Wall of Voodoo
Encyclopedia
Wall of Voodoo was an American New Wave
group
from Los Angeles
best known for the 1983 hit "Mexican Radio
". The band had a sound that was a fusion of synthesizer-based New Wave music
with the spaghetti western
soundtrack style of Ennio Morricone
.
business started by Stan Ridgway
, later the vocalist and harmonica player for Wall of Voodoo. Acme Soundtracks office was across the street from the Hollywood punk club The Masque
and Ridgway was soon drawn into the emerging punk/new wave scene. Marc Moreland
, guitarist for The Skulls
began jamming with Ridgway at the Acme Soundtracks office and the soundtrack company morphed into a New Wave band. In 1977, with the addition of Skulls members Bruce Moreland
(Marc Moreland's brother) as bassist and Chas T. Gray as keyboardist, along with Joe Nanini
, who had been the drummer for Black Randy and the Metrosquad, the first lineup of Wall of Voodoo was born.
The band was named Wall of Voodoo before their first gig in reference to a comment made by Joe Berardi, a friend of Ridgway's and member of The Fibonaccis
. Berardi was listening to some of the Acme Soundtracks music Ridgway and Moreland had created in their studio. When Ridgway jokingly compared the multiple-drum-machine- and Farfisa
-organ-laden recordings to Phil Spector
's Wall of Sound
, Berardi commented it sounded more like a "wall of voodoo" and the name stuck.
in 1980 which featured a unique, synthesizer-driven cover of the Johnny Cash
song, "Ring of Fire
". The second half of "Ring of Fire" features a dissonant guitar and synthesizer solo covering the theme to the 1966 film Our Man Flint
. The band's first full-length album, Dark Continent
, followed in 1981. Bruce Moreland left the band for the first time soon after this, and Chas Gray performed on both bass and keyboard during this time. The band recorded their biggest-selling album, Call of the West
in 1982. That same year, Wall of Voodoo opened for The Residents
on the cult band's inaugural tour, "the Mole Show", at Perkins Palace in Pasadena in early summer 1982. The track "Mexican Radio
" was their only Top 100
hit in the USA and the video for the song got a great deal of exposure on the newly formed MTV
. Bill Noland was added as a keyboardist soon after the release of this album.
Stan Ridgway claims that the situation around the band was increasingly chaotic at the time, with a great deal of drug use and out-of-control behavior on the part of the band members, as well as shady behavior by the band's management and record label
. Wall of Voodoo appeared at the second US Festival
on May 28, 1983 (the largest concert the band had performed), immediately after which Ridgway, Nanini, and Noland all left the band. Stan Ridgway soon went on to a successful solo career, appearing as guest vocalist on a track on the Rumble Fish
score and releasing his first solo album
in 1986. Joe Nanini soon resurfaced in the country rock
band Lonesome Strangers.
, formerly of the San Francisco New Wave band Eye Protection, joined as singer and Ned Leukhardt was added as drummer. The band continued to record and perform under this lineup until 1988, though their sound was slightly different from the style of music they played in the earlier Stan Ridgway-fronted lineup. In 1985 they released Seven Days In Sammystown. The first single, 'Far Side Of Crazy' did well in Australia, reaching number 23 on the ARIA charts. The song is still heard today on the Austereo Triple M network. In 1988, they split up and Andy Prieboy and Marc Moreland went on to solo careers.
on December 4, 2000, and Marc Moreland died of kidney and liver failure
on March 13, 2002.
On July 18, 2006 a Stan Ridgway-fronted Wall of Voodoo performed at the Pacific Amphitheatre
in Orange County
as an opening band for Cyndi Lauper
. However, other than Ridgway, none of the surviving Wall of Voodoo members were included in this lineup.
A remastered coupling of Dark Continent and Call of the West was released by Raven Records
on November 10, 2009.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
best known for the 1983 hit "Mexican Radio
Mexican Radio
"Mexican Radio" is a song written and performed by the band Wall of Voodoo, and produced by Richard Mazda. The track was initially made commercially available on their 1983 album Call of the West. The song peaked at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S...
