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Wall of Voodoo
25,712 listeners (161,322 plays)
new wave, synth pop, 80s, post-punk, los angeles… see all
Los Angeles, United States (1977 – 1988)
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.
Wall of Voodoo had its roots in Acme Soundtracks, an unsuccessful film score business started by Stan Ridgway, later the vocalist and synth 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’s brother) as bassist and Chas 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.
Wall of Voodoo released a self-titled EP in 1980 which featured a unique, synthesizer-driven cover of the Johnny Cash song, “Ring Of Fire”. 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. The track “Mexican Radio” was their only Top 100 hit and the video for the song got a great deal of exposure on the newly-formed MTV.
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.Wall of Voodoo had its roots in Acme Soundtracks, an unsuccessful film score business started by Stan Ridgway, later the vocalist and synth 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’s brother) as bassist and Chas 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.
Wall of Voodoo released a self-titled EP in 1980 which featured a unique, synthesizer-driven cover of the Johnny Cash song, “
Ring Of Fire”. 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. The track “Mexican Radio” was their only Top 100 hit and the video for the song got a great deal of exposure on the newly-formed MTV.
Similar Artists
Devo, Shriekback, Oingo Boingo, Stan Ridgway, Fad Gadget, XTC, The Teardrop Explodes… see all
See moreVideos
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Play
Wall Of Voodoo - Redlight
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Play
Wall Of Voodoo -Call Of The West
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Play
Wall of Voodoo - Back In Flesh (live)
Top Albums
Shoutbox
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tiudinka wrote:
their synthesizer's great and I can listen to Dark Continent on and on! :)
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Hugo_A-Go-Go wrote:
Great stuff.
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CrimsonJupiter wrote:
Hey all, i made a group for Wall of Voodoo (http://www.last.fm/group/Wall+of+Voodoo). Come join it if you like :)
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IanCurtis13 wrote:
Far Side is awful... what is that? hair metal?
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johnny8ball wrote:
Ha ha...... calm down, its not that bad. Seven Days should have gone out under a different band name perhaps, but that doesnt stop it being a good album. Museums, Blackboard Sky and Far Side are all brilliant songs.
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StommePoes wrote:
On Interstate 15 is so pretty... takes me right back to childhood car rides.
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IanCurtis13 wrote:
it's doesn't have Stan Ridgway, nuff said...
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IanCurtis13 wrote:
I won't help since it's a piece of shit
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afuturesoabsurd wrote:
Does anyone know where I could find a digital copy of Seven Days In Sammytown? My tapes are almost worn out and I have no way to rip them. Somewhere I could buy any WoV albums would be awesome too. :)
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Gyron5 wrote:
Ned is running a restaurant in Oslo now, or so I heard. I ate there a couple of times a looong time ago, but that was before I knew the band. I should go back there sometime... TTTTT
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Gyron5 wrote:
Got into Wov years back from seeing them on Urgh! A Musical War... Classic stuff. Great band! TTTTT
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el toro fuerte wrote:
My favourite is Crack In The Bell
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Johnnysblade wrote:
I really need that tune Funzone...it's implanted in my brain and doesn't seem to be released anywhere...DANG IT!
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Johnnysblade wrote:
Ian, I wouldn't count on it...I loop Back In Flesh over and over again on my MP3 player! lol Congrats!
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Damo_Suzuki wrote:
Hands of Love is my favourite - sounds like something genesis might have done
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gandydancer wrote:
okay wov people, stop listening to mexican radio and boost factory or can't make love or CRACK THE BELL! :D
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niki0619 wrote:
whoa... who knew there were so many Wall of Voodoo fans out there. That makes me happy.
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Technosis77 wrote:
The song Factory is brilliant!!! Listen to the way the song opens up with the factory whistle and the mechanized sound effects. It sounds so much like this assembly line I once worked on as a temp. I think the theme of the song is about boredom and repetition in life. i.e. I've got another factory back home. A vastly underrated WOV title. P.S. IanShultz, the tune Can't Make Love is cool!
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Damo_Suzuki wrote:
dope fucking band, i was very surprised. picked up call of the west completely at random out of the library,. sbrasive and prickly and odd and yet very catchy.
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gandydancer wrote:
we who love wall of voodoo are of the elite.
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Recent Activity
- Eolomea_Records, tuto65, Magnus103i and 8 other people added Wall of Voodoo to their libraries. 16 minutes ago
- tiit19 tagged Wall of Voodoo with ‘post-punk’. Tuesday evening
- Pyatthemouse, jlroller, damnedbondgirl and 1 other person added Wall of Voodoo to their libraries. Tuesday evening
- Linkendeeler tagged Wall of Voodoo with ‘80s’ and ‘new wave’. Sunday evening
- Fugaz67, sleuth66 and trvodh added Wall of Voodoo to their libraries. Sunday afternoon
- W00GREN tagged Wall of Voodoo with ‘maybe wave’. 7 days ago
- nilochlainn, Lisahels, CordwainerABQ and 16 other people added Wall of Voodoo to their libraries. 7 days ago
- jimmal65 tagged Wall of Voodoo with ‘new wave’. 14 days ago
- yaryadillah, deddaq, kirilov84 and 6 other people added Wall of Voodoo to their libraries. 14 days ago
- AnxiousBat connected Wall of Voodoo to the group Synthiepop, Deathrock, Goth, Darkwave. 19 days ago
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More Information
- Links
- Band Members
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- Andy Prieboy
- Bill Noland
- Bruce Moreland
- Chas T. Gray
- Joe Nanini
- Marc Moreland
- Ned Lukhardt
- Stan Ridgway
- Labels
