Mule Variations

Untitled

Mule Variations is an album by Tom Waits, released 1999 on the ANTI- sub-label of Epitaph Records. It was Waits's first studio album since 1992's Bone Machine (the later The Black Rider was a collection of songs originally written for a play). It won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album and was nominated for Best Male Rock Performance for the track "Hold On". It also sold more than 500,000 copies world wide.

The album was backed by an extensive tour of Europe and North America during the summer and autumn of 1999, which was Waits's first proper tour since 1987. Other promotional stops included a solo performance on VH1 Storytellers.

The band Primus played with Waits and Carney on "Big in Japan".

In 2003, the album was ranked number 416 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Track listing

Songs co-written by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan unless otherwise noted.

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" (Tom Waits) – 4:14
6. "Cold Water" – 5:23
7. "Pony" (Tom Waits) – 4:32
8. "What's He Building?" (Tom 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" (Tom Waits) – 3:09
15. "Take It with Me" – 4:24
16. "Come On Up to the House" – 4:36

Related promo CD

As a promotional limited offer, an EP titled Hold On was later released with two of the tracks from the Mule Variations album plus two previously unreleased tracks. Track listing:

1. "Hold On" (Tom Waits / Brennan) – 5:34
2. "Buzz Fledderjon" (Tom Waits) – 4:14
3. "Big in Japan" (Tom Waits / Brennan) – 4:05
4. "Big Face Money" (Tom Waits / Casey X. Waits) – 0:38

The Japanese release of the album includes "Buzz Fledderjon" and "Big Face Money" as bonus tracks as tracks number 17 and 18 respectively.

Musicians

• Tom Waits - vocals (1-7, 9-16), The Voice (8), Guitar (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12), Piano (5, 11, 13, 15, 16), Organ (3), Pump Organ (7), percussion (9, 10), Chamberlin (9), Optigan (2), Boner (14)

• Andrew Borger - drums (9, 14, 16), Percussion (14)
• Kathleen Brennan - Boner (14)
• Ralph Carney - Trumpet (1), Sax (1, 16), Alto-Sax (11), Bass Clarinet (10), Reeds (8, 9)
• Les Claypool - Bass (1)
• Greg Cohen - Bass (11, 12, 15), Percussion (10)
• Linda Delucia-Gbidossi - Violin (13)
• Dalton Dillingham III - Bass (13)
• Joe Gore - Guitar (3, 16)
• Chris Grady - Trumpet (2, 14)
• John Hammond - Blues Harp (7)
• Stephen Hodges - Percussion (3, 4)
• Smokey Hormel - Guitar (4), Dobro (7) , Chumbus & Dousengoni (2)
• Jacquire King - Programming (2, 14)
• Larry LaLonde - Guitar (1)
• Brain Mantia - Drums (1)
• Christopher Marvin - Drums (6)
• Charlie Musselwhite - Blues Harp (4, 12, 14, 16)
• Nik Phelps - Bari-Sax (11, 16)
• DJ M. Mark "The III Media" Reitman - Turntable (8, 9, 10, 14)
• Larry Rhodes - Contrabassoon (10)
• Marc Ribot - Guitar (3, 9, 10, 14), Lead Guitar (5), Guitar Solo (6, 9)
• Jeff Sloan - Percussion (8), Boner (14)
• Larry Taylor - Bass (3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 16), Guitar (14), Rhythm Guitar (5)
• Wings Over Jordan Gospel, Bali Eternal - Turntable Samples (10)