Swordfishtrombones: Difference between revisions

Swordfishtrombones
Swordfishtrombones
Studio album by Tom Waits
Released	September 1, 1983
Recorded	August 1982
Studio	Sunset Sound, Hollywood, California
Genre	Experimental rock
Length	41:41
Label	Island
Producer	Tom Waits
Tom Waits chronology
Singles from Swordfishtrombones
	"In the Neighborhood"; Released: October 1983;

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Swordfishtrombones is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released in 1983 on Island Records. It was the first album that Waits self-produced. Stylistically different from his previous albums, Swordfishtrombones moves away from conventional piano-based songwriting towards unusual instrumentation and a somewhat more abstract and experimental rock approach.^[2] The album peaked at No. 164 on the Billboard Pop Albums and 200 albums charts.

It is often considered the first in a loose trilogy that includes Rain Dogs and Franks Wild Years. Per The Guardian, "These are records of startling originality and playfulness, of cacophonous discord and sudden heartbreaking melody, in which it seemed the artist was trying to incorporate the whole history of American song into his loose-limbed poetic storytelling."^[3]

Background

The album marks the beginning of Waits's eclectic use of instruments. As he put it in a contemporary interview: "Some of the stuff I think is a bit of a departure for me. The instrumentation is all different, and no saxophones. I used the banjo, accordion, bass-marimba, metal aunglongs, you know, African squeeze drum, a calliope, a harmonium. So some of the stuff is a little more exotic."^[4]

Swordfishtrombones also represented a lyrical departure. Per AllMusic,

Lyrically, Waits' tales of the drunken and the lovelorn have been replaced by surreal accounts of people who burned down their homes and of Australian towns bypassed by the railroad -- a world (not just a neighborhood) of misfits now have his attention. The music can be primitive, moving to odd time signatures, while Waits alternately howls and wheezes in his gravelly bass voice. He seems to have moved on from Hoagy Carmichael and Louis Armstrong to Kurt Weill and Howlin' Wolf (as impersonated by Captain Beefheart).^[5]

Artwork

The cover art is a TinTone photograph by Michael A. Russ^[6]^[7] showing Waits with the actors Angelo Rossitto and Lee Kolima.^[8]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Blender	^[9]
Houston Chronicle	^[10]
Mojo	^[11]
Q	^[12]
Rolling Stone	^[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[14]
Select	5/5^[15]
Uncut	^[16]
The Village Voice	A−^[17]

Swordfishtrombones was ranked the second best album of 1983 by NME.^[18] In 1989, Spin named Swordfishtrombones the second greatest album of all time.^[19] Pitchfork ranked it at number 11 in its 2002 list of the best albums of the 1980s.^[20] In 2006, Q listed it as the 36th best album of the 1980s,^[21] while in 2012, Slant Magazine listed it as the decade's 26th best album.^[22] In 2000, it was voted number 374 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.^[23] Elvis Costello included Swordfishtrombones on his list of essential albums, highlighting "16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six" and "In the Neighborhood".^[24]

Jim Sclavunos recalls

Swordfishtrombones was a bombshell to say the least. That an artist with a gift for writing tunes so evocative of memories real and imagined would decisively rend the fabric of his well-established image, and trade in coolly louche atmospherics for neon-lit junkyard sonic grotesquery was a perverse strategy that I couldn’t help admiring. These no-holds-barred albums set the stage for the years of innovation upon innovation that followed.^[3]

Track listing

All tracks written by Tom Waits.

Side one

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

Side two

"Just Another Sucker on the Vine" (instrumental) – 1:42
"Frank's Wild Years" – 1:50
"Swordfishtrombone" – 3:00
"Down, Down, Down" – 2:10
"Soldier's Things" – 3:15
"Gin Soaked Boy" – 2:20
"Trouble's Braids" – 1:18
"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)

Recorded by Tim Boyle and Biff Dawes.
Mixed by Dawes at Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Dutch Top 100^[25]	48
UK Albums Chart^[26]	62
US Billboard 200^[27]	167
Chart (1984)	Peak position
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart^[28]	45
Norwegian Albums Chart^[29]	18

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[30]	Silver	60,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Usage in media

Mike, Tom, and Crow sing "Underground" on Wanda's arrival in Atlantis in the 1993 Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode "Alien from L.A.". The song was used for the Chop Shop theme in the 2005 movie Robots.

"Soldier's Things" was covered by Paul Young on his 1985 album The Secret of Association, and is used in the 2005 movie Jarhead.

