Wild Things Run Fast
Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Unsubst-infobox". Template:Album ratings Wild Things Run Fast is the eleventh studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Her first of four releases for Geffen Records, it was released in 1982 and represents her move to a more 1980s pop sound. This was her first album to work with bassist Larry Klein, whom she married in 1982. Klein would play bass on and co-produce her next four albums.
Inspiration
Mitchell claimed that her inspiration for the album came from hearing the music of popular bands such as Steely Dan, Talking Heads and The Police at a discothèque during a trip to the Caribbean in 1981. She said that hearing The Police, especially, affected her sound, saying, "their rhythmic hybrids, and the positioning of the drums, and the sound of the drums, was one of the main calls out to me to make a more rhythmic album".[1]
Tour
The resulting world tour took Mitchell through the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia. A video of the tour was released in 1983, entitled Refuge of the Roads. The recorded performances were not performed in front of a live audience, but rather recorded live in a studio once the tour had been completed, with applause dubbed-in during post-production. There was also some Super 8 footage taken by Mitchell on the road. It has since been released on DVD.
Track listing
Template:Track listing Template:Track listing
Personnel
Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.
- Joni Mitchell – vocals, acoustic guitar (tracks 3, 5, 9, 10, 11)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., electric guitar on (tracks 4, 6, 8)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". piano (track 1)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., electric piano (track 10)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., cover painting
- Larry Klein – bass, rhythmic arrangements (tracks 2, 7)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Michael Landau – electric guitar (tracks 5, 7, 8, 10)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Steve Lukather – electric guitar (tracks 1, 2, 9, 11)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- John Guerin – drums (tracks 1, 4, 6, 9)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., whisper chorus (track 6)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., rhythmic arrangements (tracks 2, 7)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Don Alias – rhythmic arrangements (track 6)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Larry Williams – Prophet synthesizer on (tracks 1, 2, 3)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., tenor saxophone (tracks 3, 7)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Russell Ferrante – Oberheim synthesizer (tracks 4, 6, 9)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone (tracks 4, 6, 11)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Larry Carlton – guitar (track 3)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Victor Feldman – percussion (track 9)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Kim Hutchcroft – baritone saxophone (track 7)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Lionel Richie – backing vocals (track 3)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., co-lead vocals (track 8)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Charles Valentino – backing vocals (track 3)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Howard Kinney – backing vocals (track 3)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- James Taylor – backing vocals (track 9)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Kenny Rankin – whisper chorus (track 6)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Robert De La Garza – whisper chorus (track 6)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Skip Cottrell – whisper chorus (track 6)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Technical personnel
- Joni Mitchell – production, mixing
- Larry Klein – mixing
- Henry Lewy – engineering at A&M
- Skip Cottrell – engineering at A&M
- Clyde Kaplan – assistant engineering at A&M
- Jerry Hudgins – engineering at Devonshire Sound
- Larry Hirsch – mixing
- Chase Williams – assistant mixing
- John Golden – vinyl mastering
- Lee Herschberg – CD mastering
Reception
In The Boston Phoenix, Ken Emerson said that "Mitchell’s belated rediscovery of 'heart. and humor and humility' makes Wild Things Run Fast (Geffen) her finest album since Hejira and her most commercial since Court and Spark (1974). ... The album is by no means a regression, but it is a rejection of the false sophistication that made Don Juan and Mingus so off-putting. Now, once again, like a child but also like a true artist, Joni Mitchell is confronting life and herself 'face to face.'"[2]
Charts
Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[3] | 51 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 Albums[4] | 28 |
References
- ↑ JoniMitchell.com – Biography (1981–1984 A Solid Love)
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Template:Cite Kent
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine