Waits, Tom: Mule Variations (Vinyl 2xLP)Seven years passed between the release of Bone Machine and Mule Variations. During that time Tom Waits eschewed cutting another conventional (the term used loosely here) song collection, occupying his time with acting projects, a soundtrack (Night on Earth), a stage project (The Black Rider), and sundry smaller diversions. What's surprising about Mule Variations is how little he's strayed from the old bone yard through the years. As with his grammy