I never really got into Tom Waits. I appreciated that he was a storytelling genius. I often listened to other artist's covering his music, but outside of a handful of songs, I never really gave his catalog much of a chance.
That all changed for me on Valentine's Day of this year, when I was driving around that afternoon listening to Philly's best radio station, WXPN, and the song "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" came on. It just floored me. I thought it was one of the best songs I had ever heard and I had to hear more of Waits' earlier music. I'm hoping that there are a few of you out there who like me, never heard this incredible song and give it a listen right now.
Tom Waits - "I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You"
So I went back to the beginning to where this song is from, and that is Tom Waits' debut album from 1973, Closing Time. In it, Waits' voice is in much different shape that it is now and he sings beautifully on a dozen songs that vary in style but flow together perfectly. A timeless, inspiring, and incredibly moving record, this one will stay with me forever.
Here are two more favorites from Closing Time.
Tom Waits - Ol' 55.
Tom Waits - Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)
Since then, I've been slowly working my way up through his catalog and I've spent a little too much time watching the full length concerts through the years at the best fan site I've ever seen, Tom Waits TV, here.
I am now finally, officially, a Tom Waits obsessed freak, so I'm sure you'll be seeing him around these parts quite often. Thanks for stopping by.
Buy Closing Time by Tom Waits at amazon.com
Right on man. We all remember the first time Tom hits us. For me, it was an episode of that TV show Homicide: Life On the Street, and they used two of his songs from Frank's Wild Years in there, Way Down In the Hole, and Cold Cold Ground.
ReplyDeleteI've literally seen 500 acts in my concertgoing career, but I can honestly say I will not die content unless I get to see Tom Waits live.