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Closing Time

Tom Waits

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Album Review

Tom Waits' debut album is a minor-key masterpiece filled with songs of late-night loneliness. Within the apparently narrow range of the cocktail bar pianistics and muttered vocals, Waits and producer Jerry Yester manage a surprisingly broad collection of styles, from the jazzy "Virginia Avenue" to the up-tempo funk of "Ice Cream Man" and from the acoustic guitar folkiness of "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" to the saloon song "Midnight Lullaby," which would have been a perfect addition to the repertoires of Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett. Waits' entire musical approach is stylized, of course, and at times derivative — "Lonely" borrows a little too much from Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" — and his lovelorn lyrics can be sentimental without being penetrating. But he also has a gift for gently rolling pop melodies, and he can come up with striking, original scenarios, as on the best songs, "Ol' 55" and "Martha," which Yester discreetly augments with strings. Closing Time announces the arrival of a talented songwriter whose self-conscious melancholy can be surprisingly moving.

Customer Reviews

Why Have I Waited So Long?

Although I've known about Tom Waits for a while, and dabbled with Mule Variations, I recently purchased this after hearing "Martha" on the radio. This is a brilliant and poignant album by one of the finest balladeers of our time. Old cars, lost love, lullabies--what's not to like? Here, Waits has yet to have the years create his more distinctive voice, but the beginnings are there. Not as experimental as later works, it establishes him as a fine songwriter--a classic. I'm looking forward to exploring the canon of Waits; in the fine tradition of Dylan and Springsteen, a true American tunesmith.

Amazing

Fabulous music by an extremely talented artist. You won't regret buying this. Martha, Lonely and Rosie are my favourites

Brilliant Debut...

The brilliant debut of one of the most innovative artists in music's history.

Biography

Born: December 07, 1949 in Pomona, CA

Genre: Rock

Years Active: '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s

In the 1970s, Tom Waits combined a lyrical focus on desperate, low-life characters with a persona that seemed to embody the same lifestyle, which he sang about in a raspy, gravelly voice. From the '80s on, his work became increasingly theatrical as he moved into acting and composing. Growing up in Southern California, Waits attracted the attention of manager Herb Cohen, who also handled Frank Zappa, and was signed by him at the beginning of the 1970s, resulting in the material later released as The...
Full bio

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