Editing Building the Perfect Beast

{{Infobox album
| name       = Building the Perfect Beast
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Don Henley]]
| cover      = Don Henley - Building the Perfect Beast.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = {{Start date|1984|11|19}}
| recorded   = 1983–1984
| studio     = * [[Record One]] (Sherman Oaks)
* [[Bill Schnee]] (Universal City)
* The Villa (North Hollywood)
| genre      = * [[Synth-rock]]
* [[pop rock]]
* [[New wave music|new wave]]
| length     = {{duration|m=47|s=08}} (CD and Cassette version)
| label      = [[Geffen Records|Geffen]]
| producer   = * Don Henley
* [[Danny Kortchmar]]
* [[Greg Ladanyi]]
* [[Mike Campbell (musician)|Mike Campbell]]
| prev_title = [[I Can't Stand Still]]
| prev_year  = 1982
| next_title = [[The End of the Innocence (album)|The End of the Innocence]]
| next_year  = 1989
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Building the Perfect Beast
 | type        = Studio album
 | single1     = [[The Boys of Summer (song)|The Boys of Summer]]
 | single1date = October 1984
 | single2     = [[All She Wants to Do Is Dance]]
 | single2date = February 1985
 | single3     = [[Not Enough Love in the World]]
 | single3date = May 1985
 | single4     = [[Sunset Grill (song)|Sunset Grill]]
 | single4date = August 1985
}}
}}
'''''Building the Perfect Beast''''' is the second solo studio album by American rock singer [[Don Henley]], released on November 19, 1984, by [[Geffen Records]]. A commercial and critical success, it is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of Henley's solo work.

For the album, Henley collaborated primarily with guitarist [[Danny Kortchmar]], along with members of the then line-up of [[Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]], who contributed to the writing of the songs: guitarist [[Mike Campbell (musician)|Mike Campbell]], keyboardist [[Benmont Tench]] and drummer [[Stan Lynch]], the last of whom would later collaborate with Henley in composing the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]]' song "Learn to Be Still", which was released on their live album ''[[Hell Freezes Over]]'' (1994). The album also features contributions from [[Fleetwood Mac]]'s guitarist, [[Lindsey Buckingham]], [[the Go-Go's]] lead vocalist [[Belinda Carlisle]], and features contributions from [[Randy Newman]], [[Jim Keltner]], [[Waddy Wachtel]], [[Pino Palladino]], [[Steve Porcaro]], and [[Ian Wallace (drummer)|Ian Wallace]].

The album reached #13 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<ref name=AllMusic>{{cite web|title=Don Henley Awards|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/don-henley-mn0000184091/awards|website=allmusic.com|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=2 October 2014}}</ref> and was certified 3× Platinum by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA).<ref name=RIAA/> The album spawned four singles which all reached the top forty on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], including "[[The Boys of Summer (song)|The Boys of Summer]]", which would become one of Henley's most popular songs and win him numerous awards, including a [[Grammy Award]] and four [[MTV Video Music Awards]].

==Critical reception==
{{Album ratings
| rev1      = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r9246/review}}</ref>
| rev3      = [[Robert Christgau]]
| rev3Score = B<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Don+Henley|title=Robert Christgau: CG: Don Henley|website=www.robertchristgau.com}}</ref>
}}
Reviewing the album in ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', [[Kurt Loder]] wrote that "''Building the Perfect Beast'' is a meticulously crafted and programmed set of songs about love and politics. The first side is given to personal reflections on love and loss, such as the wistful "Boys of Summer." Side two is more issue-oriented, tackling subjects from genetic engineering ("Building the Perfect Beast") to America's reckless foreign policy ("All She Wants to Do Is Dance"). The album's longest and most ambitious piece, "Sunset Grill," describes in disturbingly vivid images a character's sense of entrapment in an evil, convulsive metropolis: "You see a lot more meanness in the city/It's the kind that eats you up inside/Hard to come away with anything that feels like dignity."<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-albums-of-the-eighties-20110418/don-henley-building-the-perfect-beast-20110329|title=Don Henley: Building the Perfect Beast|date=16 November 1989|accessdate=21 June 2014}}</ref> The magazine placed the album at No. 73 on its 1989 list of the "100 Best Albums of the Eighties".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-albums-of-the-eighties-20110418/don-henley-building-the-perfect-beast-20110329|title=100 Best Albums of the Eighties|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=16 November 1989}}</ref>

