Was (Not Was) - Are You O.K.? (1990)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Was (Not Was) - Was (Not Was) (1981)

Brilliant fourth album by art-funk iconoclasts Was (Not Was). Crafting pop-rooted songs whose true genius only reveals itself upon close listening was always this band's specialty, and they never did it better than they do here -- if you're not paying attention, "In K-Mart Wardrobe" pretty much sounds like an impeccably produced ad jingle.

Track listing:
1. Are You Okay?
2. Papa Was a Rolling Stone
3. I Feel Better Than James Brown
4. How the Heart Behaves
5. Maria Navarro
6. I Blew Up the United States
7. In K-Mart Wardrobe
8. Elvis' Rolls Royce
9. Dressed to Be Killed
10. Just Another Couple Broken Hearts
11. You! You! You!
12. Look What's Back (Out Come the Freaks)

Broiled chickens sang us love songs from the skewer
Have you ever been this close to going down the sewer?

You should also hear:

Nile Rodgers -
B-Movie Matinee (1985)

Che -
Narcotic (1985)

Was (Not Was) - Was (Not Was) (1981)

The debut LP from this awesomely weird but highly danceable art-funk ensemble. It's the kind of stuff that you might find yourself dancing your ass off to, only to become slowly conscious of the fact that they've repeated a line like "One man liked milk/Now he owns a million cows" about fifteen times. I've liked this band for as long as I can remember -- my dad used to blast it while he did housework -- and, recently, I find myself enjoying them more than ever.

Track listing:
1. Out Come the Freaks
2. Where Did Your Heart Go?
3. Tell Me That I'm Dreaming
4. Oh, Mr. Friction!
5. Carry Me Back to Old Morocco
6. It's an Attack!
7. The Sky's Ablaze
8. Go... Now!

I was choking on the fish I ate for dinner
It was good while it lasted
I should've fasted, I almost had it yesterday
A song tied up my ankles
Couldn't walk, couldn't wiggle
Until you came along
Untied the song
And let its long golden fingers grasp the wind