Born to Laugh at Tornadoes

Born to Laugh at Tornadoes
Studio album by Was (Not Was)
Released	September 1983
Recorded	November 1982-June 1983; Sound Suite Recording Studios, Detroit
Length	35:31
Label	ZE Records, Geffen
Producer	Jack Tann, David Was, Don Was
Was (Not Was) chronology
Was (Not Was) (1981) Born to Laugh at Tornadoes (1983) What Up, Dog? (1988)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Robert Christgau	B+[1]
Rolling Stone	link

Born To Laugh At Tornadoes is a 1983 album by the progressive pop band Was (Not Was). Rolling Stone declared it "conceptually, the best album of the year" shortly after its release.^[2] The advance publicity did not endear itself to the listening public at the time, and the album made little fanfare in a year dominated by the power pop of Michael Jackson's Thriller and Prince's 1999.

This album boasted an impressive array of guest vocalists, ranging from hard rocker Mitch Ryder (on "Bow Wow Wow Wow"), heavy metal shock rocker Ozzy Osbourne ("Shake Your Head"), pop 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 heavy metal ("Bow Wow Wow Wow"), psychedelic synthesized mod music ("Man Vs. The Empire Brain Building") to soft, easy listening cocktail jazz ("Zaz Turned Blue"), a ballad about a man who nearly chokes to death in a park ("Zaz turned blue/What were we supposed to do?/When Zaz turned blue?").

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

Track listing

All tracks composed by David Was and Don Was; except where indicated

1. "Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like a Rubber Ball)" – 3:07 lead vocals - Sweet Pea Atkinson
2. "Bow Wow Wow Wow" (Jarvis Stroud) – 3:10 lead vocals - Mitch Ryder
3. "Betrayal" – 3:06 lead vocals - Doug Fieger
4. "Shake Your Head (Let's Go to Bed)" (Felix Morris) – 3:55 lead vocals Carol Hall, Kathy Kosins and Ozzy Osbourne
5. "Man vs. the Empire Brain Building" – 4:02 lead vocals - Ada Griffin, Carol Hall, Chris Blackwell, Felix and Jarvis and The Was Bros.
6. "(Return to The Valley of) Out Come the Freaks" – 4:22 lead vocals - Harry Bowens
7. "Professor Night" – 4:10 lead vocals - Harry Bowens
8. "The Party Broke Up" – 2:14 lead vocals - David Was
9. "Smile" – 3:15 lead vocals - Doug Fieger
10. "Zaz Turned Blue" – 4:19 lead vocals - Mel Tormé

Personnel

• Marshall Crenshaw – organ, guitar, vocals
• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
• Mitch Ryder – vocals
• Vinnie Vincent – guitar
• Joseph LoDuca – guitar
• Mel Tormé – piano, vocals
• Carol Hall – vocals
• Sweet Pea Atkinson – vocals
• Wayne Kramer – guitar
• Marin Alsop – violin
• Chris Blackwell – vocals
• Sir Harry Bowens – vocals
• Jervonny Collier – bass
• Michael Edwards – vocals
• Doug Fieger – vocals
• Kathy Kosins – vocals
• Yogi Horton – drums
• Bob Kulick – guitar
• Jay Leonhart – bass
• David McMurray – soprano & tenor saxophone
• Bruce Nazarian – guitar
• Luis Resto – organ, synthesizer, vocorder
• Paul Riser – horn & string arrangements
• John Robie – synthesizer
• John Sinclair – background vocals
• David Was – keyboards, saxophone, vocals
• Don Was – synthesizer, bass, vocals
• Randy Jacobs – bass, guitar, background vocals
• Lawrence Fratangelo – percussion
• Debbie Caponetta - production co-ordination
• Michael Zilkha - Executive Producer
• David Thoener and The Detroit Wasmopolitan Mixing Squad (Duane Bradley, Ken Collier and Don Was) - mixing

References