Nighthawks At The Diner

Decent jazz musicians but I don't know why anyone would ever listen to this

Ok, interesting but not my thing

Jazz, with spoken-word style vocals. Some entertaining lyrics

ts better be funny or im gonna be pissed tom waits more like im tom waiting for this to end amirite im two tracks in and im already sick of it, why does this have to one and half hours. this the type shit madlib would sample at the end of a doom or quasimoto song, but its goes on for an hour. this just listening to your drunk uncle yap but theres jazz band accompanying him, and like he's mostly spewing bullshit but there randomly he says something really insightful im don't hate the lyricism (idk if its lyricism he's just yapping), this album just so arduous i can't stand it.

Two Tom Waits albums in the same week. And the same rating, same reason - I see the appeal, so not going to give it a 1, but I also just don’t like it. Also are there really 5 Tom Waits albums on this list but not a single Heart album??

This does nothing for me. Interesting style of music (playing jazz and talking over it) but it’s too hard to follow.

Eclectic Tom. More like a slam poetry album.

1.75/5 I liked some of the faster jazzier parts but the intros and super dragged out songs made this a painful listen for me.

Arguably the best (possibly?) Tom Waits album I’ve had so far, but still bloody bad. Annoying voice, annoying little chuckles here and there, and background jazz. Not for me.

I didn't dislike it, but it got very repetitive quite quickly. I did make it the whole way through so it's a minimum 2 stars. However, at the basic level it's a jazz album and there are numerous other jazz albums I own that I consider way better than this, and they are not on this list. So I'm going to stick with 2 stars.

I get what he's trying to do, and it kind of works, but it's not something I'd choose to listen to. I might enjoy reading an illustrated book of the lyrics more.

Album #500!! Every interlude track here is unnecessary. I don't like them in genuine live albums either, but this is especially egregious because the live element is completely manufactured here. Tom Waits could have easily let each track bleed into the next without the two minutes of gravelly boomer-banter separating each song. The lyrics and general attitude remind me of George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Sort of a "Hey, you old guys, you manly men, you with me? Wives are bad, eh? Drinkin' whiskey, heck yeah, it's sure darn good bein' Murican." Boomer-pleasing at its finest. But heck, at least George Thorogood has a pretty good rock-esque vocal. Tom Waits's voice is incredibly grating, especially after the first half hour when you realise you're only a measly 40% through the album. And normally the word "grating" in my review warrants an immediate 1-star rating – but there's some good stuff here too. I do like the pianist and especially the bassist on this album. The latter is clearly having a blast (or is putting on an extremely convincing façade of blastness) with his complex walking lines. The style is aggressively jazzy, almost begging for a better singer than the hostile mob that is Tom Waits. With a Fitzgerald, Vaughan, or Holiday, this could easily be a 4- or 5-star album – and a big improvement on the slog that is Fitzgerald's Gershwin Songbook. A missed opportunity for sure. All in all, Nighthawks At The Diner is of slightly worse quality than the other Tom Waits entry I've listened to, Rain Dogs. But not quite bad enough to warrant the "rating of shame". 2/5 Key tracks: Eggs And Sausage, Better Off Without A Wife, Nobody

strange

Sehr jazzig, die rauhe Stimme passt gut in die Atmosphäre, war für meine Stimmung am Morgen aber nicht geeignet. 2/5

I love this musically, but the spoken word, beat poetry vocals are not my favorite thing in the world. Lyrical content is good, sometimes funny, sometimes makes you think, but I find when I listen to Tom Waits, I want to be a fan of his more strongly than I actually enjoy his music. So who knows, maybe I’m just a poser?

Live album that sounded way more loungey/jazzy than I anticipated for a Tom Waits album -- no nearly as mournful, raspy or dejected sounding as some of his other stuff. I liked it but it wasn't very memorable.

Weird but decent

Tom Waits music sucks

Brorsan lyssnade en del på tom waits, det finns ju grymma låtar. Det känns som en artist som hit and miss. Detta var en miss. Rätt jobbig "musik". Hoppas få höra bättre skivor med Waits (albumet downtown train är på kanske?)

Att det är studioinspelat med fejkad jazzklubb ger lite avsmak. Eggs and sausage är en bra låt och jazzen är det inget fel på, men på det stora hela är det för mycket ointressant snack och i övrigt inte så spännande.

Now that I properly know who Tom Waits is and cleared up the Petty confusion, I was excited to hear more. I had just finished up a witty album before this one and you'd think I'd be all over this. However, I just didn't vibe with this one. It was a bit to slammy? Or just talky in general. There were a few good tracks and had I been present at the recording it probably would have been ok to go along with a nice multi-course meal, but I probably did a disservice listening during weekend chores. A couple of songs were relatable, but I was mostly waiting for it to end. Still optimistic about more from Mr. Waits later on, I just hope those have a little more music and a little less talking. Favorite track "Better off without a wife" 2/5

I like tom waits but this album was not for me

this is basically an old chap just chirping over some late night jazz. his voice has a distinct, smoky, laidback tone to it. eggs & sausage and both of the “spare parts” songs were the highlights. honestly felt like some songs on the album were too long, and it felt like he lost direction at one point

Lot of talking over jazz. Got bored, didn't have the attention to really pay attention to what he was saying. More listens definitely needed. Will these listens happen anytime soon? i think not.

Good storytelling, but the music was not my thing.

Rly jarring voice. Music is alright

My usual reaction to Tom Waits... interesting, but not entertaining. I rather like his persona and storytelling, also versatility in the compositions. It listened at times like theater or a comedy album. Probably decently fun as a live show. Just not my bag-of-bananas.

I'm on the fence with this one. I get it, its a cool set-up, at least in the appearance of a "live jazz club". But Tom kind of drones on and one sometimes and I loose the focus of what is actually going on. I also struggle to hear him sometimes. It's like a lot of mumbling and grumbling. The album is different for sure and I can see it as something to check out at least once, but I struggle to think of actually wanting to listen to this ever again.

