Ol' '55
Encyclopedia
"Ol' '55" is a song written and recorded by Tom Waits
. It is the opening track on Waits' 1973 debut album, Closing Time
. The song was covered by the Eagles on their 1974 album On the Border
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Waits has been critical of cover versions of the song, admitting that he was "not that particularly crazy about [the Eagles'] rendition of it ... I thought their version was a little antiseptic."
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
. It is the opening track on Waits' 1973 debut album, Closing Time
Closing Time (album)
Closing Time is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released in March 1973 on Asylum Records. Produced and arranged by former Lovin' Spoonful member Jerry Yester, Closing Time was the first of seven of Waits's major releases through Asylum, the final being Heartattack...
. The song was covered by the Eagles on their 1974 album On the Border
On the Border
On the Border is the third studio album by the Eagles, released in 1974. During the making of the album, the band experienced significant changes. As the band tried to lean towards a more hard rock sound, they felt that producer Glyn Johns emphasized too much on their country sound. After recording...
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Waits has been critical of cover versions of the song, admitting that he was "not that particularly crazy about [the Eagles'] rendition of it ... I thought their version was a little antiseptic."
Recordings
- 1973 Tom Waits on the album Closing Time
- 1974 The Eagles on the album On the Border
- 1974 Fairport ConventionFairport ConventionFairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
singer Ian MatthewsIain MatthewsIain Matthews is an English musician and songwriter. He was born Iain Matthew McDonald, in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. He was known in the 1960s first as Ian McDonald, then as the 1960s progressed, as Ian Matthews...
, on the album Some Days You Eat the BearSome Days You Eat the BearSome Days You Eat The Bear is the 1974 album by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews.-Track listing:#"Ol' '55" #"I Don't Wanna talk About It" #"A Wailing Goodbye" #"Keep On Sailing"...
. - 1975 Eric AndersenEric AndersenEric Andersen is an American singer-songwriter.-Biography:In the early 1960s, Eric Andersen was part of the Greenwich Village folk scene in New York...
on the album Be True To You. - 1994 Sarah McLachlanSarah McLachlanSarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
on The Freedom SessionsThe Freedom SessionsThe Freedom Sessions is an album by Sarah McLachlan which was released in December 1994 by Nettwerk Records in Canada. It was held over for American release by Arista Records until March 28, 1995. The album consisted primarily of previously unreleased alternative versions and remixes of McLachlan...
. This same version also appears on the Boys On The SideBoys on the SideBoys on the Side is a 1995 comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross . It stars Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore and Mary-Louise Parker as three friends on a cross-country road trip...
soundtrack. - 1999 Acda en De MunnikAcda en De MunnikAcda en De Munnik is a Dutch cabaret and music duo, Thomas Acda and Paul de Munnik . Their songs are generally seen as simply and expertly arranged, so that the attention of the listener automatically is drawn to the lyrics. The lyrics are mostly about love, youth and life. Acda en de Munnik’s...
made a Dutch rendition of the song on their 1999 bonus album Live in de orangerie (included with Op voorraad). - 2009 Sass JordanSass JordanSarah "Sass" Jordan is a Canadian, Juno Award winning, rock singer/songwriter who grew up in Montreal.- Biography :...
on the album From Dusk 'Til Dawn.
Live versions
- 2010 Gov't MuleGov't MuleGov't Mule is a Southern rock jam band formed in 1994 as an Allman Brothers Band side project by Warren Haynes and Allen Woody.The band released their debut album Gov't Mule in 1995...
covered "Ol' 55" for the first time on July 18, 2010 in Charlotte, NC as an encore performed with Jackie GreeneJackie GreeneJackie Greene is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:Greene was born Chris Nelson in Salinas, California, and developed an interest in music at an early age, starting with the piano. At 14, he began to play guitar and within a short time, was able to sit in with local bar bands. As...
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