cool pero demasiado tranquilo...

Rating: 6/10

Mmmm. Like most TW I can't decide if its genius or just terrible. I'm certainly not in the mood for the cod drunken rambles in some pseudo jazz club. Maybe if I was bleary eyed I would appreciate it. 10am on a bright Saturday morning doesn't work.

Slam poetry jazz that's what would sum up this album, cleverly recorded in front of a "live" audience in the studio. Wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it on the regular but it was an ok for a once off listen. Best: Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson) Worst: Big Joe And Phantom 309 2.5 Stars

Funny introductions. Good music.

Tom Waits is much more than just a singer. He is truly one of a kind. I think he does create the vibe he was looking for with Nighthawks At The Diner, even it’s a bit over the top. The live audience works. This would obviously be much more enjoyable in a dark bar with pints and friends, but it’s a good effort and deserves to be on this list 6.1/10

Not my wheelhouse. Funny lyrics, but not enough music. Reminds me of Zappa a teensy bit, but without the musical genius. 3 for the words tho.

I find this to be a pretty interesting listen. Tom Waits has a club vibe, beat poet delivery on top of a pretty cool jazz section. It is word-heavy and feels like a bit of an event. Unfortunately the audience laughter and feedback sounds more like a laugh-track than just an audience recording. It is too prounounced and turns me off a bit. However, I think the overall attempt here is pretty interesting (though I don't expect to revisit it).

I wasnt really in the mood for a night out so I didnt finish listening to this.

Influenced Dylan

3/5

He’d probably be a blast to see live. But yet more music that doesn’t resonate with me. I see how it could appeal to someone else.

I really enjoyed the mood of this - all felt very positive, light-hearted, like everyone involved was having tonnes of fun. Is the music that good? Not really, it's lots of little riffs from other things, plus mostly spoken word, his usual film noir ramblings. 3/5.

I love the late night jazz club feel of this album, the crowd interactions, the intros to each track along with with songwriting and sound of this record are great. It has a unique feel, with the theatrical side of things. I personally think Closing Time is a stronger early Tom Waits albums, I think the tracklist is much stronger than the one on this.

How far can your tounge go into your cheek? He's a poet, he's NYC, it's live and it's cool. There really is a Bukowski diner feel. It's soaked in gin and grease rolling throguh the gutter. But damn you gotta be in the mood for this one, he grabs you by both ears with his wobbling feel and yells bus drunk soliloquy into your face.

Rauchige Stimme, es ist nicht so richtig Gesang sondern eher melodisch gesprochen :D ich weiß nicht genau wie ich es finde. 2.5 Sterne für mich Ich fand es lustig und coole Atmosphäre. Dann sind wir richtig gnädig und geben 3

Music is good but the voice isn’t for me

Disfrutable, divertido, satisfactorio, lo volvería a escuchar. Pero repetitivo y demasiado largo. La voz es un poco molesta

liked the music, not so much the lyrics

CD

Jazz lounge by a guy who sounds like he breathes in cigarette smoke 24/7! What more could you ask for in an album! The intros are usually too long, but I do love Wait's lyricism and his voice is so interesting to listen to. Even though it's very rough, you just want to hear what this guy has to say, and you fucking believe it too even though each story is about a different unrelated thing.

Hearing the intros and story telling between songs really made this album.

I was gonna give this a 2 because i'm not a huge fan of Toms voice. But i think this album really accomplishes to make you feel like you are sitting at that bar. So I rate the experience of the album more than the songs.

No es un género tan de mi agrado el spoken words, aunque dentro de las canciones cantadas puedo decir sin dudar que son excelentes canciones. Musicalmente, a punto, música ejecutada a la perfección y con gran gusto. Pero lamentablemente no es de mi agrado el género. Los chistes me quedan demasiado lejos, esperaba más música que alguien hablando de su vida. No se puede ser tajante y decir que es un buen o mal álbum porque no es de mi estilo.

It was very fun and was a whole adventure listening to the album

Jazz mientras Waits habla. No me ha hecho mucho. Ni fu ni fa.

classic Waits

I like Tom Waits generally, and this has his undeniable weirdo charm. It's not my favorite of his extensive catalog - I think the faux-live jazz club setting is an interesting conceit but hurts its relistenability. Overall, I think Tom Waits is an important figure in music history, and this album is a good example of his early period for anyone interested in cultural edification.

interesting, but i dont like jazz

Middle of the road album for me. This kind of music can be good, but it’s good live. When I’m at home listening on my headphones, it’s not something I want to listen to for over an hour. For what it is, it’s probably great, but it’s not something I want to listen to outside of a jazz bar or something. Tom has a fun sense of humour, and he’s clearly talented, but I got so tired of his voice. It’s perfect for the genre, but it’s just so hard to listen to for this long. Especially his little chuckle he does all the time, that started to annoy me after a while. Not exactly for me but for what it is it’s perfectly fine. 5/10 Top 3: 1. Warm Beer And Cold Women 2. Intro To Better Off Without A Wife 3. Opening Intro

Great background instruments throughout. The comedic and storytelling lyrics were fun at first, but start to drag as it goes on. Regardless still a fun record. Feels like a snapshot into history.

