Maps of Music

Building the Perfect Beast (1984)

Where the lyrics of Building the Perfect Beast take you, and where it was really made.

The album's second side is the most issue-driven part of the record, yet its lead single 'The Boys of Summer' became one of Henley's most popular songs.

Key places

Recorded at Ocean Way Recording (1984)

Recording site Ocean Way Recording — The album is credited as recorded at Ocean Way Recording in Los Angeles. Niko Bolas and Greg Ladanyi recorded and mixed the album, which Henley made with Danny Kortchmar and members of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Building the Perfect Beast: second solo studio album by American rock singer Don Henley
• Released 19 November 1984 by Geffen Records
• Commercial and critical success; generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of Henley's solo work
• Four singles reached the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100
• Japanese reissue used a replica of the original compact disc artwork and an SHM-CD limited edition

Background

• Follows the debut solo album I Can't Stand Still (1982)
• Henley worked mainly with guitarist Danny Kortchmar, as on the debut
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers members contributed to the songwriting: Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and Stan Lynch
• Stan Lynch later co-wrote the Eagles' song "Learn to Be Still" with Henley
• Guests include Toto's Steve Porcaro and David Paich, Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham, Belinda Carlisle, Patty Smyth, Martha Davies, Sam Moore and JD Souther
• Further contributors include Randy Newman, Michael Boddicker, Jim Keltner, Waddy Wachtel, Pino Palladino, Charlie Sexton and Ian Wallace

Recording

• Producers: Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar and Greg Ladanyi on all tracks; Mike Campbell on track 1
• Recorded and mixed by Niko Bolas and Greg Ladanyi
• Additional engineers: Niko Bolas, Richard Bosworth and Tom Knox
• Horns on track 9 recorded by Allen Sides, assisted by Mark Ettel
• Mastered by Mike Reese and Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab in Hollywood, California
• "A Month of Sundays" appeared on the cassette and CD versions but not on the LP; the 2024 2LP remaster added it to the LP tracklist

Cover

• Photography by Herb Ritts
• Art direction by Don Henley, Maren Jensen and Jeri McManus
• Graphic coordination by Jeri McManus

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born July 22, 1947 in Gilmer, Texas; grew up in Linden, Texas.
• Early band Shiloh formed in Texas; moved to Los Angeles in 1970 with Kenny Rogers' support.
• Met Glenn Frey in Linda Ronstadt's backing band; together they formed the Eagles in 1971.

Members

• Founding member, drummer and vocalist of the Eagles.
• Sang lead on "Desperado", "Witchy Woman", "Best of My Love", "One of These Nights", "Hotel California", "The Long Run" and "Life in the Fast Lane".
• After Glenn Frey's death in 2016 became the Eagles' only remaining consistent founding member.

Career

• The Eagles sold over 150 million albums worldwide, won six Grammys and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
• Solo debut I Can't Stand Still (1982); "Dirty Laundry" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Building the Perfect Beast (1984) produced "The Boys of Summer", a No. 5 hit that won a Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards.
• The End of the Innocence (1989) was his most successful album; the title track reached No. 8.
• Solo albums: I Can't Stand Still, Building the Perfect Beast, The End of the Innocence, Inside Job (2000), Cass County (2015).
• Solo sales exceed 10 million albums; won two Grammys.
• Ranked 87th greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone in 2008.
• Founded the Walden Woods Project in 1990 and the Caddo Lake Institute in 1993.
• Co-founded the Recording Artists' Coalition in 2000 to advocate for musicians' rights.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone: critic Kurt Loder described the album as a meticulously crafted and programmed set of songs about love and politics
• Rolling Stone: the first side covers personal reflections on love and loss, and side two is more issue-oriented
• Rolling Stone: the longest track, "Sunset Grill", was singled out as the most ambitious piece on the album
• Rolling Stone placed the album at No. 73 on its 1989 list of the "100 Best Albums of the Eighties"
• Earbuddy: the review called it a bad album made competently whose high points are not worth the experience

Reappraisal

• AllMusic: critic Vik Iyengar wrote that Henley hits the mark on his sophomore release
• AllMusic: the album established Henley as an artist in his own right after many successful years with the Eagles
• AllMusic: Iyengar called it Henley's most consistent album
• Ultimate Classic Rock: critic Jeff Giles described the album as almost perfect

Records

• Reached No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard 200
• Certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA
• Four singles reached the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100
• "The Boys of Summer" became one of Henley's most popular songs and won him numerous awards, including a Grammy Award and four MTV Video Music Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• "Learn to Be Still" co-written by Stan Lynch and Henley was later released on the Eagles' live album Hell Freezes Over (1994).
• The Japanese reissue was a limited SHM-CD edition, remastered using Direct Stream Digital (DSD) transfers of the digital files.
• "A Month of Sundays" was the B-side of the single "The Boys of Summer" on vinyl.
• The 2024 2LP remaster was the first time "A Month of Sundays" appeared on the LP tracklist.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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