Tom Waits - The Early Years: Volume One

Tom Waits wasn't always the intense, even bizarre pop expressionist he'd become by the 1980s. Before the brilliant dementia of his later work, Waits was just another soft-spoken troubadour with a wicked sense of humour and a special fondness for jazz, blues, and the Beat generation.

The roots of his music are revealed within the 13 tracks of The Early Years, a collection of previously unreleased 1971 demo tapes. Waits never intended these recordings for public consumption. But the wise guy pathos of "I'm Your Late Night Evening Prostitute" and the intentionally bad puns of "Had Me a Girl" hold up well as intelligent, charming, early snapshots of an important artist. Other highlights include early versions of Closing Time tracks like "Ice Cream Man", "Virginia Avenue", "Midnight Lullaby" and more.

Heavyweight vinyl produced by Manifest Records in 2013.