Closing Time (album)
Encyclopedia
Closing Time is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits
, released in March 1973 on Asylum Records
. Produced and arranged by former Lovin' Spoonful member Jerry Yester
, Closing Time was the first of seven of Waits's major releases through Asylum, the final being Heartattack and Vine
(1980).
Upon release, the album was mildly successful in the United States, although it did not chart and received little attention from music press in the United Kingdom
and elsewhere internationally. The album is noted for being folk
and jazz
influenced. Critical reaction to Closing Time was positive. The album's lead, and only, single, "Ol' '55
", attracted attention due to a cover version
by Waits's better known label mates The Eagles. Other songs from the album were covered by artists ranging from Tim Buckley
to Bette Midler
. The album has sold under 500,000 copies in the United States and has gained a contemporary cult following among rock fans. The album has been reissued twice since its initial release, in 1999 and again in 2010.
. Waits's setlist at these series of shows, described as "hootenanny nights" consisted primarily of Bob Dylan
covers although it included songs which would later appear on Closing Time and its successor, The Heart of Saturday Night
(1974), including "Ice Cream Man", "Virginia Avenue", "Ol' '55
", "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You
", "Shiver Me Timbers" and "Diamonds on my Windshield". Around this time, Waits also began working as a doorman at the nearby club, The Heritage, which was also a coffee house by day. In November 1970, Waits performed his first paid show at the The Heritage, earning $25 for his performance. At a Troubadour performance in summer 1971, Herb Cohen
inadvertently spotted Waits and became his manager. Through Cohen's contacts, Waits recorded a number of demos in Los Angeles in late summer 1971 with producer and engineer Robert Duffey, later released as The Early Years
in two respective volumes, against Waits's wishes. In order to focus on his career, Waits relocated from San Diego to Los Angeles in early 1972 and performed more frequently at The Troubadour, where David Geffen
discovered him performing "Grapefruit Moon." The performance, which "floored" Geffen, led Geffen to negotiate with Waits's manager Cohen and Waits signed to Asylum Records
within a month.
Jerry Yester
and one afternoon in early 1972 recorded a pre-production
tape in Yester's residence. The instrumentation, recording arrangements and musicians were also discussed during this session with Waits making "it absolutely clear he wanted a standup bass player." Drummer John Seiter
, guitarist Peter Klimes, trumpeter Tony Terran
and additional guitarist Shep Cooke were recruited through Yester and through Seiter, jazz
bassist Bill Plummer
was hired.
The main recording sessions for Closing Time took place at Sunset Sound Recorders
in Hollywood, California — where Buffalo Springfield
, Joni Mitchell
, Neil Young
and The Doors
had previously recorded — during spring 1972 with Yester fronting production, almost immediately after Waits's signing and were described "quick and efficent." Waits was "nervous, but confident enough in his own material" during the beginning of the sessions, however, as the sessions progressed, Waits and Yester "were pulling against each other" over the direction which the album would take, with Waits wanting a jazz-laden record and Yester more focused on producing a folk
-based album. Despite this, Waits was "absolutely communicative" with his fellow musicians; articulating his direction and using metaphors to describe how he wanted the songs to sound. The sessions took a total of ten days with the first two days focusing on "getting used to [the studio]" Both Waits and Yester wanted to record during the evening and night, however, due to no slots being available, recorded through the morning and afternoon "from ten to five every day." During the recording of "Ol' 55", Seiter contributed backing vocals and "came up with a perfect harmony line that started faintly before the chorus even began." The sessions concluded with a total of nine songs completed, though unsatisfied with the amount of songs, a second recording session was arranged the following week in United Western Recorders
. The following Sunday, the final session for Closing Time began, with guest musicians Arni Egilsson replacing Plummer and Jesse Erlich performing cello
. The title track, "Closing Time", was the only song recorded in full and Yester later described the session as "the most magical session I've ever been involved with. At the end of it, no one spoke for what felt like five minutes, either in the booth or out in the room. No one budged. Nobody wanted the moment to end." String overdubs were later cut for "Martha" and "Grapefruit Moon" the following day. The final recordings were mixed and mastered at Wally Heider Recorders.
", and "Grapefruit Moon" reveal a quieter, more jazz-like temperament. "Ice Cream Man" is often noted as being the most "up-tempo" song of the album, whereas "Lonely" is toned-down and slow-paced. The sophisticated piano melodies are often accompanied by trumpets, typical of the jazz sound that Waits originally designated for the album. Noticeable string arrangements are also featured on the album, on "Martha" and the final "Closing Time", the latter being purely instrumental.