Tom's "neo-noir hangdog vagabond persona", as someone else here described it, hits me like nails on a chalkboard. The music and songs are good, I just can't listen to the man.

Kiva konsepti, hassua että tätä kuuntelee ihan mieluusti levyltä kuin tällaista voisi livenä kuunnella. Ok hauska, mutta käy vähän tylsäksi jatkaa suht samaa melodiakulkua, tai siis taustaa, tunnin verran puheen taustalle. Mutta erottuu joukosta. Kaks puol.

Kornista "klubi"-asetelmasta huolimatta jollain tapaa sympaattista. Jopa jazz menee, koska se on riittävän New Orleans. Saattaisin jokusen biisin kuunnella toistekin.

“$h1tehawks at the Diner” I want to buy the vinyl version and melt it into an ashtray apposite for this gravelly-voiced, unfunny and dull effort. Would make it onto my list of 1000001 best albums. I suppose you had to be there.

Really, this guy again? At least this time it was listenable.

Not a big fan and if I like an album it’s Closing Time.

I never listen any album of Tom Waits - now I know why

Good music and nigh unbearable logorrhea. Tom Waits seems like one of those dudes who’s drunk on his own shoddy poetry.

This was an interesting album. Waits is a strange cat. He talks at various parts in the album and, to be honest, his singing is not much different than the way he talks. He is a storyteller through song and as you listen you can imagine the scenes he describes. In the end, a little Tom Waits goes a long way. I struggled to make it thru the album.

Love Tom Waits but really struggling with this album. Finally got to Big Joe and Phantom 309 and dig that one a little more

This did not appeal to me.

1.5

I actually liked this one a lot more than Heartattack and Vine. But it's just too much. The same thing for over an hour. No thanks.

3/10…gesprochenes Wort/ Jazz

What is this?

Tom waits is dreadful jazzy Tom waits should be more dreadful but is somehow a tad better than normal Tom waits 2/5

Man, I'm glad we didn't stick with this version of Tom Waits. I found this to be a chore. It has a certain style to it, but it's just not a style I care for. 1.5/5

Brow-furrowing jokes, the worn-out atmosphere of a smoke-filled jazz club, all wrapped up with everything else that makes Tom Waits uninteresting. Again, whatever. 35

Ok but actually what was this? In doing some reading, I found that it was a studio album performed in front of a small live audience to emulate a jazz club. So it’s a live album…? I could meander on about the intricacies of this thing, but I think my take comes down to this - this album had a decent concept at conception, but never fully develops or goes anywhere. Instead it becomes this weird album full of clever wordplay and weird, somewhat unintelligible stories that don’t seem to have much of a point. I wanted to like this. I really did. I like Tom Waits. I like jazz. I like the feel of this album. But it’s too damn long, never goes anywhere, and is overall just plain boring. Two stars, regrettably. Not for lack of trying on his part, I just got bored. Standout Tracks: Opening Intro, Emotional Weather Report, Better Off Without a Wife, Spare Parts I (A Nocturnal Emission)

Schtick perfection in process. To be fair, he inhabits it completely these days … If this is the representative TW album in this list (I’m 700+ in and this is the first) I’ll be very cross indeed.

Like a lounge core gig from Hell.

Better than other Waits, but I would still prefer to never listen. 1.5/5

🥱

Han e jo seg sjøl lik

Most interesting of any album I have heard thus far. Humor album at a Jazz Club, but recorded in the studio. Just for the ambition I have to give it a 2

meo corte pero habla caleta loco y no me gusta su voz

Kinda cool! But not my thing.

not my favorite tom waits thing. i think he does the whole spoken word vibey sleazy thing better in the later albums. didn't hate it, but really didn't feel it otherwise.

I don’t know what people see in Tom Waits. It’s not my thing.

Yeah idk Tom waits is like mumble grumbly singer songwriter nonsense. Boring

Tom waits is an acquired taste and not one that I want to go through acquiring.

What the flip is this? Seems it's popular with people in the States, but this is a pretty solid "no" from me.

Is it supposed to feel real, or like a play? An interesting concept. But I just don't feel it. The crowd seems scripted. The occasional bits of crassness seems pretentious.

This is weird so far This is weird still 2/5

Over the multiple revisions and editions of this book, its authors have seen fit to eliminate albums by Adele, Arcade Fire, Bowie, Johnny Cash, Kendrick, Radiohead, The War on Drugs, the White Stripes, and many, many more less notable albums. But for reasons I will never grasp, they've never excised a single Tom fucking Waits album. This is one part comedy routine and one part Hollywood circle jerk with a contrived “live audience;” a Disneyland gin joint.

meh

this just isn't for me. i usually love jazz and spoken word but waits is too growly and grumbly for me and i also just dont want to listen to this guy complain about his lower middle class life for an hour. jazz artists usually have drug addictions and violence and other depressing shit to talk about, or at least an infatuation with an interesting breadth of women they can go into detail about, but he just talked about how his bitch wife wouldn't let him go fishing and his shitty car keeps needing to get fixed. even the love songs have no substance, never talk about the subject of affection just how walts is such an epic lover and so in love and hes the best lover and hes gonna love you sooo much. to top it all off apparently he was a raging alcoholic and he barely talks about that, or any of the detrimental effects it has. honestly if this was an album about an alcoholic admitting how he ruined his life i think i'd have enjoyed it a lot more. the instrumentals are great, the lyricism is actually really fucking good however he just isn't talking about anything interesting, but his voice is the real dealbreaker and it features far too prominently on the release for me to overlook it. maybe i just dont like vocals guys i think i should start listening to video game music instead. fuck i love saxophones though.

Functional, smokey late night jazz. It's not terrible, but there's not much in the way of melody from gravel voiced Waits and there's a sense of 'you had to be there' to the proceedings. In fact, he'd probably get booed off the stage after a couple of tracks. He just ain't that interesting.

I'm unsure what environment is ideal to listen to this. I'd probably enjoy this being performed live at some jazzy open mic night, but listening on headphones at my desk... it sounds like a lot of drunken drivel.