References

^ Editors of Rolling Stone (November 8, 2001). "Tom Waits". Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Touchstone. ISBN 9780743201209. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Ruhlmann, William. "Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
^ ^a ^b Adams, Tim. "'All these bulletproof songs, one after another': remembering Tom Waits' extraordinary mid-career trilogy". The Guardian.
^ "Tom Waits - Instruments". Tomwaitslibrary.info.
^ "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic.
^ "Michael A. Russ' TinTone homepage". Tintones.com. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
^ "'TinTones – Rough Print' exhibition by Michael A. Russ". Retrieved November 14, 2012.
^ Smay, David (2008). Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones. New York: Continuum. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-1-4411-7459-8.
^ Smith, RJ (March 2007). "Tom Waits". Blender. Vol. 6, no. 2. pp. 150–151.
^ Dansby, Andrew (November 19, 2006). "The best (and not-so-best) of Tom Waits". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
^ Male, Andrew (July 2010). "Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones". Mojo. No. 200. p. 77.
^ "Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones". Q. No. 73. October 1992. p. 100.
^ Shewey, Don (November 24, 1983). "Swordfishtrombones". Rolling Stone. No. 409. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
^ Coleman, Mark; Scoppa, Bud (2004). "Tom Waits". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 854–855. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
^ Collis, Andrew (February 1993). "Tom Waits: Rain Dogs / Swordfishtrombones". Select. No. 32. p. 82.
^ Gill, Andy (December 2011). "What Is He Building in There..?". Uncut. No. 175. pp. 52–53.
^ Christgau, Robert (March 24, 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
^ "NME's best albums and tracks of 1983". NME. October 10, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
^ "The 25 Greatest Albums of All Time". Spin. Vol. 5, no. 1. April 1989. pp. 46–48, 50–51. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
^ "The Top 100 Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. November 21, 2002. p. 9. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
^ "40 Best Albums of the '80s". Q. No. 241. August 2006. pp. 84–89.
^ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Slant Magazine. March 5, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
^ Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 144. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
^ Costello, Elvis. "Elvis Costello's 500 Must-Have Albums, from Rap to Classical". Vanity Fair.
^ "Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones". Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
^ "TOM WAITS | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
^ Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits at AllMusic. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
^ "charts.nz – Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
^ "norwegiancharts.com – Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
^ "British album certifications – Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 11, 2023.

[1] Editors of Rolling Stone (November 8, 2001). "Tom Waits". Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Touchstone. ISBN 9780743201209. Retrieved April 6, 2017.

[Ruhlmann-2] Ruhlmann, William. "Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2015.

[auto-3] Adams, Tim. "'All these bulletproof songs, one after another': remembering Tom Waits' extraordinary mid-career trilogy". The Guardian.

[4] "Tom Waits - Instruments". Tomwaitslibrary.info.

[5] "Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic.

[6] "Michael A. Russ' TinTone homepage". Tintones.com. Retrieved February 29, 2016.

[7] "'TinTones – Rough Print' exhibition by Michael A. Russ". Retrieved November 14, 2012.

[8] Smay, David (2008). Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones. New York: Continuum. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-1-4411-7459-8.

[9] Smith, RJ (March 2007). "Tom Waits". Blender. Vol. 6, no. 2. pp. 150–151.

[10] Dansby, Andrew (November 19, 2006). "The best (and not-so-best) of Tom Waits". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 11, 2021.

[11] Male, Andrew (July 2010). "Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones". Mojo. No. 200. p. 77.

[12] "Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones". Q. No. 73. October 1992. p. 100.

[13] Shewey, Don (November 24, 1983). "Swordfishtrombones". Rolling Stone. No. 409. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2011.

[14] Coleman, Mark; Scoppa, Bud (2004). "Tom Waits". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 854–855. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

[15] Collis, Andrew (February 1993). "Tom Waits: Rain Dogs / Swordfishtrombones". Select. No. 32. p. 82.

[16] Gill, Andy (December 2011). "What Is He Building in There..?". Uncut. No. 175. pp. 52–53.

[17] Christgau, Robert (March 24, 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 8, 2011.

[18] "NME's best albums and tracks of 1983". NME. October 10, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2018.

[19] "The 25 Greatest Albums of All Time". Spin. Vol. 5, no. 1. April 1989. pp. 46–48, 50–51. Retrieved August 14, 2007.

[20] "The Top 100 Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. November 21, 2002. p. 9. Retrieved January 28, 2020.

[21] "40 Best Albums of the '80s". Q. No. 241. August 2006. pp. 84–89.

