Wild Animal
| Wild Animal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 10, 1984 | |||
| Recorded | January–February, 1984 | |||
| Studio | Allen Zentz Recording (Hollywood, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 32:49 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Vanity chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Wild Animal | ||||
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Wild Animal is the 1984 debut studio album by Canadian singer Vanity. Released by Motown Records in November 1984, the album yielded two hit singles on the US R&B Songs chart, with "Pretty Mess" and "Mechanical Emotion". The album's third single, "Samuelle" scored minor radio play but failed to chart on either Hot 100 or R&B singles.
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Village Voice | C [3] |
In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau gave Wild Animal a "C−" and compared the record to Vanity 6: "Where formerly she talked her way through bright, crisp, rocking high-end arrangements and kept the smut simple, here she "sings" verbose, amelodic fantasies rendered even duller by a dim, bassy mix. And anyone who dreamed that she'd liberated herself from pornographic role-playing should get a load of the electric dildos, cum-stained frocks, and psychedelic sex slavery she flaunts as she strikes out on her own.[3] AllMusic editor Alex Henderson was somewhat more enthusiastic in a retrospective review, giving the album three out of five stars while writing, "Wild Animal is essentially an R&B album, but Vanity laces her R&B with big doses of rock and pop. Despite her obvious limitations as a vocalist, Wild Animal is a respectable solo debut. But the public refused to take Vanity seriously as a solo artist, and this album's unimpressive sales reflected that."[2] The fourth track, "Strap On Robbie Baby", was notable for being on the Parents Music Resource Center's list of the "Filthy Fifteen" due to its sexual overtones.
Track listing[edit]
All songs published by Jobete Music Co., Inc. & Wolftoons Music (ASCAP). All lyrics and melodies composed by Vanity. All music composed, performed, and arranged by Bill Wolfer, except † lyrics composed by Robert Bruce McCan (Vanity's former boyfriend at that time).[4]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Flippin' Out" (featuring Ed Sanders) | 5:00 | |
| 2. | "Pretty Mess" | 3:44 | |
| 3. | "Samuelle" | 4:14 | |
| 4. | "Strap On "Robbie Baby" | Robbie Bruce† | 4:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Wild Animal" | 4:39 | |
| 6. | "Mechanical Emotion" (featuring Morris Day) | 5:05 | |
| 7. | "Crazy Maybe" (featuring Julian Jackson) | Vanity, Bill Wolfer† | 5:00 |
Personnel[edit]
- Vanity – lead vocals, backing vocals, vocal arrangements
- Bill Wolfer – keyboards, drum programming, synthesizers
- David Williams – rhythm guitar on "Wild Animal"
- Ed Sanders – recording, mixing, additional vocals on "Flippin' Out"
- Robbie Bruce – male vocals on "Strap On 'Robbie Baby'"
- Julian Jackson – male vocals on "Crazy Maybe"
- Morris Day – male vocals on "Mechanical Emotion"
- Technical
- Allen Zentz – mastering
- Daniel Poulin – photography
- The Buck – executive producer
- Bill Wolfer – producer, arranger
Charts[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[5] | 62 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[6] | 14 |
- "Wild Animal" spent 25 weeks on the R&B Albums chart.[7]
Singles[edit]
| Year | Title | US Pop[8][9] |
US R&B |
US Dance[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Pretty Mess" | 75 | 15 | 13 |
| 1985 | "Mechanical Emotion" | 107 | 23 | — |
References[edit]
- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bill-wolfer-mn0000080681/credits Wild Animal - Producers
- ^ a b Henderson, Alex. "Wild Animal - Vanity". AllMusic. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (November 27, 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ^ Buchalter, Gail (1984-10-15). "Her Romance with Prince Hit the Rocks, but Vanity's Singing Career Is Going Grrr-Eat". People.com. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
- ^ Vanity Billboard Chart history. Retrieved January 5, 2015
- ^ "Wild Animal". Allmusic. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ "Vanity Music News & Info". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (10th ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 739. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2005). Bubbling Under The Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004 (2nd ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 277. ISBN 0-89820-162-4.
- ^ ((( Vanity > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles ))). allmusic (1959-01-04). Retrieved on 2010-08-18.