Blues, Sprechgesang live, 1975 -> 2

never listened to a full spoken word album, it’s like a comedy show over jazz instrumentals, his voice is kinda annoying in this, the jazz was a vibe though

I wouldn’t call what is on this album “songs”. It’s basically Tom Waits talking shite whilst some musicians tinker around in the background. One of them is him describing what he had for breakfast. It gets two stars purely on Waits voice alone, which has an almost ASMR like quality to it.

Boring

I'd give more stars if it was just the bass man

2+

This feels like something to listen to live, not as a recording.

Really good album

Tom Waits is one of those artists I really want to like. His voice is unique and the swagger in his delivery is undeniable. But the music just doesn't do it for me because the lyrics are too intentionally convoluted.

Poetry reading meets amateur standup comedy performed with a mouth full of gravel. My second Tom Waits album I've had to endure and I know more are coming.

Bro just yapping on a jazz beat, lol. Did have a few good ones though

Comedic at times.

If I want to listen to a nightclub singer for 75 minutes, I'll just go to the nightclub. My memory of Waits from his Letterman appearances is that he was kind of a weird guy. This album fits with that perception.

Un album vraiment trop long pour ce que c'est. Je comprends ce que l'album essaye de faire, mais j'avais constamment l'impression d'avoir manqué un évènement et d'écouter l'enregistrement pour me remonter le moral. La majorité du temps Tom fait juste radoter des trucs sur la musique (suposément drôle mais je n'ai jamais rien compris), c'est la même chose du début à la fin. Vraiment pas mon style. 3/10

Far too slow and way too much talking for me even aside from the intros.

interesante concepto de live album(? me senti igual de intrigado de lo que me sentiría en una club de jazz real

Pretty Meh for me. Could easily pass me by as background music in a bar. I get what he is trying to achieve. But wasnt my thing.

I don't like Tom Waits, but as this album is earlier in his ouevre, he hasn't developed as much of the rasping growl that I really detest. The music was OK - I was not expecting much jazz, but overall I couldn't really get into this one

ey yo he yapping again. 1.5 just for the jazzy baselines and interesting concept - but it's still quite shit.

I like Tom Waits, but an hour plus of piano noodling and beatnik rambling is too much to handle

Moderately entertaining Jazz with spoken words.

Is okay

Somehow falls in between music and acting to me. I felt like Tom Waits was playing a role the whole album, in other words being a total poser.

I'm not up on the current discourse surrounding Tom Waits. There was definitely a time when it was not cool to not like Tom Waits. So I've tried. I've had a couple of his albums moldering in my library for many years and I almost always skip over them. But if I'm being honest, the more I listen to this guy the less I want to hear. I just don't need him in my life at this point.

Ik ben niet zo'n fan van live muziek. Ook jazz is niet mijn favoriete genre. Dus alles bij elkaar wordt ik hier niet warm van. **

Listened Before? N Tom Waits is a weird guy. Creative... but weird. This album was a cool concept and probably my favorite of the 2700 Tom Waits albums on this list so far but that's not saying much. It was just okay. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Eggs and Sausage

It's a unique listening experience, but not one that was particularly engaging. Very much a product of its time and the problem with the 1970s LA based humor is that it's audience 50 years on is pretty niche. Nothing sonically negative, but feels creative just for creativity sake.

Had to muscle through it. My friend has been obsessed with Waits since we were in our early 20s, so I've heard it all before. I'm a fan of him as an artist, but it's hard to get into his music sober, for me at least. I also remember finding out he was wasn't a drunk irl and being disappointed. I was young. Now I find that cool.

If the guy doesnt talk the songs could be quite pleasant bluesy/jazzy. But his raw voice and mostly the lyrics are distracting (together with the laughter). Eggs and Sausage is the first number he actually sings, and it is pleasant. Better off without a wife is also quite okay. I think I would enjoy this a lot more if it was only songs, and no talking/cabaret at all.

THE VOICE, SO RICH, but gotta say not my thing, maybe in a bathtub w a glass of wine just listening to it like a performance, not musical enough for meh

Dit is weer helemaal niks

Some yuppie yapping over generic jazz.

i can appreciate this on the surface but it’s not for me

Interesting but not a fan

Spätabends in einer Bar nach einem anstrengenden Tag mit einem Glas Rotwein, kein Gespräch, einfach mit sich, den Gedanken und Tom Waits sein...

It does feel like I'm in the diner with them, but I think it's safe to say that it gets quite boring. Also, it's not my music taste at all. Maybe it's the lyrics that should make this shine but I'm generally not a very lyric-oriented person. Sorry for such a low rating, it's just straight up sluggish.

I've never heard of this guy before, but apparently he had a song in the Shrek 2 soundtrack, so I trust that this guy has enough cultural significance to be on this list. However, I don't like this album. I've never really understood what people mean when they say that certain music is "pretentious". I get it now. This is pretentious. Maybe I just don't get it. I'm sure this has value to some people. I'm not one of those people. I think the background music works. If this was just instrumentals, it would be a decent background noise album but nothing more than that. Possibly high 2 or light 3. However, things change once this guy starts talking. Not singing, talking. Well, okay. He does actually sing a few times in this album. His voice is weird. It's not the worst voice I've ever heard, but it's not great. He could probably sing, maybe. It's very racially ambiguous. That's not important, I just felt like mentioning it because I don't know what else to say. The things he says don't really make sense. I'm tired. This album drags for way too long. I can't wait to listen to the other 4 albums this guy has. Yippee! I'll give it a light 2 because there's a semblance of something valuable here.

I'v always had a problem distinguishing Tom Waits from the British actor Tom Watt. So I always think I'm getting Lofty from Eastenders. First off, this is more than just about the bass. The drums are lovely and the sax is just right. The piano is pretty solid as well and most of the guitar works. So, more than the bass player. The slightly rambling intros remind me of Springsteen intros from about this time. The differences are that a) the music that followed the intro was generally pure rock and roll with Springsteen rather than a bit more rambling; b) Bruce is funnier in an everyman sort of way; c) Springsteen didn't put out a live album for more than 10 years, and even then the intros were generally pretty short. I'm not sure it was a good idea to inflict this level of wankfest on the world. I mean, it's OK as far as wankfest goes, but it's not really my thing.

