Closing Time (1973)

About this title: Tom Waits' debut album is a minor-key masterpiece filled with songs of late-night loneliness. Within the apparently narrow range of the cocktail bar pianistics and muttered vocals, Waits and producer Jerry Yester manage a surprisingly broad collection of styles, from the jazzy "Virginia Avenue" to the up-tempo funk of "Ice Cream Man" and from the acoustic guitar folkiness of "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" to the saloon song "Midnight Lullaby," which would have been a perfect addition to the repertoires of Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett. Waits' entire musical approach is stylized, ... read more

Tracks:

1. Ol' 55 [Waits]
2. I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You [Waits]
3. Virginia Avenue [Waits]
4. Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards) [Waits]
5. Midnight Lullaby [Waits]
6. Martha [Waits]
7. Rosie [Waits]
8. Lonely [Waits]
9. Ice Cream Man [Waits]
10. Little Trip to Heaven (On the Wings of Your Love) [Waits]
11. Grapefruit Moon [Waits]
12. Closing Time [Waits]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.