Ice Cream Man - The Early Years vol 1 [233]

Alice returns for our first demo-to-studio jump, as Waits either trades frozen treats for hot lovin', or just embarks on a peripatetic dairy-based romance. Song endings, the interpretation between demos and final versions, as well as the nature of demos and producers/production in general all get consideration.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Ice Cream Man, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits (1991)

Hit The Road Jack, demo, Percy Mayfield (1960)

Ice Cream Man, Closing Time, Tom Waits (1973)

Hit The Road Jack, single, Ray Charles (1961)

The Doppler Effect: what does motion do to waves?, Alt Shift X, via YouTube (2013)

O Death, Ralph Stanley, O Brother Whereart Thou? Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2000)

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I Wish I Was in New Orleans - Small Change [039]

Sam and Martin continue their journey through Small Change, as our latest guest host Lucy Dallas challenges the notion that authenticity and honesty is a vital part of songwriting, and whether Waits manages to do more than recapitulate a tradition of yearning for another place and time. With comparisons to Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong and ninja dwarves, there's little doubt you'll wish you were in another episode of Song by Song.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
I Wish I Was In New Orleans (In the Ninth Ward), Small Change, Tom Waits (1976)

Georgia On My Mind, The Genius Hits The Road, Ray Charles (1960)

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