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Closing Time
 
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Closing Time

~ Tom Waits
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
Price: £3.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Closing Time + The Heart Of Saturday Night + Small Change
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Product details

  • Audio CD (1 Oct 1999)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Elektra
  • ASIN: B000002GYR
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,060 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in these categories:

    #23 in  Music > Adult Contemporary > Male Vocalists
    #70 in  Music > Adult Contemporary > Singer-songwriters
    #79 in  Music > Rock > Classic Rock > Classic American Rock

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1. Ol' 55
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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

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


CD Description

The 1973 album that introduced a young singer-songwriter tothe world at large is a far cry from the wonderfully twisted sonic lanscape that would define SWORDFISHTROMBONES a decade later. The Waits of CLOSING TIME was a barroom balladeer too, but one who fit neatly into the early-'70s folk-rock, singer-songwriter paradigm (CLOSING TIME's opener "Ol' '55", in fact, was covered by the Eagles on their first album). The arrangements here are straightforward, piano-based affairsthat present the songs with a minimum of fuss.
Waits's voice isn't the deep, gravelly instrument that would bellow its way through RAIN DOGS, but a smoky, measured one, devoid of artifice. Accordingly, the song structures are simpler, and the best ("Martha", "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You") attain a timeless feel. For all his relative conventionality on this debut, though, Waits is still closer in spirit to the great American songwriters of the '40s than any '70s California rocker. Listeners looking for the eccentric, carnivalesque atmosphere that typifies Waits's work from the'80s and '90s will be surprised by the relative straightforwardness of CLOSING TIME, yet the album announces an important talent.

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
5 star:
 (15)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Tom Waits at his best, 10 May 2003
People argue whether Tom Waits was at his best during the 1970's, with the softer and more melodic jazz and blues songs, or during the 1980's, with the rougher and more experimental songs. Personally I am really fond of his early music, and this album from 1973 is a real treasure. It has a high consistent quality throughout and includes some of Waits best songs. "I hope that I don't fall in love with you" is a masterpiece and worth the album alone. "Ol' '55", "Old Shoes", "Martha" are other excellent tracks, but I doubt you'll be disappointed by any song. I really recommend this album. If you like it you will probably like "The Heart of Saturday Night" from 1974 as well.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Trip to Heaven, 17 April 2006
By Awake (London, UK) - See all my reviews
This is Tom Waits' first album, he was 24 when he wrote it and I am at a loss to come up with many other artists (Dylan?) who have expressed themselves with such a mature voice at such a young age.

The album is beautiful from start to finish. It is melodic - full of haunting strings and piano chords. It is sentimental without being saccharine - perhaps it is the smokey bourbon voice which does it.

Standouts for me are Ol'55, Martha ("I remember quiet evenings trembling close to you" - swoon, swoon!) and Grapefruit Moon.

The outstanding thing which he achieves though is putting together a collective of songs which are so evocative. Whilst Waits has stood the test of time and experimentation this is something which has stayed with him throughout his career and can be seen as much on his most recent offering, 'Real Gone' as it can be on this.

This is the best place to start if you plan to get into Tom Waits as it is his first and probably his most accessible. It leads you quite neatly to 1974's 'The Heart of Saturday Night' where his ability as a storyteller becomes more accomplished.

Listen to the lyrics, listen to the music, listen to it again and again. Tom Waits is an absolute genius.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly Tom Waits best album, 5 Jan 2006
By dragondrums "dragondrums" (Ingleby Barwick, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Closing Time is not as dark or quirky as some of the later Tom Waits albums and is an excellent introduction if you are unfamiliar with his music. This album is a beautiful blend of blues and jazz with a hint of country for good measure all delivered by Toms’ wonderful smoky, gravelly voice. Although a lot more mellow than later offerings such as Rain Dogs and Swordfish, that indefinable uniqueness that is Tom Waits is still visible.
Particularly outstanding are the tracks ‘Midnight Lullaby’, ‘Martha’ and ‘Grapefruit Moon’ although there isn’t a single track on this CD that isn’t good on this near perfect album. This is one to put on when the lights are low and you just want to kick off your shoes and relax.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars nightshifts
this is a classic and is the quintessential nightshift album - ive listened to it many hundreds of times whilst working in the wee small hours and i never ever tire of it - 'heart... Read more
Published 6 months ago by S. fraser

5.0 out of 5 stars Toms best album
Ignore the bad reviews - this is a beautiful album. How anyone cannot be moved by 'Martha' is beyond comprehension. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. R. J. Hynes

5.0 out of 5 stars classic first album
I first heard "RainDogs" in the 1980's. We probably have most of Tom Waits' albums now. "Closing Time" remains an absolute classic and is highly recommended.. Read more
Published 17 months ago by gary t

5.0 out of 5 stars Closing Time - The Best of Tom Waits ?
Quite simply - and like many artists with a first album - Tom Waits never improved upon this 1973 masterpiece. Read more
Published 19 months ago by SMc

2.0 out of 5 stars Almost a demo
Probably an album our Tom would prefer to forget.

I started listening to TW about the time of Swordfishtrombones & worked my way back through his albums. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Mr. S. Douglas

5.0 out of 5 stars The American genius
You know how it happens. You hear an album by someone, and you think, I wonder what his earlier stuff was like? Read more
Published 21 months ago by Mark Bracewell

5.0 out of 5 stars Nowt as queer as folk...
I was gobsmacked to read one reviewer here saying they "can't see the attraction". This is one of my (and my wife's) most frequently played albums. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2007 by Mixed Bag

5.0 out of 5 stars His classic debut, before he starting singing funny!

Tom Waits is a true one-off. A Randy Newman-style piano-based songwriter, this debut is extraordinary - a beautiful selection of lustily ( and clearly ) sung tracks with... Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2007 by Mr. L. R. Buxton

1.0 out of 5 stars It's not even significant enough to warrant "I don't like it"
Not being particularly familiar with Tom Waits, someone suggested that I check him out. "Which album do you think is the best? Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2007 by Talc Demon

5.0 out of 5 stars Time waits for no one,Tom Waits for everyone
Don't get me wrong ,I enjoy Tom's latter work,"Frank's Wild Years " "Rain Dogs" etc,but I love his earlier work,"Closing Time " and "The heart of Saturday night " being my... Read more
Published on 20 Jan 2003 by Callie

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