The Index Masters

Amazon.com
Though they found their fortunes intertwined in a punk/new wave/MTV marketing sensibility that typically confused style with substance, L.A.'s Wall of Voodoo was musically rooted in a distinctly different, often more compelling late '70s art rock ethos. Anchored by the stark, angular rhythms of the late Marc Moreland's guitar and singer/chief songwriter Stan Ridgway's sly sideshow barker vocal antics, this re-release of the band's debut 1980 EP (supplemented with raw, exemplary live tracks recorded at UC Riverside in '79) now seems more prophetic industrial music template than quirky new wave tract. If legend says their ominous, synth-drone take on Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" may have originally been intended elsewhere (WOV began as low-budget soundtrack collective), tracks like "Longarm" and "Can't Make Love" crackle with anxious energy and wit; small wonder Ridgway occasionally revisits them with success in his contemporary incarnation as acoustic singer/songwriter. The live tracks further showcase the band's cinematic bent via a medley of Morricone's main title for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Frontiere's Hang 'Em High theme, as well as offering up early versions of songs from Dark Continent and their 1982 classic, Call of the West. --Jerry McCulley

The Index Masters,Wall of Voodoo,Rykodisc,Alternative Pop/Rock,New Wave,Pop,Post-Punk,Rock,Rock/Pop

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The Index Masters

Average customer rating: The Index Masters-Wall Of Voodoo EP Into An Album New Wave will never die! Finally! Wall of Voodoo was way ahead of their time

The Index Masters Wall of Voodoo Manufacturer: Rykodisc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music | Vinyl Records | American Punk | British Punk | Emo | Garage Punk | Hardcore | Post Hardcore | Proto Punk | Punk | Punk Revival | Punk-Pop | Riot Grrl | Ska Punk | Straight Edge New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Post-Punk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Call of the West The Big Heat Barbeque Babylon Snakebite:Blacktop Ballads and Fugitive Songs Mosquitos ASIN: B000AY9ORG Release Date: 2005-09-27

Tracks:

1. Longarm
2. The Passenger
3. Can't Make Love
4. Struggle
5. Ring Of Fire
6. Granma's House
7. End Of An Era (Live)
8. Tomorrow (Live)
9. Animal Day (Live)
10. Longarm (Live)
11. Invisible Man (Live)
12. Red Light (Live)
13. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly / Hang Em' High (Live)
14. Back In Flesh (Live)
15. Call Box (Live)
16. The Passeneger (Live)

Amazon.com

Though they found their fortunes intertwined in a punk/new wave/MTV marketing sensibility that typically confused style with substance, L.A.'s Wall of Voodoo was musically rooted in a distinctly different, often more compelling late '70s art rock ethos. Anchored by the stark, angular rhythms of the late Marc Moreland's guitar and singer/chief songwriter Stan Ridgway's sly sideshow barker vocal antics, this re-release of the band's debut 1980 EP (supplemented with raw, exemplary live tracks recorded at UC Riverside in '79) now seems more prophetic industrial music template than quirky new wave tract. If legend says their ominous, synth-drone take on Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" may have originally been intended elsewhere (WOV began as low-budget soundtrack collective), tracks like "Longarm" and "Can't Make Love" crackle with anxious energy and wit; small wonder Ridgway occasionally revisits them with success in his contemporary incarnation as acoustic singer/songwriter. The live tracks further showcase the band's cinematic bent via a medley of Morricone's main title for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Frontiere's Hang 'Em High theme, as well as offering up early versions of songs from Dark Continent and their 1982 classic, Call of the West. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

The Index Masters-Wall Of Voodoo.......2007-05-29

Stan Ridgway at his best!!! Puts a entire new sound to the classic Johnny Cash Ring of fire (Or old sound being the CD from Wall Of Voodoo is 27 years old)!

EP Into An Album.......2007-03-07

A welcome sight, the original EP with added bonus tracks that some ended up as "B" sides on 12" singles. You just can't beat "Ring Of Fire" & "Can't Make Love". So buy this one & if you like this album, you'll want to get their first album "Dark Continent" which is a expensive one right now but worth the money & "Call Of The West". As long as Stan Ridgeway was the lead vocalist, this band was great.