This was certainly an interesting listen, and while I can appreciate Jazz music, it's just not really my thing. I laughed at "I'm so horny the crack of dawn better be careful around me"

Probably fun live, but I got really bored just listening to it.

Es como un contry-jazz, más recitado que cantado. No es una mierda pero no es algo que me guste particularmente.

Maybe some fun stories, and I love piano music, but I didn't like listening to this.

Too much talking

It pains me to give Tom Waits a 2, but this album is a slog to get through. There are some great songs and funny moments sprinkled in, with hypnotic jazz instrumentation backing it all, but the majority of this is just a spoken word thing leading up to something else that doesn’t really pay off.

Een te dominante, te rauwe, te vertellende stem. De intro's van de laatste intro's zeggen genoeg. - I'l tell you a story - It's storytime again Aan het eind van dit album wil ik dat echt niet meer horen. Het heeft lang genoeg geduurd. Wiki meldt dat de waardering voor dit album met name een waardering is voor het creëren van de sfeer van een Jazzclub. Eerlijk is eerlijk. Dat is heel knap gedaan. En daarmee is het interessant om eens te horen. Maar ik zet het geen tweede keer meer op.

The jazz club vibe is really unique. It makes you feel like you are in the room with Tom and company, and the experience deepens as the album progresses. The bass line is truly excellent in this, really carries the album. Overall however, I don't think the monologues are for me. Maybe it is that I know too many men who are trying to emulate Tom's energy in this, or maybe I just don't connect with his stories.

Tom Waits is able to write astonishingly beautiful songs. But for the running time of 1 hour and 13 minutes, there is a surprisingly low amount of songs on this album. Much is spend with talking to the fake audience in this fake concert. The rest isn't anything to write home about. Waits serves his usual schtick of low life lyrics, here mixed with a jazz band. But that doesn't make for a good album and comes across as pretentious. 2/5

Can critics pls stop recommending me white dudes from the 60s and 70s. I can see how other people may like this but I don't. It feels like the entire point of the album is to recreate a jazz bar setting atmosphere with a live studio audience. But that's a gimmick that I get tired of 1.5 songs in. Why don't people just listen to live recordings of jazz musicians? Or go to a jazz bar? Both options offer more enjoyable music. Why listen to a dude recite a script about how horny he is or how sad this random pretty woman's life is.

Kinda funny but barely music

Kept waiting for the bit to end but then the album did...

Quite like the sort of love vibe, tom has a nice gravelly voice, first track or two I quite liked as an intro. Then it basically continued for an hour and bit. More spoken word/stand up routine with a backing track than an actual album, cant remember any specific songs, was mostly a double bass going up and down the jazz scales. I could see the appeal if it was built around some actual songs but as it was, not good.

I'm afraid I didn't really "get" it. It was a bit of a difficult listen. His voice is grating. Love the jazzy live vibe, but can't fully get behind his singing, and the lyrics are mostly daft. I know that he is a decent artist - I really like Way Down in the Hole from another album, but I struggled here. I don't know what to think. Hated the intros. Love the painting Nighthawks by Edward Hopper. Saw it in Chicago in 2017, and it lived up to my expectations. +1 art bonus.

very shitty

I could sit in a blues bar and listen and enjoy…but not to this guy specifically

Bar the couple of times when an actual song broke out I didn't like this at all. The whole conceit of rambling intros to every track wore very thin with me.

😴

2.75

not my vibe

What a strange album with the attempted comedy routine between songs and would have done much better by just playing the music. I will say, I enjoyed this Tom Waits album way more than any of the other ones we have been subjected to so far on list. The actual jazz/lounge music was pretty good and enjoyable. His gravelly voice fits in this scenario but Im not sure where else it would.

I think I understood the vibe and the jazz band was nice but it’s not for me

I usually love Tom Waits but I was not in the right headspace for this today.

I'm of two minds about this one. On the one hand, this schtick wears thin pretty quickly, and his verbal mugging for the handpicked crowd is cringey. On the other hand, though, he's damn funny and his lyrics are evocative. Also, the musicians are on point. But overall, it's not my jam. I prefer the Swordfishtrombones-and-beyond version of Tom Waits. 2.5 rounding down just 'cause.

Moments of this actually work but as a complete package it really frags, and I'm left wondering which bits are supposed to be tongue and cheek and which might be serious.

Not a fan of Waits, not really heard a lot, but this album has a lot going for it. At times you feel you're in the bar with him. Some great jazz feel tunes, and top musicians, but i can't really go for it. Toms vocals make Dylan sound like Pavarotti, he talks his way through the tunes and sounds like he's being interrogated.. Hes hard to listen to. Even so, this had a lot going for it.

Occasionaly amusing.

This is weird. Imagining Tom as Oscar the Grouch with a beret and a cigarette helped me get through this easier.

The soundtrack to some movie I don’t intend to watch

...I guess I can give some points for trying something different and unique. But it's still Tom Waits. Is any middle ground possible with this guy? I'm not sure how anyone could voluntarily put this album on and listen to it. It's not as much a slam as that sounds (... although....) just that it's so distracting. A really good jazz band playing behind what is essentially a one man soliloquy on drunkenness, loneliness, and ...ehh god knows what else he rambled on about. Step aside and let the music play although that's not really possible. I'll save it from a 1 even though I'll never listen to this again just for the creative aspect of the recording. And because it's SO damn niche I suppose I can see some people liking it. Not here, tho. 3/10 2 stars. Also please no more Tom Waits. 3 is about 2.9 too many.

i dont really like his voice. sounds like he smocked too many cigs. but it was in some way refreshing and different. tom waits has a entertaining delivery but i dont really gonna revisit this album unless from 1,2 songs tbh

Fine I guess. Didn’t like the vocals

Tom Waits has made many strong 4*-5* albums, but this one is just plainly boring even after 5 minutes let alone 75. score: 3/10

альбомам стоит исключить Тома Уэйтса как несовпадающий со мной жанр)) хотя теперь понимаю, откуда растут ноги у Shady Rachel

jesus, all these little comedic interludes are annoying as fuck. This album is somewhat interesting but his "Intros" make it really hard for me to listen. He seems way too convinced he's really clever and funny. But by the end, even with skipping the intros, his mumbly grumbly voice and delivery had me ready to skip to the end.

