Franks Wild Years

Not to be confused with the song "Frank's Wild Years" on Swordfishtrombones.

Franks Wild Years
Studio album by
Tom Waits
ReleasedAugust 17, 1987
Recorded
Length55:34
LabelIsland
ProducerTom Waits
Tom Waits chronology
Rain Dogs
(1985) 		Franks Wild Years
(1987) 		Big Time
(1988)
Singles from Franks Wild Years
  1. "Hang On St. Christopher"
    Released: August 17, 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Los Angeles Times[3]
Mojo[4]
Q[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
Uncut[7]
The Village VoiceB[8]

Franks Wild Years is the tenth studio album by Tom Waits, released 1987 on Island Records. It is the third in a loose trilogy that began with Swordfishtrombones. 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 play had its world premiere at the Briar St. Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, on June 22, 1986, performed by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. "If I Have to Go" was used in the play, but released only in 2006 on Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards. The theme from "If I Have to Go" was used under the title "Rat's Theme" in the documentary Streetwise as early as 1984. The title is derived from "Frank's Wild Years", a track from Swordfishtrombones.

  1. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Franks Wild Years – Tom Waits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. ^ Cromelin, Richard (August 30, 1987). "Waits: Dreamlike, Distant". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  4. ^ "Tom Waits: Franks Wild Years". Mojo (200): 77. July 2010.
  5. ^ "Tom Waits: Franks Wild Years". Q (73): 101. October 1992.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "What Is He Building In There..?". Uncut (175): 52–53. December 2011.
  8. ^ Christgau, Robert (January 26, 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 17, 2015.