Wall Of Voodoo – Call Of The West

This is a strange little album – that much is undeniable! The vocals are pure They Might Be Giants-esque 60s kitsch, and the instrumentation is firmly lodged in the early 80s explosion of synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines. Some may remember the obscure single “Mexican Radio” which sprang from this album, although there are more memorable songs here, among them the strangely hypnotic “Lost Weekend” and the hyper-kinetic “Tomorrow”, a hysterical ode to procrastination, but we’ll get to that later. My personal favorite from this album is the rather short country-guitar-twanging instrumental “On Interstate 15”, a nice little piece with a syncopated beat that also manages to be relaxing somehow. This isn’t for everyone – it’s sure quirky!

1. Tomorrow (3:03)
2. Lost Weekend (4:58)
3. Factory (5:33)
4. Look At Their Way (3:18)
5. Hands of Love (3:52)
6. Mexican Radio (4:09)
7. Spy World (2:41)
8. They Don’t Want Me (4:31)
9. On Interstate 15 (2:44)
10. Call of the West (5:59)

Released by: I.R.S.
Release date: 1982
Total running time: 41:00