Mule Variations
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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Mule Variations
- Artist: Tom Waits
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1999
- Type: Lyrics are included with the album
- Genre: Rock
Review
Tom Waits grew steadily less prolific after redefining himself as a junkyard noise poet with Swordfishtrombones, but the five-year wait between The Black Rider and 1999's Mule Variations was the longest yet. Given the fact that Waits decided to abandon major labels for the California indie Epitaph, Mule Variations would seem like a golden opportunity to redefine himself and begin a new phase of his career. However, it plays like a revue of highlights from every album he's made since Swordfishtrombones. Of course, that's hardly a criticism; the album uses the ragged cacophony of Bone Machine as a starting point, and proceeds to bring in the songwriterly aspects of Rain Dogs, along with its affection for backstreet and backwoods blues, plus a hint of the beatnik qualities of Swordfish. So Mule Variations delivers what fans want, in terms of both songs and sonics. But that also explains why it sounds terrific on initial spins, only to reveal itself as slightly dissatisfying with subsequent plays. All of Waits' Island records felt like fully conceived albums with genuine themes. Mule Variations, in contrast, is a collection of moments, and while each of those moments is very good (some even bordering on excellent), ultimately the whole doesn't equal the sum of its parts. While that may seem like nitpicking, some may have wanted a masterpiece after five years, and Mule Variations falls short of that mark. Nevertheless, this is a hell of a record by any other standard. Waits is still writing terrific songs and matching them with wildly evocative productions; furthermore, it's his lightest record in years -- it's actually fun to listen to, even with a murder ballad here and a psycho blues there. In that sense, it's a unique item in his post-Swordfish catalog, and that may make up for it not being the masterpiece it seemed like it could have been. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi| Mule Train: The Best Of Frankie Laine (2005 Album by Frankie Laine) | |
| Mule Variations [Japan Bonus Tracks] (1999 Album by Tom Waits) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Mule Variations
| Mule Variations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Tom Waits | ||||
| Released | April 16, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | Prairie Sun Studios, Cotati, California | |||
| Genre | Rock, experimental rock | |||
| Length | 70:33 | |||
| Label | ANTI- | |||
| Producer | Kathleen Brennan Tom Waits |
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| Tom Waits chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | (A-)[2] |
| Pitchfork Media | (9.5/10)[3] |
| Music Emissions | [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
Mule Variations is an album by Tom Waits, released in 1999 on the ANTI- label. It was Waits's first studio album since 1992's Bone Machine (the later The Black Rider was a collection of songs originally written for a play). It won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album and was nominated for Best Male Rock Performance for the track "Hold On". It also sold more than 500,000 copies world wide.
The album was backed by an extensive tour in Europe and North America during the summer and autumn of 1999, which was Waits's first proper tour since 1987. Other promotional stops included a solo performance on VH1 Storytellers.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 416 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[6]
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Contents
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Chart information
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norway | 1 |
| Switzerland | 7 |
| United Kingdom | 9 |
| North America | 30 |
Track listing
All songs by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan unless otherwise noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big in Japan" | 4:05 | |
| 2. | "Lowside of the Road" | 2:59 | |
| 3. | "Hold On" | 5:33 | |
| 4. | "Get Behind the Mule" | 6:52 | |
| 5. | "House Where Nobody Lives" | Waits | 4:14 |
| 6. | "Cold Water" | 5:23 | |
| 7. | "Pony" | Waits | 4:32 |
| 8. | "What's He Building In There?" | Waits | 3:20 |
| 9. | "Black Market Baby" | 5:02 | |
| 10. | "Eyeball Kid" | 4:25 | |
| 11. | "Picture in a Frame" | 3:39 | |
| 12. | "Chocolate Jesus" | 3:55 | |
| 13. | "Georgia Lee" | 4:24 | |
| 14. | "Filipino Box Spring Hog" | Waits | 3:09 |
| 15. | "Take It with Me" | 4:24 | |
| 16. | "Come On Up to the House" | 4:36 |
Related promo CD
As a promotional limited offer, an EP titled Hold On was later released with two of the tracks from the Mule Variations album plus two previously unreleased tracks. Track listing:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hold On" | Waits, Brennan | 5:34 |
| 2. | "Buzz Fledderjon" | Waits | 4:14 |
| 3. | "Big in Japan" | Waits, Brennan | 4:05 |
| 4. | "Big Face Money" | Waits, Casey X. Waits | 0:38 |
The Australian/New Zealand and Japanese releases of the album includes "Buzz Fledderjon" and "Big Face Money" as bonus tracks as tracks number 17 and 18 respectively.
Musicians
- Tom Waits - vocals (1–7, 9–16), The Voice (8), Guitar (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12), Piano (5, 11, 13, 15, 16), Organ (3), Pump Organ (7), percussion (9, 10), Chamberlin (9), Optigan (2)
- Andrew Borger - drums (9, 14, 16), Percussion (14)
- Kathleen Brennan - Boner (14)
- Ralph Carney - Trumpet (1), Sax (1, 16), Alto-Sax (11), Bass Clarinet (10), Reeds (8, 9)
- Les Claypool - Bass (1)
- Greg Cohen - Bass (11, 12, 15), Percussion (10)
- Linda Deluca-Ghidossi - Violin (13)
- Dalton Dillingham III - Bass (13)
- Joe Gore - Guitar (3, 16)
- Chris Grady - Trumpet (2, 14)
- John Hammond - Blues Harp (7)
- Stephen Hodges - Percussion (3, 4)
- Smokey Hormel - Guitar (4), Dobro (7), Chumbus & Dousengoni (2)
- Jacquire King - Programming (2, 14)
- Larry LaLonde - Guitar (1)
- Brain Mantia - Drums (1)
- Christopher Marvin - Drums (6)
- Charlie Musselwhite - Blues Harp (4, 12, 14, 16)
- Nik Phelps - Bari-Sax (11, 16)
- DJ M. Mark "The III Media" Reitman - Turntable (8, 9, 10, 14)
- Larry Rhodes - Contrabassoon (10)
- Marc Ribot - Guitar (3, 9, 10, 14), Lead Guitar (5), Guitar Solo (6, 9)
- Jeff Sloan - Percussion (8), Boner (14)
- Larry Taylor - Bass (3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 16), Guitar (14), Rhythm Guitar (5)
- Wings Over Jordan Gospel, Bali Eternal - Turntable Samples (10)
References
- ^ Mule Variations at Allmusic
- ^ Robert Christgau
- ^ [1]
- ^ Music Emmissions
- ^ Rolling Stone
- ^ "416 Mule Variation" "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" 1 November 2003. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
External links
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