| W.O.W. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Wendy O. Williams | ||||
| Released | 1984 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | Metal, punk | |||
| Length | 47:09 | |||
| Label | Music For Nations Passport Records |
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| Producer | Gene Simmons | |||
| Wendy O. Williams chronology | ||||
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W.O.W. is the first solo studio album released by Wendy O. Williams in 1984 after her group, the Plasmatics, broke up .
In 1982, KISS asked for Wendy and the Plasmatics to appear as a Special Guest on their tour. By the end of the tour with KISS it was clear that, although the formal notice that Capitol Records didn't come for another for six months, the relationship with Capitol was done. Gene Simmons approached Wendy and Rod about producing the next Wendy O. Williams album. So as to avoid any wasted time in legal issues with Capitol Records, it was decided not to use the Plasmatics name on the record at all and was simply called W.O.W., the initials for Wendy O. Williams. Gene Simmons felt it would give him the freedom he wanted to add more new players to the album.
Wes Beech remained to play rhythm and lead and T. C. Tolliver, the drummer on Coup d'État, remained to play on the new album. Gene Simmons would play bass under the pseudonym of "Reginald Van Helsing", the only other new player on the album was lead guitarist Michael Ray to solve the technical challenges that had been a problem for several albums and had come to a head with the more complex music of Coup d'Etat. Gene also pulled in the talents of Ace Frehley, on "Bump 'N' Grind" who hadn't played with KISS since leaving the band in 1983, Paul Stanley, on "Ready to Rock" and then-current Kiss drummer Eric Carr on "Legends Never Die" as guests. The record was released through Passport/JEM.
Gene Simmons himself co-writes five tracks (which also carry the names of Plasmatics bassist Junior Romanelli and lead guitarist Richie Stotts, who aren't actually on the album).
Contents |
| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [3] |
The reception to the album was heavily mixed, and remains so to this day.
Review copies were sent out to the various media outlets. Malcolm Dome, a reviewer for Kerrang! magazine, had picked the W.O.W. album as his album of the year.
Fans received it fairly poorly; It was seen as a departure from the sound that made the Plasmatics great, and more of a Kiss album than a Wendy album, largely because of the inclusion of nearly all the members of Kiss, and Gene Simmons' writing some of the songs.
One reviewer went on to state, "In some ways, Williams' first solo venture amounts to a watered-down echo of the Plasmatics' own bid for mainstream success, Coup d'Etat (1982), minus the latter record's radical political bent. That's not surprising, with the ever-career-conscious Simmons manning the producer's chair. Despite his best efforts, however, Williams would stay a quintessential cult artist. While not a remarkable record, WOW offers a convincing enough glimpse of the stardom that should have been hers all along." [4]
Wendy later received a Grammy nomination as "Best Female Rock Vocalist of the Year".