Tom Waits: No Visitors After Midnight | Live Performances DVD (1975/1979)  

!!! condition of this DVD is USED VERY GOOD !!!

Product Information

• UPC: 4250079702237
• Product Code: WT 7923
• Product Type: Concert DVD (Unofficial Release)
• Label: Woodstock Tapes
• Format: DVD, NTSC
• Duration: 1:21:33 (Total)
• Recording Locations: PBS Soundstage (Chicago, USA, 1975) & BBC Studios (London, UK, 1979)
• Release Year: 2009
• Content Type: Live Television Performances
• Rating: FSK (German film classification)

Overview

"No Visitors After Midnight" brings together two rare television performances by iconic singer-songwriter Tom Waits from the 1970s. The first half captures his appearance on the BBC's "Live in Person" show from London in 1979, showcasing material from his middle period albums including "Small Change" and "Blue Valentine." The second half presents an earlier performance from Chicago's PBS Soundstage in 1975, featuring songs primarily from "The Heart of Saturday Night" and "Nighthawks at the Diner." These performances document Waits during his formative years when he was crafting his distinctive persona as a beat-inspired, jazz-influenced troubadour with a gravelly voice and poetic storytelling style. For fans and collectors, this DVD provides a fascinating glimpse into Waits' artistic evolution before his experimental transformation in the 1980s.

Product Features

• Two complete television performances from Tom Waits' early career
• 17 songs spanning his 1970s catalog
• Intimate studio performances capturing Waits' theatrical delivery
• Historical document of Waits' pre-1980s musical style
• Features classics like "Small Change," "The Heart of Saturday Night," and "Burma Shave"
• High-quality transfers of broadcast material
• Showcases both solo piano performances and band arrangements

Interesting Facts

Artistic Evolution

These performances capture Tom Waits at a pivotal time in his artistic development. The 1975 Chicago show presents his early jazzy, beatnik-inspired persona—the romantic, piano-bar troubadour with a fascination for the nightlife and its characters. By the 1979 London performance, his voice had grown rougher, his characters more desperate, and his storytelling more cinematic, foreshadowing the dramatic transformation his music would take in the 1980s with albums like "Swordfishtrombones."

Theatrical Performer

Even in these early television appearances, Waits demonstrates the theatrical presence that would later make him a compelling film actor. His performances blend music with storytelling, often incorporating extended spoken-word introductions and character vignettes. This approach reflects his admiration for beat poets like Jack Kerouac and his ability to inhabit the downtrodden characters that populate his songs.

Rare Footage

These television performances offer rare visual documentation of Waits during the 1970s, a period when he was actively developing his craft but before he became the avant-garde icon of later decades. The PBS Soundstage appearance is particularly significant as one of the few extended broadcast performances from his earliest years as a recording artist, when his jazz and blues influences were most prominent.

Collaborative History

The London performance includes "I Never Talk to Strangers," which Waits originally recorded as a duet with Bette Midler on his "Foreign Affairs" album. While performing solo here, this song represents Waits' occasional collaborative work during this period, before his extensive later collaborations with wife and co-writer Kathleen Brennan, who would significantly influence his artistic direction from the 1980s onward.

Track Listing

The London TV Show "Live in Person" (BBC Studios, London, UK - July 27, 1979)

1. With A Suitcase - 3:01
2. I Never Talk To Strangers - 3:57
3. Step Right Up - 4:40
4. On The Nickel - 5:14
5. Red Shoes By The Drugstore - 3:53
6. Burma Shave - 8:40
7. Kentucky Avenue - 5:54
8. Small Change - 7:44
9. Closing Time - 1:52

The Chicago Show (PBS Soundstage, Chicago, USA - August 12, 1975)

1. Eggs & Sausage - 2:10
2. Semi Suite - 5:29
3. Diamonds On My Windshield - 4:56
4. Drunk On The Moon - 5:14
5. Better Off Without A Wife - 3:44
6. Nighthawk Postcards - 5:19
7. The Heart Of Saturday Night - 6:00
8. San Diego Serenade - 3:31

Publishers

Woodstock Tapes (Unofficial Release) © 2009 by Woodstock Albany, New York Woodstock Tape & Video Corp.

Important Notice: This appears to be an unofficial release that is not authorized by the artist or original broadcasters. The material may be subject to copyright protection, and the distribution rights may be limited.

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