{"id":12027,"date":"2024-02-20T20:13:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T20:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=12027"},"modified":"2024-02-21T01:19:08","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T01:19:08","slug":"music-closing-time-50-years-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=12027","title":{"rendered":"MUSiC: Closing Time, 50 Years On\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"894\" height=\"894\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7588-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12025\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7588-1.jpg 894w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7588-1-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7588-1-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7588-1-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7588-1-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"184\" height=\"30\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/stars_11_six-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12026\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hot damn, what an amazing debut record!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I thought I\u2019d revisit it, having recently bought 50th Anniversary posters, and also re-listened to it, in the car, for the first time in quite a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I did a series of long reviews of all my favourite Tom Waits albums, and posted them on Amazon, years ago. It was stuff like that &#8211; and the \u2018helpful\u2019 vote reactions of other Amazon shoppers &#8211; that lead to them inviting me to participate in the Vine program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather annoyingly they then deleted ALL my reviews &#8211; (over a thousand!*) and booted me off Vine, later on. With no proper explanation! And I\u2019m not sure I had any backup copies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>* With over a million helpful votes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So this might be the time and place to kind of recapitulate that stuff, to some degree? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only this time I\u2019ll feel free to be even more digressive\/discursive. For example, looking into some of the production team and sidemen who helped make this sublime work of musical art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>John Seiter, Drums &amp; Backing Vocals.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"780\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7598-1-780x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12029\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7598-1-780x1024.jpg 780w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7598-1-228x300.jpg 228w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7598-1-768x1009.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7598-1-1170x1536.jpg 1170w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7598-1.jpg 1523w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Spanky-era Seiter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Drummer John Seiter not only plays his primary instrument superbly, and with pitch perfect sensitivity to the material, on <em>Closing Time<\/em>. He also adds excellent &#8211; and highly unusual, in that they\u2019re almost unique in the Waits canon &#8211; backing vocals, on (?) and (?).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seiter\u2019s claim to fame isn\u2019t his Waits connection, but his roles as drummer for Spanky &amp; Our Gang (196?-6?), and, more briefly, The Turtles. His brother <a href=\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jimmi_Seiter\">Jimmi Seiter<\/a> was also a drummer and percussionist, with a long and successful association with The Byrds, in the \u201870s\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"525\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XWXVgDewwdI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-GB&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bill Plummer, double-bass<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"201\" height=\"252\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7590-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12030\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bill and his bull fiddle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As Jerry Yester recalled, Tom was insistent on having an upright bassist. Drummer John Seiter brought in Bill Plummer. Bill had a very varied career: he once played (in an unrecorded jam, I believe) with Miles, is on The Stones\u2019 Exile On Main Street, and also played sitar, studying the latter with Ravi Shankar, no less!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"252\" height=\"320\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7591-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12031\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7591-1.jpg 252w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7591-1-236x300.jpg 236w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bull in sitar mode.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7592-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12032\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7592-1.jpg 500w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7592-1-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7592-1-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7592-1-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bill\u2019s \u201869 sitar album, on jazz label, Impulse!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.soulstrut.com\/Archive\/bill-plummer-cosmic-brotherhood\">Read more here<\/a> about this intriguing album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jerry Yester, Production &amp; String Arrangements<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"250\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7599.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12033\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jerry with his then wife, Judy. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Jerry Yester had been a fixture on the \u201860s coffee-house folk scene, a member of The Modern Folk Quartet, and replaced Zal Yanofsky in sixties folk-pop sensations, The Lovin\u2019 Spoonful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His recollections of working on this album with Tom are priceless, as they include having the very young as yet unsigned artist visit his home, to play through his material and discuss the potential upcoming album. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If I recall correctly he talked about how his wife, who\u2019d usually ignore such goings on &#8211; her husband obviously doing stuff like this all the time &#8211; felt compelled, in this instance, to discover the source of  the beautiful sounds wafting through their home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yester also recalls how, at the end of the session for the album-closing (and titular) instrumental, Closing Time, there was a prolonged silence. \u2018Nobody wanted the moment to end\u2019, he enthuses, citing this as \u2018the most magical\u2019 musical session he\u2019d ever been part of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite this, Yester and Tom were pulling in differing directions. Yester\u2019s background and expertise lead him to move things in a folksier direction, whereas Tom\u2019s whole boho-beatnik jazzer schtick was already beginning to take shape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"922\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7601-1-1024x922.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12034\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7601-1-1024x922.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7601-1-300x270.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7601-1-768x691.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7601-1.jpg 1309w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This looks very interesting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goldminemag.com\/articles\/henske-yester-revisit-aldebaran\">Read more here<\/a> about the <em>Farewell Aldebaran<\/em> album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ed Caraeff, Photographer <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"509\" height=\"914\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7604-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12036\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7604-1.jpg 509w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7604-1-167x300.jpg 167w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 509px) 100vw, 509px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ed\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Photographer <a href=\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ed_Caraeff\">Ed Caraeff<\/a> took the photos that one sees front and back. The front cover photo is a real beauty. Totally capturing the beatnik bar\/nightfly vibe. The back cover one is from a series shot &#8211; possibly just after a Troubadour performance (according to some sources) &#8211; in what looks like a photography studio setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"602\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7610-1-602x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12045\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7610-1-602x1024.jpg 602w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7610-1-176x300.jpg 176w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7610-1.jpg 634w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A snippet from the contact-sheet that yielded the back cover image of Waits.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cal Schenkel, album cover design<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7609-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12041\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7609-1.jpg 640w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7609-1-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Cal Schenkel\u2019s most famous association is with Frank Zappa. Waits and Zappa were both on Herb Cohen\u2019s Bizarre\/Straight label. And in his early years Waits would sometimes open shows for Zappa, et al. Talk about trial by fire!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7605-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12038\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7605-1.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7605-1-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7605-1-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7605-1-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cal\u2019s work with Zappa\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"316\" height=\"316\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7608-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12039\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7608-1.jpg 316w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7608-1-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7608-1-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/img_7608-1-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 316px) 100vw, 316px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u2026rather different from the Closing Time cover.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Cal\u2019s website can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ralf.com\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hot damn, what an amazing debut record! I thought I\u2019d revisit it, having recently bought 50th Anniversary posters, and also re-listened to it, in the car, for the first time in quite a while. I did a series of long reviews of all my favourite Tom Waits albums, and posted them on Amazon, years ago. &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=12027\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;MUSiC: Closing Time, 50 Years On\u2026&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paGwUa-37Z","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12027"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12027"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12063,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12027\/revisions\/12063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}