Was (Not Was): Pick Of The Litter (1980-2010)

If you had to develop a formula for a musical act, what would you include? Good singers? Check. Great players? Definitely. Guest vocalists? Sure, why not. Songs about dinosaurs, spies and going to jail, with a disco beat? Huh? Well, Was (Not Was), the Detroit-based creation of David Weiss and Don Fagenson (now better known as uber-producer Don Was), did just that. Their unique formula had its doubters, but once all the parts came together, the results were amazing. Even with such singers as Sir Harry Bowen and Sweet Pea Atkinson in the band, the Was "brothers" spiced things up by inviting musical luminaries into their strange world, including Leonard Cohen, Ozzy Osbourne, Mel Tormé and recently deceased Doug Fieger of the Knack. Loaded with dance beats, humor and absurd but powerful collaborations, Was (Not Was) never let the quality of the music or the sheer talent of the participants get overshadowed. (Micro Werks) 5 out of 5 stars.