Retro Spins: The Waitresses - Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?

     

Today I'm diving into the world of punk with the short lived, The Waitresses. My initial exposure to them had been through their 1982 one hit wonder, I Know What Boys Like. Candidly, it wasn't ever that great of a song, but yet I found myself consistently coming back to it in my want list. The problem is that if you go looking for their debut, Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? on CD, you won't find it, per se. Further, you won't find their second and last album 1983's Bruiseology on a standalone CD release.

The key word in the above is "per se". Polydor never released their two studio albums and one EP on CD. Instead, when it came time for a digital format, the put forth the incomplete compilations entitled The Best of the Waitresses (1990), and 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Waitresses (2003). It would be Omnivore Recordings who would finally do the band right by releasing Just Desserts: The Complete Waitresses in 2013. This two-disc set collects both studio albums, the EP, and a couple of bonus tracks. Unfortunately, it is long out of print and can be on the expensive side.

Price can be a turnoff alone, as one would really need to be a collector of all things 80's albums, or a massive fan. At the time of my listening session, I did not qualify as the latter, despite actually owning the album on vinyl.

P.S. does anyone want a vinyl copy now that I have it on CD?

When taking just the hit, I Know What Boys Like, it's not a very desirable album. However, when listening to it from start to finish, my opinion changed drastically.

Punk was never really my genre of music, but I dug what The Waitresses were going for here. In particular, I really enjoyed the inclusion of saxophone throughout it. Something I never would expect to like. It also doesn't fall into your traditional punk styling. By that, I mean it's not excessively loud, with a vocalist shouting, musicians playing as fast and hard as they can, nor necessarily violent in tone.

Truthfully, it left me a bit eager to jump into their second album, also something that was unexpected. I'll be doing just that tomorrow.

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