Martin and Sam continue by their lonesomes, but Waits welcomes a guest-host of his own as Bette Midler joins him for this episode of Song by Song. As Foreign Affairs moves into more noir-esque tones, we discuss some of the technical choices in Midler's voice and production, the impact on the world that creates, and whether that helps or hinders a song as a whole.
Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
I Never Talk to Strangers, Foreign Affairs, Tom Waits/Bette Midler (1977)
Yellow Beach Umbrella, Broken Blossom, Bette Midler (1977)
I Never Talk To Strangers (Live), BBC recording, Tom Waits (1979)
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