, "like his near-contemporary Bruce Springsteen
." This theme is also seen in "Old Shoes" which narrates another story about "a footloose young stud hitting the road and semi-sneering", particularly in lyrics such as "your tears cannot bind me anymore" and "my heart was not born to be tamed." Other lyrics on the album are described as melancholic, particularly "Lonely", "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" and "Grapefruit Moon", which are "both self-concious and lacklustre."
The intro to "Midnight Lullaby" borrows lyrics from "Sing a Song of Sixpence
". This form of song-writing became a life-long habit of Waits following the writing of "Midnight Lullaby", in which he assembled lyrics from fragments of oral tradition.
, who was inspired by "Waits's own idea of how the album should sound." It depicts Waits leaning against a bar-room piano which is furnished with a shot of rye
, a bottle of beer
, cigarettes, an ashtray and a small candle with a blue pool table lamp above Waits's head. In the top right corner, there is a large clock which shows 3:22. The back cover art is minimal in design and only features a photograph of Waits staring directly in to the camera lens, reputedly taken after a Waits's performance at The Troubadour. Both photographs were taken by Ed Caraeff
.
with the A-side being a version recorded in mono
and the B-side being recorded stereo
. Waits's first national tour also coincided with the album's release, and ran from April to June 1973. The band line-up for the tour consisted of Waits (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano), Bob Webb (standup bass), Rich Phelps (trumpet), and John Forsha (guitar). The opening date of this tour was at The Cellar Door in Washington, D.C.
opening for Tom Rush
. The tour would go on to take in dates in venues such as Max's Kansas City
in New York
and The Boarding House
in San Francisco, opening for acts such as Danny O'Keefe
, Charlie Rich
, Buffalo Bob Smith
(of Howdy Doody
fame) and John P. Hammond
. A second promotional tour ran from November to December 1973, opening for Frank Zappa
. This tour consisted of only the stripped-down line-up of Waits on vocals, acoustic guitar, and piano, with Bob Webb on standup bass. Elektra Records
re-released Closing Time throughout Europe in 1999 on limited edition CD and in 2010, Elektra and Asylum reissued the album on CD and LP, respectively.
review, the album was positively referred to as "a remarkable debut album", compared to Randy Newman
, and was branded as a "boozier, earthier version of same and delights in rummaging through the attics of nostalgia, the persona that emerges from this remarkable debut album is Waits's own, at once sardonic, vulnerable and emotionally charged" while the "Dean of American Rock Critics" Robert Christgau
noted that with his "jazz-schooled piano and drawling delivery [...] Waits exploits an honest sentimentality which he undercuts just enough to be credible", also noting his similarity to Newman. Allmusic held the album in high regard, describing "his lovelorn lyrics" as being "sentimental without being penetrating. But he also has a gift for gently rolling pop melodies" and his "self-conscious melancholy can be surprisingly moving." Billboard
referred to the album upon its release as "hauntingly lovely [...] which captures the essence of a moment, a thought or a love."
The album received little coverage the United Kingdom
and elsewhere internationally, with its promotion being little more than a featured advert in the NME
. However, in recent years, NME has described Waits as a "veteran singer-songwriter."
s by more successful artists and have since continued to have been covered. Later in 1973, Tim Buckley
released the album Sefronia
, with a cover of "Martha," the first ever cover of a Waits song by a known artist. Buckley's version was also included in the 1995 tribute compilation Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits
. "Ol' '55" was recorded by The Eagles for their 1974 album On the Border
. "Martha" was covered again in 1979 by Bette Midler
on Saturday Night Live
and once again by Meat Loaf
on his 1995 album Welcome to the Neighborhood
. "Ice Cream Man" was covered in 1991 by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
, one of Waits's influences, for his album Black Music For White People. "Lonely" was covered by Bat For Lashes
, and a live version was included on the deluxe edition of her album Two Suns
.
.
Guest musicians
Technical personnel
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
, released in March 1973 on Asylum Records
Asylum Records
Asylum Records is an American record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen, and partner Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked as agents at the William Morris Agency. Founded specifically to provide a record contract for Jackson Browne, the label signed Tom Waits, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell...
. Produced and arranged by former Lovin' Spoonful member Jerry Yester
Jerry Yester
Jerry Yester is an American folk rock musician, record producer, and arranger.Growing up in Burbank, California, Yester formed a duo with brother Jim Yester, the Yester Brothers, and starting playing folk clubs in Los Angeles in 1960...