Reviewing retrospectively for [[AllMusic]], critic Vik Iyengar has written of the album, "After experimenting with synthesizers and a pop sound on his solo debut, Don Henley hits the mark on his sophomore release, ''Building the Perfect Beast''. This album established Henley as an artist in his own right after many successful years with the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]], as it spawned numerous hits."<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/building-the-perfect-beast-mw0000650250|title=Building the Perfect Beast|accessdate=21 June 2014}}</ref>

==Release==

===Japanese reissue===
The original mix of the album was reissued in [[Japan]] in a replica of the original compact disc artwork. The album was remastered, for this reissue using [[Direct Stream Digital]] (DSD) to transfer the digital files. The release was a limited edition in the SHM-CD format.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/648983100-don_henley_building_the_perfect_beast_the_highfidelity_shmcd/|title=Don Henley, Building the Perfect Beast the High Fidelity SCHCD|website=Canuckaudiomart.com|access-date=21 June 2014}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| headline     = Side one
| title1       = [[The Boys of Summer (song)|The Boys of Summer]]
| length1      = 4:48
| writer1      = {{hlist|[[Don Henley]]|[[Mike Campbell (musician)|Mike Campbell]]}}
| title2       = You Can't Make Love
| length2      = 3:34
| writer2      = {{hlist|Henley|[[Danny Kortchmar]]}}
| title3       = Man with a Mission
| length3      = 2:43
| writer3      = {{hlist|Henley|Kortchmar|[[JD Souther]]}}
| title4       = [[You Must Not Be Drinking Enough|You're Not Drinking Enough]]
| length4      = 4:40
| writer4      = Kortchmar
| title5       = [[Not Enough Love in the World]]
| length5      = 3:54
| writer5      = {{hlist|Henley|Kortchmar|[[Benmont Tench]]}}
}}
{{Track listing
| headline     = Side two
| title6       = Building the Perfect Beast
| length6      = 4:59
| writer6      = {{hlist|Henley|Kortchmar}}
| title7       = [[All She Wants to Do Is Dance]]
| length7      = 4:28
| writer7      = Kortchmar
| title8       = A Month of Sundays
| length8      = 4:30
| writer8      = Henley
| title9       = [[Sunset Grill (song)|Sunset Grill]]
| length9      = 6:22
| writer9      = {{hlist|Henley|Kortchmar|Tench}}
| title10      = Drivin' with Your Eyes Closed
| length10     = 3:41
| writer10     = {{hlist|Henley|Kortchmar|[[Stan Lynch]]}}
| title11      = Land of the Living
| length11     = 3:24
| writer11     = {{hlist|Henley|Kortchmar}}
| total_length = 47:08
}}

Note: "A Month of Sundays" appeared on the cassette and compact disc versions of the album, but was not included on the LP format. On vinyl it was released as the B-side of the single "The Boys of Summer."

== Personnel ==

=== Musicians ===
{{div col}}
* [[Don Henley]] – lead vocals, harmony vocals (2, 5, 7, 11) drums (2–4, 7, 8), keyboards (5), percussion (5, 6, 10), synthesizers (6), chant voices (6), synthesizer arrangements (9)
* [[Danny Kortchmar]] – synthesizers (1, 3, 6), guitars (1–7, 9–11), horns (3), [[Electric organ|organ]] (4), [[Omnichord]] (4), percussion (6, 10, 11), chant voices (6), [[guitar synthesizer]] solo (9), horn solo (9), synthesizer arrangements (9), keyboards (10), bass (10), arrangements (11)
* [[Mike Campbell (musician)|Mike Campbell]] – synthesizers (1), guitars (1), percussion (1)
* [[Steve Porcaro]] – synthesizers (1, 4), programming (7)
* [[Benmont Tench]] – keyboards (2, 5), acoustic piano (8), synthesizers (9), synthesizer arrangements (9)
* [[David Paich]] – acoustic piano (4), synthesizers (7, 8), synthesizer arrangements (8), acoustic piano solo (9)
* [[Michael Boddicker]] – programming (6), [[Music sequencer|sequencing]] (6), synthesizers (8, 9), [[E-mu Emulator]] (9), synthesizer arrangements (9)
* [[Albhy Galuten]] – [[Synclavier]] (6)
* [[Randy Newman]] – synthesizers (8), synthesizer arrangements (8, 9)
* Bill Cuomo – synthesizers (11), programming (11), percussion (11)
* [[Lindsey Buckingham]] – guitars (2), harmony vocals (2)
* [[Charlie Sexton]] – guitars (3)
* [[Larry Klein]] – bass (1)
* [[Pino Palladino]] – bass (2, 9, 11)
* [[Tim Drummond]] – bass (4, 5)
* [[Ian Wallace (drummer)|Ian Wallace]] – drums (5)
* Kevin McCormick – [[Djembe|African drums]] (6)
* [[Jim Keltner]] – additional drums (8)
* [[Maren Jensen]] – intro and interlude composer (8)
* [[Jerry Hey]] – horn arrangements (9)
* [[Belinda Carlisle]] – harmony vocals (3)
* [[Sam Moore]] – harmony vocals (4)
* [[Martha Davis (musician)|Martha Davis]] – chant voices (6), harmony vocals (7)
* [[Michael O'Donahue]] – chant voices (6)
* [[Carla Olson]] – chant voices (6)
* [[Patty Smyth]] – chant voices (6), harmony vocals (6, 7, 9, 11)
* [[JD Souther]] – chant voices (6)
* [[Waddy Wachtel]] – chant voices (6)
* Marie-Pascale Elfman – the French Girls ensemble (10)
* Dominique Mancinelli – the French Girls ensemble (10)
{{div col end}}

