Wow! (Bananarama Album)
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''Wow!'' is the fourth studio album by English group
Bananarama Bananarama is an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when ...
, released on 4 September 1987 by
London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...
. The album was entirely produced and co-written with the
Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW and also known as the Hit Factory) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s throug ...
production trio. Tensions between group member
Siobhan Fahey Siobhan Maire Deirdre Fahey (; born 10 September 1958) is an Irish singer whose vocal range is a light contralto. She was a founding member of the British girl group Bananarama, who have had ten top-10 hits including the List of Billboard Hot ...
and Stock, Aitken and Waterman regarding songwriting input and lyrical content prompted Fahey's departure from Bananarama five months after its release. The album reached number 26 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
and number 44 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, while peaking at number one in Australia. The album was certified gold by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) on 3 February 1988.


Background and writing

The group's sound successfully shifted towards dance-oriented Europop under the direction of
Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, and television personality. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman production and songwriting team, he co-wrote and co-produced many UK hit singles. An av ...
, but the creative process on the project was often fraught, with
Matt Aitken Matthew James Aitken (born 25 August 1956) is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as part of the 1980s/early-1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. Biography He beg ...
describing the band's contribution to song writing as minimal outside of suggesting song titles. Karen Hewitt, who was the engineer at the songwriting sessions made clear that Bananarama very much tried to be involved in the creative process but that this was not made easy by Aitken and
Mike Stock Michael Stock (born 3 December 1951) is an English songwriter, record producer, musician, and member of the songwriting and production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. He has been responsible for over a hundred top-40 hits in the UK, including 16 n ...
who wanted to work very quickly. Bananarama were, however, very assertive and opinionated during the sessions. While Fahey often clashed with Waterman, and claimed she was responsible for having him banned him from the studio, tensions during recording of the album commonly centred on a struggle for dominance between Aitken and the band. By the time the album's fourth single, "I Want You Back", was released in March 1988, Fahey had been replaced with
Jacquie O'Sullivan Jacquie O'Sullivan (born 7 August 1960)''Smash Hits'', 1988. Personal File: Jacqui O'Sullivan, p. 11 is an English singer and songwriter, best known as a member of the pop group Bananarama from 1988 until 1991, replacing Siobhan Fahey, who ...
, who re-recorded the vocals for the single version of the song. Fahey would resurface later in 1988 with her new band,
Shakespears Sister Shakespears Sister are an alternative rock, alternative Pop rock, pop and rock musical duo that was formed in 1988 by Irish people, Irish singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama. Shakespears Sister was initially a solo a ...
. ''Wow!'' was reissued in 2013 as a three-disc deluxe edition, including "Reason for Living", which is an early version of "I Want You Back".


Critical reception

American magazine '' Cashbox'' placed ''Wow!'' in its "Out of the Box" section among the best albums of the week, with the comment: "The songwriting/production team of Stock/Aitken/Waterman has laid down the funky programmed synth grooves in full force on this effort destined for serious airplay." Writing for ''
Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...
'',
Chris Heath Chris Heath is a British writer and journalist. He was born in Evesham in the West Midlands and attended Rugby School. He studied social and political science at Cambridge University. Heath was a regular contributor to the popular English music m ...
found that the album contains four "rather brilliant" songs – "I Heard a Rumour", "Bad for Me", "Once in a Lifetime" and "Love in the First Degree" – while "the rest isn't bad either though there are a few bits where they still sound completely useless. Thank goodness for that." Retrospectively, Jose F. Promis of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
praised the album's "quite intoxicating" singles, but criticised "Some Girls" as "dated" and "Strike It Rich" as "an inferior version of 'I Can't Help It'", while finding that "Bad for Me" "unintentionally highlights the trio's vocal limitations"; however, he concluded that ''Wow!'' is still "sure to please fans of Bananarama, or any fans of the Stock, Aitken & Waterman sound". In 2018, Mark Elliott of ''
Classic Pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...
'' listed ''Wow!'' as the second-best album produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, commenting that "Bananarama's decision to embrace high-camp pop was a commercial triumph".


