Maps of Music

Bad as Me (2011)

Where the lyrics of Bad as Me take you, and where it was really made.

Waits' seventeenth album arrived after a seven-year gap of entirely new material, and it became his first top 10 album in the US.

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Bad as Me: seventeenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits
Released 21 October 2011 on Anti- Records
First album made entirely of new material from Waits in seven years, since Real Gone (2004)
Upon release, became Waits' first US top 10 album
Album cover photo shot by Waits himself

Anti- had recently agreed a distribution deal with Warner Music Group to release the album internationally
First Waits release through the Warner organization since Heartattack and Vine (1980)
Waits announced the album on 16 August 2011 on his official website and social media, amid rising rumours
Official announcement made on 23 August 2011; the title track came out the same day as the first single on iTunes
Video previews of the album appeared on YouTube on the announcement day

Recording is known to have begun as early as February 2011
Album made available to stream on 17 October 2011
Digital release on iTunes on 21 October 2011, where it had been available for pre-order

Tom Waits, born Thomas Alan Waits on 7 December 1949 in Pomona, California, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, music director and actor.
Known for his gravelly voice, cynical texts and theatrical stage presence, he blends blues, jazz, bluegrass, vaudeville and country with rock.
His lyrics portray the bizarre and overlooked people and places, while his work also shows romanticism and humour.
Debuted in Los Angeles in 1971 after signing with manager Herb Cohen; the album Closing Time (1973) received good reviews, and the Eagles' cover of Ol' 55 brought success in 1974.
Mid-1980s albums Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs and Frank's Wild Years featured eclectic instrumentation, marking a less conventional period after leaving Asylum for Island Records.
Worked with his wife Kathleen Brennan on musicals such as The Black Rider with William S. Burroughs, and moved toward theatre alongside a parallel acting career.
Acted in films by Francis Ford Coppola, Jim Jarmusch, Robert Altman and Terry Gilliam; composed the score for Coppola's Coup de cœur.
Won Grammy Awards for Bone Machine (1993) and Mule Variations (2000); inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
Has consistently refused to license his music for advertising and won lawsuits against several companies that ignored this.

Released to widespread critical acclaim
Metacritic average score of 88 from 40 reviews, indicating universal acclaim
AllMusic's Thom Jurek gave four out of five stars
Pitchfork's Amanda Petrusich noted the tracks are concise and expertly edited
The Daily Telegraph's Helen Brown gave a five-star review
Drowned in Sound's Michael Wheeler gave 9/10
Andy Gill in The Independent gave top marks and said the album contains no filler at all
The A.V. Club's Noel Murray said the album is a fun reminder of Waits' ability to be a badass when necessary
The Guardian's Dave Simpson said Waits's lyrics are as unpredictable and inspired as ever
Rolling Stone's Will Hermes gave four out of five stars
Slant Magazine's Jesse Cataldo called it a self-affirming collection
Spin's Dan Weiss said the album burns at fuse speed
Uncut's Andrew Mueller gave a glowing review

Billboard 200: number 6, Waits' best sales week since Nielsen SoundScan began in 1991
Top Rock Albums chart: number 2
UK sales stood at 40,305 copies as of January 2012, according to The Guardian
2012: diamond certification from the Independent Music Companies Association, indicating at least 200,000 copies sold across Europe
Sales reached 190,000 copies by 2013

Waits confirmed the influence of Captain Beefheart in an interview about the album; Beefheart had died earlier in 2011.
Album became Waits' first top 10 album in the US after 38 years of his career, according to the Japanese article.
Album reached number one on the Norwegian album chart, the first time in 12 years after Mule Variations (1999).
Anti- agreed a distribution deal with Warner Music Group, which made the international release possible.
Casey Waits, Waits' son, played drums on many tracks of the album.