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. 

The Brat - Attitudes LP

Label: Radiation Records; Year: 2023; Format: Vinyl LP

Firstly my apologies to the few regular readers I have for not having posted any new content in a while but that's how it is going to be until December due to a work related exam I am studying for. The good news though is that thanks to the two incompetent and useless political parties running and ruining our lives here in the U$ of A and the avoidance of a government shutdown this blog here gets funded for at least another forty five days. I hope everyone is enjoying the last few warm days before we shall bundle up again as I sure as hell am, and today was a perfect day to put on a recently purchased reissue I have been patiently waiting for some time. East LA's the Brat formed in 1978 when lead guitarist Rudy Medina and his guitarist-nephew Sid Medina met Teresa Covarrubias from Boyle Heights. In the highly recommended and excellent book "We Were Going To Change The World" by Stacy Russo (this will get an extensive review/interview in the near future) Teresa is featured as one of the women having been part of the '70s and '80s Southern California Punk Scene where she goes to explain that despite the widespread belief that Punk Rock was all inclusive she did not think it mirrored the experience the Brat had having felt rather marginalized and isolated from the Hollywood Punk scene on the West Side of LA. Teresa further explores: "I think the first show that we did that was a real concert was probably at Madam Wong's in '78, '79. Actually, it was kind of important. I think John Doe and Exene were there that night, and they really dug the band. I always say that I think they had a lot do to with helping us break that barrier, because I always felt there was a barrier. After Exene and John came and they met us afterwards, they really helped us try to break into the whole scene on the Westside. We opened for X many times, because they requested that we did." But not only did X help the Brat to achieve more exposure, the East Side of LA also got its own venue in the shape of the Vex as a result of Chicano muralist Willie Herron teaming up with Self-Help Graphics founder Sister Karen Boccalero concluding that the space they were using could as well be used to put on shows. The Vex became crucial to the development of the Brat and it must have been at said venue where Tito Larriva of the Plugz discovered the band and liked them so much that he offered to produce and release their 10" on his newly created Fatima Recordz back in 1980. A year later the five song EP titled "Attitude" was reissued as a 12" and thereafter it disappeared into obscurity as many great records have. Fortunately Radiation Records has decided to put out the original five songs that appeared on the first record plus eight more track recorded between 1981 and 1985 on this neatly packaged LP fittingly called "Attitudes". If you have never heard of the Brat you are in for a nice surprise if you like well crafted punk songs with a good dose of pop sentimentality. On top of that I would go as far as saying that the Brat created a unique sound by blending punk rock's energy with influences ranging from pop, new wave, and country music backed with intelligent lyrics tackling political and societal issues. After the release of "Attitude" the band was planning on releasing a further record on a Major Label, but it is to be assumed that the suited men and ladies were not fond of the band's critical lyrics hence by 1985 the band disbanded. If you want to get a taste for the Brat I suggest you listen to my personal favorite track "The Wolf", recorded in 1982 at Santa Barbara Sound, as it can only be described as an incredibly powerful and brilliant song dealing with the hypocrisy we call democracy in this country. It is without a doubt that the Brat were more than talented enough to write excellent punk songs with a pop edge, or pop songs with a punk edge, but as was the case for many of their peers it wasn't meant to happen for them. It is never too late and I can only hope that this excellent reissue reaches new fans of the band as they truly deserve more recognition. Grab a copy while they last! 

Photos borrowed from https://thebrat.net