''Whodini'' is the eponymous debut studio album by American hip hop group

Whodini Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy (who wore a Zorro-style hat as his trademark; Ju ...

, released on October 13, 1983 by

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...

. It spawned two

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

single "Magic's Wand" and

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

single "The Haunted House of Rock". Audio production was handled by

Conny Plank Konrad "Conny" Plank (3 May 1940 – 5 December 1987) was a German record producer and musician. He is known for his innovative work as a sound engineer and producer in Germany's krautrock and kosmische music scene in the 1970s. Plank was invo ...

Heatwave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...

's Roy Carter,

Thomas Dolby Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher. Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including "She Blinded Me ...

, and the Willesden Dodgers (Nigel Green, Pete Q. Harris, Richard Jon Smith).

Release

The album itself did not reach any major music chart. However,

-produced single "Magic's Wand" peaked at number 11 on the

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

and number 45 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and Willesden Dodges-produced track "The Haunted House of Rock" peaked at number 27 on the Dance Club Songs and number 55 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Critical reception

From a contemporary review,

Ken Tucker Kenneth Tucker is an American arts, music and television critic, magazine editor, and non-fiction book writer. Early life and education Tucker was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He earned a ...

of ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' gave the album four stars out of five, stating that "Unlike so many dance-club hit makers, Whodini can sustain its cleverness over the length of an entire album."

Track listing

Personnel

* Jalil Hutchins — performer * John "Ecstacy" Fletcher — performer * Thomas Jerome Pearse — additional vocals (track 6) * Nigel Green — producer (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8), mixing (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 8) * Peter Brian Harris — producer (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8) * Richard Jon Smith — producer (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8) * Konrad "Conny" Plank — producer and mixing (tracks: 2, 7) * Roy Peter Carter — producer (tracks: 3, 6) *

— producer (tracks: 4, 5) * Bryan Chuck New — engineer (tracks: 3, 6) * Sönke Bahns — mastering * John Pinderhughes — photography * Matt Wallis — tape operator

References

External links

* Whodini albums 1983 debut albums Jive Records albums Albums produced by Thomas Dolby Albums produced by Conny Plank {{1980s-hiphop-album-stub