Maps of Music

Mule Variations (1999)

Where the lyrics of Mule Variations take you, and where it was really made.

The guest drummer is the son of actor Lee Marvin, booked as a nod to Waits' membership in a humorous secret society of Marvin look-alikes.

Key places

Where most of the album was recorded (1999)

Recording site Prairie Sun Recording Studios — Release notes list Prairie Sun Recording Studios as the main recording site for this album. The point sits at the city centre of Cotati, California, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Mule Variations: thirteenth studio album by American musician Tom Waits
• Released 16 April 1999 on the ANTI- label
• First studio album in six years, following The Black Rider (1993)
• Waits and Kathleen Brennan wrote the songs together unless credited otherwise

Background

• Backed by an extensive tour of Europe and North America in summer and autumn 1999
• The tour was Waits' first proper tour since 1987
• Other promotion included a solo performance on VH1 Storytellers

Recording

• Most of the album was recorded at Prairie Sun Recording Studios; 'Lowside of the Road' was recorded at Sputnik Sound
• Mastering was done at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios
• Recording engineers credited were Jacquire King and Oz Fritz
• Guest players include Les Claypool on bass and Marc Ribot on guitar
• Charlie Musselwhite plays harmonica on several tracks
• Jacquire King is credited for programming on two tracks

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

• Upon release the album received widespread critical acclaim
• AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it four out of five stars and said it starts from the ragged cacophony of Bone Machine
• Robert Christgau, former Village Voice editor, gave it an A− and praised the songwriting of Waits and Kathleen Brennan
• David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave it a B+ and called Waits the last of the classic American tunesmiths
• Hot Press reviewer Peter Murphy described it as an emotionally forthright record
• Zach Hooker of Pitchfork gave it 9.5 out of 10 and called it a great album
• Rolling Stone gave it three out of five stars and said the problem is that it is more of the same

Reappraisal

• Ranked number 416 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2012

Records

• Debuted at number 30 on the US Billboard 200
• Reached number 1 on Norway's album chart
• Charted in 14 countries upon release
• Certified gold in Canada in July 2001 after selling over 50,000 copies
• Won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 42nd Grammy Awards
• 'Hold On' was nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
• Awarded platinum by the Independent Music Companies Association in 2010, indicating sales of at least 500,000 in Europe
• US sales exceeded 440,000 copies as of 2006 according to Nielsen SoundScan
• Sales worldwide exceeded 500,000 copies as of April 2009

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

Trivia

• Christopher Marvin, son of actor Lee Marvin, drums on one track as a nod to Waits' membership in the Sons of Lee Marvin, a humorous secret society of Marvin look-alikes.
• Major parts of the album were produced in a hen coop that was rebuilt into a production studio in rural California, according to the release notes.
• After the album came out, a limited EP titled Hold On was issued with the album tracks 'Hold On' and 'Big in Japan', plus two unreleased songs.
• The song 'Come On Up to the House' appears in the end credits of Rian Johnson's 2025 film Wake Up Dead Man.

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

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