I wanted to hate it and I didn’t think I was going to have to try very hard, but it won me over quite easily. Damn you, Tom.

More of Tom’s same weirdo offbeat stuff, I dig. Very cool album cover, love the vibes it projects. I wish that was my life was nighthawking it at the diner. Looks like a fun bunch.

3.5/5

I doubt someone could make a record like this today it's very interesting to hear and feels a bit escapist and nostalgic, oddly current... which may be all of its strengths. I like some later works more but if I could do 3.5 I would

Vad har jag sagt om liveplattor? Nu kanske inte det här en renodlad liveplatta, mer live i studio. Ganska skön ändå.

Definitely feels like something best appreciated by paying attention to it, rather than having it play in the background while working (which is how I consume most of these). He's got some good lines, and I'm sure I missed a bunch. I wasn't familiar with Tom Waits so the vocals definitely took some getting used to, but they grew on me over the course of the album. I'll be interested to see if I like any of his non-live stuff more.

This was fun for a while. The comedy routine in rhythm with a backing track is impressive. His voice is great. I did get bored with it about halfway through. Not something I want more of necessarily, but it definitely has some genius to it.

You can smell and see the smoke of the jazz bar on this album, really cool concept and live jazz bar vibes. But Tom does go on a bit for some of the songs, hence I prefer his earlier albums or his more experimental later stuff. Deserves to be on the list though.

Ihan jees, en kyllä ole varma välitänkö Waitsin lyriikoista. Menee tämä taustalla mukavasti, vaikka vähän tuo "feikkilive" meinaa ärsyttää. Armollinen 3.

It was okay, listened to it while making dinner. I do have a few of his songs saved. This one was too talky. The jazz was nice but no real singing.

A really cosy and intimate live album - Waits’ banter between songs flows so naturally and the prominence of audience reactions really makes you feel involved even when some of the locale-specific jokes fly over your head. The only downside is the quality of the songwriting: there’s good stuff in here, especially Eggs and Sausage, but it just doesn’t hold up to hits like Martha, Diamonds on My Windshield and Tom Traubert’s Blues from his studio albums around this era

Ooooo some yazzzzzz. Never listened to Tom Waits really but the setting of this album is pretty cool and love the spoken word when I usually don't. Think it's all the background jazz helping out. It did go on entirely too long for me and started to lose interest around the 50 minute mark. Still good stuff.

Third Tom Waits album on the list and third surprise. Apparently, he didn't like to keep consistency between his albums. I should give him extra credit for trying to be such an innovator in this way. For this album itself, I enjoyed listening to it, but it's not so great. The long conversational records are clearly an attempt to sound like a bar record, but I'm not in a bar, so it's just lost my attention.

It's pretty fun but it's still a smug pisstake

Cool mood.

I will not Wait to listen to it again.

The live jazz club atmosphere really comes across on this record. The Tom Waits qualities are obviously there, although I prefer some of his later albums (hopefully on the list as well).

diner theme

Interesting concept. Started off quite into it but then quickly got bored. Maybe one to revisit again when I'm in a particular mood. Can see why it made the list at least.

3/5. Honestly a much better album than I was anticipating. It is a little long and boring at times, but the jazzy aspects give it that twist of surprise. Best song: Better Off without a wife, warm beer and cold women

👍

tom waits is an artist who has created such drastically different music throughout his career! nighthawks at the diner is no exception. i've heard his jazz origins, and his later change to rock and experimentation. this is a jazz album but with an audience component. jazz music is perfect for intimate, live settings, so this combination makes sense. this album is full of waits' personality. he is charismatic and funny. the humor can be bawdy at times, or even contain terrible puns. with nearly every song written by tom waits, his usual wit is present, too. "emotional weather report" is clever when waits recounts his mental health difficulties in terms of weather terminology. in that sense, this album can be rather personal, and it does indeed feel like he's talking directly to the listener. of course i must give credit where credit is due. waits is only on the piano and guitar in addition to his vocals. his backing jazz band is absolutely fantastic throughout!

Great storytelling. Enjoyed!

Oh wow, Tom Waits story time. This album makes me wish I was in that club (with a cigar and a whiskey?). This is the third Tom Waits album I've heard through this site and a quick search shows there's at least two more. All have been vastly different and very enjoyable. Favourites would be Emotional Weather Report and Eggs and Sausage (In A Cadillac With Susan Michelson)

Naturally my heart sank a bit as despite persistence I have never really 'got' Tom Waits. But actually much to my surprise I quite liked this when I focussed on the storytelling rather than the vocal style.. lots of humour in there and enjoyed learning the characters he felt compelled to write about. I.e. drunk losers!