New Wave will never die!.......2007-01-12

Wall is great on this album. No negative things to say about this one. Its a great Wall of Voodoo venue without Mexican Radio. Shh..man Ring of Fire is one of the best I've heard!

Finally!.......2005-12-30

I had Wall of Voodoo's first LP when it came out and a couple of year's ago thought I would see if I could find it on CD. No such luck! The " Index Masters ", which contains several of the songs from that album was out of print. I found it on ebay several times, usually going for around $70.00 or so by the time the auction was concluded! Finally it is available for a reasonable price. This album is a gem, I recommend it to anyone who loves 80's or Punk or New Wave Music. As a previous reviewer stated, Wall of Voodoo was really ahead of the times!

Wall of Voodoo was way ahead of their time.......2005-10-26

The Good
Not having heard of Wall of Voodoo before, and having been four years old when this album originally came out, I instantly made comparisons to Devo and the B52's once I heard the opening tones and bombastic vocal delivery on "Long Arm". The guitar tones are stunning as each ring out with a biting twang. I think I even hear a slide whistle in there. The keyboard tones of "Passenger" are reminiscent of the Knight Rider theme mixed with any creepy horror movie theme.

It doesn't get any more experimental sounding than "Can't Make Love". Vocalist Stan Ridgeway sounds as though he's on the brink of madness. The Johnny Cash cover "Ring of Fire" shows how ahead of their time Wall of Voodoo was, because it uses effects and rhythms similar to a lot of hard rock music today. You may smirk the way `fire' is pronounced and everything else that sounds like it; very new wave. The live tracks are twenty five years old, yet you can't tell much of a difference from them and the songs from the EP.

That says a lot for the group because they didn't have the technology that the industry has today to make great live recordings. "End of an Era" has a melancholy sadness to it as it explores growing up. "Animal Day" has a percussive beat that you can dance too and lyrics you can laugh too. "Red Light" shows you that there's nothing that drummer Joe Nanini won't tap on, as you hear everything from symbols to wooden blocks. The disc (and live set) concludes with a fervent rendition of "The Passenger".

The Bad
Nothing notable

The Verdict
On The Index Sessions it's evident that Wall of Voodoo was way ahead of their time. Their combination of rock guitars and experimental sounds fell right in line with their peers, as well as establishing them in a league of their own. However, I don't think the music world was really ready for them yet. So what's your reason now?

Average customer rating: In my opinion worth it for the "ring of fire" cover alone... Great Album For Hardcore WOV Fans Expanded version of some great vinyl The original WoV EP plus lots of other great stuff A Wall of Voodoo fan

The Index Masters Wall of Voodoo Manufacturer: Restless Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music | Vinyl Records | American Punk | British Punk | Emo | Garage Punk | Hardcore | Post Hardcore | Proto Punk | Punk | Punk Revival | Punk-Pop | Riot Grrl | Ska Punk | Straight Edge New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Post-Punk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Call of the West ASIN: B000003BFB Release Date: 1993-07-01

Tracks:

1. Longarm
2. The Passenger
3. Can't Make Love
4. Struggle
5. Ring of Fire
6. Granma's House
7. Enf of an Era (Live)
8. Tomorrow (Live)
9. Animal Day (Live)
10. Longarm (Live)
11. Invisible Man (Live)
12. Red Light (Live)
13. The Good, the Bad & the Ugly/Hang 'em High (Live)
14. Back in Flesh (Live)
15. Call Box (Live)
16. The Passenger (Live)

Customer Reviews:

In my opinion worth it for the "ring of fire" cover alone..........2004-02-01

This is a great album, but not for the casual listener. If the only reason you like Wall of Voodoo is their hit "Mexican Radio", stick to the Call of the West album.

