| Dark Continent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 18, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Length | 35:50 | |||
| Label | I.R.S. | |||
| Producer | Jim Hill, Paul McKenna, Wall of Voodoo | |||
| Wall of Voodoo chronology | ||||
| ||||
Dark Continent is the debut studio album by the American rock band Wall of Voodoo, released in 1981 by I.R.S. Records. Early live versions of four songs ("Red Light", "Animal Day", "Back in Flesh" and "Call Box (1-2-3)") are featured on the compilation The Index Masters .
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Classic Rock |   [2] |
In a 1981 review in Trouser Press , Jon Young said, "[t]his deadpan opus is either a joke or just another pretentious search for meaning." He continued, "Wall of Voodoo will need a better sense of the absurd to attain true strangeness. Here they just don't go far enough." [3] In a later review in The Trouser Press Guide to New Wave Records (1983), Young stated that Dark Continent displayed "more polish" than the band's debut EP and benefited from "colorfully morose guitar and keyboards." [4]
In a retrospective review, Greg Adams of AllMusic declared Dark Continent to be Wall of Voodoo's greatest album, pointing to strong songwriting and an original voice and style. [1] Conversely, Geoff Barton of Classic Rock magazine opined that the first two Wall of Voodoo albums did not age well; he found Ridgway's singing style "intensely irritating" and the music "too clever-clever for comfort." [2]
Dark Continent reached number 177 on the Billboard 200 chart. [5]
A music video was produced for the song "Call Box (1-2-3)". The band performed "Back in Flesh" in the 1981 concert film Urgh! A Music War .
The album was first issued on CD by A&M Records in 1992. [6] In 2009, Australian label Raven Records reissued Dark Continent and the second Wall of Voodoo album, Call of the West , together on one CD, featuring a full color booklet with liner notes by Ian McFarlane. Both albums were digitally remastered. [7]
All tracks written by Wall of Voodoo.
Wall of Voodoo
Technical
Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Though largely an underground act for the majority of its existence, the band came to prominence when its 1982 single "Mexican Radio" became a hit on MTV and alternative radio. The band was known for surrealist lyrics drawing on iconography of the American southwest.
Stanard "Stan" Ridgway is an American singer-songwriter, and film and television composer known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums. He was the original lead singer and a founding member of the band Wall of Voodoo.
Marc Moreland was an American rock musician. He was the former guitarist for rock band Wall of Voodoo, punk band The Skulls, and rock bands Pretty and Twisted and Department of Crooks. He also released a solo album under the name Marc Moreland Mess.
"Mexican Radio" is a song by American rock band Wall of Voodoo. The track was initially released on their second studio album Call of the West (1982).
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Call of the West is the second studio album by Los Angeles rock band Wall of Voodoo, released in September 1982. The album contains "Mexican Radio", the group's most well-known song, which was released as a single and whose video received moderate airplay on MTV.
The Flesh Eaters are an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, United States, in 1977. They are the most prominent of the bands which have showcased the compositions and singing of their founder, punk poet Chris Desjardins, best known as Chris D. While Desjardins is the group's only continual member, the Flesh Eaters' lineup has drawn from some of the most famous bands of the L.A. punk scene, such as the Plugz, X, the Blasters, and Los Lobos.
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Seven Days in Sammystown is the third studio album by American rock band Wall of Voodoo, released in 1985. This was the first Wall of Voodoo album to include Andy Prieboy on vocals and Ned Leukhardt on drums—following the departure of frontman Stan Ridgway and percussionist Joe Nanini—and also features the return of original bassist Bruce Moreland. It includes their cover version of Merle Travis' "Dark as a Dungeon". The track "Far Side of Crazy" is featured in the 1985 movie Head Office. The album reached No. 50 on the Australian charts.
Happy Planet is the fourth and final studio album by American rock band Wall of Voodoo, released in 1987. It marked the return of producer Richard Mazda, who had produced their 1982 album Call of the West.
Crush is the sixth studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 17 June 1985 by Virgin Records. It is the first of two OMD studio albums to be produced by Stephen Hague. Aimed primarily at the US market, Crush is notable for moving the group towards a more polished sound, although elements of earlier experimentation are still present. During recording the band employed a greater use of organic instrumentation than in the past.
The Index Masters is a compilation album by American rock band Wall of Voodoo, featuring their original 1980 EP and live recordings from 1979. Originally released in 1991 by Restless Records, it was reissued in 2005 by Rykodisc.
The Ugly Americans in Australia is a live album by American rock band Wall of Voodoo, mostly recorded at The Palace, St Kilda in Melbourne in August 1987, during the group's Australian tour.
Mosquitos is the second solo album by Stan Ridgway. It was released in 1989 on Geffen Records.
Partyball is the third album by Stan Ridgway, released in 1991.
Bruce "Ravens" Moreland is an American rock musician and songwriter. He has worked with such bands as Wall of Voodoo, The Weirdos, Nervous Gender, and Concrete Blonde among others. As of 2011, his current project is known as Ravens Moreland.
Strange Kicks is the third studio album by English post-punk band Alternative TV, released in 1981 by I.R.S. Records. The album showed a shift towards a more new wave style, whilst keeping with the band's non-commercial ethos.
Black Diamond is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway, released in 1996.
Temporary Sanity is the eighth studio album by American country music singer Eddy Raven. It was released in 1989 by Universal Records.
Pretty & Twisted is the debut album by the American band Pretty & Twisted, released in 1995. It was the band's only album.
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