Tom Waits - Closing Time LP

Label: Asylum Records; Year: 1973; Format: Vinyl LP

Well, first and foremost I am back to writing reviews for the blog after a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to other commitments. Initially I had planned on jumping right in with a review of an ancient hardcore punk smasher, but truth is that my mood, mind and my local record store had other plans in store. I guess you could say that Tom Waits' first LP had found me at the right time as Mr. Waits is someone I had on the radar for years, but it wasn't until this past Saturday I had finally bought one of his releases. And let me make it as clear as possible that I am thankful 'Closing Time' is in my collection now as it is simply a beautiful record. But let me not get ahead of myself and give you a very brief introduction as to the early stages of Tom Waits' life and career. Waits was born in Whittier, Southern California in 1949 and after his parents had separated when Tom was just ten years old he moved with his mother to Chula Vista, a suburb of San Diego. After developing a love for R&B and Soul singers as well as Beat Generation writers like Kerouac, Ginsberg or Burroughs Waits began to frequent folk music venues around San Diego until he eventually became part of the circuit by the late '60s. In his early days Waits often covered songs by Bob Dylan or country singer Woodrow "Red" Sovine but little by little he started to write his own material, lyrically often influenced by his relationships with various girlfriends. At some point Waits realized that San Diego wasn't offering him enough exposure and as a result of that he started to take more and more trips up the Pacific Highway to the Troubadour in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. It was at the Troubadour where Waits came to the attention of Herbert Cohen who surely had a word with David Geffen, a transplant from Brooklyn and co-founder of Asylum Records in 1971. Closing Time was released in 1973 and word is that Waits' intention was to create a piano-led jazz album while the producer pushed it in a more folk-oriented direction. In my opinion the different directions this album is a result of worked perfectly and fifty years on since its release this album not only stands the test of time but should really be regarded as one of those essential albums to be heard by everyone with good taste in music. Phil Scarisbrick, writing for UK magazine Secret Meeting had the following to say about Tom Waits while reviewing 'Closing Time': 

Drenched in whiskey and the foggy aroma of tobacco, Waits plays the part of a lounge singer in the last dive bar in town. You can picture him crouched over a worn out piano, with a worn out suit and worn out trilby hat. A fading Marlboro red cigarette hanging from his mouth, he places his liqueur on top of the piano and starts to play. For all this bleak imagery, the music we hear is utterly beautiful. There is a quote often attributed to Waits where he says, "I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things." Closing Time fits this description perfectly.

Trust me, I certainly couldn't have described it better hence I rather give you someone else's quote that couldn't have been more perfect. When I sat down to listen to 'Closing Time' last night I made sure I sat comfortable in my recliner. From the moment the needle hit "Ol' 55", being the opening song of Side A, I was basically not just mesmerized, but instantly taken back in time to a world which was much slower, less hectic, less healthy and much boozier. Waits' music has the gift to not just evoke all kinds of emotions, but to lift you into a state of euphoria and depression at the same time. Songs like "Martha", "Lonely" or "Midnight Lullaby" to name a few, have the ability to take you on a trip down memory lane enabling you to reconnect with lost memories while enjoying simply beautifully crafted songs. No matter what music genre you really prefer, there are records that just speak to everybody and in my honest opinion 'Closing Time' is one of them. The fact that the album didn't sell very well back in 1973 just tells me that quite often brilliant artists are overseen early on in their careers and Waits certainly proved to the world how multi-talented of an artist he is. I shall make sure to seek out more of his music in the future so stay tuned until Closing Time. 

Little Walter - Hate To See You Go LP

Label: Chess Records; Year: 1990; Format: Vinyl LP

Not too long ago I watched the movie Cadillac Records which chronicles the rise of Leonard Chess, a Polish Jewish immigrant in Chicago and famous for having created Chess Records. While I thought that the movie was alright for what it is I did enjoy the actors playing the roles of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf or Little Walter. This morning I definitely didn't feel like putting on a punk or hardcore record as my head was a bit foggy and god knows what my body has been trying to shake off for some time now, but don't you worry the virus won't jump over the intranet. Good news is though that I was in the mood to listen to some music and I remembered that I have this Little Walter LP on my shelves, an ideal record to relax to without increasing the fogg levels so to speak. Marion Walters Jacobs (Little Walter) was born in Louisiana in 1930 and learned to play the harmonica by the time he was twelve years old. Like many other blues musicians he worked his way up to Chicago through the South by reaching the shores of Lake Michigan in 1947. Walter is for many reasons being regarded as one of the two best and most influential blues harmonica players, the other one being Sonny Boy Williamson. Like so many other of his peers in Chicago Walter played on Maxwell Street before meeting up and joining Muddy Waters' band. It is needless to say that together they created the standard that all Chicago blues bands would be judged by, and rightfully so. I can only imagine how exciting it must have been to hear the newly-electrified harmonica riffs for the first time, but for that you had to be there. The tracks on this originally in 1969 released LP were all recorded between 1952, Walter's first year as a solo artist for Chess, and 1960. Since the songs were recorded over a period spanning several years one would think that they might sound very different only to be reminded that back in the '50s time and trends didn't move as fast as they do today and artists were more likely to stick to what they knew and loved instead of trying to reinvent themselves over and over. One of the best songs on the album is the song "Roller Coaster", a wonderful instrumental, on which a certain Bo Diddley is cited as "probably" having played the guitar. The earliest track ,"Blue Midnight", features Muddy Waters, and is another outstanding track. On most of the tracks Little Walter is accompanied by Willie Dixon on bass and Fred Below on drums and the guitar often played by Robert Lockwood Jr.. You really can't go wrong with this record if you like Chicago blues and/or would like to learn more about it. Little Walter packed in a lot in his short life and died at the age of thirty-eight in 1968. He left behind a lot of great music and for that we should be eternally grateful.