

Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
0042284246910
Couldn't load pickup availability
Pickup available at Rockaway Records Westfield Carindale
Usually ready in 2 hoursPairs well with
BRAND NEW & SEALED
DESCRIPTION
2023 Marks forty years since Tom Waits released Swordfishtrombones, ushering in a new and critically acclaimed musical era for Waits and his longtime songwriting and production partner, Brennan.
Waits went from ‘70’s-era “bluesy, boozy” wordsmith and melodist with seven albums behind him to sound sculptor, miner of the subconscious, abstract orchestrator, sonic cubist—while retaining his innate lyricism, melodic invention, humanity. As he put it in a 1983 interview: “I tried to listen to the noise in my head and invent some junkyard orchestral deviation—a mutant apparatus to drive this noise into a wreck collection.”
It’s a Waits-arranged pastiche, a variety of atmospheres from different sound planets. There is the warped, marching-army-ants music of “Underground,” an impressionist chant about people living below cities, but there was also the poignancy of the spare piano ballad, “Soldier’s Things,” the good bar yarn, “Frank’s Wild Years”, the tender, minimalist paean to Waits’ wife and muse, Kathleen, “Johnsburg, Illinois,” and the raggedy anthem to neighborhood chaos, “In the Neighborhood.”
“On Swordfishtrombones, Waits has made a breakthrough – he’s found music as evocative as his words. Waits’s grumble of a voice now bounces off a peculiar assortment of horns and percussion and organ and keyboards, as if he’d led a Salvation Army band into a broken-down Hong Kong disco. It’s as if he’s shifted from monologues to screenplays…” – Jon Parales January 1984 – GQ Magazine
The album is newly remastered for the first time ever from the original EQ’ed ½” production master tape and personally overseen by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan. Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering under the guidance of Waits’ longtime audio engineer, Karl Derfler.
The album packaging has also been restored. Available on 180g black vinyl
Vinyl Colour/Design may slightly vary from the stock images shown on the website for this item.
RELEASE DETAILS
Format: [Album], [Reissue],
Released: 2023
TRACKLISTING
LP - SIDE A
Underground
Shore Leave
Dave The Butcher
Johnsburg, Illinois
16 Shells From A 30.6
Town With No Cheer
In The Neighbourhood
LP - SIDE B
Just Another Sucker On The Vine
Frank's Wild Years
Swordfishtrombone
Down, Down, Down
Soldier's Things
Gin Soaked Boy
Trouble's Braids
Rainbirds

Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
If you have any questions, you are always welcome to contact us. We'll get back to you as soon as possible, within 24 hours on weekdays.
-
Shipping Information
We ship every business day from Brisbane. Flat-rate $12 for vinyl & CDs Australia-wide. Bulky items calculated at checkout. SHIPPING INFO
-
Customer Support
Need a hand or just want to chat about vinyl? Our Brisbane crew is here for you every day.
CALL (07) 3395 4707EMAIL sales@rockaway.com.au — we answer within one business day
-
FAQ’s
Read our most Frequently Asked Questions
-
Contact Us
Contact us via our contact page for the quickest response or visit our socials and DM us anytime


