Swordfishtrombones

Swordfishtrombones is 1983 album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, his eighth since his debut Closing Time in 1973. It was the first album that Waits produced himself. Stylistically different from his previous albums, Swordfishtrombones moves away from the piano and string orchestra arrangements of the late 1970s, replacing them with unusual instrumentation and a somewhat more abstract songwriting approach.

Swordfishtrombones
Studio album by
Tom Waits
ReleasedSeptember 1, 1983
RecordedAugust 1982
StudioSunset Sound, Hollywood, California
GenreExperimental rock[1]
Length41:41
LabelIsland
ProducerTom Waits
Tom Waits chronology
One from the Heart
(1982)		 Swordfishtrombones
(1983)		 Rain Dogs
(1985)
Singles from Swordfishtrombones
  1. "In the Neighborhood"
    Released: August 1983

The cover art is a TinTone photograph by Michael A. Russ[2][3] showing Waits with the actors Angelo Rossitto and Lee Kolima.[4]

The album peaked at No. 164 on the Billboard Pop Albums and 200 albums charts. It was ranked at number 2 among the "Albums of the Year" for 1983 by NME.[5] In 1989, Spin named Swordfishtrombones the second greatest album of all time.[6] In 2006, Q placed the album at No. 36 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s."[7] Pitchfork listed Swordfishtrombones as 11th best album of the 1980s.[8] Slant Magazine listed the album at No. 26 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980's".[9]

In 2000 it was voted number 374 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[10]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[12]
Mojo[13]
Q[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[16]
Select5/5[17]
Uncut[18]
The Village VoiceA−[19]

Track listing

All tracks written by Tom Waits. Arranger Frances Thumm. Recorded by Tim Boyle and Biff Dawes. Mixed by Dawes at Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Side one
  1. "Underground" – 1:58
  2. "Shore Leave" – 4:12
  3. "Dave the Butcher" (instrumental) – 2:15
  4. "Johnsburg, Illinois" – 1:30
  5. "16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six" – 4:30
  6. "Town with No Cheer" – 4:22
  7. "In the Neighborhood" – 3:04

Side two
  1. "Just Another Sucker on the Vine" (instrumental) – 1:42
  2. "Frank's Wild Years" – 1:50
  3. "Swordfishtrombone" – 3:00
  4. "Down, Down, Down" – 2:10
  5. "Soldier's Things" – 3:15
  6. "Gin Soaked Boy" – 2:20
  7. "Trouble's Braids" – 1:18
  8. "Rainbirds" (instrumental) – 3:05

Personnel
  • Tom Waits – vocals (1:1–2, 1:4–7, 2:2–7), chair (1:2), Hammond B-3 organ (1:3), piano (1:4, 2:5, 2:8), harmonium (1:6, 2:1), synthesizer (1:6), freedom bell (1:6)
  • Victor Feldman – bass marimba (1:1–2), marimba (1:2, 2:3), shaker (1:2), bass drum with rice (1:2), bass boo bams (1:3), Brake drum (1:5), bell plate (1:5), snare (1:5, 2:4), Hammond B-3 organ (1:7), snare drum (1:7), bells (1:7), conga (2:3), bass drum (2:3), Dabuki drum (2:3), tambourine (2:4), African talking drum (2:7)
  • Larry Taylor – acoustic bass (1:1–2, 1:5, 1:7, 2:2, 2:4, 2:6–7), electric bass (2:3)
  • Randy Aldcroft – baritone horn (1:1, 1:7), trombone (1:2)
  • Stephen Taylor Arvizu Hodges – drums (1:1–2, 1:5, 2:4, 2:6), parade drum (1:7), cymbals (1:7), parade bass drum (2:7), glass harmonica (2:8)
  • Fred Tackett – electric guitar (1:1, 1:2, 1:5, 2:6), banjo (1:2)
  • Francis Thumm – metal aunglongs (1:2), glass harmonica (2:8)
  • Greg Cohen – bass (1:4), acoustic bass (2:3, 2:5, 2:8)
  • Joe Romano – trombone (1:5), trumpet (2:1)
  • Anthony Clark Stewart – bagpipes (1:6)
  • Clark Spangler – synthesizer program (1:6)
  • Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (1:7)
  • Dick Hyde – trombone (1:7)
  • Ronnie Barron – Hammond organ (2:2)
  • Eric Bikales – organ (2:4)
  • Carlos Guitarlos – electric guitar (2:4)
  • Richard Gibbs – glass harmonica (2:8)

Charts
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Dutch Top 100[20] 48
UK Albums Chart[21] 62
US Billboard 200[22] 167
Chart (1984) Peak
position
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart[23] 45
Norwegian Albums Chart[24] 18
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References
  1. Editors of Rolling Stone. "Tom Waits". Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Retrieved April 6, 2017.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  2. "Michael A. Russ' TinTone homepage". Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  3. "'TinTones – Rough Print' exhibition by Michael A. Russ". Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  4. Smay, David (2008). Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones. New York: Continuum. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-1-4411-7459-8.
  5. "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  6. "The 25 Greatest Albums of All Time". Spin. 5 (1). April 1989. p. 46. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
  7. Q August 2006, Issue 241
  8. "The Top 100 Albums of the 1980s – Page 9". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  9. "Best Albums of the 1980s | Music". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  10. Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 144. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  11. Ruhlmann, William. "Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  12. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  13. "Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones". Mojo (200): 77. July 2010.
  14. "Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones". Q (73): 100. October 1992.
  15. Shewey, Don (November 24, 1983). "Swordfishtrombones". Rolling Stone (409). Archived from the original on October 22, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  16. Coleman, Mark; Scoppa, Bud (2004). "Tom Waits". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 854–55. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  17. Collis, Andrew (March 1993). "Tom Waits: Rain Dogs/Swordfishtrombones". Select (33): 82.
  18. "What Is He Building in There..?". Uncut (175): 52–53. December 2011.
  19. Christgau, Robert (March 24, 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  20. "dutchcharts.nl – Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  21. "TOM WAITS | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  22. Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits at AllMusic. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  23. "charts.nz – Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  24. "norwegiancharts.com – Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
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