Tropical Gangsters

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I couldn't listen to that album for a long time because I thought it was a cop-out. It was a compromise but then you get massive success, money, lots of travelling and great lifestyle and you say: 'if this is what it takes...' [2]

Musical composition and themes

After reluctantly giving in to his record label's request to make the album a Kid Creole and the Coconuts record rather than a solo album, Darnell felt the most appropriate thing to do was to continue the concept of the first two Kid Creole albums, about the adventures of the band shipwrecked on the imaginary island of B'Dilli Bay. Darnell told NME about the album's theme, and also explained away the change of musical style from the first two albums, saying, "What this album is, is a continuation of the Fresh Fruit ... idea. Only it's a flashback, it all takes place on B'Dilli Bay ... It's a flashback story of what exactly happened for the 21 days that Creole and his crew stayed on that island, with the scum of the earth, the prostitutes, whores and pimps ... Creole is on B'Dilli Bay looking for Mimi and he had to spend time there, he had to buy his time there. Because the music of B'Dilli Bay was R&B. And Creole was forced to play the music to stay there." [5]

"I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby" was started by the Coconuts' keyboard player Peter Schott and originally titled "It's a Wonderful Thing". Darnell decided to change the first word to "I'm" and create a song about an egocentric character. [4]

"Imitation" was Darnell's response to people who were constantly telling him about new British bands they felt were ripping off Kid Creole's music, and also a riposte to ZE label boss Michael Zilkha who had told him to write something less obviously Latin-sounding and "more funky": "As I explained to Zilkha later I'd been inspired by funk, just like I'd been inspired by salsa, but you don't find me writing pure cha-cha's or pure reggae because why should I do that? ... I'd rather take pride in knowing I've created a fusion of those worlds ... My motto has been 'Emulation not imitation is the healthy way to go'." [4]

"Stool Pigeon" was inspired by a newspaper article Darnell had read about a former Mafia boss who had been let out of jail after providing information about his former colleagues, and had now had his identity changed and protected by the FBI. Darnell said, "I actually had compassion for the guy. I thought, wow, what a way to go. And I could understand why he did it. He sold out for the money and the comfort, I guess the very things that had brought him into the underworld." [4] The song also features Darnell's attempt at the then newly fashionable art of rapping—he later confessed, "That's just me goofing at being a rapper, which was the last thing I ever wanted to do". [2]

Release and promotion

Three singles were taken from the album, "I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby", "Stool Pigeon" and "Annie I'm Not Your Daddy". The band also undertook a tour of the UK and Europe which lasted several months, and consisted of a spectacular stage show that included dancers, black Japanese Al Mack, and a fire-eater named Eddie Magic. [5] Coupled with the success of the singles the group's high-profile ensured that Tropical Gangsters sold consistently throughout Europe during the rest of 1982. "I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby" also briefly hit the US dance charts.

The album was reissued in Europe on CD in 2002 with six bonus tracks of rare 12" versions and B-sides, notably "Double on Back" from the flipside of the "Stool Pigeon" 12" release.

Critical reception

Tropical Gangsters
Kid Creole & the Coconuts-Tropical Gangsters (album cover).jpg
Studio album by
Kid Creole and the Coconuts
ReleasedMay 10, 1982 (1982-05-10)
Recorded1981–1982
StudioBlank Tapes, New York City; Electric Lady Studios, New York City
Genre Latin, funk, tropical
Length40:29 (original album)
72:28 (with bonus tracks)
Label ZE Records/Island (UK & Europe)
ZE Records/Sire Records (US & Canada)
Producer August Darnell
Kid Creole and the Coconuts chronology
Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places
(1981)		Tropical Gangsters
(1982)		 Doppelganger
(1983)
Alternative cover
Kid Creole Wise Guy.jpg
US & Canada album cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 9/10 [8]
The Village Voice A [9]

Reaction to the album at the time was mixed, with some former fans disappointed at the new commercial direction. In the UK, Gavin Martin of NME complained that "there's a feeling of going through the motions on many of the songs, playing out scenes and sending up manners and mores in an almost identikit fashion. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about this LP is the lack of vision and imagination in Darnell's songwriting ... Tropical Gangsters doesn't exactly stink, but there is a mighty stale whiff about it." [10] However, in Melody Maker Paolo Hewitt was more positive, saying, "Gone is the musical exotica of Fresh Fruit ..., the last LP, to be replaced by a leaner, harder sound, characterised by an emphasis on percussion and rhythm guitar ... Far from being a collection of 'dull, insipid disco songs', as Sounds would have it, this album is packed with wit, humour, tunes and a clear sense of direction." [11]