Rambling, though not without charm

This album is the audio equivalent of ranch dressing. It's a unique flavor and I completely understand why some people would dig it, but I can't imagine a single food where some other topping wouldn't fit way better.

I thought I liked Tom Waits. Fake night club, fake audience, fake drunk singing. Tiresome. Bass player kicks though.

Rambling meh

The live setting recording is an interesting gimmick which seems to work out. It gives the album character, yet, production still sounds great, as compared to regular live albums. That said, I don't enjoy the music. It just sounds like a Disney movie gruffian rambling on and on and on with some light jazz accompaniment. Definitely not the worst on here, but also definitely not something I would listen to on my own.

It's a raw, great sound but it's a bit of a dull offer. OK for the once through but I don't think I'd ever listen again. Bit of a novelty record.

3/10 - I cannot finish this I hate this dude's voice

Nah. My 3rd Tom Waits album so far on this list. I just don't like his voice. I found this samey and pretentious. I honestly didn't think I would get through it. Only giving it 2 stars because of the quality of the band.

Again, it was a mistake to try to review 4 of the 5 Tom Waits albums in one day. But a fascinating one to save for last. I don’t like “Nighthawks at the Diner,” but I am intrigued by it. Waits’ vocals early in his career are not as over-the-top gravelly as on other albums we listened to, but that doesn’t mean I like it. It’s a concept album of a sort? It was recorded live, so it’s kind of a live album? I’ve lamented concept albums, flip-flopped on live albums, but “Nighthawks at the Diner” is unique and challenges my views about both of those things. Half stand-up, half lounge performance, it delivered on a concept. Recording a faux live performance live scrambles any notions of how a record should be made.

I can see how his voice works better for fronting a more pure jazz album like this than it does for Bone Machine. I just can't handle that this album is more like a live reading of a collection of short stories.

Third Tom Waits album on this project, and he's still not my jam. I really liked the concept behind the album, though. The "jazz club" motif recreated in the studio was convincing and well done by everyone involved on this album. Tom Waits uses the opportunity to parody the jazz club scene, at least to a certain degree; the topics and lyrics of the songs are often funny and have intentionally ridiculous delivery. I also like the "Nighthawks" painting that this album seems to be inspired by, so it was cool to discover that! All that said, this just wasn't my thing. I really do appreciate how Tom Waits pushes the envelope, though!

Eggs and Sausage started to grow on me.

I don't think Tom Waits has a bad album. I also do not think he has an easily digested album, that you can appreciate without actually paying attention. Nighthawks is certainly not easy to get into, and i would argue that the effort isn't compensated as highly as it would with later albums of Waits' career. Not bad by any means, but a little too pretentious for it's own good.

I like Tom Waits, but this is just a record of him talking.

I didn’t finish it and I’m not going to. I just can’t. Please no more Tom Waits.

Its an interesting sound, but the whole thing falls a bit flat for me.

Nope

Shit

If you make me listen to another album by the man who sounds like he smokes 12 packs of cigarettes a day and reminds me of the crazies on the Philadelphia bus system I am going to cry.

Interesting album. Tom Waits is a person I’ve heard a lot about but don’t know a thing about his music. This album is supposed to sound like it’s recorded in a jazz club, complete with song intros, stories, jokes and audience laughter. Cool concert, but it didn’t strike a chord with me musically.

Yawn.

In general, I think I want to like Tom Waits more than I do. In this particular case, I get the vibe he’s going for but it falls flat. I was fine with it in the background but know I won’t be able to get through it on a focused listen.

I enjoyed this in that it was very different- I'd not really heard anything like it before. The background jazz was pleasant, but the album got pretty boring and samey after a couple of tracks. There seems great rapport between Waits and the audience - making me feel like I'm missing out on an in joke. Glad I listened, probably won't bother again.

We've had this one before, surely

Not sure if I was in the wrong mood for this but it irritated me from the get go. The 'atmosphere' that others loved so much felt false, overplayed, hammy. I will give it another listen but for now it's a disappointed 2/5.

Een verfijndere bakken tappen van een dronken zwerver? Wel goeie contrabas

Not a fan of this one.

Hipster beat poet meets jazz. His banter was amusing and the jazz was jazz but not my style

Could not get thru

I like the unique style, but the audience is distracting and after half an album it's been enough

<.....>

This is more of a comedy folk album with some songs in between more than a musical album. Sometimes funny sometimes witty and all the time sounding like he needs a cough drop. His voice is rough but the music is okay and the style is unique. If you like folk you may like this. I find it ok. 4.9/10

2/15, 13%

This was a slog. Extra star for the audience patter

Still not really getting this. Some ok bits but not enough

Interesting, but not varied enough to keep my attention

irritante, toda musica é igual. rima country bem brega durante 2 minutos, um yeah no final e palmas.

Well this got old quick. More tuneful than others I've reviewed, even the spoken word bits) but the conceit (studio recording pretending to be a live club show) grates. The hero here is the bassist. A star for him.

I can hear how much Tom Waits loves himself in every single syllable and I really am not here for it.

I like Tom Waits, but this album is so different. Not for me. Too much talking and bad jokes for me. 2/5

Laatste jaar met wisselend succes verwoede pogingen gedaan om in de mythe rondom deze man te geraken, maar dit helpt niet: Je had erbij moeten zijn waarschijnlijk.

