Martin and Sam conclude the Early Years with a slight shrug towards this Closing Time demo, albeit with some sadness and mixed feelings. Looking back on both albums, we consider what they illuminate in Waits’s writing, and how the Early Years songs may inform the coming phase of his career.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Old Shoes, The Early Years vol 2, Tom Waits (1993)
I Told You How Important You Would Be, Pale Bird/Martin Zaltz Austwick & Lily Sloane (2020)
Maddie's Sound Explorers, Maddie Moate/Magic Star/Martin Zaltz Austwick/Various (2020)
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