from OUTSIDE INSIDE
Written by The Tubes
April 4th, 1983, saw the release of The Tubes’ now-classic Outside Inside album. David Foster was back in the producer’s chair after his successful work on The Completion Backward Principle for The Tubes a couple years before. Outside Inside became The Tubes’ biggest album ever, reaching #18 on Billboard’s Top 200. The San Francisco-based rockers were given their only Top Ten hit, “She’s A Beauty,” on Billboard’s Hot 100. “She’s A Beauty” was #1 on the mainstream Rock chart. The group had two other minor hit singles from the album, the irresistible, funky number, “Tip Of My Tongue,” and The Tubes’ cover of the soul/R&B classic, “The Monkey Time.” All those great songs sport fantastic production by Foster and were delivered by The Tubes with the help of a number of guest musicians including the Jerry Hey Horns, Bobby Kimball, Bill Champlin and Steve Lukather. If interested, you can find past reviews of those goodies in the archive section of this website.
On Outside Inside, The Tubes featured a number of fantastic album tracks showcasing their flamboyant and very personal style, satirical lyrics and sophisticted music. The main difference compared to their earlier albums was Foster’s approach to the various tracks, his meticolous work on the arrangements, his perfectionist touch, and the firm direction that brought the group into Toto’s pop/rock territory.
This time around, the review is a radio-friendly rock number titled “Theme Park.”
Written by the group, “Theme Park” was a good example of Foster’s musical influence on Outside Inside. The track was constructed on prominent keyboards and synths supporting Fee Waybill’s energetic vocal performance. The song had an ear-candy refrain and some awesome guitar work by Bill Spooner. Stuff got a bit crazy with some Frank Zappa influences towards the end of the song.
The Hitman kindly sent us a few thoughts about this song and his work with The Tubes:
“I Remember ‘Theme Park’ very well. I was so impressed with the great work that Mike Cotten did on the synth programming and the amazing drum groove that Prairie Prince played on this track. It’s really a great song and the whole band made contributions to it. The Tubes were so innovative in many different ways. My time working with the group was very valuable and I learned a lot from them.”
- Lead Vocals: Fee Waybill
- Drums: Prairie Prince
- Bass: Rick Anderson
- Keyboards & Vocals: Vince Velnick
- Keyboards: David Foster
- Synthesizers: Michael Cotten
- Guitars & Vocals: Bill Spooner & Roger Steen
- Produced by David Foster
Lyrics
I’m goin’ to the theme park
Lookin’ for a thrill
Gonna stay ’til they close it
‘Til I get my fill
Spinning on a Tilt-A-Whirl
Nothin’ like it in this world
Close your eyes and hold on tight
We can make it last all night
Can’t wait ’til the summer starts
Goin’ down to the theme park
Leave your cares in the parking lot
I lost my heart at the theme park
Can’t wait ’til the summer starts
Leave your cares in the parking lot
Down at the theme park
I’m sliding down the Matterhorn
I’m falling through the floor
Flying on a fantasy
Everyone can find a dream
Gonna make you feel so fine
Take a ride on love tonight
Can’t wait ’til the summer starts
Goin’ down to the theme park
Leave your cares in the parking lot
I lost my heart at the theme park
Can’t wait ’til the summer starts
Leave your cares in the parking lot
Down at the theme park