WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) is the ninth studio album by anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba. Released after the massive success of their previous effort, Tubthumper, it commented on various aspects of the pop culture the band had inadvertently become a part of. It achieved this by the heavy inclusion of sound bites, pop culture and commercial culture references and even a small amount of self-parody.
The 23 tracks (some songs being fully formed, some short, experimental and sample heavy) flow into one another almost without stop, and musical and lyrical themes are repeated throughout causing the album to much more tighly constructed than previous efforts and could be considered a concept album.
The cover art follows the 'What You See Is What You Get' concept. It appears to be the head of a dog, but is actually a small part of a larger photo of two dogs copulating when the insert is opened up fully.
This was a commercial failure for Chumbawamba, causing them to leave EMI a year later due to disputes. However, in the United States, Republic/Universal handled releases for MUTT Records, especially Readymades, but dropped the band from the label in 2004, allowing them to sign onto Koch Records.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Track listing
All songs written by Chumbawamba (except as noted). Unlisted tracks appear in italics.
- "I'm with Stupid"
- "Shake Baby Shake"
- "Pass It Along"
- "Hey Hey We're the Junkies"
- "The Health & Happiness Show"
- "I'm Coming Out" / "Dumbing Down (Piano Version)"
- "I'm in Trouble Again"
- "Social Dogma"
- "WWW Dot"
- "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (Barry/Robin Gibb)
- "I'm Not Sorry, I Was Having Fun"
- "Jesus in Vegas"
- "The Standing Still"
- "She's Got All the Friends That Money Can Buy" / "Pass It Along (Reprise)"
- "Ladies for Compassionate Lynching"
- "Celebration, Florida"
- "Moses with a Gun"
- "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Jerry Springer"
- "Smart Bomb"
- "Knickers"
- "Lie Lie Lie Lie"
- "Dumbing Down"
- Hidden track: "I'm in Trouble Again (Reprise)"
Bonus tracks on some versions
- "Just a Form of Music"
- "Lest We Forget"
- "Passenger List for Doomed Flight 1721" (see She's Got All The Friends That Money Can Buy single for more information)
We Buy Ugly Houses Kansas City Video
Song Notes
- "I'm with Stupid", "Hey Hey We're the Junkies", "Shake Baby Shake" and "The Standing Still" contain samples from Helter Stupid by Negativland
- A rock remix of "Pass It Along" was used in a Pontiac commercial circa 2002
- "New York Mining Disaster 1941" is a cover of the Bee Gees single
- The hidden track ends in Alice Nutter saying, "It's me trousers" and laughing, and another voice saying "That's it"
Personnel
- Lou Watts - Vocals, Keyboards
- Harry Hamer - Drums, Vocals, Programming
- Danbert Nobacon - Vocals, Banjo
- Dunstan Bruce - Vocals
- Jude Abbott - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Vocals
- Boff Whalley - Guitar, Vocals
- Alice Nutter - Vocals
- Neil Ferguson - Bass, Keyboards, Mouse
Also appearing
- DJ White Child Rix (from Gunshot) - Scratching
- Simon - Trombone
- Toby - Saxophone
- B. J. Cole - Pedal steel guitar
- Simon Lanzon - Additional vocal
- The Complimentary Peanuts - Vocals on "Health & Happiness Show"
- Armley Community Orchestra - Strings, woodwind
- One Minutes's Silence - Snare Drum
- Seething Wells - "That's It"
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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