I want to say that the cover of Ring of Fire is a sterling example of what a cover song should be. It's not just re-played, it's re-invented; other examples would be Devo's cover of the Stone's "Satisfaction", Nirvana's cover of Devo's "Turnaround", Frente's cover of "Bizarre Love Triangle", the Damned/Motorhead's cover of "Ballroom Blitz" and Rasputina's cover of "Brand New Key". I could go on, but Wall of Voodoo's ring of fire is something special.

If you think you'll like the quirkyness of early Devo spiced with the flavor of spaghetti western music, you'll like this. Otherwise I can't recommend it.

Great Album For Hardcore WOV Fans.......2004-01-29

The Index Masters really shows the raw side of an early Wall Of Voodoo. "Longarm" starts with a simple drum machine beat and a crunchy guitar. It is followed by wonderful synths and Stan's voice with a laid back "Let's go"... The song is catchy and filled with dark tones and eerie synth soundscapes. "The Passenger" is a very potent song about a hijacked plane, which rings true in these times of terrorist threats and violence. "Can't Make Love" with its tongue-in-cheek, brutally honest lyrics and its fun new wave atmosphere is a real treat to listen to, especially for an average day player, with Stan singing "I'm a nice guy/But I don't love you/ I just wanna sleep with you". The album continues with an eerie instrumental "Struggle", as well as the popular cover "Ring Of Fire", which is one of the most unique and ingenious covers I have ever heard. There is no drums, just a rhythmic synth creating a set rhythm for the song. Stan sings the song with a crisp, smooth country-tinged voice as Marc Morelands beautiful guitar fills and riffs create a real enjoyable tune. The song ends with Marc going ape on his guitar, using a bunch of distortion, but it isn't annoying or unpleasant, it really adds to the song. The strange instrumental "Granma's House" ends the studio set, and is then followed by ten live tracks from 1979, starting with the song that Stan said was the first song he and Marc wrote, it being then the first official Wall Of Voodoo song, "End Of An Era". The live tracks are lo-fi, but not as bad as some other reviewers made it out to be.

If you wanna hear the freshly born Wall Of Voodoo or you are a hardcore fan looking for a great album, pick up "The Index Masters". I would also recommend the extremely rare "Dark Continent", as well as "Call Of The West" to get the best of the Stan Ridgway/Joe Nanini Wall Of Voodoo era. Great stuff.

Expanded version of some great vinyl.......2001-09-11

There are only two bands that ever used the synthesizer for good, not evil. They were The Who and, of course, Wall of Voodoo. When I heard their version of "Ring of Fire" blasting from my college's radio station back in '81 I knew I had to have the record. The rest of the material definitely lived up to what I had already heard. Now I usually hate country music, but I always appreciated the way Johnny Cash could tell his tales. The man is a legend, and deservedly so, but along come these guys to take his song to higher levels. "Can't Make Love" is the equal of "Ring of Fire", and either alone would be enough to get your money's worth here, but you get both and the other great original music. The only downside of this CD is that some of the added material is barely above filler quality, knocking this down to 4 stars.

The original WoV EP plus lots of other great stuff.......2000-08-28

Wall of Voodoo's music is in it's own category; it is fun music; it is thinking man's music; all at the same time. This super extended version of their first album is worth it for just the first three songs: Longarm, Passenger, and "Can't Make Love". These are their "cleanest" fast-percussion, fast-lyrics and are in perfect form, stripped down to just the life of the music. The live songs are all cool because the guys were a fun bunch when playing live. Between this album and "Call of the West" was "Dark Continent" which is the best of the Stan Ridgway Wall of Voodoo. Later, Andy Prieboy (of "White Trash Wins Lotto" fame) led the singing on "Seven Days in Sammystown", their best album because it adds a romping dark richness. Buy them all. Beg for their reissue...I need backup copies!

A Wall of Voodoo fan.......2000-01-11

I love Wall of Voodoo, but this CD is unacceptable. The live tracks sound like it was recorded on a cassette tape that is very old. When I have a tape that sounds that bad, I throw it out, same with this CD. It now lives in the local dump.

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