Born to Laugh at Tornadoes explained

Born to Laugh at Tornadoes
Type:studio
Artist:Was (Not Was)
Cover:Born to Laugh at Tornadoes.jpg
Released:September 1983
Recorded:November 1982–June 1983
Studio:Sound Suite Recording Studios and Gnome Sound (Detroit, Michigan)
Length:35:31
Label:ZE, Geffen
Producer:Jack Tann
Prev Title:Was (Not Was)
Prev Year:1981
Next Title:What Up, Dog?
Next Year:1988

Born to Laugh at Tornadoes is a 1983 album by the art-funk band Was (Not Was). Rolling Stone declared it "conceptually, the best album of the year" shortly after its release.[1] Despite the glowing reviews, Tornadoes made little commercial impact in a year dominated by Michael Jackson's Thriller and Prince's 1999. (It did manage to become the band's first release to make it onto Billboards album chart, peaking at #134 in a nine-week stay in the fall of 1983.)

This album boasted an impressive array of guest vocalists, ranging from hard rocker Mitch Ryder (on "Bow Wow Wow Wow"), former Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne ("Shake Your Head"), rock band The Knack's lead vocalist Doug Fieger (on "Betrayal" and "Smile"), Marshall Crenshaw ("The Party Broke Up") and torch song vocalist/songwriter Mel Tormé (lead vocal on the closing song "Zaz Turned Blue").

The album also displayed a wide variety of musical styles, ranging from pop love ballads ("Betrayal") to rock ("Bow Wow Wow Wow"), psychedelic synthesized mod music ("Man Vs. The Empire Brain Building") and even easy listening cocktail jazz ("Zaz Turned Blue", a ballad about a man who nearly chokes to death in a park).

Also noteworthy is a credit to Robert Kinkel as Assistant Engineer; Kinkel went on to be co-creator of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The front cover illustration, "After Compton's", was credited to Dan Chapman in 1953 and Jeri McManus was the art director.

Personnel

Musicians

String Fever on "Zac Turned Blue"

Vocals

The Wasquarium Foot Choir on "Man vs. The Empire Brain Building"

Production

Technical

Overdub engineers

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Born to Laugh at Tornadoes . https://web.archive.org/web/20071104164143/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/181185/review/5942038/borntolaughattornados . dead . November 4, 2007 . 2008-05-29 . . 1983-10-13 .