Mule Variations

Mule Variations
- Shrink-wrapped
Seven years passed between the release of Bone Machine and Mule Variations. During that time Tom Waits eschewed cutting another "conventional" (the term used loosely here) song collection, occupying his time with acting projects, a soundtrack (Night on Earth), a stage project (The Black Rider), and sundry smaller diversions. What's surprising about Mule Variations is how little he's strayed from the old Bone yard through the years. As with his Grammy-winning 1992 outing, Waits intersperses the tough and the tender, mixing exercises in creative noisemaking with tunes that fall on just the right side of maudlin. As with Bone Machine's "The Ocean Doesn't Want Me," "What's He Building?" is an experiment in word jazz that owes a debt to its creator, Ken Nordine. Waits has again assembled a crew of attuned sidemen (including Primus and steadfast backers Ralph Carney, Larry Taylor, and Joe Gore). And, as always, Waits and his wife-cosongwriter-coproducer Kathleen Brennan exhibit an uncanny ear for the arcane. In the end, Mule Variations is the aural equivalent of a salvage shop that, while largely familiar, still has a few secluded chambers and trap doors. --Steven Stolder
Country USA
Brand WEA CORP
Manufacturer ANTI
Binding Audio CD
ItemPartNumber 1685996
Model 2004142
ReleaseDate 1999-04-27
UnitCount 1
Format Original recording remastered
UPCs 045778654727
EANs 0045778654727

Country	USA
Brand	WEA CORP
Manufacturer	ANTI
Binding	Audio CD
ItemPartNumber	1685996
Model	2004142
ReleaseDate	1999-04-27
UnitCount	1
Format	Original recording remastered
UPCs	045778654727
EANs	0045778654727

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