Uh-Oh
| Uh-Oh | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 3, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | April 1991–October 1991 | |||
| Genre | Art rock, alternative rock, worldbeat | |||
| Length | 52:47 | |||
| Label | Luaka Bop/Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Nick Launay | |||
| David Byrne chronology | ||||
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Uh-Oh is the second studio album by David Byrne, released in 1992. Following on from Rei Momo (1989), the album incorporated many influences from Latin-American music, although this time more blended with rock music. The album has a very energetic and comical tone, which has led to it both being dismissed by some critics, yet widely liked as a fan favorite. The songs on Uh-Oh incorporate some political, religious, and sexual themes.
The album peaked at No. 125 on the Billboard 200. Music videos were released for the songs Girls on my Mind, She's Mad, and Hanging Upside Down. Following its release, Byrne supported it with a world tour (named the Monster in the Mirror tour, in reference to a lyric in A Walk in the Dark) which led to his first solo concert film, Between the Teeth (1993), filmed in New Jersey on Halloween, 1992.
Production
The album was produced by Nick Launay. The cover portrays angels gathered around a cartoon dog (god spelled backward).
Critical reception
The New York Times wrote that "Byrne has finally figured out how to make the wacky Pan-American dance album he's been after since the mid-1980's." The Guardian deemed Uh-Oh "the most Talking-Heads-esque of Byrne’s solo albums, albeit with a Latin-American influence." The Washington Post thought that Byrne's "yelps, which range from intentionally comic to comically arty, rarely dominate their rhythmically dense, albeit melodically bland, settings." The Orlando Sentinel wrote that the "Afro-Brazilian influences are more fully integrated now than on 1989's Rei Momo."
The track "A Million Miles Away" was used as the theme song of the TV show Flying Blind.
Track listing
All tracks composed by David Byrne; except where indicated
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Now I'm Your Mom" (Byrne, Angel Fernandez) | 4:43 |
| 2. | "Girls on My Mind" | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Something Ain't Right" (Byrne, Terry Allen) | 3:37 |
| 4. | "She's Mad" | 5:20 |
| 5. | "Hanging Upside Down" (Byrne, Fernandez) | 4:31 |
| 6. | "A Walk in the Dark" | 4:21 |
| 7. | "Twistin' in the Wind" | 4:14 |
| 8. | "The Cowboy Mambo (Hey Lookit Me Now)" | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Monkey Man" | 4:07 |
| 10. | "A Million Miles Away" | 4:24 |
| 11. | "Tiny Town" (Byrne, Fernandez) | 5:03 |
| 12. | "Somebody" | 4:59 |
Personnel
- David Byrne – Vocals and guitar
- Nona Hendryx – Background vocals
- Dolette McDonald – Background vocals
- Joyce Bowden - Background vocals
- George Porter Jr. – Bass guitar
- Angel Fernandez – Trumpet
- Tom Zé – Percussion instruments
- Arranged By – Angel Fernandez (tracks: 6, 11, 12), David Byrne (tracks: 6, 11, 12)
- Arranged By [Horns, Woodwinds & Strings], Conductor [Horns, Woodwinds & Strings] – Angel Fernandez (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 12)
- Artwork [Drawings] – Mr. Chick, Scott Stowell
- Backing Vocals – Billy Cliff (tracks: 3, 7, 12), Dolette McDonald (tracks: 1, 3, 7, 9, 10, 12), John James (5) (tracks: 3, 7, 12), Joyce L. Bowden (tracks: 1, 9, 10), Nicky Holland (tracks: 4, 8, 11), Nona Hendryx (tracks: 3, 7, 12)
- Bata – Milton Cardona (tracks: 4)
- Bongos, Percussion [Blocks], Bells [Bell], Agogô [Ago-go], Tamborim, Surdo [Surdu] – Café
- Clarinet [Bass] – Ronnie Cuber (tracks: 1, 6, 11)
- Congas, Maracas, Triangle, Percussion [Tambora] – Hector Rosado
- Drums, Timbales, Cowbell, Percussion [Woodblock], Surdo [Surdu], Bells [Bell], Shaker [Shakere] – Oscar Salas
- Flugelhorn – Angel Fernandez (tracks: 1, 11)
- Flute, Clarinet – Steve Sacks (tracks: 1, 11)
- French Horn – Fred Griffen (tracks: 1, 11), John Clark (2) (tracks: 1, 11)
- Oboe – Melanie Feld (tracks: 1, 11)
- Saxophone [Alto] – Dick Oatts (tracks: 3, 9, 12), Steve Sacks (tracks: 3, 5, 8)
- Saxophone [Baritone] – Ronnie Cuber (tracks: 5, 8, 9, 12)
- Saxophone [Tenor] – Ken Hitchcock (tracks: 9, 12), Lawrence Feldman (tracks: 5, 8)
- Synthesizer, Clavinet, Vibraphone [Vibes] – Ashley Cadell
- Trombone – Christopher Washburne (tracks: 5, 8, 9, 12), Gerald Chamberlain (tracks: 4, 12)
- Trombone [Tenor] – Christopher Washburne (tracks: 3, 11)
- Trumpet – Ite Jerez* (tracks: 4, 5, 8, 9, 12), Angel Fernandez (tracks: 4, 5, 8, 9, 12), Charlie Sepulveda (tracks: 3, 11), Joe Shepley (tracks: 3, 4, 9, 12)
- Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Effects [Prepared Pens], Whistle – David Byrne
- Written-By – Angel Fernandez (tracks: 1, 5, 11), David Byrne, Terry Allen (tracks: 3)
- Engineer [Assistant At Electric Lady] – Michael White
- Engineer [Assistant At Platinum Island] – Axel Niehaus
- Engineer [Assistant At Power Station] – Dan Gellart
- Engineer [Assistant At Sigma Sound] – Brian Kinkead, Michael Scalcione
- Engineer [Assistant At The Hit Factory] – Michael Gilbert
- Mastered By – Bob Ludwig
- Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Nick Launay
- Painting [Cover Painting] – Brian Dewan
- Photography By [Band Photos] – David Byrne
- Photography By [David Byrne Photo] – Chris Nofzinger