Ball Of Confusion

Ball Of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today) is a soul song and was originally a hit single from The Temptations in 1970. Tina covered it for the B.E.F. album Music For Quality And Distinction, with a very modern sythesizer instrumental background. Released as a single, it surprisingly charted in Norway. Tina promoted the song at the Australian TV-Show Countdown on July 18, 1982. The single was not released in America.

This is the very first single from Tina Turner with a music video, filmed during the spring of 1982 as a live performance on stage together with her female dancers and musicians. In fact, the music comes from tape and Tina is lip-syncing the song. David Mallet, who directed and produced the video, used some special effects like slow-motion. Tina made history with this video as one of the first black artists to appear on MTV, when the burgeoning network added it to its programming schedule.

Writer: N. Whitfield, B. Strong
Producer: Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Walsh
Photographer: Lynn Goldsmith
Release: April (Germany) / May (UK)
Label: Virgin
Format: 7“ Vinyl
Charts: Norway: #5
Music Video: 3:50 / David Mallet (Director)

Music Of Quality And Distinction is a album from the British Electric Foundation (B.E.F.) with newly interpreted versions of classic songs. Tina was asked to record a new version of the Temptations hit Ball Of Confusion from 1970 with a modern instrumental background. The CD contains a remixed version of the song, which is also available on the 1994 box set The Collected Recordings. The album was also available as a box set with all the tracks on five vinyl singles and a booklet. The following year, Martin Ware and Ian Craig Marsh produced Tina's comeback single Let's Stay Together.

Release: 1982 / 1991 (CD)
Format: Vinyl / Cassette / CD