Was (Not Was) is an American
pop rock group founded in 1979 in Detroit, Michigan, by David Weiss and Don Fagenson, who adopted the stage names
David Was and
Don Was.
Their song catalog features an eclectic mix of pop and rock styles, often featuring guest musicians from across the musical spectrum. The band's most popular period was during the 1980s and early 1990s, with their highest-charting hit, the song "
Walk the Dinosaur
"Walk the Dinosaur" is a song by Was (Not Was), released in 1987, from their album '' What Up, Dog?''
Song info
The tune features a tight, funky sound, punctuated by horns and a cowbell.
When released in the UK in 1987, the song reached No. 10 o ...
", released in 1987 as the lead single from their 1988 album ''
What Up, Dog?
''What Up, Dog?'' is a 1988 album by Was (Not Was). It became the group's breakthrough album worldwide and was ranked #99 on the ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of the 100 Best Albums of the 1980s. The cover illustration was credited to Christop ...
'', becoming a worldwide top-40 hit and peaking at on the
Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The band went on indefinite hiatus in the mid-1990s, but has returned sporadically since the turn of the millennium. Their most recent release was the 2008 album ''
Boo!.''
Career
Beginnings
Weiss and Fagenson were childhood friends who grew up together in suburban
Detroit,
Michigan, United States.
Partly due to Fagenson's poverty they decided to form Was (Not Was) in 1979. The name of the band was derived from Fagenson's then-infant son
Tony, who was just beginning to talk and enjoyed contradicting words such as "Blue" with "Not Blue". Their first recording was "Wheel Me Out", a 12-inch
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
record for the avant-garde
ZE Records. David's mother Elizabeth Elkin Weiss, an actress and radio pioneer in their native Detroit, provided the outré vocals. The track was later included on the 2000 compilation album ''
Disco Not Disco
''Disco Not Disco'' is a compilation album from the ''Disco Not Disco'' series released by Strut Records in 2000. The album is a probe for both the experimental side of disco and punk genres, as well as underground music scene in general. The fi ...
''.
Their first album ''
Was (Not Was)'' (1981) was an amalgam of
rock,
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
, Weiss's
beat poetry
The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatione ...
, Reagan-era
political-
social commentary, and
jazz.
On vocals they recruited Harry Bowens and
"Sweet Pea" Atkinson, who frequently found themselves singing absurdist and satirical songs alongside tender ballads.
Wayne Kramer Wayne Kramer may refer to:
* Wayne Kramer (filmmaker) (born 1965), South African film writer and director
* Wayne Kramer (guitarist) (born 1948), American guitarist
{{Hndis, Kramer, Wayne ...
of
MC5,
The Knack's
Doug Fieger, and
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...
trumpeter
Marcus Belgrave
Marcus Batista Belgrave (June 12, 1936 – May 24, 2015) was an American jazz trumpet player from Detroit, born in Chester, Pennsylvania. He recorded with numerous musicians from the 1950s onwards. Belgrave was inducted into the class of 2017 ...
were among the guest players.
In 1982, the group played on ''Don't Walk Away'', a solo album for lead singer "Sweet Pea" Atkinson.
Development
''
Born to Laugh at Tornadoes'' (1983)
had even more guest musicians, including
Ozzy Osbourne rapping over
electro,
Mitch Ryder singing a techno-rockabilly number,
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "The Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Op ...
performing a ballad about asphyxiation, and an abstract
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
piece called "Man vs. the Empire Brain Building". Singer Donald Ray Mitchell joined the group as third lead vocalist.
In 1988, they found their biggest hit with the album ''
What Up, Dog?
''What Up, Dog?'' is a 1988 album by Was (Not Was). It became the group's breakthrough album worldwide and was ranked #99 on the ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of the 100 Best Albums of the 1980s. The cover illustration was credited to Christop ...
'', which featured the singles "
Walk the Dinosaur
"Walk the Dinosaur" is a song by Was (Not Was), released in 1987, from their album '' What Up, Dog?''