, Closing Time was the first of seven of Waits's major releases through Asylum, the final being Heartattack and Vine
Heartattack and Vine
Heartattack and Vine was Tom Waits' last album on the Asylum label, released in September 1980.Bruce Springsteen covered "Jersey Girl" as part of his live shows throughout the 1980s."On the Nickel" was recorded for the Ralph Waite film of the same name....
(1980).
Upon release, the album was mildly successful in the United States, although it did not chart and received little attention from music press in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and elsewhere internationally. The album is noted for being folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
influenced. Critical reaction to Closing Time was positive. The album's lead, and only, single, "Ol' '55
Ol' '55
"Ol' '55" is a song written and recorded by Tom Waits. It is the opening track on Waits' 1973 debut album, Closing Time. The song was covered by the Eagles on their 1974 album On the Border....
", attracted attention due to a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Waits's better known label mates The Eagles. Other songs from the album were covered by artists ranging from Tim Buckley
Tim Buckley
Timothy Charles Buckley III was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving "voice as instrument," sound...
to Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
. The album has sold under 500,000 copies in the United States and has gained a contemporary cult following among rock fans. The album has been reissued twice since its initial release, in 1999 and again in 2010.
Background
Tom Waits began his musical career in 1970, performing every Monday night at The Troubadour, a venue in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Waits's setlist at these series of shows, described as "hootenanny nights" consisted primarily of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
covers although it included songs which would later appear on Closing Time and its successor, The Heart of Saturday Night
The Heart of Saturday Night
The Heart of Saturday Night is the second studio album by singer and songwriter Tom Waits, released in 1974 on Asylum Records. In 2003, the album was ranked number 339 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, his highest placing. The album cover is based on In the...
(1974), including "Ice Cream Man", "Virginia Avenue", "Ol' '55
Ol' '55
"Ol' '55" is a song written and recorded by Tom Waits. It is the opening track on Waits' 1973 debut album, Closing Time. The song was covered by the Eagles on their 1974 album On the Border....
", "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You
I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You
"I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" is a song written and recorded by Tom Waits for the 1973 album Closing Time....
", "Shiver Me Timbers" and "Diamonds on my Windshield". Around this time, Waits also began working as a doorman at the nearby club, The Heritage, which was also a coffee house by day. In November 1970, Waits performed his first paid show at the The Heritage, earning $25 for his performance. At a Troubadour performance in summer 1971, Herb Cohen
Herb Cohen
Herbert "Herb" Cohen was an American personal manager, record company executive, and music publisher, best known as the manager of Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, and many other Los Angeles-based musicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and career:Cohen was born in New York...
inadvertently spotted Waits and became his manager. Through Cohen's contacts, Waits recorded a number of demos in Los Angeles in late summer 1971 with producer and engineer Robert Duffey, later released as The Early Years
The Early Years (album series)
The Early Years is a two-part retrospective album series of Tom Waits songs, consisting of recordings made before Waits's actual debut album Closing Time. Volume One was released in 1991 and Volume Two was released in 1993 on Bizarre/Straight. The recordings were made between July and December 1971...
in two respective volumes, against Waits's wishes. In order to focus on his career, Waits relocated from San Diego to Los Angeles in early 1972 and performed more frequently at The Troubadour, where David Geffen
David Geffen
David Geffen is an American record executive, film producer, theatrical producer and philanthropist. Geffen is noted for creating Asylum Records in 1970, Geffen Records in 1980, and DGC Records in 1990...
discovered him performing "Grapefruit Moon." The performance, which "floored" Geffen, led Geffen to negotiate with Waits's manager Cohen and Waits signed to Asylum Records
Asylum Records
Asylum Records is an American record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen, and partner Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked as agents at the William Morris Agency. Founded specifically to provide a record contract for Jackson Browne, the label signed Tom Waits, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell...
within a month.
Recording
Prior to the recording of the album, Waits became friends with his designated producerRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Jerry Yester
Jerry Yester
Jerry Yester is an American folk rock musician, record producer, and arranger.Growing up in Burbank, California, Yester formed a duo with brother Jim Yester, the Yester Brothers, and starting playing folk clubs in Los Angeles in 1960...
and one afternoon in early 1972 recorded a pre-production
Pre-production
Pre-production or In Production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.- In film :...
tape in Yester's residence. The instrumentation, recording arrangements and musicians were also discussed during this session with Waits making "it absolutely clear he wanted a standup bass player." Drummer John Seiter
John Seiter
John Seiter is an American musician. He is best known for his work as a drummer, but has also recorded as a keyboardist and vocalist....
