Customer Reviews

Boo!

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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!

In a just world, songs like "It's a Miracle," "Forget Everything" and "Semi-Interesting Week" would top the pop charts for months on end. However, the fellas of Was (Not Was) seem a lot more comfortable making their music in our dysfunctional world. Like Steely Dan, David Was and Don Was seem fascinated with the lives of people who gravitate toward the fringes of society and dance a little too close to the proverbial fire. However, Was (Not Was) explores these characters with tight funk and soulful R&B that Steely Dan (for all its greatness) could never pull off.

The music in "Boo!" is glorious. "Semi-Interesting Week" and "Forget Everything" rock with attitude and funk that rivals the best of Bootsy Collins. "It's a Miracle" tells the story of various miscreants getting their cosmic comeuppance through the grace of Sweet Pea Atkinson's vocals and a calm Motown vibe. Likewise, Atkinson channels Wilson Pickett with "Crazy Water," a bluesy cautionary tale. They also throw a couple of curveballs with "Needletooth" and "Green Pills in the Dresser" (the latter featuring Kris Kristofferson(!) on lead vocals), in case anyone gets too comfortable.

In sum, it's hard not to marvel at the sheer audacity of Was (Not Was). If these were straight love songs, they might stand a chance of getting heard on the radio. After all, the melodies are memorable and the musicianship is impeccable. But David and Don Was are a little too warped to play it straight with their subject matter.

The result? Music that makes you dance, laugh, and think.

Was Not Was , the cooolest ever finally figures out how to release a CD. On their own. After producing Dylan, soundtracks, etc.., they are still sounding like they'd like to be Steely Dan, except no mainstream hits here. Nothing here that will change the world, no..nothing like that. But! dang! it sounds terrific, a post-Motown party witha '70's groove. It is all so well done and fun and ultimately will not ever be heard.
Wrong Not Wrong

I love these guys. It has been some fifteen years since "Are You Okay" and yet this record is as fresh as if they had been together through all those years. The vocals are as usual, just wonderfully over the top and the subject matter is the same crazy stuff. God how I have missed this. With the single exception of "Needle Tooth", every song on this record is lovingly done and fits in the existing catalog like a glove. Even "Needle Tooth" is part of the tradition but it is hardly musical. Never the less I give this five stars without hesitation. This is record I can actually listen too analog, all the way through. There are very few records that I feel that way about. If you're a fan you won't be disappointed. If you're new to this and you like your funk stirred together with influences form jazz, rock, country and a whole host of musical queues, go for it.

Boo!
As always, Was Not Was is technically brisk and funky to the core! You've gotta LOVE the screaming sax! Lyrics (if you happen to listen while emphatically dancing around) are eccentric enough to keep you interested on all listening levels.
Sweet Pea Atkinson's vocals are delivered with all the gusto and energy that WNW fans have been missing during the years between 'Then' and 'Now'.
Of course catching these guys in concert has always been an event, but having this cd keeps the energy pumping long after they've left town.
Thank you, Was Not Was, for this come back. This will definitely keep us happy and bring in new listeners... for now...!

These guys rock with more eccentricity and style than any of today's recent pop groups.

Though a couple songs are curiosities this album is pure Was (Not Was).
If funky Americana is your thing you'll love this disc.

If you are at this page reading and have made it this far, you know what these guys are all about: a cosmic stew of various disparate styles that somehow manage to fit together. This is definitely a "musician's" band with a difference-the difference being that anyone who enjoys a good time will glide through this album with hardly a ruffled feather; yet musicians of virtually any stripe will discover layer after of layer of brilliance. For instance, has anyone noticed the brilliant pedal steel guitar playing discretely slipped into several songs? It's there, and steel is not exactly a front-line funk band instrument under any circumstances.
If you want more, it is here. The other reviews have covered almost all the great songs, but everyone has failed to mention "From the Head to the Heart." This song has the emotional impact that pop music so rarely ever even strives for. As with "Somewhere In America" from What up Dog?, this song takes what could be a trite and cloying "from the streets" preaching topic (Think Presley's "In the Ghetto") and adds a level of nuance and depth that chokes me up just thinking about it. If you want to know what the boys can do beyond the eccentric quirky lyric with the Grand-Canyon-Deep-Funk-Groove-of-Doom, "From the Head to the Heart" is the place to start.