1986 studio album by Cameo
| Word Up! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Cameo | ||||
| Released | September 9, 1986 (1986-09-09) | |||
| Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Funk | |||
| 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 | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The Village Voice | B |
Word Up! is the 13th studio album by American funk group Cameo, released in 1986. 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. The album includes three of their biggest hit singles, "Word Up!", "Candy", and "Back and Forth".
Track listing
| 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
Cameo
- Larry Blackmon – lead vocals, backing vocals, bass guitar, drums, percussion, horn and vocal arrangements
- Tomi Jenkins – lead vocals, backing vocals, horn and vocal arrangements
- Nathan Leftenant – backing vocals, horn and vocal arrangements
Additional musicians
- Merv De Peyer – keyboards
- Kenni Hairston – keyboards
- Kevin Kendrick – keyboards
- Eric Rehl – keyboards
- Bernard Wright – keyboards
- Peter Scherer – Synclavier programming
- Pat Buchanan – guitars
- Charlie Singleton – guitars, backing vocals
- Michael Burnett – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Aaron Mills – bass guitar
- Sammy Merendino – drum programming
- Duduka Da Fonseca – percussion
- Giovanni Hidalgo – percussion
- Steve Thornton – percussion
- Melvin Wells – saxophone, backing vocals
- Michael Brecker – tenor sax solo (1, 4, 5)
- Randy Brecker – trumpet
- Willie Morris – backing vocals
Uptown Horns
- Crispin Cioe – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
- Arno Hecht – tenor saxophone
- Bob Funk – trombone
- Paul Litteral – trumpet
Production
- Larry Blackmon – producer
- Larry Alexander – recording engineer
- Matthew Kasha – recording engineer, mix engineer
- Eric Calvi – recording engineer, mix engineer
- Michel Sauvage – recording engineer
- Jerry Solomon – recording engineer
- Alan Meyerson – mix engineer
- Dave Ogrin – mix engineer
- Henry Falco – assistant engineer
- José Rodriguez – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)
- David Krebs – direction
- Steve Leber – direction
- Louis Levin – direction
- Bill Levy – art direction
- Paula Scher – design
- Chris Callas – photography
- Toyce Anderson – stylist
- John Dellaria – hair, make-up
- Jean Paul Gaultier – clothes
Critical reception
Accolades
Word Up! was ranked number 5 among the "Albums of the Year" by NME.
Charts
Weekly charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 100,000 |
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000 |
|
Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
| Cameo | |
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| Studio albums |
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| Live albums |
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| Compilation albums |
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| Singles | |
| Related | |
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