Tom Waits – Small Change (Vinyl LP, Asylum Records, 1978) – EX/EX

A late-night noir classic that sharpens Tom Waits’ jazz-soaked songwriting into something darker, leaner and more theatrical. Piano-led arrangements, smoky horns and acerbic storytelling define songs like “Tom Traubert’s Blues” and “The Piano Has Been Drinking.” This is Waits at his most cinematic, balancing brutal humour with real emotional weight.