Wall of Voodoo

Wall of Voodoo were yet another of those 1980's new-wave/synth bands that scored a big hit with the great "Mexican Radio", and also with the somewhat lesser known but equally fantastic "Back In Flesh"......by know means have I ever heard thier full catalogue, nor do I have it, but I do have a live rarity and the "meat" of thier recorded career.....a fine 1980's ensemble, with, imagine, a sense of humor.......

Wall of Voodoo were vocalist Stan Ridgeway, guitarist Marc Moreland, bassist Bruce Moreland, keyboardist Chas T Grey, and drummer Joe Nanini.......according to thier Wikipedia page, they released an EP in 1980 which included a version of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire".....while I have never heard it, it sure sounds like a taylor-made cover to me......anyway, "Dark Continent" was released in 1981, a somewhat overlooked album of the era, they did appear on the "Urrgh! A Music War!" compilation with a live take on "Back In FLesh", obviously ruined in that take by the seeming encessity to take the word "Fuck" out of the lyrics (Geeeeeez)......anyway, "Back in Flesh", in it's "uncensored" version, is one of the most uderappreciated of 1980's new-wave singles, a fine take on, say the "walls closing in" (sample lyric: "What about some bowling?' "The lanes are closed', 'How about some tennis?' 'Your racket's got a hole")......a fine song, IMO, and it's a pretty decent album as well, you may get a kick out of "Two Minutes Til Lunch", "Tse Tse Fly", "Red Light", and others, the HUMOROUS new wave of the 80's was not really all that popular compared to the more gloomy stuff, but for my money, this was a good album.....see what you think, after all, what the fuck do I know?

So, in 1982, they released their best known and best selling work, "Call of the West", which does contain their best known number "Mexican Radio", which IS a great number ("How I wish I was In Tijuana, eating barbequed iguana")....to me the album as a whole doesn't match up to "Dark Continent", again, it's not like I know anything about it, but I prefer the first album to this one.
Anyway, they released a couple more albums, "Seven Days In Sammytown" (1985), "Happy Planet" (1987), and the posthumous "The Ugly AMericans in Australia" (1989).....to be honest, I've never heard a lick off of any of them, any of you lads have a copy I'd be happy to listen to em, as for now I shall suspend judgement.
I do have something of a rarity, here, however, a live 1986 release from Vaulx En Velin, Lyon France.....it's pretty cool, not the greatest sound I've ever heard, but it's fun to hear different versions of "back In Flesh" and "Mexican Radio", and at least they slip in "Ring of Fire" as well....
All in all, one of those 1980's new-wavesters who sort of got trampled under that whole 1980's crush......"new wave" was what it was, and a lot of good bands are, today, completely forgotten about......Wall of Voodoo fit this label to an absolute "T"......honestly, I'd like to hear the albums that I don't have, just to say I have, and if you are NOT familiar at all, hell, get yourselves acclimated to the stuff that I have, at least.....

DARK CONTINENT-01 Red Light/02 Two Minutes Til Lunch/03 Animal Day/04 Full of Tension/05 Me and My Dad/06 Back In Flesh/07 Tse Tse Fly/08 Call Box/09 This Way Out/10 Good Times/11 Crack the Bell
CALL OF THE WEST Tomorrow/02 Lost Weekend/03 Factory/04 Look at Thier Way/05 Hands of Love/06 Mexican Radio/07 Spy World/08 They Don't Want Me/09 On Interstate 15/10 Call of the West
LYON FRANCE 3/25/86-01 Dark as a Dungeon/02 Red Light/03 Big City/04 Mona/05 Can't Make Love/06 This Buisness of Love/07 Don't Spill My Courage/08 Ring of Fire/09 Far Side of Crazy/10 Back In Flesh/11 Mexican Radio/12 Room With a View/13 Blackboard Sky/14 Tragic Vaudville

As always, I attempt to present a variety of stuff from the soundtrack of my life to this site......as always, open to requests, of course, most vulnerable to the stuff I have "lived through", 60's psych/punk/garage, 70's metal/punk/glam, 80's new wave, 90's alt-grunge, 00's "whatever".........basically the fucking rock n roll........I've been doing this thing for several years now, since 2011 as I check.....I hope that I have introduced you to SOMETHING new/cool, and, if not, hopefully I still will.....I still have a LOT of shit that I haven't shared yet, the key to this is YOU GUYS NEED TO SHARE YOUR STUFF TOO, as do y wondersome guest/assistant bloggers.......I want EVERYONE in the world to have thier own "perfect" music collection, as I more or less do (even though I add to it now and then of course), and the best way we can accomplish this is by SHARING SHARING SHARING what we already have, it costs US nothing and can make another SO VERY happy, why, oh why, would you NOT?