[22] "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Slant Magazine. March 5, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.

[23] Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 144. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.

[24] Costello, Elvis. "Elvis Costello's 500 Must-Have Albums, from Rap to Classical". Vanity Fair.

[25] "Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones". Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2012.

[26] "TOM WAITS | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 2, 2012.

[27] Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits at AllMusic. Retrieved May 2, 2012.

[28] "charts.nz – Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2012.

[29] "norwegiancharts.com – Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2012.

[United_KingdomTom_WaitsSwordfishtrombonesalbumCertRef-30] "British album certifications – Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 11, 2023.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{unreferenced|article|date=November 2007}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
+{{Infobox album
-{{Infobox Album | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
-| Name        = Swordfishtrombones |
+| name       = Swordfishtrombones
-| Type        = [[Album]] |
+| type       = studio
-| Artist      = [[Tom Waits]] |
+| artist     = [[Tom Waits]]
-| Cover       = TomWaitsSwordfishtrombones.jpg  |
+| cover      = TomWaitsSwordfishtrombones.jpg
-| Released    = September 1983 |
+| alt        =
+| released   = September 1, 1983
-| Recorded    = August 1982, [[Sunset Sound]], [[Hollywood]] |
-| Genre       = [[Experimental]] |
+| recorded   = August 1982
-| Length      = 40:31 |
+| venue      =
-| Label       = [[Island Records|Island]] |
+| studio     = [[Sunset Sound]], Hollywood, California
+| genre      = [[Experimental rock]]<ref>{{cite book|author=((Editors of Rolling Stone))|chapter=Tom Waits|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uU9AAQA6kAMC&q=post+punk+%22experimental+rock%22|title=Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll|date=November 8, 2001|publisher=Touchstone |isbn=9780743201209|accessdate=April 6, 2017}}</ref>
-| Producer    = Tom Waits |
-| Reviews     =
+| length     = 41:41
+| label      = [[Island Records|Island]]
-*[[All Music Guide]] {{rating-5|5}} [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:1jnsa9wgb23g link]
+| producer   = Tom Waits
-*[[Q Magazine|Q]] {{Rating-5|5}} <small>[http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=60098643&loc=109&sp=1&queryType=music 10/92, p.100]</small>
+| prev_title = [[One from the Heart (album)|One from the Heart]]
-*[[Robert Christgau]] (A-) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Tom+Waits link]
+| prev_year  = 1982
-| Last album  = ''[[One From the Heart (album)|One From the Heart]]''<br>(1982) |
+| next_title = [[Anthology of Tom Waits]]
-| This album  = '''''Swordfishtrombones'''''<br>(1983) |
-| Next album  = ''[[Rain Dogs]]''<br>(1985) |
+| next_year  = 1985
+| misc       = {{Singles
+ | name        = Swordfishtrombones
+ | type        = studio
+ | single1     = [[In the Neighborhood]]
+ | single1date = October 1983
+}}
 }}
-'''''Swordfishtrombones''''' is an album by American [[singer-songwriter]] [[Tom Waits]], released in September of 1983 (see [[1983 in music]]). It was the first album that Waits produced himself and is marked as such by a sense of artistic freedom that would increasingly characterize his later work.
+'''''Swordfishtrombones''''' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter [[Tom Waits]], released in 1983 on [[Island Records]]. It was the first album that Waits self-produced. Stylistically different from his previous albums, ''Swordfishtrombones'' moves away from conventional piano-based songwriting towards unusual instrumentation and a somewhat more [[abstraction|abstract]] and [[experimental rock]] approach.<ref name="Ruhlmann"/> The album peaked at No. 164 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Pop Albums and 200 albums charts.
-Stylistically different from his previous LPs, ''Swordfishtrombones'' moves away from the piano and string orchestra arrangements of the late seventies replacing them instead with unusual instrumentation and a somewhat more abstract songwriting approach.
+It is often considered the first in a loose trilogy that includes ''[[Rain Dogs]]'' and ''[[Franks Wild Years]]''. Per ''[[The Guardian]]'', "These are records of startling originality and playfulness, of cacophonous discord and sudden heartbreaking melody, in which it seemed the artist was trying to incorporate the whole history of American song into his loose-limbed poetic storytelling."<ref name="auto">{{cite news| last=Adams| first=Tim| title='All these bulletproof songs, one after another': remembering Tom Waits' extraordinary mid-career trilogy| work=The Guardian| url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/20/tom-waits-frank-trilogy-reissues-swordfishtrombones-rain-dogs-franks-wild-years}}</ref>
-''Swordfishtrombones'' peaked at #164 on [[Billboard Music Charts|Billboard]]'s Pop Albums and Billboard 200 albums chart.
+==Background==
-In 1989, [[Spin Magazine]] named ''Swordfishtrombones'' the second greatest album of all time.
+The album marks the beginning of Waits's eclectic use of instruments. As he put it in a contemporary interview: "Some of the stuff I think is a bit of a departure for me. The instrumentation is all different, and no saxophones. I used the [[banjo]], [[accordion]], [[marimba|bass-marimba]], metal aunglongs, you know, African squeeze drum, a [[calliope (music)| calliope]], a [[harmonium]]. So some of the stuff is a little more exotic."<ref>{{cite web| title=Tom Waits - Instruments| url=http://tomwaitslibrary.info/biography/quotes/instruments/|website=Tomwaitslibrary.info}}</ref>
