Tom Waits
The Ritz
Memphis, TN, USA
Nov. 02, 1977

SBD

Here’s a nice one from the ’77 Foreign Affairs – tour.

Actually, this is a good soundboard-direct-to-tape recording, but the tape was played quite often before transferred to CD, so the quality went “way down in the hole” over the years. After all, it’s still nice to listen to, I would give it a B+.
There are some severe tape problems at the beginning of track one, but it’s getting better after a few minutes. If you find it too disturbing, you might flip on to the second song…

I’ve selected this show for two main reasons:

• rare performance of “Potter’s Field” ( track 14 )
• funny things happen in “Cupid” ( track 12 ) : Tom started to sing this quiet song with guitar accompaniment, stopped after one minute and complains about the noisy audience….saying something like: ” Shut up back there for christ sake, I’m trying to sing a goddamn song ! These people are trying to listen, you farmers back there making all that … I mean, for christ sake….sounds like a farm workers convention back there … I know… I remember my first beer and everything, I get a little rowdy too ! …”
  After that, he didn’t finish the song but starts with “Heart Of Saturday Night”.

🙂

There is also an introduction to a local stripper named “Sherry Love” in “Pasties & A G-String” ( track 8 ); unfortunatly, this is not a video ! ;-))
According to drummer Chip White, tour manager John Forscha hired a stripper lady on Toms birthday show in dec.76 to enter the stage in the middle of the song. After that night, they hired a stripper in every town for the rest of the tour.

I did very little rework on the sound, just a little limiter and normalization, no noise or hiss reduction…I also have cut out a short segment at the beginning of track 15; there was a very loud and strange noise for about two seconds of no music.

Original lineage:
SBD > tape (unknown gen.) > CDR > EAC > WAV > Cool Edit Pro > WAV > FLAC > Correct SBEs (TLH 2.4.1.160) >

Goody’s additional lineage:
dBpoweramp (WAV) > Audition (Pitch Bender +24 cents; Auto align and center channels; Tracking updated) >
TLH (FLAC Level 8; Align sector boundaries; .ffp) > foobar2000 (tags)

01 The One That Got Away 4:26
02 Step Right Up 5:16
03 Jitterbug Boy (Sharing A Curbstone With Chuck E. Weiss, Robert Marchese, Paul Body and The Mug and Artie) 5:58
04 New Coat Of Paint 2:21
05 The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)(An Evening With Pete King) 3:40
06 Depot Depot 3:19
07 I Never Talk To Strangers 3:28
08 Pasties And A G-String (At The Two O’Clock Club) 8:57
09 Small Change (Got Rained On With His Own .38) 6:16
10 I Wish I Was In New Orleans (In The Ninth Ward) 4:07
11 Eggs And Sausage (In A Cadillac With Susan Michelson) 4:23
12 Cupid 2:15
13 (Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night 3:34
14 Potter’s Field 8:54
15 San Diego Serenade 3:48

Running time: 70:42

Tom Waits: vocals, guitar, piano
Frank Vicari: tenor sax
Danny Trifan: upright bass
Chip White: drums & percussion, vibes

NOT FOR SALE – TRADE FREELY

cheers, Pascal
http://www.waitswatcher.de.vu

Goody’s notes:
This is somewhat of an improvement over the original files which had more severe left and right channel fading in and out than what you’ll now find. Centering these channels served to bring much of that panning together. Unfortunately there’s still lots of evident damage and dropouts, especially in the beginning of the show, as described in Pascal’s original notes. I believe the vocals are now more distinct and centered and more easily understood. Please do stick with it. 🙂
I also found the files I received to be a bit slow/flat. The Speed/Pitch is now adjusted correctly.

Text updated for this edition – August 27, 2018

Happyrudolf’s comment :

First of all thank you very much to my good friend Goody for his great work. :o) The difference between the original upload and this version is amazing.:o)

Also thank you very much to the one of the great pioneers within the Tom Waits community The Waitswatcher Pascal for sharing the show a long time ago.:o)

Goody points out that you should be aware of the various song references in the intro to Jitterbug Boy for the 1st minute or so of that tune.

Enjoy. :o)