{"product_id":"tom-waits-franks-wild-years-remastered-edition-lp","title":"Tom Waits - Franks Wild Years: Remastered Edition [LP]","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOriginally released in 1987 on Island Records, Franks Wild Years is Tom Waits’ 10th studio album. Titled for a play of the same name and authored by Waits and his wife, Kathleen Brennan, Franks Wild Years was performed by Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1986. \u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFranks Wild Years\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e is an iteration of the track “Frank’s Wild Years” from Waits’ 1983 album \u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSwordfishtrombones\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cu\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe album divides the story neatly into two acts and although titled “un operachi romantic”, there is no opera in \u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFranks\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e. There is a hilarious touch of operatic styling by Waits himself in the song “\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTemptation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e.” His vocal character varies wildly throughout the work’s 17 songs, and is no more impressive than when the gruff, growly singer turns to impeccable Sinatra-esque phrasing on the Vegas number, “\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStraight To The Top\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e.” While \u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFranks\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e featured a 14-member cast on stage, the album is all-Waits—yet suggests a multitude of characters by virtue of his chameleon vocals. The album is a startling group of lost dreams, bad dreams, dreams that might not even \u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003ebe\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e dreams. The music is nightmarish, ethereal, beautiful. Think broken calliopes played by genius children, horns played at dawn in a graveyard, banjos leaking through practice room walls. Titles evoke Frank’s dime-store Odyssey:  “\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStraight To The Top\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e,” “\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBlow Wind Blow\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e,” “\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTemptation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e,” “\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI’ll Be Gone\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e.”  \u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNME\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e ranked the work the number five album of 1987.\u003cu\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNewly remastered for the first time ever from the original ½” flat master tape and personally overseen by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan. Mastered by \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChris Bellman\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e at \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBernie Grundman Mastering\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e under the guidance of Waits’ longtime audio engineer, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKarl Derfler. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eThe album packaging has also been restored. \u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFranks Wild Years \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eincludes tracks such as “Cold Cold Ground,” “Way Down In The Hole” – versions of which were used as the theme music of HBO’s series \u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Wire\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e –  and “Temptation.” Available on 180g black vinyl.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cdiv data-bt-autogen\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTracklist:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHang On St. Christopher\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStraight To The Top (Rhumba)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBlow Wind Blow\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTemptation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInnocent When You Dream (Barroom)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI'll Be Gone\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYesterday Is Here\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePlease Wake Me Up\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFranks Theme\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMore Than Rain\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWay Down In The Hole\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStraight To The Top (Vegas)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI'll Take New York\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTelephone Call From Istanbul\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCold Cold Ground\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTrain Song\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInnocent When You Dream (78)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUPC:\u003c\/strong\u003e 602448898333\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLabel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Island\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9.22.23\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Vinyl\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vinyl Revival Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53234408685728,"sku":"602448898333","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0526\/5899\/5360\/files\/4232939-3019260.jpg?v=1770363566","url":"https:\/\/vinylrevivalrecordstore.com\/products\/tom-waits-franks-wild-years-remastered-edition-lp","provider":"Vinyl Revival Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}