What Up, Dog?

"Robot Girl" b/w "Earth to Doris"
Released: 1986
"Spy in the House of Love" b/w "Dad I'm in Jail"
Released: 1987
"Walk the Dinosaur" b/w "11 Miles An Hour (Abe Zapp Ruder Version)"
Released: 1987
"Boy's Gone Crazy" b/w "What Up, Dog?"
Released: 1987
"Out Come the Freaks (Again)" b/w "Earth To Doris"
Released: 1988
"Anything Can Happen" b/w "The Death Of Mr. Ping Pong"
Released: 1988

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]
Robert Christgau	A−^[2]
Rolling Stone	^[3]

What Up, Dog? is a 1988 album by Was (Not Was). It became the US group's breakthrough album worldwide and was ranked #99 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Best Albums of the 1980s.

Overview

Success of What Up, Dog? was propelled by the group's two biggest hits: "Walk the Dinosaur" and "Spy in the House of Love" and four other singles. The former was promoted by a popular music video in which the band performed while a group of girls in campy cave girl costumes danced. The video received heavy rotation on MTV and MuchMusic and led the single into the top ten of the US singles chart in 1989. Artist/animator Christoph Simon created videos to accompany the tracks "What Up, Dog?", "Dad I'm in Jail" and the Tom Waits-style "Earth to Doris". These appeared on MTV's Liquid Television and in various film festivals, including the Spike & Mike festival.

The album had fewer guests than their previous album and instead was focused around the group's two lead singers: Sweet Pea Atkinson and Sir Harry Bowens. However, a typically long list of collaborators and guest musicians worked on the album including Elvis Costello (co-writer of "Shadow & Jimmy"), and Frank Sinatra, Jr. on "Wedding Vows in Vegas". It also included the second re-recording of the group's signature song: "Out Come the Freaks".

Release

What Up, Dog? became the group's breakthrough album in the US and worldwide. It reached #43 on the Billboard 200 album chart, #41 in New Zealand, and #47^[4] in the UK. The album also spawned six singles (seven if the re-release of "Spy in the House of Love" is counted). The biggest hit was "Walk the Dinosaur" which charted worldwide and hit the top ten in the US and UK.^[4] "Spy in the House of Love" was very popular too, hitting the top twenty in the US, #21 in the UK^[4] and peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. "Anything Can Happen" was the third and final single to chart on the Hot 100 chart reaching #75. In the UK, "Robot Girl", "Boy's Gone Crazy" and "Out Come the Freaks" (alternately re-titled "Out Come the Freaks (Again)" and "(Stuck Inside Of Detroit With The) Out Come The Freaks (Again)") reached modest positions on the charts.^[4] In 1992, "Somewhere in America There's a Street Named After My Dad" was released as a single to promote the group's compilation Hello Dad...I'm in Jail.

US and UK versions of the album featured different running orders and varying versions of the songs. Notably, "11 MPH" on the US edition was remixed and "Robot Girl" was a slightly different and shorter mix. The UK CD did not include David Was's jazzy monologue "Earth to Doris". LP versions in both countries do not include "Earth to Doris", "Robot Girl", "Wedding Vows in Vegas" and "I Can't Turn You Loose", but have slightly differing running orders.

Reception

In 1989, it was ranked #99 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 80's.^[5]

Track listings

US CD edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Somewhere in America There's a Street Named After My Dad"	David Was, Don Was	3:42
2.	"Spy in the House of Love"	David Was, Don Was	4:18
3.	"Out Come the Freaks"	David Was, Don Was	4:36
4.	"Earth to Doris"	David Was, Don Was	2:03
5.	"Love Can Be Bad Luck"	David Was, Marshall Crenshaw, Don Was	3:52
6.	"Boy's Gone Crazy"	David Was, Don Was	3:44
7.	"11 MPH (Abe Zapp Ruder Version)"	David Was, Don Was	4:05
8.	"What Up, Dog?"	David Was, Don Was, Harry Bowens, Sweet Pea Atkinson	1:48
9.	"Anything Can Happen"	David Was, Don Was, Aaron Zigman	3:57
10.	"Robot Girl"	David Was, Don Was	3:48
11.	"Wedding Vows in Vegas"	David Was, Don Was	3:38
12.	"Anytime Lisa"	David Was, Don Was	4:15
13.	"Walk the Dinosaur"	David Was, Don Was, Randy Jacobs	4:22
14.	"I Can't Turn You Loose"	Otis Redding	3:37
15.	"Shadow & Jimmy"	David Was, Elvis Costello	4:18
16.	"Dad I'm in Jail"	David Was, Don Was	1:25

