Franks Wild Years

Franks Wild Years
Studio album by Tom Waits
Recorded	The Sound Factory (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Rock
Length	55:34
Label	Island
Producer	Tom Waits
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (B) link Rolling Stone (positive) link
Tom Waits chronology
Rain Dogs (1985) Franks Wild Years (1987) Big Time (1988)

Franks Wild Years^[sic] is an album by Tom Waits, released 1987 on Island Records. Subtitled "Un Operachi Romantico in Two Acts", the album contains songs written by Waits and collaborators (mainly his wife, Kathleen Brennan) for a play of the same name. The shared title of the album and the play is an iteration of "Frank's Wild Years", a song from Waits' 1983 album Swordfishtrombones. The play had its world premiere in Chicago, Illinois on June 22, 1986, performed by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company at the Briar St. Theatre. Various versions of the track "Way Down In The Hole" have served as the theme music for the HBO series The Wire, including Waits' original version for the second season. The song was also sampled by the Hip-Hop group 3rd Bass and their producer Sam Sever in 1989 on their collaborative effort The Cactus Album (specifically, the track Flippin' off the Wall Like Lucy Ball). "Frank's Wild Years" is also a short Remodernist film by Jesse Richards that was inspired in part by the Waits album.

Track listing

Tracks written by Tom Waits, except where noted.

1. "Hang On St. Christopher" – 2:46
   • Tom Waits - Vocals
   • Greg Cohen - Alto Horn, Horn Arrangements
   • Ralph Carney - Tenor Sax
   • Marc Ribot - Guitar
   • William Schimmel - Leslie Bass Pedals
   • Michael Blair - Drums
2. "Straight to the Top (Rhumba)" (Waits / Greg Cohen) – 2:30
   • Tom Waits - Vocal, Optigan, Conga
   • Greg Cohen - Leslie Bass Pedals
   • Ralph Carney - Saxes
   • Larry Taylor - Upright Bass
   • Michael Blair - Conga
   • William Schimmel - Pump Organ
3. "Blow Wind Blow" – 3:35
   • Tom Waits - Vocal, Pump Organ
   • Greg Cohen - Alto Horn
   • Francis Thumm - Pump Organ
   • Michael Blair - Glockenspiel
4. "Temptation" – 3:53
   • Tom Waits - Optigan, Vocals, Guitar
   • Michael Blair - Percussion, Conga, Marachas
   • Ralph Carney - Saxophone
   • Morris Tepper - Guitar
   • Marc Ribot - Guitar
   • Greg Cohen - Bass, Horn Arrangements
   • Kathleen Brennan - Vocal Arrangements
5. "Innocent When You Dream (Barroom)" – 4:15
   • Tom Waits - Pump Organ, Vocals
   • Greg Cohen - Bass
   • Ralph Carney - Violin
   • William Schimmel - Piano
6. "I'll Be Gone" (Waits / Kathleen Brennan) – 3:12
   • Tom Waits - Vocal & Rooster
   • William Schimmel - Accordion
   • Greg Cohen - Bass
   • Michael Blair - Marimba
   • Morris Tepper - Guitar
   • Ralph Carney - Baritone Horn
7. "Yesterday Is Here" (Waits / Brennan) – 2:29
   • Tom Waits - Vocals, Guitar & Tambourine
   • Larry Taylor - Bass
8. "Please Wake Me Up" (Waits / Brennan) – 3:36
   • Tom Waits - Vocal, Mellotron & Optigan
   • Ralph Carney - Baritone Horn
   • Greg Cohen - Bass
   • Jay Anderson - Bass
9. "Frank's Theme" – 1:49
   • Tom Waits - Vocals, Pump Organ
10. "More Than Rain" – 3:52
    • Tom Waits - Vocal, Optigan
    • Greg Cohen - Bass
    • William Schimmel - Accordion
    • Morris Tepper - Guitar
    • Francis Thumm - Prepared Piano
    • Michael Blair - Orquestra Bells
    • Ralph Carney - Baritone Horn
11. "Way Down in the Hole" – 3:30
    • Tom Waits - Vocals
    • Ralph Carney - Saxes
    • Michael Blair - Percussion
    • Marc Ribot - Guitar
    • Angela Brown - Background Vocals
    • Leslie Holland - Background Vocals
    • Lynne Jordan - Background Vocals
    • Greg Cohen - Bass
12. "Straight to the Top (Vegas)" (Waits / Cohen) – 3:26
    • Tom Waits - Vocal Stylings
    • William Schimmel - Cocktail Piano
    • Ralph Carney- Tenor Sax
    • Greg Cohen - Bass
    • Michael Blair - Drums
13. "I'll Take New York" – 3:58
    • Tom Waits - Vocal
    • William Schimmel - Pump Organ
    • Ralph Carney- Sax
    • Michael Blair - Drums
    • Greg Cohen- Bass
14. "Telephone Call From Istanbul" – 3:12
    • Tom Waits - Vocals, Farfisa, Drums
    • Greg Cohen - Bass
    • Morris Tepper - Guitar
    • Marc Ribot - Banjo
    • Michael Blair - Drums
15. "Cold Cold Ground" – 4:07
    • Tom Waits - Guitars & Vocal
    • David Hidalgo - Accordion
    • Larry Taylor - Bass
16. "Train Song" – 3:20
    • Tom Waits - Piano, Vocal, Pump Organ
    • David Hidalgo - Accordion
    • Larry Taylor - Bass
    • Greg Cohen - Alto Horn
17. "Innocent When You Dream (78)" – 3:08
    • Tom Waits - Vocal, Pump Organ
    • Greg Cohen- Bass
    • Ralph Carney - Violin
    • William Schimmel - Piano

Musicians

• Jay Anderson - Bass
• Michael Blair - Drums, Conga, Percussion, Orquestra Bells, Marachas, Marimba, Glockenspiel
• Kathleen Brennan - Vocal Arrangements
• Angela Brown - Background Vocals
• Ralph Carney - Sax, Baritone Horn, Violin, Tenor Sax, Saxophone
• Greg Cohen- Bass, Alto Horn, Horn Arrangements, Leslie Bass Pedals
• David Hidalgo - Accordion
• Leslie Holland - Background Vocals
• Lynne Jordan - Background Vocals
• Marc Ribot - Guitar, Banjo
• William Schimmel - Piano, Pump Organ, Accordion, Leslie Bass Pedals, Cocktail Piano
• Larry Taylor - Bass, Upright Bass
• Morris Tepper - Guitar
• Francis Thumm - Prepared Piano, Pump Organ
• Tom Waits - Vocals, Pump Organ, Optigan, Guitar, Vocal Stylings, Rooster, Piano, Farfisa, Mellotron, Drums, Conga, Tambourine

Samples