, guitarist Peter Klimes, trumpeter Tony Terran
Tony Terran
Anthony Terran or Tony Terran is an American trumpet player and session musician.Regarded as one of the most versatile trumpet players in the music business, Terran had an impact on the Los Angeles music scene for more than four decades as a specialist of many musical styles...
and additional guitarist Shep Cooke were recruited through Yester and through Seiter, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bassist Bill Plummer
Bill Plummer
William Francis Plummer was a catcher for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and the Seattle Mariners. While never a regular player , he did play solid defense...
was hired.
The main recording sessions for Closing Time took place at Sunset Sound Recorders
Sunset Sound Recorders
Sunset Sound Recorders is a recording studio in Hollywood, California, located at 6650 Sunset Boulevard.The Sunset Sound Recorders complex was converted in 1962 by Walt Disney's Director of Recording, Tutti Camarata, from a collection of old commercial and residential buildings - some built more...
in Hollywood, California — where Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
, Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
and The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
had previously recorded — during spring 1972 with Yester fronting production, almost immediately after Waits's signing and were described "quick and efficent." Waits was "nervous, but confident enough in his own material" during the beginning of the sessions, however, as the sessions progressed, Waits and Yester "were pulling against each other" over the direction which the album would take, with Waits wanting a jazz-laden record and Yester more focused on producing a folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
-based album. Despite this, Waits was "absolutely communicative" with his fellow musicians; articulating his direction and using metaphors to describe how he wanted the songs to sound. The sessions took a total of ten days with the first two days focusing on "getting used to [the studio]" Both Waits and Yester wanted to record during the evening and night, however, due to no slots being available, recorded through the morning and afternoon "from ten to five every day." During the recording of "Ol' 55", Seiter contributed backing vocals and "came up with a perfect harmony line that started faintly before the chorus even began." The sessions concluded with a total of nine songs completed, though unsatisfied with the amount of songs, a second recording session was arranged the following week in United Western Recorders
United Western Recorders
United Western Recorders, often abbreviated to UWR, was a renowned recording studio complex in Hollywood, California, which became one of the most successful independent recording studios in the world in the late 1950s and 1960s....
. The following Sunday, the final session for Closing Time began, with guest musicians Arni Egilsson replacing Plummer and Jesse Erlich performing cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
. The title track, "Closing Time", was the only song recorded in full and Yester later described the session as "the most magical session I've ever been involved with. At the end of it, no one spoke for what felt like five minutes, either in the booth or out in the room. No one budged. Nobody wanted the moment to end." String overdubs were later cut for "Martha" and "Grapefruit Moon" the following day. The final recordings were mixed and mastered at Wally Heider Recorders.
Music
Closing Time features an eclectic mix of musical styles. While tracks such as "Ol '55", with its "gentle slipnote piano chords", and "Old Shoes", "a country-rock waltz that picked up the feel of 'Ol' 55'", are usually considered folk-like numbers, other songs such as "Virginia Avenue", "Midnight Lullaby", whose outro features an instrumental segment of the nursery rhyme "Hush Little BabyHush Little Baby
Hush, Little Baby is a traditional lullaby. It is thought to be American , but the author and date of origin are unknown. The lyrics promise all kinds of rewards to the child if he or she is quiet....
", and "Grapefruit Moon" reveal a quieter, more jazz-like temperament. "Ice Cream Man" is often noted as being the most "up-tempo" song of the album, whereas "Lonely" is toned-down and slow-paced. The sophisticated piano melodies are often accompanied by trumpets, typical of the jazz sound that Waits originally designated for the album. Noticeable string arrangements are also featured on the album, on "Martha" and the final "Closing Time", the latter being purely instrumental.
Lyrics
The songs on Closing Time are often noted for their lyrical content, which like the music, vary in form. "Ol' 55" narrates the story of a man riding "lickety splitly" in a car and is often seen as a song about escapismEscapism
Escapism is mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life...
, "like his near-contemporary Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
." This theme is also seen in "Old Shoes" which narrates another story about "a footloose young stud hitting the road and semi-sneering", particularly in lyrics such as "your tears cannot bind me anymore" and "my heart was not born to be tamed." Other lyrics on the album are described as melancholic, particularly "Lonely", "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" and "Grapefruit Moon", which are "both self-concious and lacklustre."
