Boo!

Was (Not Was) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rykodisc
• ASIN: B0013FCYGE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,844 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Semi-Interesting Week

2. It's A Miracle

3. Your Luck Won't Last

4. From the Head to the Heart

5. Big Black Hole

6. Needletooth

7. Forget Everything

8. Crazy Water

9. Mr. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

10. Green Pills In the Dresser (featuring Kris Kristofferson)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Throughout the `80s, the motley Detroit musical ensemble led by brothers Don and Dave Was, Was (Not Was), made their mark amongst the dance music cognoscenti with a potent combination of absurdist lyrics and off-kilter funk. After years of enjoying solo success as producers and film scorers, the Was brothers return for their fifth studio album, BOO! Losing none of the quirky energy and incisive political commentary of their best Reagan-era efforts, the album is an eclectic blend of sweet soul, avant funk, and a few surprises--like Kris Kristofferson's guest appearance on the hallucinogenic country and western number "Green Pills in the Dresser." --Muze

Product Description

They're back...Was (Not Was) the darlings of the avant disco set and avatars of the absurd have emerged from the abyss of the recording industry with a new long-player, Boo! It's been almost 20 years since their last salvos of surrealistic soul and Jurassic dance mixes delighted and terrified nightclub crawlers and pop maniacs with the hits Walk the Dinosaur and Spy in the House of Love. Once again these shamelessly funky court jesters (featuring the original line up, plus some very special guests) are mixing it up and working without a net, performing a high-wire act that stretches from the ridiculous to the sublime. Are you scared yet?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They're back - With Green Pills, Twins and Big Black Holes, April 8, 2008

By 

Timothy Gary "Feed Your Mind" (Reno, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boo! (Audio CD)

I've waited for this album since their last release 15+ years ago, and have not been disappointed. If you loved them before, you'll love them now.

If you don't know anything about them, listen to the samples and the video. You can't really classify a whole album because is moves from pop funk to crazy spoken pieces on a whim.

Sweet Pea Atkinson is one of my all time favorite vocalists, and he's in fine form here. From the Catchy opener Semi-Interesting Week to the bluesy Crazy Water. His vocals shine and somehow he's able to put just the right emotional touches together with the crazy lyrics.

Be sure to check out Was guitarist Randy Jacobs' Bone Shakers albums for more *great* tunes featuring Sweet Pea on vocals (Shake the Planet, and Book of Spells). They really showcase Randy's guitar playing as well.

Ok.. So I'm short on details. I just know that I've been playing this album non-stop for the past 4 hours, so am obviously both crazy and happy ;-b

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Woodwork squeaks and out come the freaks., April 25, 2008

By 

Jason Stein (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boo! (Audio CD)

With so much time gone by Was (Not Was) was a band I didn't think I'd ever hear from again. I own all four of their cds from 1981's "Out Come The Freaks", 1983's "Born To Laugh At Tornadoes" to 1988's "What Up, Dog?" and 1990's "Are You Okay?"

18 years later "Boo!" Well, how is it? It's actually quite good. I was worried they would be yesterday's news, but "Boo!" is enjoyable and filled with that old Was (Not Was) quirky wit. "Semi-Interesting Week", "It's A Miracle", "From The Head To The Heart", "Big Black Hole" and Kris Kristofferson on "Green Pills In The Dresser" are all standout tracks.

I docked one star because "Your Luck Won't Last", "Needletooth", "Forget Everything", "Crazy Water" and "Mr. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" are all good, but not great. I would not say that "Boo!" is their best work. I reserve that for "What Up, Dog?" and "Born To Laugh At Tornadoes". "Boo!" is better than "Are You Okay?" and "Was (Not Was)".

That being said, it's great to have Was (Not Was) back, and I hope they continue making albums and not let another 18 years pass. Sweet Pea and Sir Harry are in great vocal form here, and the entire disc works as a whole, making "Boo!" a clever and rewarding album for 2008.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They've Still Got It!!!, April 22, 2008

By 

Andre S. Grindle "Andre' Grindle" (Brewer Maine) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boo! (Audio CD)

It's been over a decade since Was (Not Was) was released any new music and 'Boo!' is certainly worth the wait in every possible respect. The original lineup is intact,and the magic and plain weirdness is still there as if not one moment has passed. If anything this album has more focus and even for that it comes down to NO HOLES BARRED FUNK!! "Semi Interesting Week" is nothing short of Don Was's P-Funk jam for the millenium and they keep getting on the good foot right along through "Big Black Hole","Forget Everything","Your Luck Won't Last"-pretty much everything here in fact. As usual they can throw together elements that just don't normally come together and make it all work:"It's A Miracle" will have you convinced your listening to a 60's Stax soul ballad until you catch onto the dysfunctional situation in the lyrics. "Crazy Water" is a song that actually features a B&W retro soul review styled music video and it's perfectly in keeping with the music and (in this case) the lyrics too. And "Green Pills In The Dresser" continues their classic tradition of surprising guest artists as Kris Kristofferson "raps" his way around a (deliberately) trippy groove. Hearing this album will of course make you wish Was (Not Was) had not been absent for so long,and make your yearn for more of their great ability to make the odd shake,wiggle and wobble with the best of George Clinton,Prince and other eccentric funkateers. And we can only hope we will not have to wait 13 years for Was (Not Was) to strike again right?Well I sure hope not!