Track listing

All songs written by
Sara Dallin Sara Elizabeth Dallin (born 17 December 1961) is an English singer/songwriter and a founding member of the pop group Bananarama. The group has achieved 28 UK top-50 and 11 US top-100 singles, including a US number one with "Venus" (1986). Other ...
,
Siobhan Fahey Siobhan Maire Deirdre Fahey (; born 10 September 1958) is an Irish singer whose vocal range is a light contralto. She was a founding member of the British girl group Bananarama, who have had ten top-10 hits including the List of Billboard Hot ...
,
Keren Woodward Keren Jane Woodward (born 2 April 1961) is an English singer/songwriter and, with Sara Dallin and Siobhan Fahey, a founding member of the girl group Bananarama. In 1986, the trio reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with their ve ...
,
Mike Stock Michael Stock (born 3 December 1951) is an English songwriter, record producer, musician, and member of the songwriting and production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. He has been responsible for over a hundred top-40 hits in the UK, including 16 n ...
,
Matt Aitken Matthew James Aitken (born 25 August 1956) is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as part of the 1980s/early-1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. Biography He beg ...
and
Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, and television personality. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman production and songwriting team, he co-wrote and co-produced many UK hit singles. An av ...
, except where noted. LP #" I Can't Help It" – 3:32 #"
I Heard a Rumour "I Heard a Rumour" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their fourth studio album, '' Wow!'' (1987), and was released on 22 June 1987 as the album's lead single. It became a hit in UK where it reached the top 20, but was more successf ...
" – 3:25 #"Some Girls" – 4:19 #" Love in the First Degree" – 3:33 #"Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05 #"Strike It Rich" – 3:25 #"Bad for Me" – 3:39 #"Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Feldman, Nick Trevisick) #" Nathan Jones" – 5:12 (
Kathy Wakefield Kathleen Rae "Kathy" Wakefield is an American songwriter, singer and fiction author known for co-writing The Supremes' hit single " Nathan Jones" that was released by Motown and used as a soundtrack for the film ''Rain Man'' and for co-writing the ...
,
Leonard Caston Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston (June 2, 1917 – August 22, 1987) was an American blues pianist and guitarist. He is best noted for the tracks "Blues at Midnight" and "I'm Gonna Walk Your Log". Life and career Leonard Caston Sr. was born in Sum ...
)
#"
I Want You Back "I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 7, 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on ...
" – 3:53 CD and cassette #"I Can't Help It" – 3:32 #"I Heard a Rumour" – 3:25 #"Some Girls" (12" Version) – 5:47 #"Love in the First Degree" – 3:33 #"Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05 #"Strike It Rich" (12" version) – 6:01 #"Bad for Me" – 3:39 #"Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Feldman, Nick Trevisick) #"Nathan Jones" – 5:12 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston) #"I Want You Back" – 3:53 Australian CD (CDLIB5146) #"I Can't Help It" – 3:32 #"I Heard a Rumour" – 3:25 #"Some Girls" – 4:19 #"Love in the First Degree" – 3:33 #"Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05 #"Strike It Rich" – 3:25 #"Bad for Me" – 3:39 #"Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Feldman, Nick Trevisick) #"Nathan Jones" – 5:12 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston) #"I Want You Back" – 3:47 #"Some Girls" (12" Version) – 5:47 #"Strike It Rich" (12" Version) – 6:01 #" The Bananarama Mega-Mix" – 7:31 LP (limited edition double vinyl) #"I Can't Help It" – 3:32 #"I Heard a Rumour" – 3:25 #"Some Girls" – 4:19 #"Love in the First Degree" – 3:33 #"Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05 #"Strike It Rich" – 3:25 #"Bad for Me" – 3:39 #"Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Feldman, Nick Trevisick) #"Nathan Jones" – 5:12 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston) #"I Want You Back" – 3:53 #"The Bananarama Mega-Mix" – 7:26 #"Mr. Sleaze" (Rare Groove Remix) #"Ecstasy" (Wild Style) – 5:37 2007 CD re-issue bonus tracks #"I Can't Help It" – 3:32 #"I Heard a Rumour" – 3:25 #"Some Girls" – 4:21 #"Love in the First Degree" – 3:33 #"Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05 #"Strike it Rich" – 2:18 #"Bad for Me" – 3:39 #"Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Belman, Nick Trevisick) #"Nathan Jones" – 5:12 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston) #"I Want You Back" – 3:53 #"Clean Cut Boy" (Party Size) – 4:39 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Ian Curnow) #"Mr. Sleaze" – 4:44 #"Ecstasy" (Wild Style) – 5:37 #"Nathan Jones" (Psycho 7-inch edit) – 3:03 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston) #"I Want You Back" (Single Version) – 3:47 #"Amnesia" (Theme from ''The Roxy'') – 6:28 (Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, Pete Waterman) #"Nathan Jones" (single version) – 3:18 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston) 2013 deluxe edition 2CD/DVD re-issue Disc 1 #"I Can't Help It" – 3:32 #"I Heard a Rumour" – 3:25 #"Some Girls" – 4:19 #"Love in the First Degree" – 3:33 #"Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05 #"Strike It Rich" – 3:25 #"Bad for Me" – 3:39 #"Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Belman, Nick Trevisick) #"Nathan Jones" (Bass Tone Mix) – 5:34 (
Kathy Wakefield Kathleen Rae "Kathy" Wakefield is an American songwriter, singer and fiction author known for co-writing The Supremes' hit single " Nathan Jones" that was released by Motown and used as a soundtrack for the film ''Rain Man'' and for co-writing the ...
,
Leonard Caston Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston (June 2, 1917 – August 22, 1987) was an American blues pianist and guitarist. He is best noted for the tracks "Blues at Midnight" and "I'm Gonna Walk Your Log". Life and career Leonard Caston Sr. was born in Sum ...
)
#"I Want You Back" – 3:53 #"Clean Cut Boy" (Party Size) – 4:43 #"Mr Sleaze" – 4:49 #"Ecstasy" – 4:11 #"Amnesia" (12" extended version) – 6:26 #"I Heard a Rumour" (Horoscope Mix) – 5:57 #"Love in the First Degree" (Jailers Mix with intro) – 6:19 #"I Can't Help It" (extended club mix) – 8:03 Disc 2 #"Love in the First Degree" (Love in the House Mix) – 8:33 #"I Heard a Rumour" (House Mix) – 7:22 #"I Can't Help It" (The Hammond Version Excursion) – 6:33 #"Reason for Living" (12" master) – 6:08 #"Some Girls" (12" version) – 5:46 #"Strike It Rich" (12" version) – 5:59 #"I Heard a Rumour" (original 12" mix) – 7:06 #"Nathan Jones" (original 12" mix) – 5:45 #"I Want You Back" (original 12" mix) – 7:18 #"Ecstasy" (Chicago House Stylee) – 5:57 #"I Heard a Rumour" (dub) – 5:18 #"Mr Sleaze" (Rare Groove Remix) – 6:02 DVD #"I Heard a Rumour" #"Love in the First Degree" #"Mr Sleaze" #"I Can't Help It" #"I Want You Back" #"
Love, Truth and Honesty "Love, Truth and Honesty" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their first greatest hits album, '' Greatest Hits Collection'' (1988). Co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio, the song was released on 12 Septemb ...
" #"Nathan Jones" #"Help!" #"I Can't Help It" (12" version) #"I Want You Back" (alternative version) #"I Heard a Rumour" (on ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...
'') #"I Want You Back" (on '' Going Live'') #"Love, Truth and Honesty" (on ''Top of the Pops'') #"Nathan Jones" (on ''
Wogan ''Wogan'' is a British television talk show which was broadcast on BBC1 from 1982 to 1992 and presented by Terry Wogan. It was usually broadcast live from the BBC Television Theatre in Shepherd's Bush, London, until 1991. It was then broadcast ...
'') Notes on "Some Girls" and "Strike It Rich" *The original LP release of the album included album versions of both songs (4:19 and 3:25, respectively). *The original CD included 12-inch versions ( 5:47 and 6:00, respectively). *The 2007 re-issue of ''Wow!'' contains the album version of "Some Girls" and contains the shortened faded version of "Strike it Rich" (12" Version) from the "Love, Truth & Honesty – The Remixes" 12" single – 2:18. Notes on "Nathan Jones" and "I Want You Back" The album contains what is now known as the 'Bass Tone Mix' of "Nathan Jones" and most versions of ''Wow!'' contain the album version of "I Want You Back", with some exceptions. Notably, the Australian CD and cassette releases contain the single version of "I Want You Back", which was re-recorded with Jacquie O'Sullivan though this was not noted in the booklet or on the release packaging.


