Discography

Full Discography
Under His Own Name | Various Artists Albums
Other Artists | Spoken Word | Appears On

1981

• Amarcord Nino Rota was Willner’s first tribute album salutes Italian composer Nino Rota, and features interpretation of his music for Federico Fellini films by jazz musicians including: Wynton and Branford Marsalis; Carla Bley; Muhal Richard Abrams; Bill Frisell; Steve Lacy; and Jaki Byard; plus singer–songwriter Deborah Harry
• Swollen Monkeys ‎– After Birth Of The Cool
  

1982

• Gary Windo ‎– Dogface
• Swollen Monkeys ‎– On Vacation!

1983

• TR-I ‎– No World Order

1984

• That’s The Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk features musicians ranging from John Zorn to Peter Frampton
• Beaver Harris – Don Pullen 360° Experience* ‎– A Well Kept Secret

1985

• Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill features musicians ranging from Sting to Charlie Haden
• Joe Piscopo / Eddie Murphy ‎– Honeymooners Rap
• Joe Piscopo ‎– New Jersey

1987

• Marianne Faithful – Strange Weather
• Mathilde Santing ‎- Out Of This Dream: A Third Side
• Lenny Pickett with The Borneo Horns ‎– Lenny Pickett With The Borneo Horns

1988

• Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films features performances of songs from Walt Disney movies by a large cast of artists ranging from Sun Ra to Michael Stipe, Ringo Starr, Yma Sumac and Ken Nordine

1989

• The Lion for Real by Allen Ginsberg features musical accompaniment by Bill Frisell, Philip Glass, Paul McCartney and others
• Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves by Gavin Friday & The Man Seezer
• I Passed for Human by Mark Bingham

1990

• Dead City Radio by William Burroughs has musical backing by Sonic Youth, Donald Fagen, John Cale and others
• Blazing Away by Marianne Faithful
• Shelter by Lori Carson
• Carl Stalling ‎– The Carl Stalling Project (Music From Warner Bros. Cartoons 1936-1958)

1991

• Another Hand by David Sandborn

1992

• Weird Nightmare: Meditations on Mingus is a tribute to Charles Mingus, featuring instruments designed and built by American composer Harry Partch, on loan from his estate. Performers include Bill Frisell, Vernon Reid, Henry Rollins, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Don Byron, Henry Threadgill, Gary Lucas, Bobby Previte, Robert Quine, Leonard Cohen, Diamanda Galás, Chuck D, Francis Thumm, and Elvis Costello
• Adam’n’Eve by Gavin Friday

1993

• Short Cuts was released in 1993 as the soundtrack album for the film Short Cuts. Several well-known musicians provided material for this album, including Bono and The Edge from U2, Elvis Costello and Iggy Pop. Michael Stipe from R.E.M. makes a guest vocal appearance on one track. Most of the songs are performed by jazz singer Annie Ross, who appears in the film. Actress Lori Singer performs cello on three classical compositions.
• Jun Miyake ‎– Entropathy〈星ノ玉ノ緒〉
• William S. Burroughs ‎– Spare Ass Annie And Other Tales

1994

• Fly By Night by Spanish Fly was produced by Hal Willner and was the debut record of the quartet that consisted of Steven Bernstein, Marcus Rojas, David Tronzo and Ben Perowsky
• Rags to Britches by Spanish Fly was also produced by Hal Willner and recorded live at the Knitting Factory with the same band consisting of Steven Bernstein, Marcus Rojas, David Tronzo and Ben Perowsky
• In Love was the album by Jazz Passengers – a six piece American Jazz Band, formed in 1987 by Roy Nathanson (Saxophone), Curtis Fowlkes (Trombone), Bill Ware (Vibraphone), E. J. Rodriguez (Drums) and Brad Jones (Bass)
• Mathilde Santing ‎– Ballads
• Allen Ginsberg ‎– Holy Soul Jelly Roll: Poems And Songs 1949-1993

1995

• William S. Burroughs ‎– Naked Lunch
• Carl Stalling ‎– The Carl Stalling Project Volume 2 (More Music From Warner Bros. Cartoons 1939-1957)

1996

• Spare Ass Annie and Other Tales by William Burroughs with music by The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
• Kansas City (A Robert Altman Film, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) was a multi-artist album featuring, among others, Joshua Redman, James Carter, Geri Allen, Don Byron, Ron Carter; Butch Morris conducted and Robert Altman wrote the liner notes

1997

• September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill re-creation of the previous Weill tribute as a Canadian TV special directed by Larry Weinstein. A CD was issued including performances by Nick Cave and P J Harvey. The list of performers on this recording is quite different from the list of performers on his previous Weill tribute. Some of those that are on both tributes, such as Lou Reed and Charlie Haden, provide new recordings of the pieces they contributed previously. Many of the songs included are the same, although the new recording tends toward more historical recordings (Lotte Lenya, Bertolt Brecht, and Weill himself), while the previous one tended toward more avant-garde tributes
• Closed on Account of Rabies consists of readings of Edgar Allan Poe poems and tales by Iggy Pop and others. As Willner’s only “spoken word” tribute album, it fits in the context of his other music-based tributes