The intro to "Midnight Lullaby" borrows lyrics from "Sing a Song of Sixpence
Sing a Song of Sixpence
Sing a Song of Sixpence is a well-known English nursery rhyme, perhaps originating in the 18th century. It is also listed in the Roud folk song index as number 13191.-Lyrics:...
". This form of song-writing became a life-long habit of Waits following the writing of "Midnight Lullaby", in which he assembled lyrics from fragments of oral tradition.
Packaging and title
The album cover was designed by Cal SchenkelCal Schenkel
Cal Schenkel is an artist specialising in album cover design. He was the main visual collaborator for Frank Zappa and was responsible for the art and graphic design of many of Zappa's most well-known album covers. Schenkel's work is iconic and distinctive in style; a forerunner of punk art and...
, who was inspired by "Waits's own idea of how the album should sound." It depicts Waits leaning against a bar-room piano which is furnished with a shot of rye
Rye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
, a bottle of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
, cigarettes, an ashtray and a small candle with a blue pool table lamp above Waits's head. In the top right corner, there is a large clock which shows 3:22. The back cover art is minimal in design and only features a photograph of Waits staring directly in to the camera lens, reputedly taken after a Waits's performance at The Troubadour. Both photographs were taken by Ed Caraeff
Ed Caraeff
Ed Caraeff is a photographer, illustrator and graphic designer, who has worked largely in the music industry. He has art directed, photographed and designed hundreds of record album covers from 1967 to 1982 for numerous artists, including Elton John, Carly Simon, Three Dog Night and Dolly Parton...
.
Release
Closing Time was released worldwide in March 1973 by Asylum. The album's lead single, "Ol' 55", was released a month prior to the album for promotion. The single featured the same song pressed on both sides of the recordGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
with the A-side being a version recorded in mono
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
and the B-side being recorded stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
. Waits's first national tour also coincided with the album's release, and ran from April to June 1973. The band line-up for the tour consisted of Waits (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano), Bob Webb (standup bass), Rich Phelps (trumpet), and John Forsha (guitar). The opening date of this tour was at The Cellar Door in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
opening for Tom Rush
Tom Rush
Tom Rush is an American folk and blues singer, songwriter, musician and recording artist.- Life and career :Rush was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His father was a teacher at St. Paul's School, in Concord, New Hampshire. Tom began performing in 1961 while studying at Harvard University after...
. The tour would go on to take in dates in venues such as Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South, in New York City, which was a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Origin of name:...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and The Boarding House
The Boarding House (nightclub)
The Boarding House was a nightclub located at 960 Bush Street in San Francisco, California. Steve Martin's first three albums, Let's Get Small, A Wild and Crazy Guy, and Comedy Is Not Pretty were recorded there, in whole or in part...
in San Francisco, opening for acts such as Danny O'Keefe
Danny O'Keefe
Danny O'Keefe is a U.S. based singer-songwriter, born in Spokane, Washington, in 1943. O'Keefe's musical career has spanned four decades from his early days playing in the Minnesota coffee houses to his present station in the Seattle area...
, Charlie Rich
Charlie Rich
Charles Rich was an American country music singer and musician. A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, and gospel genres.In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname The Silver...
, Buffalo Bob Smith
Buffalo Bob Smith
Buffalo Bob Smith was the host of the children's show Howdy Doody.-Biography:...
(of Howdy Doody
Howdy Doody
Howdy Doody is an American children's television program that was created and produced by E. Roger Muir and telecast on NBC in the United States from 1947 until 1960. It was a pioneer in children's television programming and set the pattern for many similar shows...
fame) and John P. Hammond
John P. Hammond
John Paul Hammond is an American blues singer and guitarist. The son of record producer John H. Hammond, he is sometimes referred to as "John Hammond, Jr.".-Background:...
. A second promotional tour ran from November to December 1973, opening for Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
. This tour consisted of only the stripped-down line-up of Waits on vocals, acoustic guitar, and piano, with Bob Webb on standup bass. Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
re-released Closing Time throughout Europe in 1999 on limited edition CD and in 2010, Elektra and Asylum reissued the album on CD and LP, respectively.
Reception
Closing Time, at the time of its release, was received by the American music press with positive critical acclaim, although its coverage was limited. In its original Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
review, the album was positively referred to as "a remarkable debut album", compared to Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
, and was branded as a "boozier, earthier version of same and delights in rummaging through the attics of nostalgia, the persona that emerges from this remarkable debut album is Waits's own, at once sardonic, vulnerable and emotionally charged" while the "Dean of American Rock Critics" Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
noted that with his "jazz-schooled piano and drawling delivery [...] Waits exploits an honest sentimentality which he undercuts just enough to be credible", also noting his similarity to Newman. Allmusic held the album in high regard, describing "his lovelorn lyrics" as being "sentimental without being penetrating. But he also has a gift for gently rolling pop melodies" and his "self-conscious melancholy can be surprisingly moving." Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
referred to the album upon its release as "hauntingly lovely [...] which captures the essence of a moment, a thought or a love."
