Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of genres, styles and time periods. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album or view the full album index here.
TOM WAITS | Nighthawks at the Diner
Asylum (1975)
Selected by Libby Cudmore
Recorded live in the studio, this marvelous album is all-new material, including all the ramblings and crooning that only Waits can bring. With a burlesque-rat-a-tat opening and beatnik jazz throughout, at times, it’s so Waitsian that it borders on parody. But let’s be real—just dropping the needle on this record will instantly make you that much cooler.
The highlights come early in “Emotional Weather Report” and “Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson),” but it’s “Better Off Without a Wife,” that really steals the show, intro and all, complete with the audience’s howling as Waits describes the perfect date with himself, from the Burrito King (“I ain’t cheap”) to the late-night inevitable (“About 2:30 in the morning, I’ve taken advantage of myself and there’s no way around that”).
Even sitting at home with the platter on your turntable feels like a dimly-lit bar or an after-hours diner.
LISTEN:
