Tom Waits is bringing his acclaimed Island Records catalog back to life with the release of five of his albums from the ’80s and ’90s. The celebrated musician and his wife Kathleen Brennan carefully curated the reissues, which include Swordfishtrombones (1983), Rain Dogs (1985), Franks Wild Years (1987), Bone Machine (1992), and The Black Rider (1993).
Each of the albums has been newly mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, under the guidance of Waits’ longtime audio engineer Karl Derfler. Swordfishtrombones was sourced from the original EQ’d 1/2″ production master tapes, while Rain Dogs, Franks Wild Years, Bone Machine, and The Black Rider were sourced from the original 1/2″ flat master tapes.
The vinyl editions of the albums will feature special labels with photos of Waits from each era, as well as artwork and packaging that replicate the original LPs. The Black Rider and Bone Machine have never been released on vinyl outside of Europe, so this will mark their vinyl debut in many parts of the world.
The first three albums, Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs, and Franks Wild Years, will be available on September 1, followed by Bone Machine and The Black Rider on October 6. Fans can pre-order the albums in CD, 180-gram black vinyl, and color variant vinyl formats.
Waits’ longtime Irish music agent Paul Charles recently revealed in his memoir Adventures in Wonderland that the singer-songwriter has returned to writing music. The news has music fans everywhere eagerly awaiting a new release.
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