TOM WAITS' FIRST LP? 1964 Hilltop Jr. High School Band, Chula Vista, CA Blue Wax

Click on the audio player below to hear a brief mp3 excerpt from this record. This is a straight transfer from the actual record in this auction, with NO noise reduction or click removal processes applied. This will give you a basic idea of the playing condition of this record. Please be aware that mono records are properly transferred summed to mono, which generally cancels out some of the surface noise. Mono records played in stereo will sound more noisy. I can't accept returns for mono records that don't sound as good played in stereo.

Notes: Guaranteed original press on blue wax. This is the 1964 school band LP for Hilltop Junior High School, Chula Vista, CA (now known as Hilltop Middle School). This record MAY have Tom Waits playing trumpet on it- if so, it could be his first appearance on any record. The names of the students are not listed on either the record label or jacket (the back of the jacket simply has the generic "Century Records" logo). I contacted the librarian at Hilltop, who confirmed that Waits appears in the 1964 yearbook as an 8th-grader. Unfortunately the yearbook does not list the names of the students in the band. Waits has been quoted as saying that he played trumpet in school bands growing up. This page has a third-party account of Waits playing trumpet at Hilltop Jr. High. It stands to reason that since Waits was playing trumpet in school at this time, that he would naturally also be in the school band, and therefore would have played on this record. I simply don't have the absolute smoking gun evidence. There's definitely trumpets on the record, though of course you'd never be able to single out Waits' playing. Nevertheless, assuming Waits IS on this record, it certainly makes an interesting collectible item for the true Waits completist! I'll let the bidders decide whether it's worth anything or not.

Incidentally, I also have the 1963 Hilltop Jr. High band LP, but the librarian says that neither Waits' name nor picture appear in the 1963 yearbook. Waits has claimed to have attended the nearby "all black" O'Farrell School for junior high, so it's possible that he went there for 7th grade. Then again, he also claims to have "dropped out of high school," even though his senior portrait appears in the 1968 Hilltop High yearbook, so he may not be the most reliable source for such info!
Goldmine visual grade:
Vinyl: VG++
Jacket: NM
(listen to mp3 for audio grade)

Please see my other auctions for a collection of freshly unearthed, never before seen concert photos of Waits in 1974!

Local pickup is always welcome, and cash transactions are very much appreciated in those instances. Email contact from winning bidder must be made within 3 days of the end of the auction. (If you are planning on being away from your computer during this time frame, please let me know in advance.) Payment must be made within 10 days of the end of the auction or you risk forfeiting the item.

I usually make my weekly post office run on Thursday evenings, and your item will ship on the next closest PO run I make.

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Oh, and thanks for looking!