The Elsewhere GazetteExtra
Wall Of Voodoo
American rock band (1977–1989)
Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California who were active from 1977 until disbanding in 1989. Though largely an underground act for the majority of its existence, the band came to prominence when its 1982 single "Mexican Radio" became popular on MTV and alternative radio.
The band was known for surrealist lyrics drawing on iconography of the American Southwest.
Admit one
Wall Of Voodoo
- what
- a band
- from
- Los Angeles
- since
- 1977
- until
- 1988
- on the air here
- 0 songs
- still after
- 1 song
File card: Wall Of Voodoo
members: Stan Ridgway
formed in: Los Angeles
labels: I.R.S. Records
genres: new wave
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
new wave80salternative countryalternative rockamericanabookmark
The Dial Tone DailyExtra
Formation
Wall of Voodoo had its roots in Acme Soundtracks, a film score 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 the Bags, the Eyes, and Black Randy and the Metrosquad, the first lineup of the band was born, named...
The Airwaves CourierExtra
Musical style
According to Popdose, the band's sound was shaped by merging Stan Ridgway's "love of bebop and country music" with Marc Moreland's "affection for electronic pioneers such as Kraftwerk". According to AllMusic biographer Jason Ankeny, the band's lyrics were "cinematic narratives – heavily influenced by Westerns and film noir". Ridgway's vocal style has been described as having a "droll, narcoleptic manner" and the band's music as "atonal, electronically based". According to NPR, the band "weaved [cultural references] like noir [and] Spaghetti Western" with music that was a "tip-of-the-hat to Ennio Morricone". According to Trouser Press, Wall of Voodoo was "Poised uneasily between machine music and rock’n’roll" and the band "embodied the...
Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, who were active from 1977 until disbanding in 1989. Wall of Voodoo had its roots in Acme Soundtracks, a film score business started by Stan Ridgway, who was later the lead singer 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 there. Marc Moreland (guitar, ) began jamming with Ridgway at the Acme Soundtracks office, and the soundtrack company soon morphed into a new wave band. Other Skulls member and Mark's brother Bruce Moreland (bass), Chas T. Gray (keyboards, synthesizers), and Joe Nanini (drums, ) would all join in 1977.
Bruce Moreland left sometime in 1981, and Gray would pick up bass responsibilities. Bill Noland replaced Gray on keyboards. Ridgeway and Noland left in May 1983, following the band's performance at the US Festival on May 28. In early 1984, Andy Prieboy joined the group after they were seeking a lead singer, and Bruce Moreland also rejoined on bass. Ned Leukhardt replaced Joe Nanini on drums later that same year, before the single "Big City" (19
Also known as: WOV
From Discogs (free to use). Their entryLiner notes
Wall Of Voodoo, the records, oldest first
Call of the West
1982 album
Seven Days in Sammystown
1985 album
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
The Night Owl Edition1982
Mexican Radio
1982 single by Wall of Voodoo
"Mexican Radio" is a song by American rock band Wall of Voodoo. The track was initially released on their second studio album Call of the West (1982).
Composition
The song's lyrics describe listening to the broadcasts of high-wattage unregulated Mexican radio stations, known as border blasters, whose AM broadcasts are strong enough to be picked up by radio receivers in the US. The song was inspired by car trips taken by Wall of Voodoo frontman Stan Ridgway and guitarist Marc Moreland on their way to rehearsals, when they would listen to Mexican broadcasts, preferring their programming to mainstream Los Angeles radio. During one of the band's sessions, Moreland played them a demo tape that he had recorded of himself repeatedly singing the line "I'm on a Mexican radio" over a guitar riff and that sound clip became the starting point of the single.
Writing and recording
The lyrics for "Mexican Radio" were written by Ridgway and Moreland; the music was written by Moreland.
Music video
The video for "Mexican Radio" was featured regularly on MTV in the weeks following its release. It was the first music video created by filmmaker and former the Bruthers frontman Frank Delia, who had been a long-time friend of Wall of Voodoo band members. The video impressed the Ramones, who hired Delia to direct videos for them as a result.
Critical reception
In 1983 Jim Sullivan of The Boston Globe called "Mexican Radio" a "mildly warped tune...with irresistibly catchy melody lines," and Moira McCormick of Billboard magazine called it an "intriguingly quirky single" in 1985. Smash Hits thought that the instrumentation resembled music from the Doors despite the synth-heavy arrangement. In 2012 Rolling Stone said "it's a pretty unconventional pop song, but it's extremely catchy. NPR referred to "Mexican Radio" as "such a wonderfully weird song" and "one of the most compelling, memorable sing-alongs ever" in 2020.