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Before Tom Waits created albums full of percussive instruments that sounded like plastic tubs and trash cans, he was Beat poet giving his jagged croon to jazz-like numbers. The Heart of Saturday Night is a fantastic album for a rained out, slightly depressing Saturday night, preferably if it’s in the middle of the night. These songs might not all be depressing, but they sound subdued and melancholic.
“Drunk On the Moon” is one of the many fantastic songs on the album. It features the Jack Kerouackian lyrics that pervade the album and has the soft jazz-like percussion throughout. And no Waits album is complete without one spoken-word piece. This album has two: “Diamonds On My Windshield” and the closing “Ghosts of Saturday Night (After Hours at Napoleon’s Pizza House).” “Ghosts” is particularly startling since it appears to be done with the barest of instrumentation. It’s mostly just Waits’ voice. But it’s imagery that will really get to you. Listen to his albums with your headphones on and really pay attention to his Beat-hipster poeticisms. They’re just as great as anything the actual Beats produced on an off day. DOWNLOAD: “(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night”
