Tom Waits to reissue ‘Small Change’ on vinyl for 50th anniversary

Tom Waits’ 1976 album, ‘Small Change’, is scheduled for a special vinyl reissue on October 2 to commemorate its 50th anniversary. The fourth studio album is noted for blending jazz, blues, cabaret, and spoken-word performance.

Recorded in July 1976 at Wally Heider’s Studio 3 in Hollywood under producer Bones Howe, the sessions utilized a direct-to-two-track stereo tape method. To maintain a jazz-like atmosphere, musicians performed together in the same room rather than using isolated headphone tracks. The album features tracks such as ‘Tom Traubert’s Blues’, ‘Step Right Up’, and ‘The Piano Has Been Drinking’.

The songwriting on the record was heavily influenced by Waits’ early experiences working as a nightclub doorman in Los Angeles and observing characters in all-night diners and coffee shops. The album is recognized as a pivotal moment in his career, showcasing the development of his signature gravelly vocal style and theatrical storytelling.