Pfoe, het was werken om dit album in z'n geheel geluisterd te krijgen. Misschien moest ik dit ook niet luisteren terwijl ik me probeerde te concentreren.

This isn't really music. Felt more like a skit stretched out to the length of a play. Not entertaining at all.

2/5 this is more a stand up comedy album than a song one

Tom Waits? Aren't you the same guy who made the oonga boonga music in "Bone Machine"? Wow. While he vividly simulates 10000 B.C. or whatever in "Bone Machine", he also succeed in doing the same with pubs and jazz clubs in this album. It's tempting to say "Hey! Why don't you just make real music? Look at your voice in the chorus of 'Better Off Without a Wife', it's pretty good." But I guess it will be a generic and an equally boring effort. Both "Bone Machine" and "Nighthawks at the Diner" are interesting yet boring. Not to mention looooooooong. But I enjoyed "Bone Machine" more, mainly because it has fun singles, while "Nighthawks" is basically 70 minutes of spoken poetry/story over a jazz track.

OK. Not great.

It is great to hear Tom Waits interact with the room, tell stories and sings his songs. But I am just not a big fan of the live recording albums. Rather have a real studio recording or be there at the live show. Music is good, just not an album I enjoy.

Not my thing

Kinda interesting but not something I'd want to listen to again in a hurry. One particularly irritating feature of the record is the almost canned laughter during the song intros; a bunch of people laughing to things that are barely funny, in a kind of "we get this but you don't because you're not cool enough" way.

Again, the only way I would enjoy this is live. Otherwise, it's just not entertaining to me. It was kinda funny, but mostly annoying.

I'm down w/ Tom Waits, a fan actually, however this album just isn't really my thing. There's some humorous shit up in here but overall I simply prefer a little more music a little less chit chat ya know?

Jollekin fanille saattaa olla suuri mestariteos, mutta herran tuotantoon suuremmin perehtymätön ei oikein pääse tunnelmaan.

One of my least favorite Tom Waits' albums. I don't get it. 2/5

Album begint al snel te vervelen. Spoken-word is niet echt voor mij weggelegd...

Not what I expected but had an interesting format of storytelling being emphasised over the music itself

tfw trying to listen to jazz and some old nob is going on about some shit

Not for me

It’s not without its merits

Live spoken word jazz?

This used to be great. Now, not so much.

the late night performance concept is cool, but the album itself was a total slog. Waits’s persona on this record feels very put-on, and the storytelling and comedy fell pretty flat for me. the album dragged on much too long and i don't really feel compelled to listen to any of these songs ever again, but at least there was some good bass playing. 3/10

I thought it was just ok. First listen.

Not really my style, but a fun listen.

Feels like a speak easy jazz club. No stand out performances but successful in creating the feel of a smokey 20s jazz club.

Spoken word. Not my favorite but has its moments.

Puh, Tom Waits Fan war ich noch nie und das Album hier aus meinem Geburtsjahr bestätigt das! Die rauchige Alkoholstimme bröselt so vor sich hin: das mag für einige Kult sein, ich kann damit nichts anfangen. Ich denke, Big Kev als Meister von Tom waits Songs bekommt das besser hin!

I liked it at first, but the gimmick got old quick. The jazz instrumentals were great. The vocals were hit or miss.

Noman Hosni aura vraiment tout essayé, 2/5

I've never been a Tom Waits fan. This is an interesting album, but can't say I enjoyed it much.

I can't stand this voice but man the songs are great

Couldn’t finish it. It was wack

I liked the storytelling. Relatable and relevant even today. I hate that I’m attracted to men like this.

great voice but i dont want to hear it

Lucky I had a lot of unpacking and tidying to do last night cos that felt never ending

Tricky one. On the one hand of it wasn’t Tom Waits I might have turned off earlier, but I listened to the end. It was fun in parts, and I like the way they recreated a jazz lounge style atmosphere in the recording studio...but nothing really grabbed me and I don’t think I’d ever listen again as well as jazz not really being my sort of thing.

Didn't know standup comedy and jazz could be fused together. 5/10

Bit whiney, but intriguing. Turned off after 30 mins tho

Me sentí en un bar y lo sentí muy repetitivo en las canciones.

3

Mi vieja me dijo turun tun tun

This isn't music, it's a series of comedy anecdotes. I love the guy's voice though, who doesn't? I'd be happy with him reading me anything. 'I mean, she's been married so many times... she's got rice-marks all over her face.' was a particular highlight.

Bluesy. Might be nice, but not my cup of tea in the mood I was in.

vet inte riktigt ja. han är säkert duktig

Who listens to this. Why did I listen to this.

Almost gave this a 2 because there were some good moments, but in the end it just dragged on too long and started irritating me.

DNF - not pleased with myself but fuck off Nighthawks At The Diner what is going on here

I just did Tom Waits last week already Somehow, this one is even worse NOPE

I didnt know I was listening to an audiobook...

yeah i would hate jazz too if it sounded like this

Boh

I’ve listened to enough Tom Waits to last several lifetimes. ENOUGH!!!

Is this just random words with "fuck" and references to being horny/drinking? I mean, I know a lot of music is that, but I don't hear the lyrics as well as I do here.

Either you’re going to like it or not. I did not. First couple of songs is all you need to hear and it’s just repetitive after that

Not for me

That was definitely Tom Waits. Not my cup of tea

#465 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ Mr. Waits is a problematic artist for me. I love his voice but the music he has done is all over the place. Most of it is out of my wheelhouse and that makes me hesitate every time a new album is placed in front of me. I'm already feeling the dread of listening to this one. Indeed. Lyrics with a dash of music. Couldn't bear it. Quit listening after 6 tracks. 1/5

The only way this guy is going to get people to cheer and laugh is if he pays them to sit in a studio so it sounds like people actually enjoy this garbage. And it is complete garbage in every sense of the word.

What is this lists obsession with Tom Waits?? I just had a Tom Waits album. I wouldn't call what Tom Waits did on this album singing. He basically just talked over music in the background. It was definitely a concept album. It was over an hour long. I hated it!

