Tom Waits is all about respecting the past and taking old ideas and making them new again. However, instead of New Orleans Jazz music, old German musicals, dusty accordions, or whatever else grabs his fancy, this time Waits is concerned with his own past.
On December 21, Rhino Records will reissue Tom Waits’ first four albums, originally released on Asylum Records, as 180-gram vinyl LPs. If you’ve had a hard time building up the Waits section in your record collection, then you better get ready to add Closing Time, The Heart of Saturday Night, Nighthawks at the Diner, and Small Change, which will all be available for the low, low price of $24.98 each (except Nighthawks, which is a double LP and costs 10 bucks more) and will all include the original album artwork.
If you fancy yourself a “Die-Hard Tom Waits Fan” then you’d better knock it off because your elitism is a real turn-off, and your tattoo doesn’t actually look that cool. Tom’s face looks way too rubbery. Also, you should think about throwing down the extra cash for special, limited-edition versions of all the albums, because they’re pressed on red vinyl, are limited to 1000 copies, and can only be purchased at Tom Waits’ handmade, vintage website. I’ve also heard that everyone who buys a copy will get to drink from a cup of coffee that Tom put his lips on (don’t worry normal Tom Waits fans, I’m just saying this to rile up all those hardcore fans who think that getting a job as a taxi driver or wearing pasties makes them super-cool).
• Tom Waits: http://www.tomwaits.com
• Rhino: http://www.rhino.com
