Tom Waits

Heartattack and Vine

First released1980

Heartattack and Vine, Tom Waits' seventh studio album, was recorded at The Record Plant in Los Angeles in 1979 and produced by Waits himself alongside engineer Gregg Bissonette. The album marked a significant shift in Waits' sound toward a rawer, more blues-influenced aesthetic, moving away from the jazz-inflected style of his previous work. Recording sessions were characterized by live instrumentation and experimentation with unconventional recording techniques that captured the gritty urban atmosphere Waits sought. The production reflected the late 1970s punk and new wave influence on Waits' artistic direction, resulting in a more stripped-down and percussive sound compared to his earlier albums. Released in December 1979, the album represented a creative turning point that would influence Waits' subsequent work throughout the 1980s.