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Was (Not Was)

Was (Not Was) is an American pop rock group founded in 1979 in Detroit, Michigan, by David Weiss and Don Fagenson, who adopted the stage names David Was and Don Was.[2] 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!.

Was (Not Was)
OriginDetroit, Michigan, United States
Genres
Years active
  • 1979–1992
  • 2004–present
Labels
Members
Past members
WebsiteWorld Wide Was

Career

Beginnings

Weiss and Fagenson were childhood friends who grew up together in suburban Detroit, Michigan, United States.[2] Partly due to Fagenson's poverty they decided to form Was (Not Was) in 1979[citation needed]. 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.[2] On vocals they recruited Harry Bowens and "Sweet Pea" Atkinson, who frequently found themselves singing absurdist and satirical songs alongside tender ballads.[2] Wayne Kramer of MC5, The Knack's Doug Fieger, Charles Mingus, and trumpeter Marcus Belgrave were among the guest players.[3][4]

In 1982, the group played on Don't Walk Away, a solo album for lead singer "Sweet Pea" Atkinson.[5]

Development

Born to Laugh at Tornadoes (1983)[2] 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.[6]

In 1988, they found their biggest hit with the album What Up, Dog?, which featured the singles "Walk the Dinosaur"[7] and "Spy in the House of Love".[2] Special guests included Stevie Salas, John Patitucci, Frank Sinatra Jr., and a writing credit from Elvis Costello.[8]

Film and animation work

Artist/animator Christoph Simon[9] created videos to accompany some of their stranger album tracks, such as "What Up, Dog?",[10] "Dad I'm in Jail,"[11] and the Tom Waits-style "Earth to Doris."[12] 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

The group followed up with Are You Okay? in 1990,[2] 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 Kim Basinger, Weiss and Fagenson drifted apart, subsequently releasing only a compilation album Hello Dad... I'm in Jail.[2] 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

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

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."[13]

Discography

Was (Not Was) discography
Studio albums5
Compilation albums4
Singles19

Studio albums

Year Information Chart positions
US
[1]
NL
[14]
NZ
[15]
UK
[16]
1981 Was (Not Was)
  • Released: 1981 (Expanded and reissued 2004 as Out Come the Freaks)
  • Labels: ZE/Island
1983 Born to Laugh at Tornadoes
  • Released: September 1983
  • Labels: ZE/Geffen
134
1988 What Up, Dog?
  • Released: April 1988
  • Labels: Chrysalis Records (US), Phonogram (Europe)
43 57 41 47
1990 Are You Okay?
  • Released: July 1990
  • Labels: Chrysalis Records (US), Fontana (Europe)
99 82 34 35
2008 Boo!
  • Released: April 8, 2008
  • Labels: Ryko
"–" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

Year Information
1984 The Woodwork Squeaks
  • Remixes and B-sides
  • Released: 1984 (Reissued and expanded in 2004)
  • Labels: ZE/Island
1989 New Steak Trend
  • Remixes and B-sides
  • Released: 1989
  • Label: Fontana (Japan only)
1992 Hello Dad... I'm in Jail
2004 The Collection
  • LP tracks and B-sides
  • Released: May 2004
  • Labels: Spectrum Music
2010 Hey, King Kong!!!: Pick of the Litter 1980-2010
  • Career retrospective
  • Released: February 23, 2010
  • Labels: Micro Werks

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
US Hot 100
[1]
US Club Play
[1]
US R&B
[1]
AUS
[17]
IRL
[18]
NL
[14]
NZ
[15]
UK
[16]
SA
[19]
FR
[20]
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

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e . Billboard. Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Was (Not Was) - Was (Not Was) | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  4. ^ "Was and Its Madness". The New York Times. July 15, 1981.
  5. ^ "Don't Walk Away - Sweet Pea Atkinson | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  6. ^ "Born to Laugh at Tornadoes - Was (Not Was) | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  7. ^ "Was Not Was Walk The Dinosaur". YouTube. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  8. ^ "What Up, Dog? - Was (Not Was) | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  9. ^ "Christoph Simon". Scad.edu. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  10. ^ "What Up Dog?". YouTube.
  11. ^ "Hello Dad, I'm In Jail". YouTube. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  12. ^ "Earth To Doris". YouTube. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  13. ^ Bowe, Brian J. (December 29, 2004). "Out Come the Freaks". Metro Times.
  14. ^ a b "Discografie Was (Not Was)". 2003-2012 Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  15. ^ a b "Discography Was (Not Was)". 2003-2012 Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  16. ^ a b c "The Official Charts Company - Was (Not Was)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "The Irish Charts". IRMA. Retrieved October 2, 2008. Searchable database
  19. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Acts (W)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  20. ^ "French TOP 50, May 16, 1988".

