Tom Waits
The Main Point
October 26, 1974
Bryn Mawr, PA
JF Archive Vol. 10 via JEMS

Taper: unknown

Source: unknown recorder > unknown microphone (mono)

JEMS 2015 Transfer: Low generation reel (7.5 IPS) > Otari 5050 mkII azimuth-adjusted transfer >
USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 (24/96) capture > IZotope RX + Ozone 5 > iZotope RX MBIT+ resample 16/44.1 >
Peak Pro XT (volume smoothing / edit / index) > xACT 2.21 > FLAC


01 Rosie
02 On A Foggy Night
03 (Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night
04 Fumblin' With The Blues
05 Ol' 55
06 Better Off Without A Wife
07 Nighthawk Postcards (From Easy Street)
08 Ice Cream Man
09 Big Joe And Phantom 309
10 Diamonds On My Windshield
11 The Ghosts of Saturday Night (After Hours at Napoleone's Pizza House)


THE JF BACKSTORY


JEMS loves a vintage taper series and we're pleased to offer another one, this time from the archive of our friend JF, who taped in and around Southern California in the '70s and later resumed taping in Boston in the '80s. He frequented smaller venues, like the Troubadour and the Roxy, leaving arenas to others and leaning more towards the folksier, jazzier and eclectic sides of rock.

JF was also an active trader at the time and this recording is one of the uncirculated or under-circulated gems from the early '70s that are also in JFs� archive.

Installment 10 is what we believe to be a previously uncirculated audience pull of Waits at the legendary Philadelphia area coffee shop. For the era, it is a very clear and listenable �you are there� mono recording of a very entertaining set. Samples provided.

We shared the recording with frogster who sent some additional insights on the performance:

�Waits is in a talkative mood this show, speaking for a good 2-3 minutes between most songs as he strums the chords to the next one, spinning yarns including an amusing story about a �friend who was working in a saw mill.� Set highlights include an early blues guitar version of �Better Off Without A Wife,� which would later turn into a piano ballad, as well as an embryonic version of �Nighthawk Postcards,� with about a third of its lyrics in place, plus some additional lyrics that wouldn�t make the final version. In all, it offers a fine recording of an intimate Waits performance.

Taking this one over the finish line on JEMS' behalf is frogster, who came to our attention through many excellent posts and reposts of late, including several key early Waits' concerts. Thanks to him for taking it the last mile and to glasnostrd19 who suggested we connect with frogster.

Thanks to JF, who reached out on DIME (you could be next!) and offered us his archive, which had been sitting in boxes, 6000 miles away from where he lives today, for 20+ years. Like so many early tapers, he had great stories to tell and the memories flooded back as we sorted through tapes. We are pleased to be able to bring his work to all of you. Please let him know through your comments that you are, too.

BK for JEMS