+''Swordfishtrombones'' also represented a lyrical departure. Per [[AllMusic]], <blockquote> Lyrically, Waits' tales of the drunken and the lovelorn have been replaced by surreal accounts of people who burned down their homes and of Australian towns bypassed by the railroad -- a world (not just a neighborhood) of misfits now have his attention. The music can be primitive, moving to odd time signatures, while Waits alternately howls and wheezes in his gravelly bass voice. He seems to have moved on from [[Hoagy Carmichael]] and [[Louis Armstrong]] to [[Kurt Weill]] and [[Howlin' Wolf]] (as impersonated by [[Captain Beefheart]]).<ref>{{cite web| title=Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones Album Reviews, Songs & More| website=[[AllMusic]]| url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/swordfishtrombones-mw0000192781}}</ref></blockquote>
+==Artwork==
+The cover art is a TinTone photograph by [[Michael A. Russ]]<ref>{{cite web | title=Michael A. Russ' TinTone homepage | url=http://www.tintones.com/about.html|website=Tintones.com | accessdate=February 29, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title='TinTones – Rough Print' exhibition by Michael A. Russ | url=http://www.art-place-berlin.com/english/02pastprojects/past7.html | accessdate=November 14, 2012}}</ref> showing Waits with the actors [[Angelo Rossitto]] and [[Lee Kolima]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones|last=Smay|first=David|publisher=Continuum|year=2008|isbn=978-1-4411-7459-8|location=New York|pages=11–12}}</ref>
+==Reception==
+{{Album ratings
+| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
+| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Ruhlmann">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/swordfishtrombones-mw0000192781 |title=Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=November 17, 2015 |last=Ruhlmann |first=William}}</ref>
+| rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
+| rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Tom Waits |magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |volume=6 |issue=2 |date=March 2007 |last=Smith |first=RJ |pages=150–151}}</ref>
+| rev3 = ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''
+| rev3score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chron.com/entertainment/music/article/The-best-and-not-so-best-of-Tom-Waits-1504310.php |title=The best (and not-so-best) of Tom Waits |newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=November 19, 2006 |access-date=December 11, 2021 |last=Dansby |first=Andrew}}</ref>
+| rev4 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
+| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |issue=200 |date=July 2010 |last=Male |first=Andrew |page=77}}</ref>
+| rev5 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
+| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones |magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=73 |date=October 1992 |page=100}}</ref>
+| rev6 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
+| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/swordfishtrombones-246728/ |title=Swordfishtrombones |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=409 |date=November 24, 1983 |access-date=October 24, 2011 |last=Shewey |first=Don |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110092643/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/swordfishtrombones-246728/ |archive-date=November 10, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
+| rev7 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
+| rev7score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Tom Waits |last1=Coleman |first1=Mark |last2=Scoppa |first2=Bud |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/854 854–855]}}</ref>
+| rev8 = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
+| rev8score = 5/5<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Tom Waits: Rain Dogs / Swordfishtrombones |magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |issue=32 |date=February 1993 |last=Collis |first=Andrew |page=82}}</ref>
+| rev9 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
+| rev9score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=What Is He Building in There..? |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |issue=175 |date=December 2011 |last=Gill |first=Andy |pages=52–53}}</ref>
+| rev10 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
+| rev10score = A−<ref>{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv3-84.php |title=Christgau's Consumer Guide |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |date=March 24, 1984 |access-date=December 8, 2011 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref>
+}}
+''Swordfishtrombones'' was ranked the second best album of 1983 by ''[[NME]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/features/1983-2-1045394 |title=NME's best albums and tracks of 1983 |website=[[NME]] |date=October 10, 2016 |access-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref> In 1989, ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' named ''Swordfishtrombones'' the second greatest album of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h-bxxO5B-xsC&pg=PA46 |title=The 25 Greatest Albums of All Time |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |volume=5 |issue=1 |date=April 1989 |access-date=August 14, 2007 |pages=46–48, 50–51}}</ref> ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' ranked it at number 11 in its 2002 list of the best albums of the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=9 |title=The Top 100 Albums of the 1980s |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=November 21, 2002 |access-date=January 28, 2020 |page=9}}</ref> In 2006, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' listed it as the 36th best album of the 1980s,<ref>{{cite magazine |title=40 Best Albums of the '80s |magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=241 |date=August 2006 |pages=84–89}}</ref> while in 2012, ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' listed it as the decade's 26th best album.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/best-albums-of-the-1980s/ |title=The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s |website=[[Slant Magazine]] |date=March 5, 2012 |access-date=July 9, 2012}}</ref> In 2000, it was voted number 374 in [[Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]''.<ref>{{cite book |title=All Time Top 1000 Albums |title-link=All Time Top 1000 Albums |last=Larkin |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Larkin |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |edition=3rd |year=2000 |isbn=0-7535-0493-6 |page=144}}</ref> [[Elvis Costello]] included ''Swordfishtrombones'' on his list of essential albums, highlighting "[[16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six]]" and "[[In the Neighborhood]]".<ref>{{cite magazine| last=Costello| first=Elvis| title=Elvis Costello's 500 Must-Have Albums, from Rap to Classical| magazine=Vanity Fair| url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2000/11/elvis-costello-500-favorite-albums}}</ref>
