What Up, Dog?
| What Up, Dog? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
-What_Up,_Dog_(album_cover).jpg) |
||||
| Studio album by Was (Not Was) | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1984-88; The Institute of Social Disorder | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, pop, funk, R&B, dance, rock, soul | |||
| Length | 57:07 52:17 (UK) |
|||
| Label |
Chrysalis Fontana/Phonogram (UK) |
|||
| Producer | David Was, Don Was, Paul Staveley O'Duffy | |||
| Was (Not Was) chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Singles from What Up, Dog? | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Village Voice | A− |
What Up, Dog? is a 1988 album by Was (Not Was). It became the US group's breakthrough album worldwide and was ranked #99 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Best Albums of the 1980s. The cover illustration was credited to Christoph Simon and Karen Kelly.
Success of What Up, Dog? was propelled by the group's two biggest hits: "Walk the Dinosaur" and "Spy in the House of Love" and four other singles. The former was promoted by a popular music video in which the band performed while a group of girls in campy cave girl costumes danced. The video received heavy rotation on MTV and MuchMusic and led the single into the top ten of the US singles chart in 1989. Artist/animator Christoph Simon created videos to accompany the tracks "What Up, Dog?", "Dad I'm in Jail" and the Tom Waits-style "Earth to Doris". These appeared on MTV's Liquid Television and in various film festivals, including the Spike & Mike festival.
The album had fewer guests than their previous album and instead was focused around the group's two lead singers: Sweet Pea Atkinson and Sir Harry Bowens. However, a typically long list of collaborators and guest musicians worked on the album including Elvis Costello (co-writer of "Shadow & Jimmy"), and Frank Sinatra, Jr. on "Wedding Vows in Vegas". It also included the second re-recording of the group's signature song: "Out Come the Freaks".
What Up, Dog? became the group's breakthrough album in the US and worldwide. It reached #43 on the Billboard 200 album chart, #41 in New Zealand, and #47 in the UK. The album also spawned six singles (seven if the re-release of "Spy in the House of Love" is counted). The biggest hit was "Walk the Dinosaur" which charted worldwide and hit the top ten in the US and UK. "Spy in the House of Love" was very popular too, hitting the top 20 in the US, #21 in the UK and peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. "Anything Can Happen" was the third and final single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 chart reaching #75. In the UK, "Robot Girl", "Boy's Gone Crazy" and "Out Come the Freaks" (alternately re-titled "Out Come the Freaks (Again)" and "(Stuck Inside Of Detroit With The) Out Come The Freaks (Again)") reached modest positions on the charts. In 1992, "Somewhere in America There's a Street Named After My Dad" was released as a single to promote the group's compilation Hello Dad...I'm in Jail.
...
Wikipedia