In 1973, young Californian musician Tom Waits released his debut album, “Closing Time”, amid little fanfare. It garnered much critical acclaim, yet few people bought it. The album may come as a surprise to those who recognise Waits through his more recent avant-guard forays, such as the mid-80’s trilogy of “Swordfishtrombones” , “Rain Dogs” and “Frank’s Wild Years” (for which he has become legendary). What we have here is not a fractured, percussive mish-mash of musical styles, but rather a relatively accessible 1970’s singer-songwriter record. Had it received the right amount of promotion at the time, “Closing Time” could well have been a hit and found in vinyl collections everywhere, alongside the likes of Neil Young and Leonard Cohen. But never mind that, on to the album.

“Closing Time” is a pleasing amalgam of early 70’s singer-songwriter folk/blues/country and 20’s-40’s era pop. Waits accompanies himself on piano and acoustic guitar through a set of twelve tracks which range from joyous folksy sing-alongs to sad, sweet love songs. Waits’ voice may shock the casual listener more than the music itself. Unlike the rough, booze and nicotine-induced growl heard on his later releases, Tom’s voice is actually a conventionally pretty gravely croon here.

The album kicks of with probably its best-known song, “Ol’ 55”, a catchy little number sung from the point of view of a guy leaving his girlfriend’s house at dawn. It’s a typical slice of 70’s West Coast pop with a big, boisterous chorus. It comes as little surprise that the Eagles decided to cover it.

In the same folksy/country-ish vein are the acoustic guitar-based “I Hope I Don’t Fall In Love With You” and “Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards). In the charming “I Hope I Don’t Fall In Love With You”, Tom assumes the role of a guy sitting alone at a bar deciding whether or not to talk to a pretty girl sitting at a table across the room. Falling in love depresses him, so he tries not to, but realises he has after she leaves:

"Now it's closing time, the music's fading out
Last call for drinks, I'll have another stout.
Well I turn around to look at you, you're nowhere to be
found,
I search the place for your lost face, guess I'll have
another round
And I think that I just fell in love with you"

In this song, we can sense that universality plays a big part in Waits’ poetry. Who hasn’t felt the way Tom describes in this song? He has a real knack for capturing a certain moment or emotion without resorting to clichés, and you can’t help but empathise with his characters or think - yeah, that’s happened to me before.

“Old Shoes …” is a unusually cheerful-sounding tune about a deteriorating relationship, with bitter lyrics masked by a tuneful “bellow-along” chorus and suspiciously David Crosby-sounding backing vocals. “Rosie” is a rather nice (if a bit precious lyric-wise), folk-pop love song. Tom’s attempt at a falsetto actually works this time around, in a “conventionally pretty” way, no less (for a taste of his “Mk. 2” falsetto, be sure to seek out “Temptation” off 1987’s “Frank’s Wild Years” - it’s just a marvellous song).

The rest of the songs on the album are piano-based and most are melancholy in mood and sentiment:

“Martha”, a heartbreaking gaslight melodrama of unconsummated love in the form of a telephone call made by an old man to his former sweetheart, is definitely one of “Closing Time’s" highlights:

"And I was always so impulsive, I guess that I still am,
And all that really mattered then was that I was a man.
I guess that our being together was never meant to be.
And Martha, Martha, I love you can't you see?"

Musically, it features an affecting arrangement of piano and strings, as well as female backing vocalists (which sound a little cloying to these ears). Again, Waits is able to touch the listener without being overtly soppy or sentimental.

Another such instance is “Lonely”, an account of a dead relationship which features Waits solo on piano. Sounding like a lone barroom pianist bemoaning his arrogance and lost love in front of the keyboard, Tom repeats the refrain:

“Lonely, lonely, lonely
Lonely eyes
Lonely face
Lonely, lonely in your place”

It is sparse both musically and lyrically, yet it is evocative in its nakedness, and is no less affecting than any other song on the album.

“Virginia Avenue” and “Midnight Lullaby” is are pleasant enough piano-based blues/jazz tunes, the former about poor boy existentialism and the latter a nice barroom-style love song.

The real stars of the album are the tripartite masterpiece comprising the final three tracks:

“Lazy Trip To Heaven (On The Wings Of Your Love)” is a sincere, intoxicating love song. Featuring the smooth, smoky sounds of piano, electric guitar and trumpet, it has a distinct 40’s sound. The line “You’re my North Star when I’m lost and feeling blue" is a particular favourite of mine. Musically, “Grapefruit Moon” sounds like something Henry Mancini would have written. Again, Waits visits the theme of lost love in a “gazing at the moon and stars“ kind of way. Its lyrical sincerity and soothing piano and cello backing are touching almost to the point of tear-jerking:

"Now I'm smoking cigarettes and I strive for purity,
And I slip just like the stars into obscurity.
'Cause every time I hear that melody, well, puts me up a
tree,
And the grapefruit moon, one star shining, is all that I
can see"

Brilliant.

The album’s title track is a stellar instrumental, and a fitting end to an excellent album - melancholy and uplifting at the same time. The interplay between the piano and trumpet is nothing short of sublime.

It’s not all down-tempo melancholy, though. A delightful Dylan-esque blues caper, “Ice Cream Man” is a welcome break from the seriousness of the previous songs - upbeat and cheerful.

Although the songwriting is stellar and shows tremendous promise, the album’s only real shortcoming is Jerry Yester’s production. On some tracks, the vocals and instrumentation sound muffled, especially the strings. However, this is just a minor gripe. Waits’ next album “Heart Of Saturday Night" , produced by Bones Howe, is, to my opinion, superior production-wise, and is just as brilliant as “Closing Time”. I heartily recommend checking it out as well.

"Closing Time" is a beautiful, touching and simply superlative album. A straightforward start to an incredible career.


Recommended: Yes

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