472. Tom Waits - Heartattack and Vine (1980)
















Track Listing

1. Heartattack And Vine
2. In Shades
3. Saving All My Love For You
4. Downtown
5. Jersey Girl
6. 'Til The Money Runs Out
7. On The Nickel
8. Mr. Siegal
9. Ruby's Arms

Review

A Tom Waits album is always a good thing, and this is no exception. Thanks album compilers. This is very much a transitional album from the Tom Waits of Nighthawks at the Diner to the Tom Waits of Swordfishtrombones. It is this second phase that I like better.

All transitional albums have a problem of lack of focus, but here the problem is kind of non-existent although you can see Waits experimenting with styles. Jersey Girl is for example a perfect Springsteen song and it is therefore not weird that Springsteen would sing it in most of his concerts in the 80's.

That said Waits is Waits and Waits is God. So this is another great album by a guy who will be here several times still. Really good music by a very talented man. Highly recommended.

Track Highlights

1. Jersey Girl
2. On The Nickel
3. Ruby's Arms
4. Downtown

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Heartattack and Vine was Tom Waits' last album on the Asylum label. This album serves as a slight precursor to Waits' later, more experimental style he developed on Island Records. His recognizable "growl" from Swordfishtrombones onwards is clearly heard for the first time here.

Jersey Girl: