Closing Time

by Tom Waits

Overview

Tom Waits' debut album is a minor-key masterpiece filled with songs of late-night loneliness. Within his chosen narrow range of the cocktail bar pianistics and muttered vocals, Waits and producer Jerry Yester manage to deliver a surprisingly broad collection of styles, from the jazzy "Virginia Avenue" to the uptempo off-kilter funkiness of "Ice Cream Man." The acoustic guitar folkiness of the tender "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" is an upside-down take on the Laurel Canyon sound, while the saloon song "Midnight Lullaby" would have been a perfect addition to the repertoires of Frank Sinatra and/or Tony Bennett. Waits' entire musical approach is highly stylized and, in its lesser moments, somewhat derivative of some of his own heroes: "Lonely" borrows from Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today." His lovelorn lyrics can be sentimental without penetrating too deeply, but they still get the job done since these are song portraits in miniature. The frameworks of most of the songs come from the songwriter's literary obsessions with Charles Bukowski and Jack Kerouac. Waits also has a gift for gentle, rolling pop melodies; his original scenarios are strikingly visual on the best songs, such as "Martha" -- which Yester discreetly augments with strings -- and the now iconic "Ol' 55." Waits' original version is far superior in conveying the early-morning emotions after leaving a lover's room to the Eagles' hooky hit cover -- which ultimately guaranteed Waits an income for life. Closing Time quietly announces the arrival of a talented songwriter whose self-consciousness, wry barroom humor, and solitary melancholy made him a standout from virtually all of his peers, and difficult to pigeonhole. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	03/09/2018
Label:	ANTI
UPC:	0045778756513

Tracks

1. Ol' 55
2. I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You
3. Virginia Avenue
4. Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)
5. Midnight Lullaby
6. Martha
7. Rosie
8. Lonely
9. Ice Cream Man
10. Little Trip to Heaven (On The Wings of Your Love)
11. Grapefruit Moon
12. Closing Time

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tom Waits   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Celeste,Harmonium,Harpsichord
Tony Terran   Trumpet
Jesse Ehrlich   Cello
Bill Plummer   Bass,Double Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Arni Egilsson   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Jerry Yester   String Quartet
John Seiter   Drums,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Anthony Terran   Trumpet
Shep Cooke   Guitar,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Delbert Bennett   Trumpet
Peter Klimes   Guitar

Technical Credits

Jonathan Richman   Composer
Richie Moore   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Tom Waits   Composer,Lyricist
Jerry Yester   Producer
Richard Moore   Engineer
Cal Schenkel   Package Design
Ed Caraeff   Photography