+[[Jim Sclavunos]] recalls <blockquote> ''Swordfishtrombones'' was a bombshell to say the least. That an artist with a gift for writing tunes so evocative of memories real and imagined would decisively rend the fabric of his well-established image, and trade in coolly louche atmospherics for neon-lit junkyard sonic grotesquery was a perverse strategy that I couldn’t help admiring. These no-holds-barred albums set the stage for the years of innovation upon innovation that followed.<ref name="auto"/></blockquote>
 ==Track listing==
-All tracks written by Tom Waits.
+All tracks written by [[Tom Waits]].
+'''Side one'''
 #"Underground" – 1:58
 #"Shore Leave" – 4:12
 #"Dave the Butcher" (instrumental) – 2:15
 #"Johnsburg, Illinois" – 1:30
-#"16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought-Six" – 4:30
+#"[[16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six]]" – 4:30
 #"Town with No Cheer" – 4:22
-#"In the Neighborhood" – 3:04
+#"[[In the Neighborhood]]" – 3:04
+'''Side two'''
 #"Just Another Sucker on the Vine" (instrumental) – 1:42
 #"Frank's Wild Years" – 1:50
@@ Line 48: / Line 90: @@
 ==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 Hodges (musician)|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 (musician)|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)
+*Recorded by Tim Boyle and Biff Dawes.
-* [[Tom Waits]] – [[vocals]], [[piano]], [[harmonium]], [[Hammond B-3 organ]], [[synthesizer]], chair, freedom bell
+*Mixed by Dawes at Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, CA.
-* Randy Aldcroft – [[trombone]], [[baritone horn]]
-* [[Ronnie Barron]] – Hammond organ
+== Charts ==
-* Eric Bikales – [[organ (music)|organ]]
+{| class="wikitable sortable"
-* Anthony Clark Stewart – [[bagpipes]]
+|-
-* [[Greg Cohen]] – [[acoustic bass]], bass
+! Chart (1983)
-* [[Victor Feldman]] – [[marimba]], bass marimba, snare, Hammond B-3 organ, [[bass drum]], bass drum with rice, [[snare drum]], brake drum, african talking drum, dabuki drum, [[conga]], [[tambourine]], bells, shaker, bass boo bams, bell plate
+! Peak<br />position
-* [[Richard Gibbs]] – [[glass harmonica]]
+|-
-* Carlos Guitarlos – [[electric guitar]]
+| [[MegaCharts|Dutch Top 100]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Tom+Waits&titel=Swordfishtrombones&cat=a|website=Dutchcharts.nl|publisher=Hung Medien|accessdate=May 2, 2012}}</ref>
-* Stephen Taylor Arvizu Hodges – drums, glass harmonica, [[cymbals]], parade drum, parade bass drum
+| style="text-align:center;"| 48
-* Dick (Slyde) Hyde – trombone
+|-
-* Sebastian Power - harmonica, electric guitar, steel guitar
+| [[UK Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|title=TOM WAITS &#124; Artist &#124; Official Charts|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/tom%20waits/|work=[[UK Albums Chart]]|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|accessdate=May 2, 2012}}</ref>
-* Bill Reichenbach – trombone
+| style="text-align:center;"| 62
-* Joe Romano – [[trumpet]], trombone
+|-
-* Clark Spangler – synthesizer program
+| [[Billboard 200|US ''Billboard'' 200]]<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r21378|tab=charts-awards|label=Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits|pure_url=no|accessdate=May 2, 2012}}</ref>
-* [[Fred Tackett]] – electric guitar, banjo guitar
+| style="text-align:center;"| 167
-* [[Larry Taylor]] – acoustic bass, electric bass
+|-
-* Francis Thumm – glass harmonica, metal aunglongs
+! Chart (1984)
+! Peak<br />position
+|-
+| [[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand|New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|title=charts.nz – Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones|url=https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Tom+Waits&titel=Swordfishtrombones&cat=a|work=charts.nz|publisher=Hung Medien|accessdate=May 2, 2012}}</ref>
+| style="text-align:center;"| 45
+|-
+| [[VG-lista|Norwegian Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|title=norwegiancharts.com – Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones|url=http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Tom+Waits&titel=Swordfishtrombones&cat=a|work=norwegiancharts.com|publisher=Hung Medien|accessdate=May 2, 2012}}</ref>
+| style="text-align:center;"| 18
+|}
+==Certifications==
+{{Certification Table Top}}
+{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|award=Silver|type=album|artist=Tom Waits|title= Swordfishtrombones|relyear=1993|certyear=2013|id=10091-3029-2|access-date=November 11, 2023}}
+{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}
+==Usage in media==
+Mike, Tom, and Crow sing "Underground" on Wanda's arrival in Atlantis in the 1993 ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' episode "[[Alien from L.A.]]". The song was used for the Chop Shop theme in the 2005 movie ''[[Robots (2005 film)|Robots]]''.
+"Soldier's Things" was covered by [[Paul Young]] on his 1985 album ''[[The Secret of Association]]'', and is used in the 2005 movie ''[[Jarhead (film)|Jarhead]]''.
+==References==
+{{Reflist|30em}}
 {{Tom Waits}}
+{{Authority control}}
 [[Category:Tom Waits albums]]
 [[Category:1983 albums]]
 [[Category:Island Records albums]]
-[[Category:Albums in the 33⅓ series]]
-[[cs:Swordfishtrombones]]
-[[fr:Swordfishtrombones]]
-[[it:Swordfishtrombones]]
-[[no:Swordfishtrombones]]
-[[nn:Swordfishtrombones]]
-[[sv:Swordfishtrombones]]

