Wow! (Bananarama album)

WOW!
Studio album by Bananarama
Released 4 September 1987[1]
Recorded July 1986 – May 1987
Genre Synthpop, pop, hi-NRG
Length 42:39
Label London
Producer Stock Aitken Waterman
Bananarama chronology
True Confessions
(1986)True Confessions1986		 WOW!
(1987)		 Greatest Hits Collection
(1988)Greatest Hits Collection1988
Singles from WOW!
  1. "I Heard a Rumour"
    Released: 29 June 1987
  2. "Love in the First Degree"
    Released: 28 September 1987
  3. "I Can't Help It"
    Released: December 1987
  4. "I Want You Back"
    Released: April 1988
  5. "Nathan Jones"
    Released: November 1988

WOW! is the fourth album by Bananarama, released in September 1987. The album was entirely produced and co-written with the Stock Aitken Waterman production trio and is the last album by the girl group to generate significant chart hits in the US. Tensions between group member Siobhan Fahey and Stock, Aitken and Waterman regarding songwriting input and lyrical content (particularly with the track "Strike it Rich") prompted Fahey's departure from Bananarama months after its release. By the time the album's fourth single, "I Want You Back", was released, Fahey had been replaced with Jacquie O'Sullivan, who re-recorded the vocals for the single version of the song. Fahey would resurface in 1988 with her new band, Shakespears Sister.

While the album was a moderate success in both the UK and the US, it was a particularly big hit in Australia, where it topped the charts.[2] The album was certified gold in the UK.[1]

WOW! was re-issued in 2013 as a 3-Disc Deluxe Version and includes "Reason for Living", which is an early version of "I Want You Back".

Track listing

All songs written by Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman, except where noted.

LP version

  1. "I Can't Help It" – 3:32
  2. "I Heard a Rumour" – 3:25
  3. "Some Girls" – 4:19
  4. "Love in the First Degree" – 3:33
  5. "Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05
  6. "Strike It Rich" – 3:25
  7. "Bad for Me" – 3:39
  8. "Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Belman, Nick Trevisick)
  9. "Nathan Jones" – 5:12 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston)
  10. "I Want You Back" – 3:53

CD and cassette version

  1. "I Can't Help It" – 3:32
  2. "I Heard a Rumour" – 3:25
  3. "Some Girls" (12" Version) – 5:47
  4. "Love in the First Degree" – 3:33
  5. "Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05
  6. "Strike It Rich" (12" Version) – 6:01
  7. "Bad for Me" – 3:39
  8. "Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Belman, Nick Trevisick)
  9. "Nathan Jones" – 5:12 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston)
  10. "I Want You Back" – 3:53

Australian CD version (CDLIB5146)

  1. "I Can't Help It" – 3:32
  2. "I Heard a Rumour" – 3:25
  3. "Some Girls" – 4:19
  4. "Love in the First Degree" – 3:33
  5. "Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05
  6. "Strike It Rich" – 3:25
  7. "Bad for Me" – 3:39
  8. "Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Belman, Nick Trevisick)
  9. "Nathan Jones" – 5:12 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston)
  10. "I Want You Back" – 3:47 (Single Mix, unreferenced with no mention of O'Sullivan)
  11. "Some Girls" (12" Version) – 5:47
  12. "Strike It Rich" (12" Version) – 6:01
  13. "The Bananarama Mega-Mix" – 7:31

Limited double vinyl edition

  1. "I Can't Help It" – 3:32
  2. "I Heard a Rumour" – 3:25
  3. "Some Girls" – 4:19
  4. "Love in the First Degree" – 3:33
  5. "Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05
  6. "Strike It Rich" – 3:25
  7. "Bad for Me" – 3:39
  8. "Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Belman, Nick Trevisick)
  9. "Nathan Jones" – 5:12 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston)
  10. "I Want You Back" – 3:53
  11. "The Bananarama Mega-Mix" – 7:26
  12. "Mr. Sleaze" (Rare Groove Remix)
  13. "Ecstasy" (Wild Style) – 5:37


2007 CD re-issue plus bonus tracks

  1. "I Can't Help It" – 3:32
  2. "I Heard a Rumour" – 3:25
  3. "Some Girls" – 4:21
  4. "Love in the First Degree" – 3:33
  5. "Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05
  6. "Strike it Rich" – 2:18
  7. "Bad for Me" – 3:39
  8. "Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Belman, Nick Trevisick)
  9. "Nathan Jones" – 5:12 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston)
  10. "I Want You Back" – 3:53
  11. "Clean Cut Boy" (Party Size) – 4:39 (Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Ian Curnow)
  12. "Mr. Sleaze" – 4:44
  13. "Ecstasy" (Wild Style) – 5:37
  14. "Nathan Jones" (Psycho 7-inch edit) – 3:03 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston)
  15. "I Want You Back" (Single Version) – 3:47
  16. "Amnesia" (Theme from The Roxy) – 6:28 (Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, Pete Waterman)
  17. "Nathan Jones" (Single Version) – 3:18 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston)


