Bonding over Closing Time
I was on a nostalgic mood a couple of nights ago so I decided to take out a few albums that I haven’t heard in a while — mind you these are works that were made way back in the 70’s.
First on the list was Tom Waits‘ Closing Time. And man, I have to say that the power and artistry of this album just becomes more and more potent as it acquires the patina of time. From the opening bars of ‘Ol 55, Tom Waits’ debut still packs the wallop of a freight train. This is one of the strongest albums I have heard both lyrically and musically. Couple that with Tom Waits’ amazing vocal delivery and what you have is an album that consistently stands the test of time.
This early, I am already exposing my son to Closing Time. This is one album that I want both of us — father and son — to bond over. Twenty years from now, when I am old an gray and my son is ready to take on the world, I want Tom Waits’ masterpiece to connect us — to remind us of a time when he was still a small child resting on his father’s chest while we fall into sweet slumber to the tunes of Waits himself.
Tom Waits, Closing Time, ‘Ol 55
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