=== Production ===
* Producers – Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar and Greg Ladanyi (all tracks); Mike Campbell (Track 1).
* Recorded and mixed by [[Niko Bolas]] and Greg Ladanyi
* Additional engineers – Niko Bolas, Richard Bosworth and Tom Knox.
* Assistant engineers – Richard Bosworth, Dan Garcia, David Schober and Duane Seykora.
* Horns on track 10 recorded by Allen Sides, assisted by Mark Ettel.
* Mastered by Mike Reese and [[Doug Sax]] at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California).
* Graphic coordinator – Jeri McManus
* Art direction – Don Henley, Maren Jensen and Jeri McManus.
* Photography – [[Herb Ritts]]

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Chart (1984–1985)
! Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kent |first=David |title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970–1992]] |publisher=Australian Chart Book |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6 |location=St Ives, New South Wales|page=137|author-link=David Kent (historian)}}</ref>
| 4
|-
{{album chart|Canada|17|artist=Don Henley|album=Building the Perfect Beast|chartid=0496|access-date=June 6, 2024|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|23|artist=Don Henley|album=Building the Perfect Beast|access-date=June 6, 2024|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{album chart|Germany4|28|artist=Don Henley|album=Building the Perfect Beast|id=7541|access-date=June 6, 2024|rowheader=true}}
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums ([[Oricon]])<ref name="JPN">{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=[[Oricon|Oricon Entertainment]]|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9|language=ja}}</ref>
| align="center"| 49
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|18|artist=Don Henley|album=Building the Perfect Beast|access-date=June 6, 2024|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{album chart|Norway|15|artist=Don Henley|album=Building the Perfect Beast|access-date=June 6, 2024|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|24|artist=Don Henley|album=Building the Perfect Beast|access-date=June 6, 2024|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|14|date=19850310|access-date=June 6, 2024|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|13|artist=Don Henley|access-date=June 6, 2024|rowheader=true}}
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Chart (1985)
! Position
|-
{{album chart|Canada|42|artist=Don Henley|album=Building the Perfect Beast|chartid=0618|access-date=December 12, 2024|rowheader=true|refname=CA_YE}}
|-
!scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bestsellingalbums.org/year-end/Billboard_Top_Albums_1985|title=Top US Billboard 200 Albums - Year-end 1985|website=BestSellingAlbums.org|access-date=December 12, 2024}}</ref>
| 13
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Don Henley|title=Building the Perfect Beast|award=Silver|type=album|relyear=1984|certyear=1985|id=1124-2941-2}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Don Henley|title=Building the Perfect Beast|award=Platinum|number=3|type=album|relyear=1984|certyear=1995|refname=RIAA}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

==Awards==
'''[[Grammy Awards]]'''
{|class="wikitable"
!Year
!Winner
!Category
|-
|1985
|"The Boys of Summer"
|[[Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance|Best Male Rock Vocal Performance]]
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{discogs master|81575}}

{{Don Henley}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Don Henley albums]]
[[Category:1984 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Greg Ladanyi]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Danny Kortchmar]]
[[Category:Geffen Records albums]]