Nighthawks at the Diner is the first live album by Tom Waits and his third … Read Full Bio ↴Nighthawks at the Diner is the first live album by Tom Waits and his third overall. It was released on Asylum Records in October 1975. It was recorded live in the Los Angeles Record Plant Studios, in front of a small invited audience.
The album peaked at 164 on the Billboard 200, the highest place he had ever held at the time, and is currently certified Silver by the BPI. It has received critical acclaim for its successful mood-setting, capturing of the jazz-club atmosphere and characterisation. It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

The album was recorded at Record Plant Los Angeles on July 30 and 31, 1975. Waits however opens the album by calling the venue the fictional "Raphael's Silver Cloud Lounge.

The album only charted on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at 164. This was the highest position he had ever held at the time. His next album, Small Change, would be his highest charting with Asylum Records, who dropped him in 1981 for failing to move beyond cult status. It is currently certified Silver by the BPI.
The album has been generally well received by critics, and is considered by some to be the best album of his early career.Reviewer Peter Watts wrote "although it could be dismissed as an entertaining conceit, the fake nightclub atmosphere of Nighthawks... possibly captures the appeal of early Waits even better than the two impressive albums which preceded it. "Allmusic gave it 3 and an half stars, saying "You could call it overdone, but then, this kind of material made its impact through an accumulation of miscellaneous detail, and who's to say how much is too much?", and positively noting Waits' addition of comedy and acting into the set. On November 18, 2010, Rhapsody named it the album of the day, saying that "Waits' meticulous persona is remarkable."