Born to Laugh at Tornadoes | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 1983 | |||
Recorded | November 1982-June 1983 | |||
Studio | Sound Suite Recording Studios and Gnome Sound (Detroit, Michigan)
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Length | 35:31 | |||
Label | ZE, Geffen | |||
Producer | Jack Tann | |||
Was (Not Was) chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | link |
Robert Christgau | B+ [1] |
Rolling Stone | link |
Born to Laugh at Tornadoes is a 1983 album by the art-funk band Was (Not Was). Rolling Stone declared it "conceptually, the best album of the year" shortly after its release. [2] Despite the glowing reviews, Tornadoes made little commercial impact in a year dominated by Michael Jackson's Thriller and Prince's 1999 . (It did manage to become the band's first release to make it onto Billboard's album chart, peaking at #134 in a nine-week stay in the fall of 1983.)
This album boasted an impressive array of guest vocalists, ranging from hard rocker Mitch Ryder (on "Bow Wow Wow Wow"), former Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne ("Shake Your Head"), rock band The Knack's lead vocalist Doug Fieger (on "Betrayal" and "Smile"), Marshall Crenshaw ("The Party Broke Up") and torch song vocalist/songwriter Mel Tormé (lead vocal on the closing song "Zaz Turned Blue").
The album also displayed a wide variety of musical styles, ranging from pop love ballads ("Betrayal") to rock ("Bow Wow Wow Wow"), psychedelic synthesized mod music ("Man Vs. The Empire Brain Building") and even easy listening cocktail jazz ("Zaz Turned Blue", a ballad about a man who nearly chokes to death in a park).
Also noteworthy is a credit to Robert Kinkel as Assistant Engineer; Kinkel went on to be co-creator of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The front cover illustration, "After Compton's", was credited to Dan Chapman in 1953 and Jeri McManus was the art director.
All tracks are written by David Was and Don Was; except where indicated
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like a Rubber Ball)" | Sweet Pea Atkinson | 3:07 | |
2. | "Bow Wow Wow Wow" | Thomas Brzezina | Mitch Ryder | 3:10 |
3. | "Betrayal" | Doug Fieger | 3:06 | |
4. | "Shake Your Head (Let's Go to Bed)" | David Was, Don Was, Jarvis Stroud | Carol Hall, Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne | 3:55 |
5. | "Man vs. the Empire Brain Building" | Ada Griffin, Carol Hall, Chris Blackwell, Felix & Jarvis, The Was Bros. | 4:02 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
6. | "(Return to The Valley of) Out Come the Freaks" | Harry Bowens | 4:22 | |
7. | "Professor Night" | David Was, Don Was, Felix Morris | Harry Bowens | 4:10 |
8. | "The Party Broke Up" | David Was | 2:14 | |
9. | "Smile" | Doug Fieger | 3:15 | |
10. | "Zaz Turned Blue" | Mel Tormé | 4:19 |
String Fever on "Zac Turned Blue"
The Wasquarium Foot Choir on "Man vs. The Empire Brain Building"
Overdub engineers
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