LP edition

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Somewhere in America There's a Street Named After My Dad"	3:42
2.	"Spy in the House of Love"	4:18
3.	"Out Come the Freaks"	4:36
4.	"Anything Can Happen"	3:57
5.	"Boy's Gone Crazy"	3:44
6.	"What Up, Dog?"	1:48

Side B
No.	Title	Length
7.	"Love Can Be Bad Luck"	3:52
8.	"Walk the Dinosaur"	4:22
9.	"Shadow & Jimmy"	4:18
10.	"11 MPH (Abe Zapp Ruder Version)"	4:05
11.	"Anytime Lisa"	4:15
12.	"Dad I'm in Jail"	1:25

UK CD edition

The UK CD edition and Cassette editions featured this configuration

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Spy in the House of Love"	4:18
2.	"Boy's Gone Crazy"	3:44
3.	"Anything Can Happen"	3:57
4.	"Out Come the Freaks"	4:36
5.	"Somewhere in America There's a Street Named After My Dad"	3:42
6.	"Love Can Be Bad Luck"	3:52
7.	"Shadow & Jimmy"	4:18
8.	"11 MPH"	4:05
9.	"Robot Girl"	4:12
10.	"What Up, Dog?"	1:48
11.	"Anytime Lisa"	4:15
12.	"Wedding Vows in Vegas"	3:38
13.	"Walk the Dinosaur"	4:22
14.	"I Can't Turn You Loose"	3:37
15.	"Dad I'm in Jail"	1:25

Personnel

David "Michigan-Boy Snake" Was — flute, keyboards, harmonica, vocals
Don "Rope Drink" Was — bass, keyboards, guitar, mandolin
Sweet Pea Atkinson — vocals
Sir Harry Bowens — vocals

Bruce Nazarian, Dann Huff, Paul Jackson, Jr., Randy Jacobs, Steve "No Wonder" Salas — guitar
John Patitucci, Marcus Miller, Neil Stubenhaus — bass
Ron Pangborn, Russ Kunkel, Winston Watson, Yogi Horton — drums
Aaron Zigman, Al Kooper, Amp Fiddler, Daniel Schroeger, John Van Tongeren, Luis "Louie Restaurant" Resto, Paul Wicken, Robin Smith, Vic Emerson, Martin Phillips — keyboards
Alex Acuña, Carl "Butch" Small, David Friendly, Debora Dobkin, Frank Ricotti, Kevin "Guido" Tschirhart, Larry Fratangel, Michael Fisher — percussion
Bill Reichenbach Jr., Dan Higgins, Guy Barker, Jerry Hey, John Barclay, John Thirkell, Kim Hutchcroft, Pete Beachill, Phil Todd, Chris Davies, Stuart Brooks — brass
David McMurray, John "Birch" Weiss, Larry Williams — saxophone
Buddy Childers, Marcus Belgrave, Mark Isham, Oscar Brashear, Rayse Biggs — trumpet
Arnold McCuller, Arthur "Buster" Marbury, Carol Hall, Coral Gordon, Dee Lewis, Desy Campbell, Donald Ray Mitchell, Geoff Fieger, Sir Harry Bowens, Helen Terry, Juliette Roberts, Kathy Kosins, Pete Steinfeld, Richard Feldstein, Rick Shoemaker, Ruby Turner, Sweet Pea Atkinson — background vocals
David Bates, Michael Zilkha — Executive Producer

References

↑ Ruhlmann, William. Review: What Up, Dog?. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-03-23.
↑ Christgau, Robert. "What Up, Dog?". Robert Christgau.
↑ Goodman, Fred. Review: What Up, Dog?. Copyright 2010 Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-03-23.
↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Chart Stats - Was (Not Was)". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
↑ The Editors (1989-11-16). "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980's". Rolling Stone (565). |accessdate= requires |url= (help)

v t e Was (Not Was)

David Was Don Was "Sweet Pea" Atkinson Harry Bowens

Studio albums	Was (Not Was) Born to Laugh at Tornadoes What Up, Dog? Are You Okay? Boo!

Singles	"Wheel Me Out" "Out Come the Freaks" "Where Did Your Heart Go?" "Tell Me That I'm Dreaming" "Smile" "Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like a Rubber Ball)" "Return to the Valley of) Out Come the Freaks" "Robot Girl" "Spy in the House of Love" "Out Come the Freaks (Again)" "Anything Can Happen" "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" "How the Heart Behaves" "I Feel Better Than James Brown" "Listen Like Thieves" "Shake Your Head" "Somewhere in America (There's a Street Named after My Dad)"

Contributions	A Christmas Record That's The Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films

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