Debbie Harry / KooKoo (US, Chrysalis, CHR 1347) <July 27, 1981>

Debbie Harry / KooKoo (US, Chrysalis, CHR 1347) <July 27, 1981>
(SIDE 1) CHR1347 AS ②
(SUDE 2) CHR1347-BS-⑤

(Wiki)

KooKoo is the debut solo album by American singer Debbie Harry, released on July 27, 1981, by Chrysalis Records.

KooKoo was recorded while Harry and boyfriend Chris Stein were taking a break from the band Blondie. The album was produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the R&B band Chic, who had just had major success working with Diana Ross on her 1980 album Diana. Harry and Stein first met the pair at the Power Station recording studio in New York while Blondie were recording their 1979 album Eat To The Beat, and they remained good friends in the intervening years. KooKoo was one of three albums to be (co)written and produced by Rodgers and Edwards in 1981, the other two being Chic's fifth album Take It Off and Johnny Mathis' I Love My Lady, which remained unreleased until 2018.

KooKoo showcased the early fusion of funk, rock and dance music that would become the trademark of Rodgers and Edwards, and this style would later be evident on albums such as David Bowie's Let's Dance, Duran Duran's Notorious, The Power Station's self-titled debut album, and Robert Palmer's Riptide. Backing vocals were provided by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale of Devo, credited as Spud and Pud Devo.

KooKoo reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and spent seven weeks on the chart, being certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments in excess of 60,000 copies. The album reached number 25 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.

The cover art for the album was created by Swiss artist H.R. Giger, known for his design work on the 1979 sci-fi/horror film Alien.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng3pK-tzuh4