Editing Bone Machine

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{{Infobox album|
| name       = Bone Machine
| type       = Album
| artist     = [[Tom Waits]]
| cover      = TomWaits-BoneMachine.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = September 8, 1992
| recorded   = [[Prairie Sun Recording Studios|Prairie Sun]], [[Cotati, California|Cotati]]
| genre      = *[[Experimental rock]]<ref name="Altman"/>
*[[lo-fi music|lo-fi]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.spin.com/2023/10/tom-waits-albums-ranked/|title=Every Tom Waits Album, Ranked|date=October 3, 2023|first=Al|last=Shipley|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|access-date=January 9, 2025}}</ref>
*[[avant-garde music|avant-garde]]<ref name="Waterman'>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.popmatters.com/tom-waits-bone-machine-btg-2648942066.html|title=Between the Grooves: Tom Waits - Bone Machine|first=Cole|last=Waterman|date=November 17, 2020|magazine=[[PopMatters]]|access-date=January 16, 2025}}</ref>
*[[blues music|blues]]<ref name="Waterman'/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1464032/tom-waits-albums-from-worst-to-best/photo/|title=Tom Waits Albums From Worst To Best|first=James|last=Jackson Toth|date=September 9, 2013|website=[[Stereogum]]|access-date=May 16, 2025|quote= The percussion-heavy, bluesy Bone Machine indeed foreshadows future albums like Mule Variations, but remains singular in its tenacious devotion to scabrous, almost uniformly ugly sounds.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.treblezine.com/24302-top-100-90s-alternative-underground-tracks/|title=True Alternative: The Top 100 Songs of the ’90s Underground|date=July 27, 2015|website=Treble|access-date=May 16, 2025|quote=Bone Machine is the realest of the real when it comes to stripped-down blues...}}</ref>
| length     = 53:30
| label      = [[Island Records|Island]]
| producer   = {{hlist|Tom Waits|[[Kathleen Brennan]] (associate)}}
| prev_title = [[Night on Earth (soundtrack)|Night on Earth]]
| prev_year  = 1992
| next_title = [[The Black Rider (album)|The Black Rider]]
| next_year  = 1993
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Bone Machine
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = Goin' Out West
 | single1date = 1992
}}
}}

'''''Bone Machine''''' is the eleventh [[studio album]] by American singer and musician [[Tom Waits]], released by [[Island Records]] on September 8, 1992. It won a [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album]] and features guest appearances by [[David Hidalgo]], [[Les Claypool]], [[Bryan Mantia|Brain]], and [[Keith Richards]]. The album marked Waits' return to studio albums, coming five years after ''[[Franks Wild Years]]'' (1987).

Recorded in a room in the cellar area of Prairie Sun Recording studios, described by Waits as "just a cement floor and a hot water heater", the album is often noted for its rough, stripped-down, percussion-heavy style, as well as its dark lyrical themes revolving around death and decay. The album cover{{emdash}}a blurry, black-and-white, close-up image of Waits screaming while wearing a horned skullcap and protective goggles{{emdash}}was taken by filmmaker [[Jesse Dylan]], son of [[Bob Dylan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.ru/SONGS/whaits/waits92.txt|title= Bone Machine album credits| access-date=2007-11-23|publisher=www.lib.ru}}</ref> The photo is taken from a freeze frame of the Dylan and [[Jim Jarmusch]] directed video for "Goin' Out West". They also directed a video for "I Don't Wanna Grow Up". ''Bone Machine'' won the [[Grammy Award|Grammy]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Album]].<ref>{{cite web| title=35th Annual GRAMMY Awards| url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/35th-annual-grammy-awards}}</ref>

==Recording and production==
''Bone Machine'' was recorded and produced entirely at the Prairie Sun Recording studios in [[Cotati, California]], in a room of Studio C known as "the Waits Room", located in the old cement hatchery rooms of the cellar of the buildings. Prairie Sun's studio head Mark "Mooka" Rennick said, "[Waits] gravitated toward these 'echo' rooms and created the ''Bone Machine'' aural landscape. [...] What we like about Tom is that he is a musicologist. And he has a tremendous ear. His talent is a national treasure."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/02.18.99/prairiesun1-9907.html|title=Dream Maker:Prairie Sun Recording Studio chief Mark "Mooka" Rennick is a musician's best friend|access-date=2007-11-23|last= McDermid | first= Charles | publisher=MetroActive Music}}</ref>

Waits said of the bare-bones studio, "I found a great room to work in, it's just a cement floor and a hot water heater. Okay, we'll do it here. It's got some good echo."<ref name=thrasher>Interview with Brian Bannon for ''Thrasher'' magazine, February 1993; collected in ''Innocent When You Dream'' p.146</ref> References to the recording environment and process were made in the field-recorded interview segments made for the promotional CD release, ''Bone Machine: The Operator's Manual'', which threaded together full studio tracks and conversation for a pre-recorded radio show format.