The only thing I know about Tom Waits is that he is a known weirdo, according to the interwebs. This is the first time I've heard a Waits song, let's see how it goes. There's an Andy Kaufman-esqe joke here that I do not get. But Tom sure does. He does have some odd song writing. 1

I never want to hear a song off this record ever again, diabolical nonsense

0/10 how tf does this shit have any listens isnt even a song hes just telling random stories that arent even funny rather peel my skin of with a credit card then listen to it again

We’ve all been there. Enjoying a quiet drink at the bar when the resident bar fly sidles up next to you uninvited and proceeds to gush unintelligible ravings in an unending stream of spittle filled monologue. You wait for him to stop to take a breath but he never does.

I'd love to give this points for being Tom Waits, but this is just not good. It's different, but not good. 1.0/5.0

Four Albums?!? This project has pushed me to absolutely hate an artist who I had previously never even knew existed!

I did like the smoky, whisky stained, late night aura this recording captured. That is the only positive I can give it. Sorry Mr Waites, but it may have seemed a good idea, but your material was funny for all the wrong reasons. I would have really appreciated being in the audience for the above vibe I have described, but I would never ever go out of my way to listen to this ever again. Its not quite the lowest point of drivel Mr Dimery had managed to dredge from the sewer of his eclectic music collection, but close!

Olen kuunnellut Tom Waitsilta vain hänen ensimmäisen levynsä (josta tykkään) sekä kourallisen muita biisejä. Täytyy todeta että Nighthawks at the Diner oli todella tuskallista kuunneltavaa, joka tuntui jatkuvan pienen ikuisuuden. En pitänyt yhdestäkään biisistä ja ainakaan tällä levyllä Waitsin juopuneen baarilaulajan rooli ei jaksanut viihdyttää.

I had 4 days grace from Tom Waits before I was subjected to this. I hate jazz. I (mostly) hate Tom Waits. I hated whatever this was.

Until now I've been enjoying the Tom Waits albums that pop up on the generator, having previously never listened to him, despite knowing the name. Well, I've found the line I won't cross with Tom, and it's Nighthawks At The Diner. I did not enjoy this. I tend to find skits on hip-hop albums quite annoying, and this album is chock full of the Tom Waits equivalent. I also tend to find jazz infuriating so there was a double whammy here, with the album pretending to be set in a jazz club. I also tend to dislike albums that are very long, and this clocks in at nearly 74 minutes. So now we're up to a triple whammy. It's like he made an album purposefully for me to dislike it. Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson) really made me yearn for a fry up though... 1/5

I understand the idea of being in a small smoke filled bar but did not realise that the show was going to be some sad drunk sitting at the bar.

This is music?

Disco en directo infumable. Si fuera únicamente instrumental me gustaría BASTANTE más.

El bajón al darme cuenta de que no solo iba a estar dando la chapa en la primera canción..... Me lo pongo de fondo y okey, pero en serio esto es un disco que había que escuchar antes de morirme?? No lo creo. Los músicos le dan mil vueltas, siento que en general me sobra Mr. Tom. P.D. Me he puesto a escuchar otras canciones de este tío y ni tan mal, es este disco simplemente, que es un peñazo.

Al principio no me estaba gustando hasta sin saber por qué hasta que (en Putnam Country) me he dado cuenta a que me sonaba todo a un discurso de Trump con jazz de salón de fondo. Al final siguió sin gustarme. Igual puedo salvar Eggs and sausage pero ya.

Absolute tosh

More strangling of a drunk clown from Tom masquerading as vocals. Why does he justify having multiple albums on this list when all of them sound just as bad.

I think you could make a reasonable argument that this is categorically not an album. I really dislike both the singing style and the spoken word. Something about the weird invited fake live audience is sooooo offputting and weirdly self congratulatory to me

oh god, i've heard the name but never listened to the music. oh god, its just not worth it. he talks rather than sings. actually its a mumble. and its a live album, i just hate a live album.

Still don’t like his voice

God I hate Los Angeles. So proud of their own artifice, but so desperate for validation, desperate to convince you they're not ghouls. A grown-ass man, smeared in his own shit, confidently complaining that he's become the first person to ever have taken a shit. Fitting that a cowardly fucking spectacle of an album would use a cowardly fucking spectacle of a city as its setting. Yeah I get that Art requires intentionality and a stylized language, but this is just so alienating and up its own ass that it makes his other work, before and after, seem less sincere.

I love Tom Waits the actor.

3/10

I don't understand why there is even one album of Waits on this list, never mind two... don't tell me there's more to come... Absolute jazz dross. The incoherent ramblings of a weirdo.

In the past I have given Tom Waits bonus points for his fringe level weirdness and uniqueness. But I can't bring myself to do it on this "album". It's just Tom talking/half singing stand up bits over the same simple jazz style musical structure for over an hour. But the stand up bits aren't actually formed jokes. They're more just nonsensical word vomit.

Reminded me of being stuck next to somebody who will just not stop talking.

Somehow simultaneously exactly and nothing like what I thought Tom Waits would sound like.

To be in that room in 1975 must have been so cool. Hearing those stories, smelling the smoky alcohol filled room and listening to jazz. But, man, it sure was hard to listen to 51 years later. Too many stories, not enough music and the music we got I didn't fancy.

1.25 - Musically, this is way too low of a rating, but I really don't like this vocal style.

I’m not a fan, the atmosphere and music is good but something about Waits vocals really turns me off and I just can’t enjoy it. This could’ve been a much shorter album too but we got 70 minutes of long winded spoken word intro to songs.

I'm not a fan

You can keep this x

I like the other Tom Waits albums in this list. I don’t like jazz. I thought about giving this one two stars for hitting the brief with the ambiance and the bass playing. But the album simply wouldn’t end. My patience did, though. The last 30 minutes were hard to endure

La verdad no me gustó el álbum, no se si era que ese día no andaba en el mood para escuchar ese tipo de música, pero le puedo dar otra oportunidad para escucharlo con más calma.