". The band had a sound that was a fusion of synthesizer-based New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
with the spaghetti western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
soundtrack style of Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
.
Formation
Wall of Voodoo had its roots in Acme Soundtracks, a film scoreFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
business started by Stan Ridgway
Stan Ridgway
Stanard 'Stan' Ridgway is an American multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums and was the original lead singer of the band Wall of Voodoo...
, later the vocalist and harmonica player for Wall of Voodoo. Acme Soundtracks office was across the street from the Hollywood punk club The Masque
The Masque
The Masque was a small punk rock club in central Hollywood, California which existed intermittently from 1977 to 1979. It is remembered as a key part of the early L.A. punk scene.-History:...
and Ridgway was soon drawn into the emerging punk/new wave scene. Marc Moreland
Marc Moreland
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...
, guitarist for The Skulls
The Skulls (U.S. Band)
The Skulls were a Los Angeles punk band formed in 1977, and later reformed in 2000. Their final show was in Corona, California in March 2006. The Skulls had several line-ups with only one consistent member, vocalist Steven William "Billy Bones" Fortuna....
began jamming with Ridgway at the Acme Soundtracks office and the soundtrack company morphed into a New Wave band. In 1977, with the addition of Skulls members Bruce Moreland
Bruce Moreland
Bruce "Ravens" Moreland is an American rock musician. This singer, songwriter, and guitarist has worked with such bands as Wall of Voodoo , The Weirdos, Nervous Gender, and Concrete Blonde among others...
(Marc Moreland's brother) as bassist and Chas T. Gray as keyboardist, along with Joe Nanini
Joe Nanini
Oliver Joseph Nanini was a drummer, most famous for being part of the New Wave group Wall of Voodoo during their heyday in the 1980s. He was known for using pots, pans and other objects as drums. He, along with Stan Ridgway and Bill Noland, left the band after their performance at the US Festival...
, who had been the drummer for Black Randy and the Metrosquad, the first lineup of Wall of Voodoo was born.
The band was named Wall of Voodoo before their first gig in reference to a comment made by Joe Berardi, a friend of Ridgway's and member of The Fibonaccis
The Fibonaccis
The Fibonaccis were an American art rock band formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. The band consisted of songwriter John Dentino , Ron Stringer , Magie Song , Joe Berardi and later Tom Corey .-Overview:...
. Berardi was listening to some of the Acme Soundtracks music Ridgway and Moreland had created in their studio. When Ridgway jokingly compared the multiple-drum-machine- and Farfisa
Farfisa
Farfisa is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy.The Farfisa brand name is commonly associated with a series of compact electronic organs, and later, a series of multi-timbral synthesizers. At the height of its production, Farfisa operated three factories to produce instruments, in...
-organ-laden recordings to Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
's Wall of Sound
Wall of Sound
The Wall of Sound is a music production technique for pop and rock music recordings developed by record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, California, during the early 1960s...
, Berardi commented it sounded more like a "wall of voodoo" and the name stuck.
1977–1983
Wall of Voodoo released a self-titled EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in 1980 which featured a unique, synthesizer-driven cover of the Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
song, "Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (song)
"Ring of Fire" or "The Ring of Fire" is a country music song popularized by Johnny Cash and co-written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore. The single appears on Cash's 1963 compilation album, Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash...
". The second half of "Ring of Fire" features a dissonant guitar and synthesizer solo covering the theme to the 1966 film Our Man Flint
Our Man Flint
Our Man Flint is a 1966 action film that parodies of James Bond genre. The film was directed by Daniel Mann, written by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr, and starring James Coburn as master spy Derek Flint...
. The band's first full-length album, Dark Continent
Dark Continent (album)
In a retrospective review, Allmusic declared Dark Continent to be Wall of Voodoo's greatest album, claiming the absence of any weak songs and the album's intensely original voice and style as justification.-Track listing:All tracks written by Wall of Voodoo...
