Tom Waits

Blue Valentine

First released1978

Blue Valentine, released in 1978, was recorded at The Record Plant in Los Angeles and produced by Tom Waits and Shel Talmy. The album marked Waits' artistic shift toward a more experimental, jazzy sound, moving away from the piano-bar style of his debut. Recording took place in a relatively intimate setting that allowed Waits to explore unconventional instrumentation and arrangements, including horns, strings, and various percussion elements. The production process was collaborative, with Waits having significant creative control over the sonic direction and orchestration. The album was engineered by technical staff at The Record Plant and showcased Waits' growing confidence as an interpreter of sophisticated jazz standards and original compositions with literary lyrics.