I have a soft spot for the Was brothers and am really fond of their admittedly spotty releases. I think of them as the Steely Dan of another era , all studio sheen and deceptively laidback, perfectly professional funk shtick. Maybe it's the oddly mimicked "real" name of Don Fagenson. But what I like best are the choice pop gems and the way they can turn them out over and over again. They surprise me a lot. This one produced their biggest hits in "Walk the Dinosaur" and "Spy in the House of Love" but I don't think they're the best things here by a ways. I count at least four stone winners way in front of them: "Somewhere in America There's a Street Named After My Dad," "Love Can Be Bad Luck," "Anything Can Happen," and "Anytime Lisa." "Dad I’m in Jail" is just for the laughs, but it hurts too, doesn't it? P.S. I love the way "Out Come the Freaks" makes a cameo on most of their albums.
Monday, July 30, 2007
What Up, Dog? (1988)
I have a soft spot for the Was brothers and am really fond of their admittedly spotty releases. I think of them as the Steely Dan of another era , all studio sheen and deceptively laidback, perfectly professional funk shtick. Maybe it's the oddly mimicked "real" name of Don Fagenson. But what I like best are the choice pop gems and the way they can turn them out over and over again. They surprise me a lot. This one produced their biggest hits in "Walk the Dinosaur" and "Spy in the House of Love" but I don't think they're the best things here by a ways. I count at least four stone winners way in front of them: "Somewhere in America There's a Street Named After My Dad," "Love Can Be Bad Luck," "Anything Can Happen," and "Anytime Lisa." "Dad I’m in Jail" is just for the laughs, but it hurts too, doesn't it? P.S. I love the way "Out Come the Freaks" makes a cameo on most of their albums.
