Was (Not Was)
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Was (Not Was) is an eccentric pop group founded by David Weiss (a.k.a. David Was) and Don Fagenson (a.k.a. Don Was) popular throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
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[edit] History
Weiss and Fagenson were childhood friends who grew up together in suburban Detroit. Partly due to Fagenson's poverty they decided to form Was (Not Was) in 1979. The name of the band was derived from Fagenson's son, who 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.
Their first album Was (Not Was) (1981) was an amalgam of rock, disco, Weiss's beat poetry, Reagan-era commentary and jazz. On vocals they recruited Harry Bowens and "Sweet Pea" Atkinson, who proved to be distinctive, very soulful front-men, who frequently found themselves singing absurd, surreal songs alongside tender ballads. The MC5's Wayne Kramer (guitar) and The Knack's Doug Feiger (vocal) were guest players.
Born to Laugh at Tornadoes (1983) introduced even more guest musicians, including Ozzy Osbourne rapping over electro, Mitch Ryder belting out a techno-rockabilly number, Mel Torme crooning an oddly beautiful ballad about asphyxiation, and an abstract funk piece called "Man vs. the Empire Brain Building". The band were shortly dropped from their record label for being too difficult to classify.
In 1988, they found their biggest hit with the album What Up, Dog?, along with the singles "Walk the Dinosaur" and "Spy in the House of Love". Special guests include Stevie Salas, John Patitucci, Frank Sinatra Jr. and a writing credit for Elvis Costello. About this time, the Was Brothers developed separate careers as producers, film scorers and music supervisors.
The group followed up with Are You Okay? in 1990, a critically lauded album, spearheaded by a cover of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone". Guest musicians were Iggy Pop, Leonard Cohen, The Roches and Syd Straw. After a tour with Dire Straits in 1992 and a Dance Hit Single featuring the unlikely vocalduet Ozzy Osbourne & Kim Basinger (she also appeared in the music video) called "Shake Your Head" (which reached number 4 in the UK singles chart, their biggest hit there), Weiss and Fagenson drifted apart and nothing was heard from Was (Not Was) but a compilation album Hello Dad... I'm in Jail. Around this time, artist/animator Christoph Simon created videos to accompany some of their songs, such as "What Up Dog", "Dad I'm In Jail" and the Tom Waits-style "Earth to Doris". These have appeared on MTV's Liquid Television.
In 1997, Steve Winwood released a tune which borrowed not just the title of Was (Not Was)'s single "Spy In the House of Love" but also the bass line and other elements. However, no lawsuits ensued (or were settled out of court.)
In late 2004, Was (Not Was) re-formed and were back on stage for a two-month club tour through the Northeast and East Coast of the US, as well as California, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois (including stops at the House of Blues in Cleveland and Chicago), Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania (in the Trocadero in Philadelphia). In October 2005, they played four gigs at the Jazz Café in London.
Detroit's Metro Times 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."[1]
The band has announced they will be releasing a new studio album, Boo!, which includes many songs originally recorded in the 80s as well as new material.
[edit] Discography
- Was (Not Was) (1981)
- Born to Laugh at Tornadoes (1983)
- What Up, Dog? (1988) featuring the hit singles "Spy in the House of Love" (#16) and "Walk the Dinosaur" (#7)
- Are You Okay? (1990)
- Hello Dad... I'm in Jail (1992)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | UK | |||
| 1984 | "Out Come The Freaks" | - | - | - | #41 | Born To Laugh At Tornadoes |
| 1986 | "Robot Girl" | - | - | - | #95 | What Up, Dog? |
| 1987 | "Spy In The House Of Love" | - | - | - | #51 | What Up, Dog? |
| 1987 | "Walk the Dinosaur" | #7 | #30 | - | #10 | What Up, Dog? |
| 1987 | "The Boy's Gone Crazy" | - | - | - | #84 | What Up, Dog? |
| 1988 | "Spy In The House Of Love" (reissue) | #16 | - | - | #21 | What Up, Dog? |
| 1988 | "Out Come The Freaks (Again)" | - | - | - | #44 | What Up, Dog? |
| 1988 | "Anything Can Happen" | #75 | - | - | #67 | What Up, Dog? |
| 1990 | "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" | - | - | - | #12 | Are You Okay? |
| 1990 | "How The Heart Behaves" | - | - | - | #53 | Are You Okay? |
| 1990 | "I Feel Better Than James Brown" | - | - | - | #91 | Are You Okay? |
| 1992 | "Listen Like Thieves" | - | - | - | #58 | Hello Dad...I'm In Jail |
| 1992 | "Shake Your Head" | - | - | - | #4 | Hello Dad...I'm In Jail |
| 1992 | "Somewhere In America" | - | - | - | #57 | Hello Dad...I'm In Jail |
[edit] See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
number six on the charts the week of april 1 1989
[edit] References
- ^ Bowe, Brian J. "Out Come The Freaks", Metro Times. December 29, 2004.
[edit] Audio sample
- Was (Not Was) - Professor Night excerpt (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- An excerpt from Professor Night taken from the Born to Laugh at Tornadoes album
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
