Tear Down These Walls


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.

Background

The album's title is a reference to then-President Ronald Reagan's "tear down this wall" speech. It features guest backing vocals from artists 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.
One of Ocean's most commercially successful solo albums, it went on to peak at #3 on the UK Albums Chart and reached #18 on the US 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 and "Stand and Deliver" at #97.
"Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" was Ocean's third and final #1 hit on the Billboard US Pop chart, and his fourth and final #1 R&B hit in that country. The song topped pop charts in several other countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Norway. "The Colour Of Love" was a top 20 pop hit in the US and Canada, and Ocean's tenth and final top-10 hit on the US R&B chart.
Tear Down These Walls was released in 39 versions, including a unique Mini CD version 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.

Critical reception

On release, the album received generally favourable reviews by music critics. In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Ron Wynn gave the album three out of five stars and wrote that "While he was still a successful attraction, this album wouldn't reach the multi-platinum levels of its predecessors." also noting that "Ocean's voice also lacked the resonance and authority it had on earlier dance tunes and wasn't as convincing or confident on ballads."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
ChartPeak
position
Australian Albums Chart13
Canadian Albums Chart8
Dutch Albums Chart18
Finnish Albums Chart24
German Albums Chart17
New Zealand Albums Chart7
Norwegian Albums Chart3
Swedish Albums Chart14
Swiss Albums Chart10
UK Albums Chart3
US Billboard 20018
US Billboard R&B Albums7

Sales and certifications