''Bone Machine'' was the first Waits album on which he played drums and percussion extensively. In 1992, Waits stated: "I like to play drums when I'm angry. At home I have a metal instrument called a conundrum with a lot of things hanging off it that I've found - metal objects - and I like playing it with a hammer. I love it. Drumming is therapeutic. I wish I'd found it when I was younger."<ref>Peter Orr. "Tom Waits at work in the fields of the song" Reflex, issue 28, October 6, 1992; as quoted on [https://www.tomwaitsfan.com/tom%20waits%20library/www.tomwaitslibrary.com/instruments/percussioninstruments.html Percussion Instruments] on TomWaitsFan.com, accessed 13 November 2020</ref>

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="Huey">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bone-machine-mw0000614904 |title=Bone Machine – Tom Waits |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=November 17, 2015 |last=Huey |first=Steve}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref name="Kot">{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/09/17/tom-waitsbone-machine-island-starstarstarstareven-waits-admirers/ |title=Tom Waits: Bone Machine (Island) |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=September 17, 1992 |access-date=November 17, 2015 |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev3score = A+<ref name="Altman">{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/1992/09/25/bone-machine/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117045417/https://ew.com/article/1992/09/25/bone-machine|archive-date=November 17, 2015|title=Bone Machine |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=December 9, 2024|date=September 25, 1992|last=Altman |first=Billy}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}<ref name="Willman">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-20-ca-1719-story.html |title=Tom Waits 'Bone Machine' Island |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 20, 1992 |access-date=May 28, 2024 |last=Willman |first=Chris}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Tom Waits: Bone Machine |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |issue=200 |date=July 2010 |last=Male |first=Andrew |page=77}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[NME]]''
| rev6score = 8/10<ref name="Staunton">{{cite magazine |title=Humerus Anecdotes |magazine=[[NME]] |date=September 5, 1992 |last=Staunton |first=Terry |page=34}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Formidable |magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=73 |date=October 1992 |last=Gill |first=Andy |page=100}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/bone-machine-197035/ |title=Bone Machine |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=October 29, 1992 |access-date=November 17, 2015 |last=O'Connor |first=Rob}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev9score = 5/5<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Tom Waits: Bone Machine |magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |issue=28 |date=October 1992 |last=Collis |first=Andrew |page=84}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = {{Rating|4|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>
}}

In a rave review for the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', Chris Willman wrote that "Waits waxes equally fatalistic on morality and mortality" on ''Bone Machine'', and that even "amid all this casual morbidity", the album's "[[lo-fi music|low-fi]], home-studio" sounds make the album "so much—in a manner of speaking—fun."<ref name="Willman"/> "Rhythmically," said [[Greg Kot]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', "it's the most varied and impressive group of songs Waits has written, and damaged voice and all, the tunes are unshakable."<ref name="Kot"/> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''{{'}}s Billy Altman noted that although listeners may find themselves "shocked, thrilled, or just plain unnerved by some startling image or sound" while listening to ''Bone Machine'', "beneath his hellacious bellows{{nbsp}}... and grotesque arrangements{{nbsp}}... lurks a caring, humanist heart."<ref name="Altman"/> ''[[NME]]'' writer Terry Staunton summarized the album as "scary, mournful, morbid and easily one of Tom's best."<ref name="Staunton"/>

Retrospectively, [[AllMusic]] reviewer Steve Huey deemed ''Bone Machine'' "Waits' most affecting and powerful recording, even if it isn't his most accessible", noting the album's "chilling, primal sound" and fixation with "decay and mortality, the ease with which earthly existence can be destroyed."<ref name="Huey"/>

''Bone Machine'' was included on several "[[List of 1990s albums considered the best|Best Albums of the 1990s]]" lists, being ranked at No. 49 by ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/5923-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/ |title=Top 100 Albums of the 1990s |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=November 16, 2003 |access-date=March 25, 2012}}</ref> and No. 53 by ''[[Rolling Stone]]''.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=100 Best Albums of the '90s |chapter-url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-best-albums-of-the-90s-152425/tom-waits-bone-machine-157014/ |access-date=March 25, 2012 |title=The '90s: The Inside Stories from the Decade That Rocked |publisher=[[Harper Design]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-06-177920-6 |pages=282–297}}</ref> The album was also included in the book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Tom Waits: Bone Machine |last=Heller-Nicholas |first=Alexandra |title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die |title-link=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die |editor-last=Dimery |editor-first=Robert |publisher=[[Universe Publishing]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7893-1371-3 |page=694}}</ref> [[Elvis Costello]] included it on his list of essential albums, highlighting "A Little Rain" and "I Don't Wanna Grow Up".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2000/11/elvis-costello-500-favorite-albums |title=Costello's 500 |magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |issue=483 |date=November 2000 |access-date=May 28, 2024 |last=Costello |first=Elvis |author-link=Elvis Costello}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{tracklist
| title1          = Earth Died Screaming
| length1         = 3:39
| writer1         = [[Tom Waits]]
| title2          = Dirt in the Ground
| length2         = 4:08
| writer2         = {{hlist|Waits|[[Kathleen Brennan]]}}
| title3          = Such a Scream
| length3         = 2:07
| writer3         = Waits
| title4          = All Stripped Down
| length4         = 3:04
| writer4         = Waits
| title5          = Who Are You
| length5         = 3:58
| writer5         = {{hlist|Waits|Brennan}}
| title6          = The Ocean Doesn't Want Me
| length6         = 1:51
| writer6         = Waits
| title7          = Jesus Gonna Be Here
| length7         = 3:21
| writer7         = Waits
| title8          = A Little Rain
| length8         = 2:58
| writer8         = {{hlist|Waits|Brennan}}
| title9          = In the Colosseum
| length9         = 4:50
| writer9         = {{hlist|Waits|Brennan}}
| title10         = Goin' Out West
| length10        = 3:19
| writer10        = {{hlist|Waits|Brennan}}
| title11         = Murder in the Red Barn
| length11        = 4:29
| writer11        = {{hlist|Waits|Brennan}}
| title12         = Black Wings
| length12        = 4:37
| writer12        = {{hlist|Waits|Brennan}}
| title13         = Whistle Down the Wind
| length13        = 4:36
| writer13        = Waits
| title14         = I Don't Wanna Grow Up
| length14        = 2:31
| writer14        = {{hlist|Waits|Brennan}}
| title15         = Let Me Get Up on It
| length15        = 0:55
| writer15        = Waits
| title16         = That Feel
| writer16        = {{hlist|Waits|[[Keith Richards]]}}
| length16        = 3:11
}}