Quite good but felt like the whole thing was just on one theme, Tom Waits talking over moody cafe music.

One of my lighter threes, I think. I would consider a two because of the length, but I enjoyed the album despite it being around 75 minutes long. I think it's a pretty cool concept for an album. My favourite part of the album was when he made car noises, but my favourite song was Spart Parts I.

I actually like this one OK. It was entertaining. But I feel like the whole "live" conceit might not work as well on subsequent listens?

Got into this less than I hoped. It's a long album without much change in style so for me it probably would've worked better split up into two sittings. The vibe I get is a grimy hobo put on a stage in a seedy back alley jazz club. Lyricism is creative and entertaining. His voice is weirdly pleasant.

You can smell the stale beer and wafting cigarette smoke listening to this album. It transports you to an old jazz club at 3am. I understand why people might not like this, but it’s the perfect material for Tom Waits’ gravelly voice.

I appreciate the concept of the album, but sounded like an old man ranting for me.

Good, fun and nostalgic vibe album. You feel immersed in the pub with some good beer.

I was feeling the jazzy vibes.

I wish I was cool enough to figure out what’s going on here

Pretty cool laid back jazzy album that when played in a jazz bar would be a lovely evening

Musically I really like it. It succeeds in setting the jazz club vibe but sometimes the audience is a bit too present.

This was kinda weird. A lot of Tom Waits talking but it was like a night at a show.

Прослушано! Не знаю что и написать, вроде мелодично но много разговоров и прочего. Все это должно придавать альбому колорит, но я не понимаю ни слова.

I usually can't really get into Tom Waits and this was no exception

Jazz en directo. Estaría mejor si no se pasara la mitad de la grabación hablando.

Always a pleasure listening to Tom and seeing what new territory he will explore. While interesting, I found this album less captivating. Too much chatter over the songs and not much to offer from them either.

Again great musicianship by Waits but due to the Genre and the live recording style, it's just 3 stars from me

Very warm and atmospheric

not for me even considering Martha from his first album is in the pantheon...but Better Off Without a Wife is probably my favorite. Kinda like Putnam County, Nobody.

Waits is certainly an American original, there really isn't anyone else out there like him. The simulated jazz club with a studio audience works pretty well in this case as the crowd is engaged and responsive to his bawdy humour and story-telling. The musicians are also top-notch, in particular the piano and bass players. My only complaint about this album is that it's a bit long, and if it was cut down it would have been just right.

Jazz com vocal poderoso desenvolve um ambiente de jantar no inverno.

Modell "sympathischer Typ spielt locker ein Konzert" ist nie verkehrt

Welcome to the 5th Tom Waits album served to me here, proving once and for all that there are only 12 musicians to ever produce music in this world (at least according to the procurers of these facilities). The nice thing about Tom Waits, as opposed to his fellow 11, is that each of his albums are quite different than one another. And while I can't say I like the majority, there are exceptions, and this jazzy one definitely "errs" towards the positive side of things. That pretend jazz club atmosphere reminds me of some of the best live music experiences I've ever had, in both style and ambience.

I like the music, and I actually don’t mind the spoken word this time, but I would never add these types of songs to my playlist because to me they’re not really songs I guess. It kind of reminds me of the highwayman song from over the garden wall if the highwayman didn’t sing. Because there weren’t really any melodies for the lyrics or refrains, these tracks all sounded the same to me, like just one big continuation or one big recording, which I normally don’t mind if it’s an album with actual songs. I like the story telling and I do like them, but just not as songs if that makes sense. So they get a higher rating than most because I like it. It sounds like I’m at his performance. I feel like this album would be really good to play on a rainy night in a high rise apartment overlooking the city while having a fancy dinner with your spouse. It sounds very fancy. Okay now there’s more singing. I actually really enjoy this album as a whole. It’s interesting how a lot of the songs have intros. This sounds really artsy to me, like only really sophisticated people would really appreciate it, and I feel like I’m too plain to really appreciate everything here. I do really like the vibe it gives off. I think that’s my favorite part of the album. The songs don’t have much replayability for me individually, but this is kind of taking me away and making me imagine the above situation on a rainy night and I think this would be perfect to play in certain situations, just not all the time. It really reminds me of Over the Garden Wall. I really like the storytelling. Good vibe/atmosphere, but that’s about it.

Interesting album. Mostly just "spoken word" in the setting of a jazz club. I like it but another one of those albums where I don't know when I would actually sit down and listen from front to back or choose a specific time to pick a song to listen to.

Saturday night better