Maps of Music

Big Time (1988)

Where the lyrics of Big Time take you, and where it was really made.

Tom Waits' first conventional live album was built from shows on his 1987 tour and came out less than a year later.

Key places

Final North American shows at the Warfield (1988)

Live show The Warfield — Five of the final North American shows were held at the Warfield in San Francisco in November 1987. The shows came shortly before the band left for Europe. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Final North American shows at the Wiltern (1988)

Live show The Wiltern — Five of the final North American shows were held at the Wiltern in Los Angeles in November 1987. The shows came shortly before the band left for Europe. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

A5 recorded and mixed at Sunset Sound (1988)

Recording site Sunset Sound — Track A5 was recorded and mixed at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, according to the Discogs release notes. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Big Time: first conventional live album by Tom Waits
• Built from performances at two shows on his 1987 tour
• Released on Island Records less than a year after the tour
• Released September 1988
• Tour promoted the album Franks Wild Years
• A concert film was made from the same live footage

Background

• Waits began a historic tour of North America and Europe in October 1987
• The tour had a theatrical side, since Franks Wild Years was based on a play by Waits
• The play was about his then-alter-ego, Frank O'Brien
• Frank first appeared on the track Frank's Wild Years on Swordfishtrombones
• The play premiered on June 17, 1986 at Chicago's Briar Street Theatre and ran for two months
• Five of the final North American shows were held at the Warfield in San Francisco and the Wiltern in Los Angeles in November 1987
• These shows came shortly before the band left for Europe
• Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan proposed releasing the live footage as a concert film
• Brennan played a large role in developing the idea
• Nighthawks at the Diner (1975) was an earlier live recording made before an audience but entirely inside a studio

Recording

• Recorded live in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dublin, Stockholm and Berlin
• During post-production, Waits' voice was lowered in tone
• Stamping of boots, finger snapping, maracas, gunshots, train whistles, traffic noise, laughter and applause were added in post-production
• Additional footage from European performances in Dublin, Stockholm and Berlin was added

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · ja.wikipedia.org

Artist

Career

• 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.

Sources: fr.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released in 1988 on Island Records, less than a year after the 1987 shows
• First released recording of Waits' public concert performances
• Earlier live album Nighthawks at the Diner (1975) was performed before an audience but recorded entirely inside a studio
• Recorded live in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dublin, Stockholm and Berlin (Discogs)
• Most songs were recorded live to 24-track; B1, A2 and B6 were recorded and mixed live to cassette
• A5 was recorded and mixed at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles
• Mixing took place at Sunset Sound and Sound Factory in Los Angeles; mastering at Masterdisk in New York
• Recording credits: Biff Dawes for most tracks; John Oster for A2, B1 and B6
• Mastered by Howie Weinberg
• Some copies carry a DMM hype sticker on the front cover
• Some copies were gold-stamped as promo on the back cover
• Catalog number 90987-1 appears on the jacket and labels

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Trivia

• Waits' Nighthawks at the Diner (1975) was a live performance before an audience, yet the whole recording was made inside a studio.
• The concert film was originally titled Crooked Time, and Kathleen Brennan played a large role in developing it.
• The theatrical play behind Franks Wild Years ran for two months after its June 1986 premiere in Chicago and received mixed reviews.
• The Japanese album article says the track Falling Down was the only studio recording on the album, made in Los Angeles with members of Little Feat.
• A documentary film with the same name was also released alongside the album, according to the Japanese article.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

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