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Song by Song — Music
Song by Song

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.

Copyright: © All rights reserved

Latest Episodes:

Short Cuts (film, dir. Altman, 1993) [F15] May 13, 2020

Show notes

Casual enthusiasts Martin & Sam are joined by a genuine expert, NYT film journalist Amy Nicholson, to take a look at Waits's contribution to a massive 3-hour epic over overlapping narratives, Robert Altman's Short Cuts. We debate depictions of misogyny and family disfunction, the loyalty of the performers to Altman and many other questions that surround this interlocking set of stories.

website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: Clips from Short Cuts, dir. Robert Altman (1993)

We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly.

So Long I'll See Ya, The Early Years Volume 1, Tom Waits [241] Apr 29, 2020

Show notes

A final episode for this first volume of demos sees Martin and Sam mulling the stylistic choices and tone Waits is aiming for, his choice of instrument going forward, and how the material on Early Years vol 1 strikes us nearly 5 decades years after its recording.

website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: So Long I'll See Ya, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits (1991)

We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly.

Looks Like I'm Up Shit Creek Again, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits [240] Apr 22, 2020

Show notes

Simplicity abounds, and seems to succeed - perhaps despite the title - as Jess, Martin and Sam dig into a sweet song with a crude punchline. The origins of the title's phrase, the sentiment of leaving as embodied in the country music tradition, and the shift that time and irony creates in music from 20-50 years ago all feature in this week's discussion.

website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: Looks Like I'm Up Shit Creek Again, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits (1991) Are You Leaving For The Country, In My Own Time, Karen Dalton (1971)

We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly.

Frank's Song, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits [239] Apr 15, 2020

Show notes

Jess Abbott returns for some slightly contentious debate with Sam & Martin around the "bros before hags" sentiment of this song. With some strong language in our interval track and the associated sentiments between children and parents, we talk about family and the ways they interact once children have grown up.

website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: Frank's Song, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits (1991) Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole, Martha Wainwright, Martha Wainwright (2005)

We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly.

Little Trip to Heaven, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits [238] Apr 08, 2020

Show notes

Martin & Sam welcome our guest host Jess Abbott to not only discuss this little trip, but also to provide our interval track, as we discuss another Waits demo-to-studio song in relation to Jess's own (re)writing process.

website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: Little Trip To Heaven, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits (1991) Clipping, Nightstand, Tancred (2018) Clipping, demo, courtesy of Jess Abbott (2018)

We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly.

When You Ain't Got Nobody, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits [237] Apr 01, 2020

Show notes

Our third episode with Michael, Sam & Martin brings us to a slightly less-excited point in the evolution of Waits's writing. We have a chat about what works for a live audience, what survives well on a recording, and the process of working through bad ideas to get to the gems.

website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: When You Ain't Got Nobody, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits (1991) Just a Gigolo, Kicks, Elisa JO (2020)

We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly.

Midnight Lullaby, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits [236] Mar 25, 2020

Show notes

A sleepy week sees Michael, Sam & Martin brushing their teeth, getting in their pyjamas and heading off to bed. All three of us are struck by the strength of this Early Years version/demo, particularly the arrangement, and how it compares to other brilliant nap-time classics.

website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: Midnight Lullaby, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits (1991) Mr Sandman, single, The Chordettes (1954)

We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly.

Virginia Avenue, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits [235] Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

Guest host Michael Caines joins Martin & Sam for another early version of a Closing Time track, as Waits wanders through Hollywood (or San Diego?) (or Reno?!?) slightly the worse for wear, as Song by Song has a think about how artists reinterpret their own songs.

website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: Virginia Ave., The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits (1991) This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us, Plagiarism, Sparks feat. Faith No More (1997)

We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly.

Rocking Chair, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits [234] Mar 11, 2020

Show notes

This week's sees Sam & Martin at odds and Alice forced to mediate over this country-style song about boredom and ageing. Returning to Waits's 70s writing brings us back to a discussion of appropriation, as well as unique voices and their contribution to songs' meaning and tone.

website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: Rockin' Chair, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits (1991) September Song, The Collection, Eartha Kitt (2002/195?)

We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly.

Ice Cream Man, The Early Years vol 1, Tom Waits [233] Mar 04, 2020

Show notes

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.

website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com

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)

We think your Song by Song experience will be enhanced by hearing, in full, the songs featured in the show, which you can get hold of from your favourite record shop or online platform. Please support artists by buying their music, or using services which guarantee artists a revenue - listen responsibly.

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