, followed in 1981. Bruce Moreland left the band for the first time soon after this, and Chas Gray performed on both bass and keyboard during this time. The band recorded their biggest-selling album, Call of the West
Call of the West
Call of the West is the second studio album by Los Angeles new wave band Wall of Voodoo, released in 1983. "Mexican Radio", released as a single and as a video that received moderate airplay on MTV), is the group's most well-known song....
in 1982. That same year, Wall of Voodoo opened for The Residents
The Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
on the cult band's inaugural tour, "the Mole Show", at Perkins Palace in Pasadena in early summer 1982. The track "Mexican Radio
Mexican Radio
"Mexican Radio" is a song written and performed by the band Wall of Voodoo, and produced by Richard Mazda. The track was initially made commercially available on their 1983 album Call of the West. The song peaked at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S...
" was their only Top 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
hit in the USA and the video for the song got a great deal of exposure on the newly formed MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. Bill Noland was added as a keyboardist soon after the release of this album.
Stan Ridgway claims that the situation around the band was increasingly chaotic at the time, with a great deal of drug use and out-of-control behavior on the part of the band members, as well as shady behavior by the band's management and record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. Wall of Voodoo appeared at the second US Festival
US Festival
The US Festivals were two early 1980s music and culture festivals sponsored by Steve Wozniak, formerly of Apple Computer. The first was held Labor Day weekend in September 1982 and the second was Memorial Day weekend in May 1983...
on May 28, 1983 (the largest concert the band had performed), immediately after which Ridgway, Nanini, and Noland all left the band. Stan Ridgway soon went on to a successful solo career, appearing as guest vocalist on a track on the Rumble Fish
Rumble Fish
Rumble Fish is a 1983 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It is based on the novel Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton, who also co-wrote the screenplay....
score and releasing his first solo album
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
in 1986. Joe Nanini soon resurfaced in the country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
band Lonesome Strangers.
1983–1988
The remainder of the band, Marc Moreland, Chas T. Gray, and a returning Bruce Moreland carried on under the name Wall of Voodoo. Soon after, Andy PrieboyAndy Prieboy
Andy Prieboy is a musician, author, and former morgue attendant. He was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in East Chicago, Indiana....
, formerly of the San Francisco New Wave band Eye Protection, joined as singer and Ned Leukhardt was added as drummer. The band continued to record and perform under this lineup until 1988, though their sound was slightly different from the style of music they played in the earlier Stan Ridgway-fronted lineup. In 1985 they released Seven Days In Sammystown. The first single, 'Far Side Of Crazy' did well in Australia, reaching number 23 on the ARIA charts. The song is still heard today on the Austereo Triple M network. In 1988, they split up and Andy Prieboy and Marc Moreland went on to solo careers.
After 1988
Stan Ridgway, Andy Prieboy, and Marc Moreland were all active and performing as solo artists during the 1990s and 2000s. Joe Nanini released an EP under the name Sienna Nanini-Bohica in 1996. Two former members died within a few years of each other in the early 2000s; Joe Nanini died of a brain hemorrhageStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
on December 4, 2000, and Marc Moreland died of kidney and liver failure
Liver failure
Acute liver failure is the appearance of severe complications rapidly after the first signs of liver disease , and indicates that the liver has sustained severe damage . The complications are hepatic encephalopathy and impaired protein synthesis...
on March 13, 2002.
On July 18, 2006 a Stan Ridgway-fronted Wall of Voodoo performed at the Pacific Amphitheatre
Pacific Amphitheatre
The Pacific Amphitheatre is an amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, Orange County, California, USA. The amphitheatre is located on the grounds of the OC Fair & Event Center....
in Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
as an opening band for Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
. However, other than Ridgway, none of the surviving Wall of Voodoo members were included in this lineup.
