ABOUT THIS ITEM

Hearing these songs from the first third of Tom's career, you'd have very little idea what he'd accomplish later with footstomps and swift kicks to rusty V-8 engines. Before one of the most drastic personal re-creations in pop history, though, Tom was a singer/songwriter who sounded as if he'd already led a long, bittersweet life. Not bad for a boy in his 20's, gin-soaked or otherwise.

Used Songs is a great overview, the rare career retrospective that actually takes the most universally important tracks from a deep backlog. Features Tom's truest moment of clouded heartbreak, "Blue Valentines," and the salesman hustle of "Step Right Up," an astonishing piece of rapid-fire improve that remains one of his five or so most definitive pieces.