Maps of Music

Franks Wild Years (1987)

Where the lyrics of Franks Wild Years take you, and where it was really made.

Born from a Chicago stage musical that did not succeed, this album became a separate record.

Key places

Sunset Sound, Los Angeles (1987)

Recording site Sunset Sound — Credited as a recording and mixing location on this album. The point marks the studio itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Sound Factory, Los Angeles (1987)

Recording site The Sound Factory — Listed as one of the recording studios for this album in the release credits. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Universal Recording Corp., Chicago (1987)

Recording site Chicago Recording Company — Listed among the recording studios for this album, but the point is set at Chicago city center rather than the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Franks Wild Years: tenth studio album by Tom Waits, released 1987 on Island Records
• Third album in a loose trilogy that began with Swordfishtrombones
• Subtitled "Un Operachi Romantico in Two Acts"
• Songs written by Waits and collaborators, mainly his wife Kathleen Brennan, for a play of the same name
• Title derived from "Frank's Wild Years", a track from Swordfishtrombones
• "If I Have to Go" was used in the play, but released only in 2006 on Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards

Background

• The play premiered at the Briar St. Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, on June 22, 1986
• Performed by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• The play did not become a major success, and Waits then took the idea of making an album from it
• Songs were reworked for the record
• Theme from "If I Have to Go" was used under the title "Rat's Theme" in the documentary Streetwise as early as 1984

Recording

• Recorded at Sunset Sound and Sunset Sound Factory in Los Angeles, and at Universal Recording Corp. in Chicago
• Mixed at Sunset Sound; mastered at Masterdisk, New York
• Tom Waits credited as producer; Biff Dawes credited as engineer and mixer
• David Hidalgo plays accordion on the album

Cover

• Conception and photography credited to Jean-Baptiste Mondino
• Accordion appears on the jacket, in line with the protagonist Frank playing accordion

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

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.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

• AllMusic describes spare, stripped-down arrangements built on marimba, baritone horn, and pump organ
• Waits sings in a strained voice that is artificially compressed and distorted
• AllMusic notes that the songs are often conventional romantic vignettes, made odd by instrumentation, arrangement, and performance
• Example: "Innocent When You Dream" has a winning melody but is played in a seesaw arrangement of pump organ, bass, violin, and piano

Reappraisal

• Elvis Costello included the album on his list of essential albums
• He highlighted "Hang On St. Christopher" and "Innocent When You Dream"

Records

• NME annual critics' poll: number 5 among Albums of the Year for 1987

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The theme from "If I Have to Go" was used in the documentary Streetwise in 1984 under the title "Rat's Theme"
• Various versions of "Way Down in the Hole" became theme music for the HBO series The Wire, including Waits' original version for the second season
• "Temptation" and "Cold Cold Ground" were used in Jean-Claude Lauzon's film Léolo (1992)
• Diana Krall covered "Temptation" on her 2004 album The Girl in the Other Room, and her version was also released as a CD single
• Jim Sclavunos recalled that for most of a year after release, the album was his and his roommate's nightly pump-up record
• The Island CD misspelled "Cold Cold Ground" as "Cold Call Ground"

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

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