Song by Song is a podcast celebrating the music of Tom Waits, hosted by podcaster-musician Martin Zaltz Austwick and actor-musician Sam Pay. Sam and Martin set themselves the goal of listening to Tom Waits’s back catalogue from beginning to end, and devoting an episode to discussing each track. Song by Song is in no way officially linked to Tom Waits, or endorsed by Tom Waits, or associates. All excerpts are used for criticism purposes - please purchase your own copies of the music at your favourite shop, app, or platform to get the full experience and support musicians' work.
http://songbysong.libsyn.com/website
Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 4 days 21 hours 11 minutes
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episode 12: Closing Time, Closing Time, Tom Waits [012]
In this final instrumental track on Closing Time, Sam and Martin sum up their feelings about the album as well as the interesting discoveries they’ve made in beginning the Song by Song project. They discuss arrangements, collaborators, lack of...
episode 11: Grapefruit Moon, Closing Time, Tom Waits [011]
As we head into the final tracks of Closing Time, Martin and Sam explore the sentimental side of Waits’s writing and the presence of unusual types of love in his lyrics. Song by Song is Martin Zaltz Austwick and Sam Pay; two musicians listening to...
episode 10: Little Trip to Heaven (On the Wings of Your Love), Closing Time, Tom Waits [010]
Sam and Martin debate Waits’s influences as a singer and performer and his relationship to Frank Sinatra, and the ways they break expectations of songs and draw audiences in. Marble eggs also feature somehow. Song by Song is Martin Zaltz Austwick...
episode 9: Ice Cream Man, Closing Time, Tom Waits [009]
Things kick up a gear as Martin and Sam discuss the energetic outlier of Closing Time’s second half. Discussion includes explicit lyrics, comic-book ice-cream sellers and the swing era of the Big Band. Song by Song is Martin Zaltz Austwick and Sam...
episode 8: Lonely, Closing Time, Tom Waits [008]
Sparse and open orchestration, dissonant ringing and obscure meaning all feature in the discussion of what Sam considers the most interesting song of the album, with debate over vocal authenticity vs technical ability and musical theatre performance....
episode 7: Rosie, Closing Time, Tom Waits [007]
Utterly unable to keep their minds out of the gutter, Martin and Sam get seriously stuck on one particular lyric, but push through to talk about Closing Time as an album, falsetto singing and courtly language. Song by Song is Martin Zaltz Austwick and...
episode 6: Martha, Closing Time, Tom Waits [006]
Sam and Martin reach the iconic, eulogic apex of Closing Time, as Tom Waits makes a long-distance call to an old flame. Narrative structure and resolution, Sam’s hatred of oboes and the Meatloaf reading of Gilliam’s Brazil all come up. Honestly....
episode 5: Midnight Lullaby, Closing Time, Tom Waits [005]
Lulled by children’s rhymes and traditional tunes, Martin and Sam start to talk about Waits’s lyrical content (or lack thereof), as well as personality vs. persona, tenderness compared with romance and a magpie attitude to language and songs. Song...
episode 4: Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards), Closing Time, Tom Waits [004]
We finally get some real disagreement with this fourth track from Closing Time, Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards) - as the Dylan influence starts to show Sam rails against the pointlessness of the track while Martin defends the folk influences of...
episode 3: Virginia Avenue, Closing Time, Tom Waits [003]
Closing Time continues with Virginia Avenue, a wander through the late night streets of 1970s LA and through a song that both Martin and Sam seem to have forgotten about until today. Trumpet players, the voice as instrument and background storytelling...