In The Guardian , Robin Denselow noted that there were fewer influences from Latin or Caribbean music than on the band's previous album Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places , and instead more emphasis on "straightforforward R&B and jangling funk". He stated, "A few tracks like the jangling, lumbering 'Stool Pigeon' do seem to have been included with the commercial disco market in mind but thankfully most tracks echo just a little of Darnell's gloriously eclectic taste and wit." He concluded, "It's an enjoyable album but it doesn't show what The Kid is capable of." [12]

More recent reviews have been kinder to the album: Sharon Mawer of AllMusic said the songs on the album were "totally irresistible, danceable, easy to sing along to, and guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of pop dominated at the time by synthesizers and good-looking young men who looked more like girls". [6]

Accolades

In the UK Tropical Gangsters was placed at number 12 in the NME critics' list of the best albums of 1982, [13] and also included as one of Sounds' top twenty albums of the year. [14] In 1989 Record Mirror placed the album at number 48 in their list of the 'Top 100 Albums of the Decade'. [15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by August Darnell, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy" 6:16
2."I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby"music by Peter Schott, lyrics by August Darnell5:15
3."Imitation" 4:11
4."I'm Corrupt" Andy Hernandez 4:11
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."Loving You Made a Fool Out of Me"4:50
6."Stool Pigeon"5:00
7."The Love We Have"5:13
8."No Fish Today"4:56
2002 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Christmas on Riverside Drive" (from A Christmas Record ) 4:20
10."You Had No Intention" (B-side of "Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy") 4:48
11."Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy" (Remix) 6:27
12."I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby" (Original 12" Mix)music by Peter Schott, lyrics by August Darnell6:12
13."Stool Pigeon" (12" Mix) 6:22
14."Double on Back" (B-side of "Stool Pigeon" 12") 4:27

Personnel

Kid Creole and the Coconuts:

Additional personnel

Additional credits

Release history

Tropical Gangsters

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
United KingdomMay 10, 1982 ZE Records/Island LP ILPS 7016
cassette ICT 7016
1989 CD CID 7016
United Kingdom & EuropeJuly 29, 2002Island/Universal Remastered CD with bonus tracks586 461-2

Wise Guy

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
United States1982ZE Records/Sire Records LPSRK 3681
CanadaXSR 3681
United StatesAugust 2, 2005 Wounded Bird Records CDWOU 3681

Charts

Sales and certifications

Certifications for Tropical Gangsters
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Netherlands (NVPI) [27] Gold50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [28] Platinum300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ "No messing with the Kid". NME . London, England. April 3, 1982. p. 3.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Needs, Kris (July 2008). "Jungle Boogie". Mojo . No. 176. London, England. pp. 57–62.
  3. ↑ Roberts, David, ed. (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London, England: Guinness World Records. p. 126. ISBN   978-1-904994-10-7.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hewitt, Paolo (December 19, 1981). "Wise guy turns stool pigeon". Melody Maker . London, England. pp. 13–14.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Grabel, Richard (May 15, 1982). "The Rake's Progress". NME. London, England. pp. 32–33.
  6. 1 2 Mawer, Sharon. Kid Creole and the Coconuts – Tropical Gangsters > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  7. ↑ Aizlewood, John (September 2002). "Review: Kid Creole and the Coconuts – Tropical Gangsters". Q . No. 194. p. 126.
  8. ↑ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 207–208.
  9. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Kid Creole and the Coconuts". Robert Christgau . Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  10. ↑ Martin, Gavin (May 15, 1982). "I Should Cocoa!". NME. p. 38.
  11. ↑ Hewitt, Paolo (May 15, 1982). "Review: Kid Creole and the Coconuts – Tropical Gangsters". Melody Maker. p. 18.
  12. ↑ Denselow, Robin (14 May 1982). "Blondie back with a beat". The Guardian . p. 19.
  13. ↑ "Vital Vinyl – Albums". NME. December 25, 1982. p. 29.
  14. ↑ Sounds . December 25, 1982.{{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ↑ "Top 100 Albums of the Decade". Record Mirror . November 25, 1989. pp. 28–29.
  16. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 165. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  17. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kid Creole & the Coconuts – Tropical Gangsters" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kid Creole & the Coconuts – Tropical Gangsters" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Charts.nz – Kid Creole & the Coconuts – Tropical Gangsters". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Kid Creole & the Coconuts – Tropical Gangsters". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Kid Creole & the Coconuts – Tropical Gangsters". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Kid Creole and the Coconuts | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Kid Creole the Coconuts Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  24. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1982". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1983 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand . Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  26. ↑ Rees, Dafydd; Lazell, Barry; Jones, Alan (1983). "The Top 100 UK Albums". Chart File Volume 2. London, England: Virgin Books. pp. 82–83. ISBN   0-907080-73-1.
  27. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Kid Creole & The Coconuts – Tropical Gangsters" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers . Retrieved July 16, 2022.Enter Tropical Gangsters in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  28. ↑ "British album certifications – Kid Creole & The Coconuts – Tropical Gangsters". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved July 16, 2022.
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