Building the Perfect Beast

Building the Perfect Beast
Studio album by Don Henley
Released November 19, 1984 (1984-11-19)
Recorded 1984
Genre Rock
Length 47:08 (CD version)
Label Geffen
Producer Don Henley
Danny Kortchmar
Greg Ladanyi
Don Henley chronology
I Can't Stand Still
(1982)		 Building the Perfect Beast
(1984)		 The End of the Innocence
(1989)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau (B)[2]
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Building the Perfect Beast is the second album by Don Henley, released in 1984. The album became a huge hit for Henley, forming him into a solo star. The album reached #13 on the charts and sold 3 million copies. It also released four Top 40 singles including "The Boys Of Summer" which won Henley numerous awards and became one of his most popular songs. "The Boys Of Summer", "All She Wants To Do Is Dance", "Not Enough Love In The World", and "Sunset Grill" reached #5, #9, #34, and #22 respectively. Henley won a Grammy for "The Boys Of Summer" and four MTV Video Music Awards. The album is notable for the fact that three-fifths of the then line-up of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers contribute to the writing of the songs - guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboard man Benmont Tench and drummer Stan Lynch who would later collaborate with Henley on the Eagles' Learn to be Still.

Contents

Track listing

  1. "The Boys of Summer" (Don Henley, Mike Campbell) – 4:45
  2. "You Can't Make Love" (Henley, Danny Kortchmar) – 3:34
  3. "Man With a Mission" (Henley, Kortchmar, J.D. Souther) – 2:43
  4. "You're Not Drinking Enough" (Kortchmar) – 4:40
  5. "Not Enough Love in the World" (Henley, Kortchmar, Benmont Tench) – 3:54
  6. "Building the Perfect Beast" (Henley, Kortchmar) – 4:59
  7. "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" (Kortchmar) – 4:28
  8. "A Month of Sundays" (Henley) – 4:31 (cassette and CD only)
  9. "Sunset Grill" (Henley, Kortchmar, Tench) – 6:22
  10. "Drivin' With Your Eyes Closed" (Henley, Kortchmar, Stan Lynch) – 3:41
  11. "Land of the Living" (Henley, Kortchmar) – 3:24

Note: "A Month of Sundays" appeared on the cassette and compact disc versions of the album but was not included on the LP format. On vinyl it was released as the B-side of the single "The Boys of Summer".

Personnel

Production

Charts

Album - Billboard

Year Chart Position
1984 The Billboard 200 13

Singles - Billboard

Year Single Chart Position
1984 "Sunset Grill" Mainstream Rock Tracks 7
1984 "The Boys of Summer" Adult Contemporary 33
1984 "The Boys of Summer" Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
1984 "The Boys of Summer" The Billboard Hot 100 5
1985 "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" Hot Dance Music/Club Play 10
1985 "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 34
1985 "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 65
1985 "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
1985 "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" The Billboard Hot 100 9
1985 "Drivin' With Your Eyes Closed" Mainstream Rock Tracks 9
1985 "Not Enough Love in the World" Adult Contemporary 6
1985 "Not Enough Love in the World" Mainstream Rock Tracks 17
1985 "Not Enough Love in the World" The Billboard Hot 100 34
1985 "Sunset Grill" Adult Contemporary 18
1985 "Sunset Grill" The Billboard Hot 100 22

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
1985 "The Boys of Summer" Best Male Rock Vocal Performance

References

  1. ^ Building the Perfect Beast at Allmusic
  2. ^ Robert Christgau
Don Henley
Studio albums
I Can't Stand Still • Building the Perfect Beast • The End of the Innocence • Inside Job
Compilation albums
Singles
See also