1998

• Whoops, I’m An Indian album by Hal Willner
• In with the Out Crowd by poet Bob Holman
• Consider / A Night At The Playpen by Dobie / Hal Willner was a 7″ vinyl split single released in the UK; one side had the hip hop track “Consider” by producer Dobie, rapper Rodney P, while the B side was Hal’s track “A Night at the Playpen” with Mocean Worker from his “Whoops, I’m An Indian” album

2000

• Ecstasy by Lou Reed
• The Million Dollar Hotel: Music from the Motion Picture soundtrack produced by Hal Willner and U2
• Punishing Kiss by Ute Lemper
• Finding Forrester (Music From The Motion Picture) was an album Hal helped put together and sequence. It features mostly Miles Davis tracks from other albums but Hal produced four tracks played by Bill Frisell that made the soundtrack
• New Prohibition – A Musical Heritage Of Hemp by Various Artists

2001

• Life on a String by Laurie Anderson
• Terry Southern ‎– “Give Me Your Hump!” The Unspeakable Terry Southern

2002

• Music From The Miramax Motion Picture Gangs Of New York by Various Artists
• Gregory Corso ‎– Die On Me

2003

• Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen another Larry Weinstein TV program. The CD includes performances by Rufus Wainwright, Debbie Harry, David Johansen, Eric Mingus and Sandra Bernhard
• NYC Man (The Ultimate Collection 1967-2003) by Lou Reed
• The Raven by Lou Reed
• Bird Up: The Charlie Parker Remix Project is a remix album dedicated to the music of Charlie Parker. Hal did not produce it but he contributed two tracks. He was credited with a misspelled last name (one “l” in Willner) which is also why it often doesn’t show up in search engines. He is also credited as “Hal Wilner’s Whoops I’m An Indian” although the two tracks he contributed are NOT present on his 1998 debut.

2004

• Let the Buyer Beware is an authoritative six CD box set of historic recordings by the comedian Lenny Bruce
• Unspeakable by Bill Frisell
• Allen Ginsberg ‎– Wichita Vortex Sutra

2005

• Before the Poison by Marianne Faithful
• Sonic Youth ‎– Goo (Hal Willner worked on 1 track of this album)
• Rufus Wainwright ‎– Want
• Our New Orleans 2005, A Benefit Album by Various Artists

2006

• Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man soundtrack for Lian Lunson‘s documentary film about Willner’s Leonard Cohen tribute event Came So Far for Beauty
• Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys 2x double CD includes performers ranging from Bono to Van Dyke Parks.
• The Harry Smith Project: Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited. Recorded at Hal Willner’s Harry Smith Project events in London (1999), Brooklyn (1999) and LA (2001), plus a DVD documentary

2007

• Hudson River Wind Meditations by Lou Reed
• West by Lucinda Williams
• Healing The Divide: A Concert For Peace And Reconciliation by Various Artists
• Ed Sanders ‎– Poems For New Orleans (co-produced by Hal Willner & Michael Minzer)
• Lieders by Gregory Corso

2008

• Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse by Lou Reed
• Easy Come, Easy Go by Marianne Faithfull

2009

• Sans fusils, ni souliers, a Paris: Martha Wainwright’s Piaf by Martha Wainwright

2010

• Tim Robbins & the Rogues Gallery Band

2011

• The Essential Lou Reed by Lou Reed
• Horses and High Heels by Marianne Faithful
• Lulu by Lou Reed & Metallica

2012

• The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved (by Hunter S. Thompson) by Bill Frisell
• Nick Cave & Warren Ellis ‎– Lawless: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Macy Gray ‎– Talking Book

2013

• Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys is a compilation album of sea shanties and the follow-up to 2006’s Rogue’s Gallery

2014

• Billy Martin ‎– Wandering

2016

• Will Anybody Know That I Was Here: The Songs of Beulah Rowley by Mary Lee Kortes
• William S. Burroughs ‎– Let Me Hang You

2020

• Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T.Rex is Hal Willner’s last production and he considered it his best work, his “white album”. It celebrates the songs of T.Rex’ founder and singer Marc Bolan with 26 tracks that Hal produced between 2016 and 2018 and which feature Kesha, Nick Cave, Joan Jett, Devendra Benhart, Lucinda Williams, Peaches, Borns, Beth Orton, King Khan, Gaby Moreno, U2 in duet with Elton John, John Cameron Mitchell, Emily Haines, Father John Misty, Perry Farrell, Elysian Fields, Gavin Friday, Nena, Marc Almond, Helga Davis, Todd Rundgren, Jesse Harris, Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl, Victoria Williams & Julian Lennon, David Johansen and Maria McKee & Gavin Friday.
  Special Guests include Donald Fagen, Mike Gerson, Bill Frisell, Jack Shit, Wayne Kramer, Van Dyke Parks, Marc Ribot.
  All arrangments are by Steven Bernstein, Steve Weisberg, Eli Bruggemann, J.G. Thirlwell and Thomas Bartlett.
  Conceived and executive produced by Bill Curbishley and Ethan Silverman.
  Kate Hyman was the A&R and Supervising Producer was Hal’s right hand, manager, lawyer and best friend Rachel Fox.
  The album was recorded all around the world (but mostly at The Village, in Los Angeles and at Sear Sound in New York) by Marc Urselli and was mixed at EastSide Sound in New York by Marc Urselli and mastered by Howie Weinberg in Los Angeles.