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.
"Cruel Summer" is a song by English girl group Bananarama. It was written by Bananarama and Steve Jolley,Tony Swain,and produced by Jolley and Swain. Released in 1983,it was initially a stand-alone single but was subsequently included on their self-titled second album a year later. The song reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart in 1983 and the group appeared on the BBC's Top of the Pops that summer,and after its inclusion in the 1984 film The Karate Kid,it reached number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100.
I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s,and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock,new wave and alternative rock artists,including R.E.M.,The Go-Go's,Wall of Voodoo,and Fine Young Cannibals. Currently the label is distributed by parent company Universal Music Group.
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.
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.
"Heaven" is a song by the Canadian singer and songwriter Bryan Adams recorded in 1983,written by Adams and Jim Vallance. It first appeared on the A Night in Heaven soundtrack album the same year and was later included on Adams' album Reckless in 1984. It was released as the third single from Reckless and reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in June 1985,over a year and a half after the song first appeared on record. The single was certified Gold in Canada in 1985.
"Radio Free Europe" is the debut single by American alternative rock band R.E.M.,released in 1981 on the short-lived independent record label Hib-Tone. The song features "what were to become the trademark unintelligible lyrics which [sic] have distinguished R.E.M.'s work ever since." The single received critical acclaim,and its success earned the band a record deal with I.R.S. Records. R.E.M. re-recorded the song for their 1983 debut album Murmur. The re-recording for I.R.S. became the group's first charting single,peaking at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is ranked number 389 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2009,it was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry for setting "the pattern for later indie rock releases by breaking through on college radio in the face of mainstream radio's general indifference."
"Voodoo Child" is a song written by Elvis Costello,James Ash,and Steve Davis and produced by Ash for Australian electronic rock band Rogue Traders' second album,Here Come the Drums (2005). It was the first single for the new member Natalie Bassingthwaighte. It was released as a CD single in Australia on 30 May 2005 as the first song released from the album. In 2006,it was released in the United Kingdom as a digital download and CD single.
"Faded" is a song written by Matthew Gerrard,Jessica Origliasso,Lisa Origliasso,and Robbie Nevil,produced by Gerrard and Bryon Jones for Australian singer Kate DeAraugo's first album A Place I've Never Been (2005). It was released as the album's second single in Australia on 20 February 2006 as a CD single. Two of the song's co-writers—Jessica and Lisa Origliasso of the Veronicas—recorded a demo of "Faded" prior to DeAraugo's release. They have been known to perform the song live.
"Our House" is a song by the English ska and pop band Madness and was written by second lead vocalist Chas Smash and guitarist Chris Foreman. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album,The Rise &Fall,on 12 November 1982. The song charted within the top ten in several countries,and it was the band's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It won the category Best Pop Song at the May 1983 Ivor Novello Awards.
"Hungry Heart" is a rock song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen on his fifth album,The River. It was released as the album's lead single in 1980 and became Springsteen's first big hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart peaking at number five.
"Abracadabra" is a song by American rock group the Steve Miller Band,written by Steve Miller. The song was released as the first single from the 1982 album of the same name that year. In the U.S.,it spent two non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100,the biggest hit of Steve Miller's career to date,as well their last US top 40 hit.
"We Got the Beat" is a song by the American rock band the Go-Go's,written by the group's lead guitarist and keyboardist Charlotte Caffey. The band first recorded the song in 1980 for a single on UK-based Stiff Records,and later rerecorded it for their debut album Beauty and the Beat on I.R.S. Records. The initial single release brought the Go-Go's underground credibility during their first UK tour and in the band's hometown of Los Angeles. The first version reached No. 35 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart due to its popularity in clubs as an import,and the second version was a top 10 hit in both the United States and Canada. It is considered a new wave classic hit,as well as being the Go-Go's' signature song. The song was named one of "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".
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 are featured on the compilation The Index Masters.
The Big Heat is the debut solo album by American musician Stan Ridgway,released in 1986 by I.R.S. Records. Named after the 1953 film noir of the same name,the original release consisted of nine songs,including the No. 4 UK hit "Camouflage". In 1986,the album reached No. 131 on the Billboard 200. The album was re-released in 1993 with six additional tracks and again re-released in 2007.
Jean Beauvoir is an American singer,bassist,guitarist,multi-instrumentalist,songwriter,producer and entertainment executive. He came to prominence in the early 1980s with the punk group the Plasmatics and went on to work with Little Steven,Kiss,the Ramones and as a solo artist.
"Joey" is the ninth track from American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde's third studio album,Bloodletting (1990). The song was released in 1990 and was written and sung by the band's frontwoman,Johnette Napolitano. The song was written in a cab on the way to a photo studio in Philadelphia;it was the last vocal recorded on the album due to Napolitano's reluctance to record the lyrics,which were hard for her to deal with.
The Bruthers were an American garage rock band from Pearl River,New York,active in the mid to late 1960s,and whose membership consisted the four brothers,Alf,Frank,Mike,and Joe of the Delia family. They recorded several songs for RCA records,of which,"Bad Way to Go" is the best known. The song is included on the compilation album,Pebbles Vol. 8,and is regarded by enthusiasts and collectors as a classic in the genre.
Francis Delia is an American filmmaker,photographer,writer and musician,at times credited as Francis X. Wolfe or F.X. Pope