External links

this, article, about, band, their, debut, album, album, eric, prydz, steve, angello, song, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, r. This article is about the band For their debut album see Was Not Was album For the Eric Prydz and Steve Angello song see Woz Not Woz This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Was Not Was news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message Was Not Was is an American pop rock group founded in 1979 in Detroit Michigan by David Weiss and Don Fagenson who adopted the stage names David Was and Don Was 2 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 Was Not Was OriginDetroit Michigan United StatesGenresDance poppost discodance rockcollege rock 1 Years active1979 19922004 presentLabelsZEGeffenChrysalisFontanaMembersDavid WeissDon FagensonHarry BowensCarol HallDonald Ray MitchellRandy JacobsJames GadsonRayse BiggsDavid McMurrayJamie MuhoberacPast membersMarcus BelgraveBruce NazarianSweet Pea AtkinsonDebra DobkinWebsiteWorld Wide Was Contents 1 Career 1 1 Beginnings 1 2 Development 1 3 Film and animation work 1 4 Hiatus 1 5 Reunion 2 Commentary 3 Discography 3 1 Studio albums 3 2 Compilation albums 3 3 Singles 3 4 Contributions 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksCareer EditBeginnings Edit Weiss and Fagenson were childhood friends who grew up together in suburban Detroit Michigan United States 2 Partly due to Fagenson s poverty they decided to form Was Not Was in 1979 citation needed 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 outre 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 2 On vocals they recruited Harry Bowens and Sweet Pea Atkinson who frequently found themselves singing absurdist and satirical songs alongside tender ballads 2 Wayne Kramer of MC5 The Knack s Doug Fieger Charles Mingus and trumpeter Marcus Belgrave were among the guest players 3 4 In 1982 the group played on Don t Walk Away a solo album for lead singer Sweet Pea Atkinson 5 Development Edit Born to Laugh at Tornadoes 1983 2 had even more guest musicians including Ozzy Osbourne rapping over electro Mitch Ryder singing a techno rockabilly number Mel Torme 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 6 In 1988 they found their biggest hit with the album What Up Dog which featured the singles Walk the Dinosaur 7 and Spy in the House of Love 2 Special guests included Stevie Salas John Patitucci Frank Sinatra Jr and a writing credit from Elvis Costello 8 Film and animation work Edit Artist animator Christoph Simon 9 created videos to accompany some of their stranger album tracks such as What Up Dog 10 Dad I m in Jail 11 and the Tom Waits style Earth to Doris 12 The videos appeared on MTV s Liquid Television and in various film festivals including the Spike amp 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 2 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 Kim Basinger Weiss and Fagenson drifted apart subsequently releasing only a compilation album Hello Dad I m in Jail 2 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 amp 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 Cafe 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 EditWriting 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 13 Discography EditWas Not Was discographyStudio albums5Compilation albums4Singles19Studio albums Edit Year Information Chart positionsUS 1 NL 14 NZ 15 UK 16 1981 Was Not Was Released 1981 Expanded and reissued 2004 as Out Come the Freaks Labels ZE Island 1983 Born to Laugh at Tornadoes Released September 1983 Labels ZE Geffen 134 1988 What Up Dog Released April 1988 Labels Chrysalis Records US Phonogram Europe 43 57 41 471990 Are You Okay Released July 1990 Labels Chrysalis Records US Fontana Europe 99 82 34 352008 Boo Released April 8 2008 Labels Ryko denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory Compilation albums Edit Year Information1984 The Woodwork Squeaks Remixes and B sides Released 1984 Reissued and expanded in 2004 Labels ZE Island1989 New Steak Trend Remixes and B sides Released 1989 Label Fontana Japan only 1992 Hello Dad I m in Jail Greatest hits album Released June 1992 Labels Polygram Fontana Europe Chart Position 61 UK 16 2004 The Collection LP tracks and B sides Released May 2004 Labels Spectrum Music2010 Hey King Kong Pick of the Litter 1980 2010 Career retrospective Released February 23 2010 Labels Micro WerksSingles Edit Year Title Chart positions AlbumUS Hot 100 1 US Club Play 1 US R amp B 1 AUS 17 IRL 18 NL 14 NZ 15 UK 16 SA 19 FR 20 1980 Wheel Me Out 34 Mutant Disco A Subtle Discolation of the Norm1981 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 amp M Records Ba Lue Bolivar Ba Lues Are Stay Awake Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films 1988 A amp M Records Baby Mine See also EditList of number one dance hits United States List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chartReferences Edit 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 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 EditWorld 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 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Was Not Was amp oldid 1154835959, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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