I was born in 1973. I didn't hear these songs until 1993, when the world of heartbreak, alcohol, tobacco and bars opened up to me. You still have time to catch up.
Songs like "A Sight For Sore Eyes", "Ol' 55", "Jersey Girl", "Heart of Saturday Night", "Tom Traubert's Blues" and "Burma Shave" are all on this disc. In college I was betrothed to them. A succession of passionate affairs, I dated each one and they all eventually broke my heart somewhere down the line.
Anthology of Tom Waits on cassette is the best cassette in the history of cassettes and accompanied me all over the world. I'm now on my 4th one because the others were worn out in Chicago in '93, Chile in '94 and Paris in '95. I still recall rewinding "Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen" over and over on the Parisian subway and then pressing play once the Métro spit me out onto the street. I write this because this collection is a sister to the anthology.
There are lots of other songs. "Heartattack and Vine", "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis", "Mr. Siegel", "Step Right Up" and "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard" are all pearls and rubies.
When this disc came out it was like dialing up a long lost love. Distant and familiar and yours. Too bad "Martha" isn't here.
Tom Waits Used Songs: 1973-1980
