Building the Perfect Beast

Building the Perfect Beast
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 19, 1984 (1984-11-19)
Recorded1983–1984
Studio
Genre
Length47:08 (CD and Cassette version)
LabelGeffen
Producer
Don Henley chronology
I Can't Stand Still
(1982)
Building the Perfect Beast
(1984)
The End of the Innocence
(1989)
Singles from Building the Perfect Beast
  1. "The Boys of Summer"
    Released: October 1984
  2. "All She Wants to Do Is Dance"
    Released: February 1985
  3. "Not Enough Love in the World"
    Released: May 1985
  4. "Sunset Grill"
    Released: 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, keyboardist Benmont Tench and drummer Stan Lynch, the last of whom would later collaborate with Henley in composing the 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.

The album reached #13 on the Billboard 200[1] and was certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[2] The album spawned four singles which all reached the top forty on the Billboard Hot 100, including "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.

  1. ^ "Don Henley Awards". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference RIAA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).