Personnel

Bananarama *
Sara Dallin Sara Elizabeth Dallin (born 17 December 1961) is an English singer/songwriter and a founding member of the pop group Bananarama. The group has achieved 28 UK top-50 and 11 US top-100 singles, including a US number one with "Venus" (1986). Other ...
– vocals *
Siobhan Fahey Siobhan Maire Deirdre Fahey (; born 10 September 1958) is an Irish singer whose vocal range is a light contralto. She was a founding member of the British girl group Bananarama, who have had ten top-10 hits including the List of Billboard Hot ...
– vocals *
Keren Woodward Keren Jane Woodward (born 2 April 1961) is an English singer/songwriter and, with Sara Dallin and Siobhan Fahey, a founding member of the girl group Bananarama. In 1986, the trio reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with their ve ...
– vocals *Jacquie O'Sullivan – vocals on the single version of "I Want You Back" (uncredited) Musicians *
Mike Stock Michael Stock (born 3 December 1951) is an English songwriter, record producer, musician, and member of the songwriting and production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. He has been responsible for over a hundred top-40 hits in the UK, including 16 n ...
– keyboards and Linn programmes *
Matt Aitken Matthew James Aitken (born 25 August 1956) is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as part of the 1980s/early-1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. Biography He beg ...
– guitar, keyboards and Linn programmes *John O'Hara – keyboards *A. Linn – drums *
Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, and television personality. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman production and songwriting team, he co-wrote and co-produced many UK hit singles. An av ...
– additional drum patterns *Ian Curnow – Fairlight programming *Pete Hammond – mixer * Phil Harding – assistant mixer *Mark McGuire – engineer *Burni Adams – tape operator *Freddy Bastone – mixer on " Nathan Jones" Additional personnel *Hillary Shaw – manager *Peter Barrett – sleeve design *Andrew Biscomb – sleeve design *Andy Earl – photography *Carrie Branovan – additional photography *
Herb Ritts Herbert Ritts Jr. (August 13, 1952 – December 26, 2002) was an American fashion photographer and director known for his photographs of celebrities, models, and other cultural figures throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His work concentrated on b ...
– gatefold sleeve photography


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end chart


Certifications and sales


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wow! (Bananarama Album) 1987 albums Albums produced by Stock Aitken Waterman Bananarama albums London Records albums