Mule Variations | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 16, 1999 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Studio | Prairie Sun (Cotati, California) | |||
Genre | Blues | |||
Length | 70:33 | |||
Label | ANTI- | |||
Producer | Kathleen Brennan, Tom Waits | |||
Tom Waits chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Mule Variations | ||||
|
Mule Variations is the thirteenth studio album by American musician Tom Waits, released on April 16, 1999, on the ANTI- label. It was Waits' first studio album in six years, following The Black Rider (1993). The album was backed by an extensive tour in Europe and North America during the summer and autumn of 1999, which was Waits' first proper tour since 1987. Other promotional stops included a solo performance on VH1 Storytellers .
Mule Variations won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album and was nominated for Best Male Rock Performance for the track "Hold On". It has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. In 2012, the album was ranked number 416 on Rolling Stone 's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. [1]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [3] |
The Guardian | [4] |
Los Angeles Times | [5] |
NME | 7/10 [6] |
Pitchfork | 9.5/10 [7] |
Rolling Stone | [8] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
Spin | 6/10 [10] |
The Village Voice | A− [11] |
Upon its release, Mule Variations received widespread critical acclaim. AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that "the album uses the ragged cacophony of Bone Machine as a starting point, and proceeds to bring in the songwriterly aspects of Rain Dogs , along with its affection for backstreet and backwoods blues, plus a hint of the beatnik qualities of Swordfish . So Mule Variations delivers what fans want, in terms of both songs and sonics" and awarded the album four out of five stars. [2] Former Village Voice editor Robert Christgau gave the album an A− rating and praised the songwriting of Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan, saying "together they humanize the percussion-battered Bone Machine sound, reconstituting his '80s alienation effects into a Delta harshness with more give to it." [11] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly said that Mule Variations "restores the wizened humanity –and a more traditional sense of songcraft –to [Waits'] music", gave the album a B+ rating and concluded that Waits was "the last of the classic American tunesmiths." [3]
Hot Press reviewer Peter Murphy described the album as "an emotionally forthright record" and called it "a record of at least two minds: scuffed rooming-house madrigals [...] contrasted with big, fat, bleeding heart ballads." [12] Zach Hooker of Pitchfork awarded the album a 9.5 out of 10 rating, describing it as "a great album" and further saying that "sonically, it picks up where Bone Machine left off, but drops some of that album's artifice: the clattering, trebly out-back-of-the-shed sound is still here and the inexplicable presence of Primus persists." [7] Rolling Stone said that the album "contains the most blues of any album [Tom Waits has] made" but added "the problem is that it's more of the same", describing it as "the latest installment of discourse" and awarding the album three out of five stars. [8]
Mule Variations was a moderate commercial success. The album charted in 14 countries worldwide upon its release, including debuting at number 30 on the United States Billboard 200 [13] and number 1 on Norway's album chart. [14] The album was certified gold in Canada in July 2001 after selling over 50,000 copies [15] and as of April 2009 had sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. [16] Mule Variations won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 42nd Grammy Awards [17] and was nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. [18]
In 2010, Mule Variations was awarded a platinum certification from the Independent Music Companies Association, [19] which indicated sales of at least 500,000 copies throughout Europe. As of 2006, sales in the United States have exceeded 440,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. [20]
All tracks are written by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan unless otherwise noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Big in Japan" | 4:05 | |
2. | "Lowside of the Road" | 2:59 | |
3. | "Hold On" | 5:33 | |
4. | "Get Behind the Mule" | 6:52 | |
5. | "House Where Nobody Lives" | Waits | 4:14 |
6. | "Cold Water" | 5:23 | |
7. | "Pony" | Waits | 4:32 |
8. | "What's He Building?" | Waits | 3:20 |
9. | "Black Market Baby" | 5:02 | |
10. | "Eyeball Kid" | 4:25 | |
11. | "Picture in a Frame" | 3:39 | |
12. | "Chocolate Jesus" | 3:55 | |
13. | "Georgia Lee" | 4:24 | |
14. | "Filipino Box Spring Hog" | Waits | 3:09 |
15. | "Take It with Me" | 4:24 | |
16. | "Come On Up to the House" | 4:36 | |
Total length: | 70:33 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
17. | "Buzz Fledderjohn" | Waits | 4:14 |
18. | "Big Face Money" | Waits, Casey Waits | 0:38 |
Total length: | 75:25 |
Christopher Marvin, the son of actor Lee Marvin, was featured as a guest drummer as a nod to Waits' membership in The Sons of Lee Marvin, a humorous secret society of Marvin look-alikes.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [39] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [40] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [41] | Gold | 500,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe | — | 500,000 [42] |
Worldwide | — | 1,000,000 [43] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Iowa is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Produced by the band and Ross Robinson, it was released on August 28, 2001, by Roadrunner Records. The title derives from the band's home state, Iowa, which members have stated is one of their greatest sources of inspiration. With much anticipation for the album following the success of their 1999 self-titled debut, pressures on the band were high. Their relationships with each other suffered and this was later described as the darkest time of their career. It was also the first full album to feature guitarist Jim Root after only appearing on one song from their previous album. Despite troubles within the band and with Iowa's development, Slipknot promoted it for almost a year.
Mutations is the sixth studio album by the American songwriter Beck, released on November 3, 1998, by DGC Records. Though less commercially successful than the preceding Odelay, it won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.
