Hello Dad...I'm in Jail

Hello Dad...I'm in Jail Artist: Was (Not Was)
Label: Polygram Int'l
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 731451246425
EAN: 0731451246425
ASIN: B0000075ZG


Release Date: 2000-02-08

Hello Dad...I'm in Jail


Related Categories:

General General
Categories | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop Rock Pop Rock
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
Rock Rock
Categories | Imports | Stores | Music

Tracks:

  1. Listen Like Thieves
  2. Shake Your Head
  3. Tell Me That I'm Dreaming
  4. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
  5. Are You Okay?
  6. Spy In The House Of Love
  7. I Feel Better Than James Brown
  8. Somewhere In America There's A Street Named After My Dad
  9. Out Come The Freaks
  10. How The Heart Behaves
  11. Walk The Dinosaur
  12. Hello Dad ... I'm In Jail

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Representative (Not Representative).......2000-06-12

This band has always been a personal favorite, so the mediocre grade hurts. But this CD largely avoids the adventurousness and grit that distinguish Was (Not Was). Their lyrically-twisted, unpredictable blending of soul and its offshoots (disco, doo-wop, sweet R&B, smokin' funk) with pop melodies - plus the occasional rock or lounge touch - isn't easy to nail down. This collection, particularly at the start, seems content to instead cast the band as a slick dance machine. Perhaps taking a cue from the popular breakthrough of "What Up, Dog" (but ignoring the commercial backsliding of the more tricked-up "Are You Okay"), "Jail" favors big, shiny productions; the emphasis is clear both in both which old cuts are included as well as in the new remixes and demos. (For better and for worse, fans should be aware that only half the material are the same versions as on previous albums. This might more of a treat if the original versions were available, but if you're looking for lost favorites like "Tell Me That I'm Dreaming" or "How the Heart Behaves," you'll have to settle for remixes and demos.)

So instead of leaping from style to style, the album's glossily-produced first half comes off strangely homogenized. Some tunes are overwhelmed by a pop whoosh, some are drained of passion with spare club beats. It's not *bad*, but it's somewhat faceless - like music in movie party scenes where the filmmakers want atmosphere, but nothing that's going to steal a viewer's attention. The second half of "Jail" is more varied, but it's too little, too late. Moreover, the sequencing doesn't connect the songs' diverse tempos and moods terribly well; this time out, the variety seems awkward.

Still, while much of "Jail" sounds more professional than heartfelt, all but the most labored cuts have a melodic or rhythmic hooks that stick. The lyrics - alternately poignant, silly, and warped - are still choice. And I have to mention the great vocals: David Was's leering recitals, Sir Harry Bowens's liquid class, and Sweet Pea Atkinson's gruff passion. (By the way, there's also a hidden cut. Fans should skip ahead if they don't want to know: It's track six from their second album.)

Music Album:

  1. Moka Only Is Ron Contour
  2. Ogden's Nut Gone Flake ~ The Small Faces
  3. Biggest Prize in Sport ~ 999
  4. Mobile Home ~ Longpigs
  5. No Sleep Tonight ~ The Faders
  6. Home
  7. How We Quit the Forest ~ Rasputina
  8. On the Road: 04-23-04 Tokyo, Japan ~ String Cheese Incident
  9. Live in Africa ~ Fania All-Stars
  10. Enema of the State ~ blink-182

Music Album

Music Album

Music

The Jazz Chamber Trio ~ Paquito D'Rivera

After the Dance ~ Bert Jansch, John Renbourn

Offering ~ Axe

Sagas of Iceland ~ Rebellion

Advance to the Fall ~ Galneryus

Mes Mauvaises Frequentations ~ Philippe Katerine

Flash Contact ~ Hermann Langschwert

Alba Molina ~ Alba Molina

Love Time ~ Kang Tae Hwan Trio

Umikazeha Tokiwokoete ~ Icchome Hirakawachi