2013 Deluxe Edition 2CD/DVD re-issue

Disc 1

  1. "I Can't Help It" – 3:32
  2. "I Heard a Rumour" – 3:25
  3. "Some Girls" – 4:19
  4. "Love in the First Degree" – 3:33
  5. "Once in a Lifetime" – 4:05
  6. "Strike It Rich" – 3:25
  7. "Bad for Me" – 3:39
  8. "Come Back" – 3:40 (Richard Belman, Nick Trevisick)
  9. "Nathan Jones (Bass Tone Mix)" – 5:34 (Kathy Wakefield, Leonard Caston)
  10. "I Want You Back" – 3:53
  11. "Clean Cut Boy [Party Size]" - 4.43
  12. "Mr Sleaze" - 4.49
  13. "Ecstasy" - 4.11
  14. "Amnesia" [12” Extended Version] - 6.26
  15. "I Heard a Rumour" [Horoscope Mix] - 5.57
  16. "Love in the First Degree" [Jailers Mix With Intro] - 6.19
  17. "I Can't Help It" [Extended Club Mix] - 8.03

Disc 2

  1. "Love in the First Degree" [Love In The House Mix] - 8.33
  2. "I Heard a Rumour" [House Mix] - 7.22
  3. "I Can't Help It" [The Hammond Version Excursion] - 6.33
  4. "Reason for Living" [12" Master] - 6.08
  5. "Some Girls" [12” Version] - 5.46
  6. "Strike It Rich" [12” Version] - 5.59
  7. "I Heard a Rumour" [Original 12" Mix] - 7.06
  8. "Nathan Jones" [Original 12” Mix] - 5.45
  9. "I Want You Back" [Original 12” Mix] - 7.18
  10. "Ecstasy" [Chicago House Stylee] - 5.57
  11. "I Heard a Rumour" [Dub] - 5.18
  12. "Mr Sleaze" [Rare Groove Remix] - 6.02

DVD

  1. "I Heard a Rumour"
  2. "Love in the First Degree"
  3. "Mr Sleaze"
  4. "I Can't Help It"
  5. "I Want You Back"
  6. "Love, Truth and Honesty"
  7. "Nathan Jones"
  8. "Help!"
  9. "I Can't Help It" [12” Version]
  10. "I Want You Back" [Alternative Version]
  11. "I Heard a Rumour" [On 'Top Of The Pops']
  12. "I Want You Back" [On 'Going Live']
  13. "Love, Truth and Honesty" [On 'Top Of The Pops']
  14. "Nathan Jones" [On 'Wogan']


Notes on "Some Girls" and "Strike It Rich"

  • The original LP release of the album included album versions of both songs (respectively 4:19 and 3:25).
  • The original CD included 12-inch versions (respectively 5:47 and 6:00).
  • The 2007 re-issue of Wow! contains the album version of "Some Girls" and contains the shortened faded version of "Strike it Rich" (12" Version) from the "Love, Truth & Honesty – The Remixes" 12" Single – 2:18.

Charts

Chart (1987-88) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[2] 1
Canadian Albums (RPM)[3] 32
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[4] 11
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] 65
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[6] 24
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7] 38
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[8] 49
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] 31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 22
UK Albums (OCC)[11] 26
U.S. Billboard 200 44
Zimbabwean Albums (ZIMA)[12] 2

Personnel

Bananarama

Musicians

  • Mike Stock – keyboards and Linn programmes
  • Matt Aitken – guitar, keyboards and Linn programmes
  • John O'Hara – keyboards
  • A. Linn – drums
  • Pete Waterman – additional drum patterns
  • Ian Curnow – Fairlight programming
  • Pete Hammond – mixer
  • Phil Harding – assistant mixer
  • Mark McGuire - engineer
  • Burni Adams - tape operator
  • Freddy Bastone – mixer on "Nathan Jones"

Additional personnel

  • Hillary Shaw – manager
  • Peter Barrett – sleeve design
  • Andrew Biscomb – sleeve design
  • Andy Earl – photography
  • Carrie Branovan – additional photography
  • Herb Ritts - Gatefold sleeve photography

References

  1. 1 2 "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for 'Bananarama' (from bpi.co.uk)". Imgur.com (original source published by British Phonographic Industry). Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 "australian-charts.com > Bananarama in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 September 2017. N.B. This site only contains chart data commencing from 26 June 1988.
  3. ↑ "Bananarama (albums)". RPM Magazine. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  4. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  5. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  6. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  7. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Bananarama – Wow!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  8. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  9. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bananarama – Wow!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  10. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bananarama – Wow!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  11. ↑ "Bananarama | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  12. ↑
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
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