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Closing Time
Tom Waits
Retail Price (not our price): $11.98
Release Date: 1990-10-12
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com essential recording
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

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5

1) Yo disney...Can't Touch This!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
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.

2) Life's Emotions in Songs   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
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.

3) All Time Favorite   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This is my all time favorite Tom Waits CD. So much of Tom's stuff is just too harsh, lacking melody. I welcome recommendations of other ofTom's work that is similiar to Closing Time.

4) Closing Time   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Tom Waits-Closing Time *****Closing Time, Tom Waits' 1973 debut album is long removed from the alternative road he helped to pave from 1982's Swordfishtrombones thru today. No this is much different. Much more subdued, and accessible. Closing time is the outside window look into that of a post-modern beat poet. A more adventures William S. Burroughs, and yet a much less adventures William S. Burroughs. Tom Waits was one of a kind right from the start.He had yet to unleash his signature vocal structure to the world but hints of it still come through on Closing Time. And while his voice might not all be here his knack for the perfect melody is. Songs like the melt in your mouth good `Martha' and soon to be destroyed by the Eagles `Ol 55' showed what Waits would be overlooked for the rest of his career, his amazing musicianship. As a lyricist Waits is more of a Poet. `I Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You' and the ultra hipster `Virginia Avenue' is straight poetry. The omega cool cover of `Ice Cream Man' is light-years ahead of the original, and much more sleazy.Now some Waits purest will say this is too polished, which is understandable being as the man hates to even hear the word polished. But this is a great album and you have to start somewhere, and what a wonderful place to start. Waits got it right the first time, do not let anyone tell you otherwise.

5) The stars may be fading ,but Tom's star shines like a supernova.   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This early submission by Tom Waits may be his most accessible, most diverse album. From the almost Folk-ish opening of Ol' 55 to the ending Closing Time Tom transverses many a musical genre in an amazingly short period of time. People are constantly referring to this album as a collection of "drinking songs", amdd while it's true that's a particular genre that Tom develops over time, that's really not the case here. Yes, there are some of that sort, but they do not predominate. This is more a straight out blues album with drinking references than a besotted drinkers anthem.Of particular note are the opening Ol'55 and it's immediate successor, I Hope I Don't Fall In Love with you. The former is a folk song at heart, the latter a blues dirge of surprising optimism.Along the way we have the country-ish Rosie, the fiery Lonely and the torcher of a lament, Ice cream Man.Tom Waits is a national treasure. He got pigeon holed along the way as a drunken blues artist--not with reason, I will admit. He is more than that of course, and one has to look no further than this work to see that.If you have never really given Waits a try, start here and move on. It will be a remarkable and joyful journey!