Song info
The tune features a tight, funky sound, punctuated by horns and a cowbell.
When released in the UK in 1987, the song reached No. 10 o ...
" and "Spy in the House of Love".
Special guests included
Stevie Salas,
John Patitucci,
Frank Sinatra Jr., and a writing credit from
Elvis Costello
Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...
.
Film and animation work
Artist/animator Christoph Simon created videos to accompany some of their stranger album tracks, such as "What Up, Dog?", "Dad I'm in Jail," and the
Tom Waits-style "Earth to Doris." The videos appeared on MTV's ''
Liquid Television'' and in various film festivals, including the
Spike & Mike festival. Around this time, the Was Brothers developed separate careers as producers, film scorers, and music supervisors.
Hiatus
The group followed up with ''
Are You Okay?
''Are You Okay?'' is the fourth album by art-funk ensemble Was (Not Was). It was released in 1990. It was their last album for 18 years until 2008's '' Boo!''
In UK and Europe, the album cover is replaced into a picture of the band.
Track list ...
'' in 1990,
spearheaded by a cover of "
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". Guest musicians included
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...
,
Leonard Cohen,
The Roches, and
Syd Straw
Syd Straw (born 1958) is an American rock singer and songwriter. The daughter of actor Jack Straw (''The Pajama Game''), she began her career singing backup for Pat Benatar, then took her distinct voice to the indie/alternative scene and joined ...
. After a tour with
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...
in 1992 and a UK Top 5 single with "
Shake Your Head", which included vocals from
Ozzy Osbourne and
Kim Basinger, Weiss and Fagenson drifted apart, subsequently releasing only a compilation album ''Hello Dad... I'm in Jail''.
Some members, however, did appear on Don's
Orquestra Was project ''Forever Is a Long Long Time'' (1997), which re-interpreted
Hank Williams
Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...
in a jazz/R&B vein.
Reunion
In late 2004, Was (Not Was) reformed for a two-month club tour through the US, including stops at the
House of Blues in
Cleveland and
Chicago and the
Trocadero in
Philadelphia. In October 2005, they played four gigs at the Jazz Café in
London.
In 2008, they released their fifth studio album, ''Boo!'', featuring guest appearances from
Kris Kristofferson,
Wayne Kramer Wayne Kramer may refer to:
* Wayne Kramer (filmmaker) (born 1965), South African film writer and director
* Wayne Kramer (guitarist) (born 1948), American guitarist
{{Hndis, Kramer, Wayne ...
,
Marcus Miller
William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...
and
Booker T. Jones, plus a song originally co-written with
Bob Dylan nearly 20 years earlier. On April 22, they performed on the British show ''
Later... with Jools Holland'', and on May 2, they were the musical guest on ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. The band toured the US that year, beginning on April 30.
Commentary
Writing in Detroit's ''
Metro Times,'' Brian J. Bowe described the band as "an endearing mess....a sausage factory of funk, rock, jazz and electronic dance music, all providing a boogie-down backdrop for a radical (and witty) political message of unbridled personal freedom and skepticism of authority."
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
Contributions
* ''
A Christmas Record
''A Christmas Record'' is an LP originally released in 1981 by ZE Records. It was recorded by various musicians from that label's roster, including Was (Not Was), August Darnell, Material, Suicide, Cristina, and The Waitresses, all performing o ...
'' (1981, ZE Records) - "Christmas Time in the Motor City"
* ''That's the Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk'' (1984, A&M Records) - "Ba-Lue-Bolivar-Ba-Lues-Are"
* ''
Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films'' (1988, A&M Records) - "
Baby Mine"
See also
*
List of number-one dance hits (United States)
*
List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
External links
World Wide Was*
Was (Not Was) collectionat the
Internet Archive's live music archive
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Was Not Was
American funk musical groups
American post-disco music groups
Rykodisc artists
Geffen Records artists
Chrysalis Records artists
Musical groups from Detroit
Musical groups established in 1979
Musical groups reestablished in 2004
ZE Records artists
Fontana Records artists