Was (Not Was)
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Was (Not Was) | |
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| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
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| Website | World Wide Was |
Was (Not Was) is an American band founded in 1979 in Detroit, Michigan, by David Weiss and Don Fagenson, who adopted the stage names David Was and Don Was.[3] Their song catalog features an eclectic mix of pop and rock styles, often featuring guest musicians from across the musical spectrum. The band's most popular period was during the 1980s and early 1990s, with their highest-charting hit, the song "Walk the Dinosaur", released in 1987 as the lead single from their 1988 album What Up, Dog?, becoming a worldwide top-40 hit and peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The band went on indefinite hiatus in the mid-1990s, but has returned sporadically since the turn of the millennium. Their most recent release was the 2008 album Boo!.
Career[edit]
Beginnings[edit]
Weiss and Fagenson were childhood friends who grew up together in suburban Detroit, Michigan, United States.[3] Partly due to Fagenson's poverty they decided to form Was (Not Was) in 1979.[4] The name of the band was derived from Fagenson's then-infant son Tony, who was just beginning to talk and enjoyed contradicting words such as "Blue" with "Not Blue". Their first recording was "Wheel Me Out", a 12-inch dance record for the avant-garde ZE Records. David's mother Elizabeth Elkin Weiss, an actress and radio pioneer in their native Detroit, provided the outré vocals. The track was later included on the 2000 compilation album Disco Not Disco.
Their first album Was (Not Was) (1981) was an amalgam of rock, disco, Weiss's beat poetry, Reagan-era political-social commentary, and jazz.[3] On vocals they recruited Harry Bowens and "Sweet Pea" Atkinson, who frequently found themselves singing absurdist and satirical songs alongside tender ballads.[3] Wayne Kramer of MC5, The Knack's Doug Fieger, and trumpeter Marcus Belgrave were among the guest players.[5][6]
In 1982, the group played on Don't Walk Away, a solo album for lead singer "Sweet Pea" Atkinson.[7]
Development[edit]
Born to Laugh at Tornadoes (1983)[3] had even more guest musicians, including Ozzy Osbourne rapping over electro, Mitch Ryder singing a techno-rockabilly number, Mel Tormé performing a ballad about asphyxiation, and an abstract funk piece called "Man vs. the Empire Brain Building". Singer Donald Ray Mitchell joined the group as third lead vocalist.[8]
In 1988, they found their biggest hit with the album What Up, Dog?, which featured the singles "Walk the Dinosaur"[9] and "Spy in the House of Love".[3] Special guests included Stevie Salas, John Patitucci, Frank Sinatra Jr., and a writing credit from Elvis Costello.[10]
Film and animation work[edit]
Artist/animator Christoph Simon[11] created videos to accompany some of their stranger album tracks, such as "What Up, Dog?",[12] "Dad I'm in Jail,"[13] and the Tom Waits-style "Earth to Doris."[14] The videos appeared on MTV's Liquid Television and in various film festivals, including the Spike & Mike festival. Around this time, the Was Brothers developed separate careers as producers, film scorers, and music supervisors.
Hiatus[edit]
The group followed up with Are You Okay? in 1990,[3] spearheaded by a cover of "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". Guest musicians included Iggy Pop, Leonard Cohen, The Roches, and Syd Straw. After a tour with Dire Straits in 1992 and a UK Top 5 single with "Shake Your Head", which included vocals from Ozzy Osbourne and actress Kim Basinger, Weiss and Fagenson drifted apart, subsequently releasing only a compilation album Hello Dad... I'm in Jail.[3] Some members, however, did appear on Don's Orquestra Was project Forever Is a Long Long Time (1997), which re-interpreted Hank Williams in a jazz/R&B vein.
Reunion[edit]
In late 2004, Was (Not Was) reformed for a two-month club tour through the US, including stops at the House of Blues in Cleveland and Chicago and the Trocadero in Philadelphia. In October 2005, they played four gigs at the Jazz Café in London.
In 2008, they released their fifth studio album, Boo!, featuring guest appearances from Kris Kristofferson, Wayne Kramer, Marcus Miller and Booker T. Jones, plus a song originally co-written with Bob Dylan nearly 20 years earlier. On April 22, they performed on the British show Later... with Jools Holland, and on May 2, they were the musical guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. The band toured the US that year, beginning on April 30.
