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Closing Time is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released on March 6, 1973, on Asylum Records. Produced and arranged by former Lovin' Spoonful member Jerry Yester , Closing Time was the first of seven of Waits' major releases by Asylum.
"Ol' '55" is a song by American musician Tom Waits. It is the opening track and lead single from Waits' debut studio album, Closing Time, released in March 1973 on Asylum Records. Written by Waits and produced by Jerry Yester, "Ol' '55" was a minor hit. It has been described as more conventional than Waits' later songs. [1]
Tom Waits was born and raised in a middle-class family in Pomona, California. Inspired by the work of Bob Dylan and the Beat Generation, he began singing on the San Diego folk circuit. [3] [4] He relocated to Los Angeles in 1972, where he worked as a songwriter before signing a recording contract with Asylum Records.
Waits has also released one video album and 16 music videos. Waits's debut release was the 1973 single "Ol' '55", which was the lead single for his debut album Closing Time (1973). He began recording in 1971, but these first sessions would not be released until the beginning of the 1990s. For most of the 1970s he recorded for Asylum Records.
[3] Waits performed the song, in truncated form, on the short-lived US television show, Fernwood 2 Night in 1977, during the promotion for Small Change. The appearance also included a short skit in interview form, premised on a broken-down tour bus , during which Waits asks to borrow money from hosts Martin Mull and Fred Willard .
The music, for the most part, consists of Waits' gravelly, rough voice, set against a backdrop of piano, upright bass, drums and saxophone. Some tracks have a string section, whose sweet timbre is starkly contrasted to Waits' voice. "Tom Traubert's Blues" opens the album. Jay S. Jacobs has described the song as a "stunning opener [which] sets ...
The song was augmented by Ralph Carney on tenor saxophone, Marc Ribot on guitar, and Michael Blair on drums. [1] [2] To alter the timbre of his voice, Waits sang the lyrics through a bullhorn. [4] For the extended remix of "Hang on St. Christopher", a train sound effect was added to the track, which Waits was particularly pleased with. [3]
Tom Waits - vocals, piano; DaWillie Gonga - Yamaha electric grand piano "Blue Valentine" - 5:51 from Blue Valentine (1978) Tom Waits - vocals, electric guitar; Ray Crawford - electric guitar solo "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night" - 3:51 from The Heart of Saturday Night (1974) Tom Waits - vocals, acoustic guitar; Jim Hughart - bass ...