Happy Planet | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1987 | |||
Studio | Hit City West, Los Angeles | |||
Genre | New wave | |||
Length | 41:00 | |||
Label | I.R.S. | |||
Producer | Richard Mazda | |||
Wall of Voodoo chronology | ||||
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Happy Planet is the fourth and final studio album by American new wave 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 .
Although not as successful as Call of the West, Happy Planet did produce a minor hit with a cover of the Beach Boys' "Do It Again". The album, recorded at Hit City West, reached No. 83 on the Australian charts. [1]
"Do It Again" is a cover of the Beach Boys' 1968 song, and its music video featured a guest appearance from Beach Boys leader and co-founder Brian Wilson. In the video, he plays an orderly in a psychiatric hospital who falls asleep and wakes up to the members of Wall of Voodoo dressed as members of the Mafia. [2] Wilson, in real life, was admitted to psychiatric hospitals at least three times. [3] The cover of the "Do It Again" single included photos of the band with Wilson. He is also referenced in the lyrics to "Chains of Luck" in the line, "Brian Wilson chants his mantra, 'Da doo ron ron, da doo ron ron'," a reference to Wilson's obsession with the work of music producer Phil Spector. [3]
Wall of Voodoo
Additional musicians
Technical
Chart (1985) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [1] | 83 |
Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. Though largely an underground act for the majority of its existence, the band's 1982 single "Mexican Radio" became a hit on MTV and alternative radio. The band's unique sound during its most successful lineup fused post-punk and dark wave elements with spaghetti western music and surrealist lyrics drawing on iconography of the southwestern US.
20/20 is the 15th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released February 10, 1969 on Capitol Records. The LP was named for being their 20th overall release when factoring in live albums and compilations. Much of 20/20 consists of outtakes from earlier albums. It reached number 3 on UK record charts and number 68 in the U.S. Brian Wilson was absent during most of the album's recording after admitting himself into a psychiatric hospital, requiring brothers Carl and Dennis to retrieve several outtakes he had recorded years earlier. While Brian does not appear on the front cover, the inner gatefold of the original vinyl release features him alone, behind an eye examination chart.
Marc Moreland was an American rock musician. He was the former guitarist for new wave 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 new wave band Wall of Voodoo. Produced by Richard Mazda, the track was initially released on their 1982 album Call of the West and was released as a single. With regular airplay on MTV in the United States, the song had moderate commercial success, peaking at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It did better in other parts of the world, peaking at No. 18 in Canada, No. 21 in New Zealand and No. 33 in Australia. It also reached No. 64 in the UK.
"Fun, Fun, Fun" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1964 album Shut Down Volume 2. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it was released as a single in February, backed with "Why Do Fools Fall in Love". "Fun, Fun, Fun" is one of the Beach Boys' many songs that defined the California myth.
Andy Prieboy is an American musician, songwriter, and author. He was lead singer of the band Wall of Voodoo from 1983 to 1988. He went on to record solo albums, musicals and wrote a novel.
Call of the West is the second studio album by Los Angeles new wave 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.
Seven Days in Sammystown is the third studio album by American new wave 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.
"Don't Worry Baby" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their March 1964 album Shut Down Volume 2. Written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian, Wilson's lead vocal on the track is considered one of his defining performances, and he later referred to "Don't Worry Baby" as perhaps the Beach Boys' finest record. It was issued in May 1964 as the B-side of "I Get Around", and charted separately at number 24.
"Do It Again" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was released as single on July 8, 1968. It was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love as a self-conscious callback to the group's earlier surf image, which they had not embraced since 1964. Love and Wilson also share the lead vocal on the song.
"Cotton Fields " is a song written by American blues musician Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, who made the first recording of the song in 1940.
"I'm So Young" is a song written by William H. "Prez" Tyus, Jr., of Cincinnati, Ohio. First recorded by the Students, the song has received cover versions by Rosie and the Originals, the Del-Vikings, Benjy Ferree, the Beach Boys, Naomi Wilson, and, as "So Young," by the Ronettes, Antony and the Johnsons, and the Devil Dogs.
...Upon My Wicked Son is the first solo album by Andy Prieboy, released in 1990. The album cover is "Fallen Angel" by David Sandlin.
Adrian Baker is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer.
The Index Masters is a compilation album by American new wave 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.
Dark Continent is the debut studio album by American new wave 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.
"Far Side of Crazy" is a song by the new wave group Wall of Voodoo from their album Seven Days in Sammystown. It was released as the album's lead single in late 1985, with an accompanying music video combining black and white and full color footage. The song was also featured in the 1985 movie Head Office.
The Ugly Americans in Australia is a live album by American new wave band Wall of Voodoo, mostly recorded at the Palace Theatre in Melbourne in August 1987, during the group's Australian tour.
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.
"Tomorrow Wendy" is a song written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Andy Prieboy. Released in 1990 as the lead single from his first solo album ...Upon My Wicked Son, Prieboy recorded the song as a duet with Johnette Napolitano. In 1990, Napolitano would also record the song with her band Concrete Blonde for their third studio album Bloodletting.