The album received little coverage the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and elsewhere internationally, with its promotion being little more than a featured advert in the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
. However, in recent years, NME has described Waits as a "veteran singer-songwriter."
Influence
Closing Time reached a wider audience through cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s by more successful artists and have since continued to have been covered. Later in 1973, Tim Buckley
Tim Buckley
Timothy Charles Buckley III was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving "voice as instrument," sound...
released the album Sefronia
Sefronia
Sefronia is the eighth album by singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, released in 1973. The album was recorded at Paramount Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California...
, with a cover of "Martha," the first ever cover of a Waits song by a known artist. Buckley's version was also included in the 1995 tribute compilation Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits
Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits
Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits is the title of a tribute album to Tom Waits, released in 1995 by Manifesto Records. The songs are performed by various artists.-Track listing:All songs written by Tom Waits.#"Old Shoes" – [06:29] Drugstore...
. "Ol' '55" was recorded by The Eagles for their 1974 album On the Border
On the Border
On the Border is the third studio album by the Eagles, released in 1974. During the making of the album, the band experienced significant changes. As the band tried to lean towards a more hard rock sound, they felt that producer Glyn Johns emphasized too much on their country sound. After recording...
. "Martha" was covered again in 1979 by Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and once again by Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
on his 1995 album Welcome to the Neighborhood
Welcome to the Neighborhood
Welcome to the Neighbourhood is Meat Loaf's seventh studio album, released in 1995 as follow-up to the popular album Bat out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. The album went platinum in the US and UK....
. "Ice Cream Man" was covered in 1991 by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Jalacy Hawkins , best known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was an American musician, singer, and actor...
, one of Waits's influences, for his album Black Music For White People. "Lonely" was covered by Bat For Lashes
Bat for Lashes
Natasha Khan , also known by her stage name Bat for Lashes, is an English musician. She sings and plays the piano, bass, guitar, harpsichord and the autoharp....
, and a live version was included on the deluxe edition of her album Two Suns
Two Suns
Two Suns is the Mercury Music Prize nominated second album by English-Pakistani solo artist Bat for Lashes , released on 6 April 2009...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Tom WaitsTom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
.
Personnel
Musicians- Tom WaitsTom WaitsThomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, celesteCelestaThe celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Shep Cooke - guitar, vocals (on "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with YouI Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You"I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" is a song written and recorded by Tom Waits for the 1973 album Closing Time....
" and "Old Shoes") - Peter Klimes - guitar
- Bill PlummerBill PlummerWilliam Francis Plummer was a catcher for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and the Seattle Mariners. While never a regular player , he did play solid defense...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Delbert Bennett - trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- John SeiterJohn SeiterJohn Seiter is an American musician. He is best known for his work as a drummer, but has also recorded as a keyboardist and vocalist....
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocals
Guest musicians
- Jesse Ehrlich - celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Tony TerranTony TerranAnthony Terran or Tony Terran is an American trumpet player and session musician.Regarded as one of the most versatile trumpet players in the music business, Terran had an impact on the Los Angeles music scene for more than four decades as a specialist of many musical styles...
- trumpet (on "Closing Time") - Arni Egilsson - bass (on "Closing Time")
Technical personnel
- Jerry YesterJerry YesterJerry Yester is an American folk rock musician, record producer, and arranger.Growing up in Burbank, California, Yester formed a duo with brother Jim Yester, the Yester Brothers, and starting playing folk clubs in Los Angeles in 1960...
- producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Richie Moore - additional engineer
- Cal SchenkelCal SchenkelCal Schenkel is an artist specialising in album cover design. He was the main visual collaborator for Frank Zappa and was responsible for the art and graphic design of many of Zappa's most well-known album covers. Schenkel's work is iconic and distinctive in style; a forerunner of punk art and...
- design, artwork - Ed CaraeffEd CaraeffEd Caraeff is a photographer, illustrator and graphic designer, who has worked largely in the music industry. He has art directed, photographed and designed hundreds of record album covers from 1967 to 1982 for numerous artists, including Elton John, Carly Simon, Three Dog Night and Dolly Parton...
- photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...