==Personnel==
===Performance===
* [[Tom Waits]] {{ndash}} lead vocals (all tracks), Chamberlin (1, 6, 9), percussion (1, 3–6, 15), guitar (1, 3, 5, 12, 14, 16), sticks (1), piano (2, 13), upright bass (7), conundrum (9), drums (10–12, 16), acoustic guitar (14)
* [[Bryan Mantia|Brain]] {{ndash}} drums (3, 9)
* [[Kathleen Brennan]] {{ndash}} sticks (1)
* [[Ralph Carney]] {{ndash}} alto saxophone (2, 3), tenor saxophone (2, 3), bass clarinet (2)
* [[Les Claypool]] {{ndash}} bass guitar (1)
* Joe Gore {{ndash}} guitar (4, 10, 12)
* [[David Hidalgo]] {{ndash}} violin (13), accordion (13)
* Joe Marquez {{ndash}} sticks (1), banjo (11)
* David Phillips {{ndash}} pedal steel guitar (8, 13), steel guitar (16)
* [[Keith Richards]] {{ndash}} guitar (16), backing vocals (16)
* [[Larry Taylor]] {{ndash}} upright bass (1, 2, 4, 5, 8–12, 14, 16), guitar (7)
* [[Waddy Wachtel]] {{ndash}} guitar (16)

===Production===
* Tom Waits {{ndash}} producer
* Kathleen Brennan {{ndash}} associate producer
* Biff Dawes {{ndash}} recording (1{{ndash}}7, 9{{ndash}}12, 14{{ndash}}16)
* Joe Marquez{{ndash}} recording (8, 13)
* [[Tchad Blake]] {{ndash}} mixing (1{{ndash}}15)
* Biff Dawes {{ndash}} mixing (1{{ndash}}15)
* Joe Marquez {{ndash}} mixing (1{{ndash}}15), second engineer
* Joe Blaney {{ndash}} mixing (16)
* Shawn Michael Morris {{ndash}} third engineer
* [[Bob Ludwig]] {{ndash}} mastering
* Frances Thumm {{ndash}} "musical security guard"

==Charts==
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Chart performance for ''Bone Machine''
! scope="col"| Chart (1992)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Australia|41|artist=Tom Waits|album=Bone Machine|rowheader=true|access-date=October 27, 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Austria|22|artist=Tom Waits|album=Bone Machine|rowheader=true|access-date=October 27, 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|31|artist=Tom Waits|album=Bone Machine|rowheader=true|access-date=October 27, 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Germany4|42|id=1496|artist=Tom Waits|album=Bone Machine|rowheader=true|access-date=October 27, 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|36|artist=Tom Waits|album=Bone Machine|rowheader=true|access-date=October 27, 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Norway|15|artist=Tom Waits|album=Bone Machine|rowheader=true|access-date=October 27, 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|38|artist=Tom Waits|album=Bone Machine|rowheader=true|access-date=October 27, 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Switzerland|21|artist=Tom Waits|album=Bone Machine|rowheader=true|access-date=October 27, 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|26|date=19920913|rowheader=true|access-date=October 27, 2022}}
|-
! scope="row"| US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1992-09-26/|title=Billboard 200: Week of September 26, 1992|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=October 27, 2022}}</ref>
| align="center"| 176
|}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

;Sources

* {{cite book|first=Mac|last=Montandon|title=Innocent When You Dream: Tom Waits the Collected Interviews|publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press|year=2005|isbn=0-7528-7394-6}}

{{Tom Waits}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tom Waits albums]]
[[Category:1992 albums]]
[[Category:Island Records albums]]
[[Category:Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album]]