Maps of Music

Heartattack and Vine (1980)

Where the lyrics of Heartattack and Vine take you, and where it was really made.

Waits described the record as an attempt to avoid his usual knife, fork and spoon, and called its title track a small breakthrough.

Key places

Where Heartattack and Vine was recorded (1980)

Recording site Hollywood Sound — The album was recorded at Filmways/Heider Studio B in Hollywood, California, from 16 June to 15 July 1980. The pin marks this recording location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Heartattack and Vine: seventh studio album by Tom Waits
• Released 9 September 1980 on Asylum Records
• His final album released on the Asylum label
• Waits saw the record as a transitional album that marked a turning point for him
• Listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Background

• The album pointed toward further musical experimentation
• Title track later recorded by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
• "On the Nickel" recorded for the Ralph Waite film of the same name
• "On the Nickel" used as the theme song for the 1985 miniseries The Atlanta Child Murders
• Jean-Luc Godard used "Ruby's Arms" in his 1983 film First Name: Carmen
• Bruce Springsteen performed "Jersey Girl" live and included it in Live/1975–85
• Waits joined Springsteen onstage to sing "Jersey Girl" on 24 August 1981

Recording

• Recorded at Filmways/Heider Studio B, Hollywood, California, from 16 June to 15 July 1980
• Credits list B.H. Production as record company
• Engineered by Bones Howe; mastered at Elektra Sound Recorders
• Waits on vocals, electric guitar and piano
• Bob Alcivar and Jerry Yester handled string and orchestral arrangements and conducting
• Plas Johnson played tenor and baritone saxophone; Victor Feldman played percussion, chimes and glockenspiel

Sources: en.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

• Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone was critical of the album in many respects
• His criticism covered Waits' vocal delivery and the morbid pathos of the ballads
• Holden wrote that Tom Waits finds more beauty in the gutter than most people would find in the Garden of Eden
• Holden referred to Waits as a unique and lovable minor talent

Reappraisal

• Waits later said in a 1983 interview with Record Magazine that the album was him trying to avoid his usual approach
• He said the title track was a breakthrough, using Yardbirds-style fuzz guitar and drums played with sticks instead of brushes
• The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Records

• Best-selling Tom Waits album in the United States
• Spent three weeks on the Billboard 200
• Peaked at number 96 on the Billboard 200
• Final release on Asylum Records

Sources: es.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's title track was recorded by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and a version of it was used without Waits' permission in a 1993 Levi's commercial; Waits took legal action and won a settlement.
• A working title for the album was White Spades, but the record label did not think it would sell well, so Waits changed the title.
• Waits said the album was him trying to avoid using a knife, a fork and a spoon.
• Bruce Springsteen performed "Jersey Girl" live, and Waits joined him onstage to sing it on 24 August 1981.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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