Tom Waits - Closing Time

It starts with a sunrise, it ends with "one star shining," and in between Closing Time contains an honest year's worth (1973, to be exact) of sweet, melodic, vintage Tom Waits--minus some of the vocal growl and thematic grit of his later stuff (but you can see it coming). Waltzes, lullabies, blues, jazz, you name it. Driving songs and drinking songs, even an honest to gosh country tune: "Rosie." There are torchers ("Lonely"), scorchers ("Ice Cream Man"), and back-porch senior citizen love songs ("Martha"): "Those were the days of roses/Poetry and prose, and/Martha, all I had was you and all you had was me." Other standouts are "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" (guess what--he does!) and "Grapefruit Moon," in which Waits croons: "Every time I hear that melody, something breaks inside." Hang on to your hearts and hats, folks. --Dan Leone Amazon.com essential recording

Still my favorite album of all time

This will be the fourth time I buy this album. I keep playing this until it falls apart or I lose it or break it. This turned me on to Waits's genius! May 20, 2008

Tom Waits, Gotta love it

I was about 20 years old laying on my parents couch watching the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Mom was to my right drunk and babbeling about some obscure moment in her life that no one within the sphere of sanity would care about. Then, all of a sudden Jay Leno announces what my than 20 year old mind framed as " some old guy playing the piano." His voice resembled that of an elderly man who just drank a bottle of drano. Yet remarkably, I felt that he was incredible. I immediately went out and bought "Closing Time" by Tom Waits and I have NO regrets.

Have you ever purchased a CD that you felt just didn't have a bad song on it? They are definately far and few between. Closing Time is one of those CD's. Not a bad song in the bunch. Though I have to say my personal favorites are "ol 55" and "Old Shoes." Tom's voice is clearer in tone, so I'm thinkin his drano drinking days were yet still ahead of him. As a lover of music and musicianship (and just over all good song writing) this is a must own in this reviewers humble opinion. Tom doesn't live in my CD player (MP3 player now that I finally purchased one_) as much as some of my favorite Jazz artists, but he still frequents my listening pleasure from time to time. If you have never heard this CD you should give it a spin or two.

Botton Line: This is music you should listen to and you will enjoy. April 5, 2008

Night world

It came out in 1973, but Tom Waits' debut doesn't really sound like it comes from any particular time. In its smokey corridors we can hear strains of everything from Howlin' Wolf to Frank Sinatra to Hank Williams to Randy Newman, we can hear the Great American Songbook quivering under desolate country melodies, with bleary strains of blues and folk and jazz wriggling their way through the mix, with warm, cracked vocals and spare lyrics, all of it evoking raw twilights and quiet fall afternoons and solitary sunset drives and an endless succession of long, lonely nights among seedy bars and half-lit bedrooms and still streets twisting through a sleeping city under a pale moon. Ever had a night like that? Waits has clearly had more than his share. As such, Closing Time is the sound of a state of mind, an aesthetic, a feeling, an entire world that exists between dreamscape and consciousness, between life and ether. It's the national anthem of the sleepless night, the muttering, beating heart of loneliness and quiet desperation. As old as time, and as immediate as the pangs of lost love. It's a gorgeous, gorgeous album, and one that everybody should hear. March 30, 2008

Yo disney...Can't Touch This!

Rest assured, if ytour only familiar with later Tom Waits, it may just shock you to hear this album. Don't worry about that though, he didn;'s start out as a no talent artist making lame soft rock songs with all the musical merit of crappy pop singers like Patti Page (the one responsible for How Much is that Doggy in The Window). Tom Waits wass a bloomer from the beggining. He wrote some of the most tearful love songs on this album. I'm usually one that doesn't cry when listening to music, but listening to this album almost did make me shed a tear.Of course he still offers some great songwriting that other artists still cannot match (for the most part). He still has some distinct voice that he still has from the beggining, although it's not as gritty (not even close, actually of his later voice). He still sounds like one person, and that's Tom Waits.

You won't find any songs about death, so I'll clear it up. He still, however, does put his spin on the love song, as you won't find any much resembling the love song that most people think of when that particular word comes to mind. The sound on this album can be quite jazzy, or sometimes bluesy, even a bit country but it's always quite beautiful. It's character only makes the lyrics further understandable. Songs like Ol'55 and has the sunny morning on the highway feel, and Ice Cream Man is a bit jazzy, it perfectly matches the quite swanky lyrics. It's not the same song that Van Halen covered on their debut, however.

Lyrically, Waits doesn't slouch. He knows how to direct what he's talking about. I hope I don't Fall In Love You tells a story of that good old unrequited love we get into, and how it can painful, of course (judging from the line "cause falling in love just makes be blue"). Matha may be one of the best on here. Tom Waits does a great perfomrance, and Bette Midler's version further shows how poerful this guy can be. It's a story about and old man who call an old lover. It turns into quite a tearjerker. I also love Little Trip to Heaven (On the Wings of Your Love). It may be the song I play for all future girlfriends. The lyrics themselves could easily be poems on there own. The music only brings all the emotions to life. When music has the power to do things like this, it's a wonder why so many people give a ____ about books.

Sure, I found minor problems in songs like Lonely and Grapefruit Moon (both not up to snuff with the rest of the songs), but everything else is great stuff. It may be a shock to people who were weaned with later material like Bone Machine and Rain Dogs, but don't let the music turn you off completely. All of us have trouble adjusting sometimes. Trust me, it's worth it. February 26, 2008

Life's Emotions in Songs

Every time I hear 'Closing Time', time comes to a stop and everything which was important dwindles away to nothingness. Every girl I have loved, every regret I have ever had, every hope that life holds comes together in one overwhelming emotion. I do not mean it is sad, it is the kind of emotion which is healthy to have, it is the musical equivalent of sitting in a dark bar all evening drinking and thinking.

The whole album is excellent, although I am partial to 'Martha','I hope I don't fall in love with you','Ol'55', 'Grapefruit Moon' and 'Closing Time'.

This is a perfect album when it is really late at night, the city is asleep and all you hear are Tom Waits and raindrops against the windowpane. The world is perfect all over again by being insignificant.
February 19, 2008

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