Commentary[edit]
Writing in Detroit's Metro Times, Brian J. Bowe described the band as "an endearing mess....a sausage factory of funk, rock, jazz and electronic dance music, all providing a boogie-down backdrop for a radical (and witty) political message of unbridled personal freedom and skepticism of authority."[15]
Discography[edit]
| Was (Not Was) discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 5 |
| Compilation albums | 4 |
| Singles | 19 |
Studio albums[edit]
| Year | Information | Chart positions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] | NL [16] | NZ [17] | UK [18] | |||||
| 1981 | Was (Not Was)
| – | – | – | – | |||
| 1983 | Born to Laugh at Tornadoes
| 134 | – | – | – | |||
| 1988 | What Up, Dog?
| 43 | 57 | 41 | 47 | |||
| 1990 | Are You Okay?
| 99 | 82 | 34 | 35 | |||
| 2008 | Boo!
| – | – | – | – | |||
| "–" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||
Compilation albums[edit]
| Year | Information |
|---|---|
| 1984 | The Woodwork Squeaks
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| 1989 | New Steak Trend
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| 1992 | Hello Dad... I'm in Jail
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| 2004 | The Collection
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| 2010 | Hey, King Kong!!!: Pick of the Litter 1980-2010
|
Singles[edit]
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 [2] | US Club Play [2] | US R&B [2] | AUS [19] | IRL [20] | NL [16] | NZ [17] | UK [18] | SA [21] | FR [22] | |||||
| 1980 | "Wheel Me Out" | – | 34 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Mutant Disco: A Subtle Discolation of the Norm | ||
| 1981 | "Out Come the Freaks" | – | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Was (Not Was) | ||
| "Where Did Your Heart Go?" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | - | – | ||||
| 1982 | "Tell Me That I'm Dreaming" | – | 3 | 68 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1983 | "Smile" | 106 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Born to Laugh at Tornadoes | ||
| "Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like a Rubber Ball)" | 109 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 1984 | "(Return to the Valley of) Out Come the Freaks" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 41 | – | – | |||
| 1986 | "Robot Girl" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 95 | – | – | What Up, Dog? | ||
| 1987 | "Spy in the House of Love" | 16 | 1 | 77 | 79 | – | 16 | 41 | 51 | – | – | |||
| "Walk the Dinosaur" | 7 | 11 | – | 9 | 11 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 49 | ||||
| "Boy's Gone Crazy" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 84 | – | – | ||||
| 1988 | "Spy in the House of Love" (re-issue) | – | – | – | – | 13 | – | – | 21 | 26 | – | |||
| "Out Come the Freaks (Again)" | – | – | – | – | – | 86 | – | 44 | – | – | ||||
| "Anything Can Happen" | 75 | 19 | – | – | – | – | – | 67 | – | – | ||||
| 1990 | "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" | – | 10 | 60 | 75 | 11 | 14 | 22 | 12 | – | – | Are You Okay? | ||
| "How the Heart Behaves" | – | 35 | – | – | – | – | – | 53 | – | – | ||||
| "I Feel Better Than James Brown" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 91 | – | – | ||||
| 1992 | "Listen Like Thieves" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 58 | – | – | Hello Dad...I'm in Jail | ||
| "Shake Your Head" | – | – | – | 47 | 8 | – | – | 4 | – | – | ||||
| "Somewhere in America (There's a Street Named after My Dad)" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 57 | – | – | ||||
| "–" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Contributions[edit]
- A Christmas Record (1981, ZE Records) - "Christmas Time in the Motor City"
- That's the Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk (1984, A&M Records) - "Ba-Lue-Bolivar-Ba-Lues-Are"
- Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films (1988, A&M Records) - "Baby Mine"
See also[edit]
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References[edit]
- ^ Sherburne, Philip (May 7, 2012). "20 Years Later: Was (Not Was) Still Boggle the Mind". Spin. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
Was (Not Was) were a quirky funk-pop act armed with a sardonic wit and irreverent songwriting approach.
- ^ a b c d e "AllMusic - Billboard Awards – Was (Not Was)". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 491. ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
- ^ "Was Not Was". Randy Jacobs. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ "Was (Not Was) - Was (Not Was) | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Was and Its Madness". The New York Times. July 15, 1981.
- ^ "Don't Walk Away - Sweet Pea Atkinson | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Born to Laugh at Tornadoes - Was (Not Was) | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Was Not Was Walk The Dinosaur". YouTube. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "What Up, Dog? - Was (Not Was) | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Christoph Simon". Scad.edu. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "What Up Dog?". YouTube.
- ^ "Hello Dad, I'm In Jail". YouTube. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Earth To Doris". YouTube. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Bowe, Brian J. (December 29, 2004). "Out Come the Freaks". Metro Times.
- ^ a b "Discografie Was (Not Was)". 2003-2012 Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
- ^ a b "Discography Was (Not Was)". 2003-2012 Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c "The Official Charts Company - Was (Not Was)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
- ^ Peaks in Australia:
- All except noted: David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Papa Was a Rolling Stone": Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 297.
- "Shake Your Head": "Discography Was (Not Was)". 2003-2012 Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
- ^ "The Irish Charts". IRMA. Retrieved October 2, 2008. Searchable database
- ^ "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Acts (W)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "French TOP 50, May 16, 1988".
External links[edit]
- World Wide Was
- Was (Not Was) at Curlie
- Was (Not Was) collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
- Was discography at Discogs
- Was at IMDb
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