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.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Classic Rock |   [2] |
| The Village Voice | B[3] |
In a 1982 Trouser Press review, Jon Young said, "[t]hey're dealing in pure hokum, for sure, but Wall of Voodoo has become very good at it. Atmosphere is all in these muttered tales of desperation and weirdness, suggesting Devo on a bad trip of no return. But Call of the West doesn't repel; it's spooky halloweenish fun."[4]
Track listing
All music composed by Wall of Voodoo. All lyrics composed by Stan Ridgway.
- Side one
- "Tomorrow" – 3:03
- "Lost Weekend" – 4:59
- "Factory" – 5:33
- "Look at Their Way" – 3:18
- "Hands of Love" – 3:54
- Side two
- "Mexican Radio" – 4:11
- "Spy World" – 2:41
- "They Don't Want Me" – 4:31
- "On Interstate 15" – 2:44
- "Call of the West" – 5:59
- The original cassette release of the album features a bonus track called "Exercise" at the end of side one, following "Hands of Love".
- In 2009, Australian label Raven Records reissued Call of the West and the first Wall of Voodoo album, Dark Continent, together on one CD, featuring a full color booklet with liner notes by Ian McFarlane. Both albums were digitally remastered.[5]
Personnel
Wall of Voodoo
- Joe Nanini – percussion, drums, voice
- Stanard Ridgway – vocals, words, harmonica, keyboards
- Chas T. Gray – synthesizer, bass, backing vocals
- Marc Moreland – 6- and 12-string guitars
Additional musicians
- Louie Rivera – percussion
- Richard Mazda – rhythm machine programming, bass guitars
Technical
- Richard Mazda – producer
- Jess Sutcliffe – engineer, mixing
- Robert Battaglia – mixing
- Avi Kipper – mixing
- Frank De Luna – mastering
- Stanard Ridgway – cover concept, design
- Scott Lindgren – cover concept
- Francis Delia – design, photography
- Paul Peterson – production design
- Stephen Sayadian, Genny Schorr – styling
- Carl Grasso – art direction, layout
- Marc Moreland – printing
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Billboard Pop Albums[6] | 45 |
Singles
| Year | Chart | Single | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Billboard Mainstream Rock[6] | "Mexican Radio" | 41 |
| Billboard Pop Singles[6] | 58 |
References
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Call of the West – Wall of Voodoo". AllMusic. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ Barton, Geoff (March 2010). "Wall of Voodoo - Reissues". Classic Rock. No. 142. p. 95.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (November 2, 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ Young, Jon (December 1982). "Hit and Run". Trouser Press. Vol. 9, no. 10. New York. p. 47. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ Dark Continent / Call of the West (Media notes). Wall of Voodoo. Raven Records. 2009. RVCD-309.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c "Wall of Voodoo Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
