Tear Down These Walls | ||||
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Studio album by Billy Ocean | ||||
Released | January 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1987 | |||
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Length | 46:57 | |||
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Billy Ocean chronology | ||||
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Singles from Tear Down These Walls | ||||
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AllMusic |
Tear Down These Walls is the seventh solo studio album by British recording artist Billy Ocean. It was originally released in January 1988 by Jive and Arista as the follow-up to Ocean's critically and commercially successful 1986 album Love Zone. The album's title is a reference to then-President Ronald Reagan's "tear down this wall!!" speech. It features guest backing vocalists, including The Manhattans, Will Downing, Carroll Thompson, and Mary Cassidy, and is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of Ocean's later work.
On release, the album was received favourably by the majority of music critics. Ocean's second most commercially successful solo album, it went on to peak at #3 on the UK Albums Chart and reached #18 on the Billboard 200. The album launched four charting singles in the UK. "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart; "Calypso Crazy" peaked at #35; "The Colour of Love" at #65; "Stand and Deliver" at #97.
Tear Down These Walls was released in 39 versions, including a unique Mini CD version (three 3" CDs) for the UK.
The album was re-released on 16 June 2014 on Cherry Pop featuring rare bonus content. The reissue is a 2-CD set with the original album digitally remastered from the original 1/2" mix tapes; the bonus content consists of associated 7", and 12" mixes.