Word Up! (album)
Appearance
Word Up! | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 9, 1986 | |||
Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Funk[1] | |||
Length | 34:46 | |||
Label | Atlanta Artists | |||
Producer | Larry Blackmon | |||
Cameo chronology | ||||
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Singles from Word Up! | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Village Voice | B[2] |
Word Up! is the 13th studio album by American funk group Cameo, released in 1986.[3] The album reached number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, number 8 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 1 million copies. It took Cameo to their highest level of popularity, and solidified them as one of the most successful bands of the 1980s.[4] The album includes three of their biggest hit singles, "Word Up!", "Candy", and "Back and Forth".
Track listing
[edit]No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Word Up!" |
| 4:21 |
2. | "Candy" |
| 5:39 |
3. | "Back and Forth" |
| 6:33 |
4. | "Don't Be Lonely" |
| 5:19 |
5. | "She's Mine" |
| 4:37 |
6. | "Fast, Fierce & Funny" |
| 4:09 |
7. | "You Can Have the World" |
| 4:38 |
- Tracks 1–3, 6 and 7 published by All Seeing Eye Music-Better Days Music.
- Tracks 4 and 5 published by All Seeing Eye Music-Better Days Music-Better Nights Music.
Personnel
[edit]- Cameo
- Larry Blackmon – lead vocals, bass guitar, drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Tomi Jenkins – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Nathan Leftenant – backing vocals
- Additional musicians
- Kevin Kendrick – keyboards
- Charlie Singleton – guitar, backing vocals
- Stanley Clarke, Aaron Mills – bass guitar
- Michael Burnett – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Bernard Wright, Eric Rehl, Kenni Hairston, Kevin Kendrick, Merv de Peyer – keyboards
- Duduka Fonseca, Giovanni Hidalgo, Steve Thornton – percussion
- Melvin Wells – saxophone, backing vocals
- Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone (solo on "Candy", "Don't Be Lonely" and "She's Mine")
- Randy Brecker – trumpet
- Arno Hecht – tenor saxophone
- Crispin Cioe – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
- Robert Funk – trombone
- Paul Litteral – trumpet
- Sammy Merendino – drum programming
- Pat Buchanan – guitars
- Peter Scherer – Synclavier programming
- Willie Morris – backing vocals
Critical reception
[edit]Accolades
[edit]Word Up! was ranked number 5 among the "Albums of the Year" by NME.[5]
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[13] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
[edit]- ^ a b AllMusic review
- ^ Christgau, Robert (December 30, 1986). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
- ^ Henderson, Alex. "Cameo: Word Up! > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
- ^ O'Donnell, David (December 11, 2008). "One of the most successful bands of the 80s". BBC. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ^ "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Discografie Cameo - dutchcharts.nl".
- ^ "charts.nz - Discography Cameo". charts.nz. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
- ^ "Cameo - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
- ^ "CAMEO - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
- ^ a b "Word Up! - Cameo". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ^ "British album certifications – Cameo – Word Up". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
- ^ "American album certifications – Cameo – Word Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 26, 2018.