The Ugly Americans in Australia

The Ugly Americans in Australia is a live album by the Los Angeles new wave band Wall of Voodoo, mostly recorded at The Palace in Melbourne during the group's Australian tour in August 1987.

Bassist Bruce Moreland had departed the group again by this stage, and in order for Charles Gray to play bass in addition to his normal keyboard duties, the group took on guest keyboardist Roger Mason from popular Australian band The Models.

Two of the album's tracks, "Living in the Red" and "The Heart Never Can Tell", were recorded at Big Joe's Bar 'n' Grill in Bullhead City, Arizona. The CD issue included another two tracks from Bullhead, "The Grass is Greener" and an idiosyncratic cover of Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd."

It was dedicated to renowned German producer Conny Plank, who had died in December 1987, and who never recorded with Wall of Voodoo, but whose productions for such German progressive/experimental bands as Kraftwerk, Neu!, Cluster, Harmonia and Guru Guru were an influence on the group's music.

The album title makes reference to the bestselling 1958 expose The Ugly American by Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer.

The front cover painting was by iconic artist Robert Williams, featuring one vicious clown beating another with his fists while female conjoined twins in skimpy attire look on with astonished looks. The full title of Williams' painting is "An Allegory of Contradictions Revealing Serendipity Purveyors of Mirth Presenting a Tableau of Blood and Grease Paint in a Circusian Clash to the Death", while the colloquial title is "Duelling Bimbos."

This album completed the band's contract with IRS Records, and they disbanded for good by mid-1988.

Track listing

1. "Red Light" (Stan Ridgway, Marc Moreland, Bruce Moreland, Joe Nanini, Charles Gray) - 3:45
2. "Crazy, Crazy Melbourne" (Jim Field, Andy Prieboy) – 0:53
3. "Wrong Way to Hollywood" (Gray, Field, Prieboy) - 4:37
4. "Living in the Red" (Gray, Prieboy) - 3:50
5. "Blackboard Sky" (Prieboy) - 4:45
6. "The Heart Can Never Tell" (Gray, Neil Leukhardt, M. and B. Moreland) - 4:35
7. "Far Side of Crazy" (Prieboy) - 4:17
8. "Ring of Fire" (June Cash, Merle Kilgore) - 5:47
9. "Mexican Radio" (Ridgway, M. Moreland, Nanini, Gray) - 4:44

Original CD track listing

1. "Red Light" (Ridgway, M. and B. Moreland, Nanini, Gray) - 3:45
2. "Crazy, Crazy Melbourne" (Field, Prieboy) – 0:53
3. "Wrong Way to Hollywood" (Gray, Moreland, Prieboy) - 4:37
4. "Living in the Red" (Gray, Prieboy) - 3:50
5. "Blackboard Sky" (Prieboy) - 4:45
6. "Pretty Boy Floyd" (W. Guthrie) - 5:19
7. "The Heart Can Never Tell" (Gray, Leukhardt, Moreland, Moreland) - 4:35
8. "Far Side of Crazy" (Prieboy) - 4:17
9. "Ring of Fire" (Cash, Kilgore) - 5:47
10. "Mexican Radio" (Ridgway, M. Moreland, Nanini, Gray) - 4:44
11. "The Grass is Greener" (Gray, Leukhardt, M. and B. Moreland, Prieboy - 4:40

This album, along with Seven Days in Sammystown and Happy Planet, was remastered and re-released as part of a double CD set by Australian reissue label Raven Records in 2012.^[1]

References