A remastered coupling of Dark Continent and Call of the West was released by Raven Records
Raven Records
Raven Records is an Australian record label that specializes in retrospectives and reissues or recordings by American, British and Australian artists.Raven Records was established in 1979 by Glenn A. Baker, Kevin Mueller and Peter Shillito....
on November 10, 2009.
Studio albums
- Wall of Voodoo (EP)Wall of Voodoo (EP)Wall of Voodoo is an EP released by Wall of Voodoo in 1980. In 1991, it was re-released on CD under the title, The Index Masters, with live bonus tracks. It contains one of Wall of Voodoo's more well-known songs, "Ring of Fire", which is a cover of the Johnny Cash song featuring moody guitars and...
(1980) (#204 US) - Dark ContinentDark Continent (album)In a retrospective review, Allmusic declared Dark Continent to be Wall of Voodoo's greatest album, claiming the absence of any weak songs and the album's intensely original voice and style as justification.-Track listing:All tracks written by Wall of Voodoo...
(1981) (#177 US) - Call of the WestCall of the WestCall of the West is the second studio album by Los Angeles new wave band Wall of Voodoo, released in 1983. "Mexican Radio", released as a single and as a video that received moderate airplay on MTV), is the group's most well-known song....
(1982) (#45 US) - Seven Days in SammystownSeven Days in SammystownSeven 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. It includes their cover version of "Dark as a Dungeon". The album reached #50 on the...
(1985) (#50 AU) - Happy PlanetHappy Planet (Wall of Voodoo)Happy Planet is the fourth studio album by the American new wave band Wall of Voodoo, released in 1987. It marked a return of Call of the West producer Richard Mazda....
(1987) (#83 AU) - The Ugly Americans in AustraliaThe Ugly Americans in AustraliaThe Ugly Americans in Australia was a live album by the Los Angeles new wave band Wall of Voodoo, recorded in 1988 to fulfill their record contract with I.R.S...
(1989)
Compilations
- Granma's House (1984)
- The Index MastersThe Index MastersThe Index Masters is a 1991 compilation album from Los Angeles new wave band Wall of Voodoo consisting of the original 1980 EP and live tracks from 1979...
(includes the 1980 EP + live tracks) (1991) - Lost Weekend: The Best of the I.R.S. Years (2011)
Singles
- 1982: "Ring of Fire (remix)"
- 1982: "On Interstate 15"
- 1983: "Mexican RadioMexican Radio"Mexican Radio" is a song written and performed by the band Wall of Voodoo, and produced by Richard Mazda. The track was initially made commercially available on their 1983 album Call of the West. The song peaked at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S...
" (#58 US) (#64 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
) (#21 NZ) (#33 AU) - 1983: "Call of the West" UK
- 1983: "There's Nothing on This Side" UK
- 1984: "Big City"
- 1985: "Far Side of CrazyFar Side of Crazy"Far Side of Crazy" is a song by the New Wave group Wall of Voodoo. It was released as a 7" and 12" single in 1985. It is arguably the band's second biggest hit. Although it never charted in its native US, it reached #23 in the Australian Charts and stayed in the top 100 for 21 weeks. It was...
" (#23 AU) - 1987: "Do It Again" (#40 AU)
- 1987: "Elvis Bought Dora a Cadillac"
Bootlegs
- Take Me To Your Leader: 78-79 Demos (contains early demos from 1978 and 1979)
- Heaven Or Anaheim Demos (all years of the tracks are unknown, but they appear to be demos from the Andy Prieboy era)
External links
- Wall of Voodoo entry at Progrography
- JTL's Wall of Voodoo website (archived at Wayback Machine)
- Stan Ridgway Official website
- Tangento.net: Wall of Voodoo & the WoV Fan Club
- Trouser Press entry
- "Through the Wall: Twenty years after 'Mexican Radio,' Stan Ridgway still finds his own way" by Stuart Thornton, Monterey County Weekly, July 21, 2005.