Tattoo You is a studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 24 August 1981 by Rolling Stones Records. The album is mostly composed of studio outtakes recorded during the 1970s, and contains one of the band's most well-known songs, "Start Me Up", which hit number two on the US Billboard singles charts.
Alice is the fourteenth studio album by Tom Waits, released in 2002 on Epitaph Records. It consists of songs written by Waits and Kathleen Brennan for the opera Alice ten years earlier. The opera was a collaboration with Robert Wilson, with whom Waits had previously worked on The Black Rider. Waits and Wilson collaborated again on Woyzeck; the songs from it were recorded and released on Blood Money at the same time as Alice.
Wildflowers is the second solo studio album by American musician Tom Petty, released on November 1, 1994. The album was the first released by Petty after signing a contract with Warner Bros. Records and the first of three albums produced by Rick Rubin. The album was certified 3× platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Bone Machine is the eleventh studio album by American singer and musician Tom Waits, released by Island Records on September 8, 1992. It won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and features guest appearances by David Hidalgo, Les Claypool, Brain, and Keith Richards. The album marked Waits' return to studio albums, coming five years after Franks Wild Years (1987).
Real Gone is the sixteenth studio album by Tom Waits, released October 4, 2004 in Europe, and October 5 in United States on the ANTI- label. The album was supported by the Real Gone Tour, playing sold out locations in North America and Europe in October and November 2004.
The End of the Innocence is the third solo studio album by Don Henley, the co-lead vocalist and drummer for the Eagles. The album was released in 1989, on Geffen Records, and was his last release on that label. It was also his last solo album before reforming the Eagles and it would be eleven years before he released another solo project, 2000's Inside Job.
The Globe Sessions is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, released on September 21, 1998, in the United Kingdom and September 29, 1998, in the United States, then re-released in 1999. It was nominated for Album of the Year, Best Rock Album and Best Engineered Non-Classical Album at the 1999 Grammys, winning the latter two awards. The Globe Sessions reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, while peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, achieving US sales of two million as of January 2008. The album was recorded at and named for the sessions recorded at Globe Recording Studio in New York owned by Robert FitzSimons and Tracey Loggia.
New Beginning is the fourth album by singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1995. According to Nielsen Soundscan, it is her biggest-selling recording since 1991, with 3.8 million copies sold, and according to the RIAA, it has shipped five million copies in the United States.
A Bigger Bang is a studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released through Virgin Records on 6 September 2005. It was the band's last album of original material recorded entirely with Charlie Watts on drums before his death in 2021.
Voodoo Lounge is a studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 11 July 1994. As their first new release under their new alliance with Virgin Records, it ended a five-year gap since their last studio album, Steel Wheels in 1989. Voodoo Lounge is also the band's first album without their original bassist Bill Wyman; he left the band in early 1991, though the Stones did not announce the departure until 1993. In 2009, the album was remastered and reissued by Universal Music. This album was released as a double vinyl and as a single CD and cassette.
Amigos is the seventh studio album by Santana released in March 26, 1976. It generated a minor U.S. hit single in "Let It Shine" and was the band's first album to hit the top ten on the Billboard charts since Caravanserai in 1972. In Europe, the song "Europa" was released as a single and became a top ten hit in several countries.
Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards is a limited edition three CD set by Tom Waits, released by the ANTI- label on November 17, 2006 in Europe and on November 21, 2006 in the United States.
Peace Beyond Passion is the second studio album by American musician Me'shell Ndegeocello, released on June 25, 1996, on Maverick Records. The album peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and No. 15 on the Top R&B Albums chart in 1996. It went on to become Ndegeocello's most commercially successful album. Widely acclaimed at the time of its release, the album received numerous awards and accolades including a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 39th Grammy Awards in 1997.
The discography of the American rock musician Tom Waits spans five decades. It consists of 17 studio albums, 3 live albums, 7 compilation albums, 23 singles, 2 soundtracks, and 1 box set. Waits has also released one video album and 16 music videos.
The Union is a collaboration studio album by singer-songwriters Elton John and Leon Russell, released on 19 October 2010 in the US and on 25 October in the UK. This is John's second collaboration album, after 1993's Duets. This is the first studio release by John since 1979's Victim of Love without any of his regular band members. It is also his highest charting studio album on the Billboard 200 since 1976's Blue Moves, debuting at No. 3, as well as Russell's highest charting studio album since 1972's Carney. The Union was No. 3 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.
The Tedeschi Trucks Band is an American blues and blues rock group based in Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 2010, the band is led by married couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Their debut album, Revelator (2011), won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Blues Album. The band has released five studio and three live albums.
Bad as Me is the seventeenth and most recent studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released on October 21, 2011 by Anti- Records. The album is known to have been recorded as early as February 2011 and was officially announced for release on August 23, 2011 on Waits' official web site and various social media networks. On the same day, the title track, "Bad as Me", was released as the album's first single on iTunes.
Blue & Lonesome is a studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 2 December 2016. Consisting entirely of blues music, it is the band's first album to feature only cover songs. The album is also their first studio release since 2005's A Bigger Bang, with its eleven-year gap being the longest between two albums from the band. Despite the short running of approximately 43 minutes, the album was released as a double LP. "Just Your Fool", a Buddy Johnson cover was released as the first single from the album on 6 October. The name of the album is from a song which Little Walter wrote, "Blue and Lonesome".