Omg just shut up and sing. Your talking is annoying. I don't like live albums. All the songs suck, I just picked Eggs And Sausage as the best because it's about food. Better Off Without A Wife was funny, but still hate his delivery. This is my third Tom Waits album (after Heartattack And Vind and Swordfishtrombones). I still have two more to go. Shit. Best song: Eggs And Sausage

what the fuck is this horseshit

terrible, just not for me although I do see the vision

Cringe

who the hell gave this guy a mic. i cannot stand him. bassist slapped tho

Hated this. Tom Waits just isn’t for me. I might’ve been a bit more forgiving if it was shorter but the 73 minute runtime brings it down among my bottom albums so far.

Please no more Tom Waits

1/5 This guy is annoying

Tom Waits, 3eme album =>1/5 Voix insupportable, comme sur les 2 précédents albums. Plus que 2 albums de TW à subir ! Point positif : ils seront vite notés.

Maybe I'll give it another try.

I was going to write a long diatribe about how having world class musicians perform mediocre songs........ You know what, fuck that. I don't need to ever hear this again. Someone put this on the list because they thought it would make them cool. It doesnt.

Even a third martini into the evening, I'd like to think I would have left this self-indulgent performance early.

I wish I had a physical copy of this album so I could have the pleasure of throwing it in the trash where it belongs.

Asylum records. Right >boasting about being able to get more ass than a toilet seat Ain't no way... They had tiktok back in 1975, that's crazy Saur, while listening I didn't find the jokes particularly funny, because let's be real, comedy is the fastest genre to age, but I found it funny that the audience was laughing at those jokes. Imagine my diappointment when I learned it was all staged. I didn't even mind that they added a stand-up performance under disguise of a music album, it's kinda refreshing even, but when you realise that one guy that was laughing at every joke wasn't genuine it all falls down

en otro momento lo intentaré escuchar entero y mejor pero me estaba poniendo tensa y todo.... creo que no es mi estilo musical. me lo escuché porque salía en Somos lo Miller y me hizo gracia

I thought this was a list about music and I got a (really bad) audiobook with some standard jazz as background music. Absolute sh*t 1/5.

If I could, I would give the bass player three or four stars. But I need to judge the whole thing together. The fake nightclub setting in a studio shtick doesn’t work for me. It feels disingenuous. And the bad jokes only get responses because of the falseness of the setting and that makes it feel all the more false. Which just undermines the whole persona of Mr Waits to me. And his voice is dogshit. The whole thing is dogshit. Except the bass player because he lays down a sweet grove the whole time.

I'm so done with Tom waits

Dit is zo een pretentieuze bullshit. Hij mompelt een beetje op een bas en wat getjingeltjangel maar komt eigenlijk nergens.

It's Tom Waits. My opinions on him remain unchanged no matter how many of his mumbling, grumbling, beat poetry tracks I listen to.

Guess you need to be a fan, terrible

I’d never listened to Nighthawks, so a self-punishing part of myself was curious and excited when this prompt showed up. I knew about the jazz club kitsch, and I knew I’d have to listen to this someday. A part of me hoped this would unlock for me the secret element of joy that people find in Tom Wait’s unceasing pain. Having listened to most of Tom Wait’s other albums, and knowing the import of Nighthawks, yes, it was time. But, god, I hated this. Tom Waits for no man to get his jokes, they come at such a rapid clip. If the jokes were good, I could appreciate that talent. Instead, I was brought into the crusty late-night feeling of a greasy diner, sitting beside a grit-throated crass man who can’t stop bitching. This truck driver bullshit is not for me. This world is not one I’d ever wish for anyone, so why celebrate it? Perhaps this is for those who glorify the freedom of the lonesome life that allows you to sleep in until noon and then end the night at such places. For a time in my life, my friends and I collected at The Anchor Grill in Kentucky at three in the morning. There was an irony to hanging out there. None of us seriously enjoyed the spot at that hour beyond the kitsch of it. Waits is one who seems not to have understood the joke and latched onto the painful life for nourishment, as that’s all he knows. I’ve noticed the ratings for Nighthawks and for other Tom Waits albums are split between ones and fives. You either love this guy or you hate him. I want to love him, yes I do, but I simply can’t. His schtick irritates the hell out of me. When I meet people like this Nighthawks character in real life, I inevitably create as much space between them and myself as possible, as if their curse is a spreadable contagion that I’d rather avoid. The musical version is no different. Please no more Tom Waits.

Punishing. This is a brutally boring record that in one of my co-workers who was listening along as I played it, was emotionally triggered by memories of hearing Tom Waits the first time. The expressed emotion? Absolute and unequivocal loathing. This really is truly just a steaming pile of crap. Why? Because Tom’s introductions to each so called are as fake as the so-called audience. References to Los Angeles nightlife are a dead giveaway. This is LA and everyone who lives here knows that there is no nightlife here and certainly not in fucking Whittier where Tom is from. I get this is supposed to be a vibe but this familiar with Tom’s work know that there is absolutely no connection between the talk-singing and the music accompanying this mess. Plus it’s really fucking long, the lyrics not sharp or witty and definitely not insightful. This is lengthy verbal noodling and this album is a waste of vinyl and frankly time. Find something else to do such as bark at parked cars, count the threads on a fringed carpet, create toilet paper figurines. Any of these activities is far more exciting and enjoyable than this fucking boring record. Oh, it’s a great sounding recording so it gets a 1/10

not one of the better I Think You Should Leave skits.

Well, easily the silliest thing on this list thus far, and that is saying something. This is Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, with Zoot blowing his horn. Tom needs to delete the back catalogue and pretend his career started in the bathtub with a tuba on Swordfishtrombones.

Bordering on “fuck this guy” but for some reason his thanking the crowd for coming out pulled him outta that territory. I just really don’t get it.

If I ever see Tom Waits in person, I'm gonna kick him in the nuts

Guy needs a voice coach. Don’t understand the appeal and never will