Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stoned Soul Gris Gris, 29 April 2008
Welcome back Mr Was, Mr Was and Friends.
It's been a long time huh ?
Reliable musical historians would have us believe that the band broke up
sometime after the release of their last studio album 'Are You OK ?'
in 1990 but I have a deep unverifiable suspicion that the explanation
for their almost 20 year absence is, strange though it may seem, somewhat simpler.
I think the reason we havn't heard from them is that they just...well...erm...FORGOT !
Now forgetting can happen for any number of reasons; the mind can play
all sorts of tricks and none of us are getting any younger but on the
evidence presented to us in their new album 'BOO' I have come to the conclusion that between THEN and NOW there must have been some very serious smokin' going on !
Listeners may not absolutely require the following credentials to appreciate this album but a passing aquaintance with at least one or two of them may help :
1) You did at least two tours of duty in Vietnam.
2) You have extensive knowledge of Mr Stone and his Family's musical legacy.
3) You are a devotee of facial hair and wear sunglasses AT ALL TIMES.
4) You have a passion for herbalism which extends beyond the packet
of stale Nag Champa incense sticks hidden at the back of one of
your kitchen drawers since 1969.
5) You possess a pristine and unparalled collection of Robert Crumb comic books.
Getting the picture people? This disc is one helluva phunkalicious feast
for serious groovers, stoners and students of the surreal everywhere !
(Having said that I'm none of those things and I love it too!)
There's an affectionate authenticity in this music which really does roll back the years.
Opening track 'Semi-Interesting Week' kicks off the proceedings with
a delicious slice of loose-limbed psychotic-soul (listen to the lyrics!).
Misters Atkinson, Bowens and Mitchell's vocal performances on this
and the following track 'It's A Miracle' are nothing short of sublime.
( Mr Zappa's spirit must surely have been smiling down on them from his studio in the clouds).
'Your Luck Won't Last' whips up some mean voodoo beats.
'From The Head To The Heart' is an affecting piece of hippy trippy heaven.
'Needletooth' and 'Green Pills In The Dresser' cannot be wholly recommended to listeners of a nervous disposition.
'Big Black Hole', 'Forget Everything' and 'Mr Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'
all find their respective grooves and follow them merrily.
'Crazy Water' is everything and more that the word FEELGOOD could possibly mean when applied to a song !
So...Get that lava lamp out of the loft, dust off your kaftan and get
some patchouli oil going in that intricately carved soapstone burner right now.
Snuggle down in an enormous pile of beaded silk scatter cushions
and get ready to enjoy this wonderfully nostalgic musical journey.
Welcome back guys I'm really glad you remembered....eventually !
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Was (Not Was) return with the brilliant new album "BOO!", 2 Mar 2008
You have to hand it to Don and David Was... the boys' have got the funky, jazz-fusion soul brother vibe down in straight aces. Man, I cannot get over their new album "BOO!" - they're first new studio album since 1992. Simply put, it's a mindblower.
The minute you slap the CD on, out pops a the funky soul workout "Semi Interesting Week", complete with soul backing vocals, guitar and a cooler-than-now horn section. You begin to ask yourself, "The only other band who can pull this kind of funky stuff off, is Steely Dan, but even the Dan are too clinical sounding when it comes to the rough edges of Was (Not Was)."
Second track which has 'hit single' written all over it, is like a throwback to Booker T. and the MGs or the Temptations. "It's A Mircale" is like a wake up call to the authentic Detroit soul sound of yesteryear, horns a pumping, great vocals from Sweet Pea Atkinson and Sir Harry Bowens.
Third track, I'm totally sucked in. "Your Luck Won't Last" - probably the most cynical song title of the year, is the kind of stuff Prince should be doing. It's like a cross between Cameo's "Word Up" and something off the "Sign O' The Times" album. Retro modern, funky, electro wah wah heavy LA cool. Was (Not Was) reign supreme.
Make no mistake, the band show their true feathers with another colour when the fourth track hits the speakers. "From the Head to the Heart" is the only ballad "There's a story in the paper about a young boy laying dead. He tried stealing a TV set, when he should have been in bed."
It's like a merry-go-round New Seekers vibe, lots of piano and strings. The perfect chill out track after you return from an expensive restaurant with bad service and lots of ugly people staring at each other. This track reminds me of something from Paul Anderson's "Magnolia" movie. This song will make you cry 96 tears. Don't cry for me, Argentina.
Track 5, "Big Black Hole" brings you back to familiar Was territory, all rhythm and blues, funky soul and smokey jazz lounge nightmares. Very laid back, cool, funky, something familiar and comforting. Very cinematic. Was (Not Was) like to think big screen. Popcorn for everyone.
Track 6, "Needletooth" is the band's experimental robotic, futuristic tour de force. It's wack. Time signatures all over the place. 2 minutes and 14 seconds of anything goes. This is eccentric Was (Not Was). No Was album would be the same without a track like this. Hilarious fun, completely pointless and essential.
Track 7, "Forget Everything" - 5 minutes and 16 seconds of big kick drum beats, Hammond organ, sexy horn section, choppy rhythm guitar, a salute to the late James Brown, a return to chest pounding funk. Yabba Dabba Doo. The soul review just pulled into town, and guess what? It has a sense of irony. It has a sense of humour.
This album makes Donald Fagen's "Morph the Cat" sound like James Blunt with a hangover. Jazzers will love this track. Losers in your local bar will lose their minds to it. Call the cops, Was (Not Was) are taking over the town.
Track 8, Sweet Pea Atkinson belts out "Crazy Water", a staple Was (Not Was) R&B workout. Sings Sweat Pea, "The Senator's son and the President's daughter, all came to town for that crazy water." Not sure if that's a baritone sax or a trumpet pumping out, but it sounds like a Mississippi soul picnic jam. Is there no stopping the Was army?
Track 9 - it's probably the best track on the album, and for good reason. Not only does it have the best song title, "Mr. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore", but the track is co-written by non-other than Bob Dylan, David Was and Don Was. It's reminiscent to something from an Ike and Tina Turner concert, when Tina actually meant something. Great drums and superlative wah-wah guitar. Martin Scorcese must be digging this song. It's no surprise that Kris Kristofferson appears on the closing track on the album...
Which brings us to Track 10, "Green Pills in the Dresser", a bluesy C&W, Mexican heatwave of a song. Says Kristofferson, "He says Hitler's a hero, and that God is a giraffe." It's stunning, momentous and the perfect way to end an album. If you wanted a raincheck, this is it.
David and Don Was have worked with a list of artists which reads like a Who's Who of rock. They've collaborated with stars such as The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Elton John and Brian Wilson.
Now, as artists in their own right, "BOO!" will put Was (Not Was) back on the scene as one of music's true innovators. They have the knack of effortlessly mixing soul, R&B, funk, blues, pop, rock and electronica into a melting pot of originality. "BOO!" is a magnificent achievement.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's A Miracle, 2 May 2008
It is indeed a miracle, and not just the title of the second track on this album.
Boo! is the stuff of legend, the album has been talked about for nearly two decades, and here it is.... finally!
So, what can I say? I put the CD on, sat back with a coffee and immediately brought back into the land of Was (Not Was) - this is every bit as good as their previous work - if you have ever enjoyed the Was' unique lyrics and the wonderful lead vocals from the pairing of Atkinson/Bowens mixed with some jazz/funk and the feeling that you don't know what to expect next, then I guarantee that you will enjoy this album - it has made my week - possibly my year.
Who else is going to give you a semi-interesting week?
Welcome back boys - in my heart you have never been gone, but please don't leave it so long next time.
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