v t e Tom Waits
Studio albums	Closing Time The Heart of Saturday Night Nighthawks at the Diner Small Change Foreign Affairs Blue Valentine Heartattack and Vine Swordfishtrombones Rain Dogs Franks Wild Years Bone Machine Mule Variations Blood Money Alice Real Gone Bad as Me
Live albums	Big Time Romeo Bleeding: Live from Austin Glitter and Doom Live
Soundtracks	One from the Heart Night on Earth The Black Rider
Compilations	Bounced Checks Anthology of Tom Waits Asylum Years The Early Years, Volume One The Early Years, Volume Two Beautiful Maladies Used Songs 1973–1980 Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
Notable songs	"Ol' '55" "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night" "Tom Traubert's Blues" "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (An Evening with Pete King)" "Step Right Up" "Somewhere" "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" "Romeo Is Bleeding" "Kentucky Avenue" "Heartattack and Vine" "Jersey Girl" "In the Neighborhood "16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six "Jockey Full of Bourbon" "Hang Down Your Head" "Time" "Downtown Train" "Hang On St. Christopher" "Innocent When You Dream" "Way Down in the Hole" "Alice" "Bad as Me" "Back in the Crowd"
Tours	Glitter and Doom Tour
Musicals	The Black Rider Woyzeck
Related articles	Discography Kathleen Brennan Greg Cohen Bones Howe Jim Jarmusch Rickie Lee Jones Marc Ribot Larry Taylor Chuck E. Weiss Big Time (film) Wicked Grin Come On Up to the House: Women Sing Waits New Coat of Paint Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits Tom Waits for No One