Tom Waits
The Complete VH1 Storytellers
Burbank Airport
Burbank, CA
1 April 1999

SBD > Non-Broadcast Tape > CDR > Remaster (Cool Edit Pro 2.1) > SHN > audio CD-R > extracted to WAV with EAC in secure mode, no errors reported > FLAC > DIME

While many performers have a hard time with VH1's Storytellers format, Tom really flourished, making the most of each opportunity to tell one of his  stories - some that have a little to do with the lyrics and sometimes nothing at all. The band is excellent, the arrangements are tasteful and interesting, and the vocals are perfect. This is a great sounding show - commercial quality. This is one of the must-have Waits bootlegs in your collection. And in a most unusual twist, Tom finishes the show with Jersey Girl (D2T5) but then proceeds to come back on stage to redo some songs that he didn't particulary like the first time through. I've never seen an artist do this - amazing for most artists but probably not Tom!.

1. Tango 'Till They're Sore (5:43)    2. Hang Down Your Head (4:59)    3. Ol' 55 (6:09)    4. Strange Weather (5:38)    5. Hold On (9:07)    6. Picture in a Frame (4:52)    7. Can't Wait To Get Off Work (6:31)    8. House Where Nobody Lives (6:47)    9. Get Behind the Mule (8:13)  10. Chocolate Jesus (6:46)  11. What's He Building? (6:43)

1. A Little Rain (4:53)    2. Downtown Train (5:29)    3. Black Wings (4:55)    4. Jesus Gonna Be There (7:31)    5. Jersey Girl (8:17)    6. E: Chocolate Jesus (versions 2 & 3) (7:16)    7. Tango 'Till They're Sore (4:23)    8. Hang Down Your Head (5:04) Tom Waits - Piano, Vocals Smokey Hormel - Guitar, Banjo Larry Taylor - Bass

Total time: 2 hrs

Remaster Notes from Stephen Pickett: After recieve various flawed copies of this set, I decided to do a little research. As it turns out, the copy the generally circulates contains various digital copy errors throughout, though most noticable on the end of disc 1. With the impossibility of obtaining a clear copy of it, I took upon myself the laborious task of remastering these discs. The first step was to listen through with my headphones and remove all of the skips, gaps, and other bizarre problems that had been introduced onto the discs. Tracks 10 and 11 on the first disc were especially difficult, and a close listen will still reveal a few imperfections scattered throughout. I didn't want to alter the original too much, so the really tough ones remain. No noise reduction or EQ of any kind was performed. While these discs are still not perfect, this version is a hell of a lot better than the versions that I was able to find circulating around.

return