Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
an absolute gem, August 15, 2002
Just what it was that made Was (Not Was) so very special is a little hard to pin down: the crisp tight production, the ability to seamlessly go from funky r'n'b to lounge to rock to heartbreaking ballads to whatever other style they chose, the sensational vocals of Sir Harry Bowens and Sweet Pea Atkinson or their ability to write memorable melodies and couple them with some of the wittiest, most bizarre or touching lyrics in popular music? Could be all of the above. Whatever it was, they are all amply demonstrated on this album - their finest hour. For me, the achingly beautiful and tragi-comic balladry of Somewhere In America, Anything Can Happen and Anytime Lisa are standouts. But then so are the funky (and so clever) Spy In The House Of Love, Out Come The Freaks and Boy's Gone Crazy. Despite the wide range of styles there is not a dud track here and in 2002 this album still sounds as strong and fresh as it ever did.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I was listening to WUD again today...., May 7, 2003
Read the other reviews. This is the album to take with you if you are tranferred to the moon. It is the best of Weiss & Fagenson's simply incredible sampler albums. All of them are must-haves.Check out this partial lyric (from _Shadow and Jimmy_, track 15): Men without women are like fish without
Water to swim in
With their eyes bugging out
They flop on the beach
And look up at the girls
Who are just out of reach Now, this lyric is delivered (by Sir Harry, I believe) totally straight, and very musically. But I was listening to this album again today, and I had to pull my car over to the side of the road to keep from killing someone, I was laughing so hard. I wish that 1) Weiss and Fagenson would get off their duffs and release their first WNW album on CD (I have the vinyl), and 2) They would release the "new" material that was rumored to be in the can circa 1999-2000. I love these guys.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Chic Meets Jonathan Richman, May 28, 2000
The title What Up Dog? begs the reviewer to open his comments with: Well, I'll tell you what up. These are two goofy guys (David and Don) from Detroit who make jumping dance tempo R&B with a heavy touch of zany lyrics - sort of Chic meets Jonathan Richman. Lead vocalists Sir Harry Bowens and Sweet Pea Atkinson sound as sweet and soulful as Little Anthony fronting the Imperials (Somewhere In America There's A Street Named After My Dad, Love Can Be Bad Luck, Anything Can Happen, Wedding Vows In Vegas). The two crooners will have you thinking that you're listening to Motown's Greatest Hits. The straight-up dance numbers (Spy In The House Of Love, Out Come The Freaks, Robot Girl, Walk Like A Dinosaur) are robust and rhythmic. Pop the CD in your car player and do the funky chicken (or whatever it's call this week) on your drive to work. I was in tears when the clubs stopped playing this stuff about 10 years ago.What Up Dog? is a jaunting dance grove, but what pushes the CD into the realm of masterpiece is the lyrical craziness. `Somewhere In America' there is a quiet neighborhood with "no saber-tooth neighbors" and "no day care Felinis." In `Spy In The House Of Love' the spy admits "I used a tiny camera - I thought I'd Japanese her." `11 MPH' is a funky composition about assignation. `Anytime Lisa' is the town tramp whom David and Don treat with compassion. And the grand finale is the cynical `Dad I'm In Jail.' Must be heard to be appreciated. Danceable R&B with lyrics actually worth paying attention to. Contagious material.
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