WYSIWYG (album)

WYSIWYG

Studio album by Chumbawamba

Released

4 April 2000

Recorded

1999-2000

Genre

Anarcho-punk, pop, dance, sound collage

Length

47:48

Label

EMI (UK)
Republic Records/Universal Records (United States)

Chumbawamba chronology

Tubthumper
(1997)

WYSIWYG
(2000)

Readymades
(2002)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Amazon.com	(negative) link
Entertainment Weekly	B+ link
HybridMagazine.com	(positive) link
InMusicWeTrust.com	B+ link
Kansas City Pitch	(positive) link
MTV Asia	(7/10) link
Robert Christgau	A-^[1]
Rolling Stone	link

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.

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)

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"

References

↑ Christgau, Robert. "WYSIWYG". Robert Christgau.

External links

WYSIWYG at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)

Chumbawamba

Boff Whalley Danbert Nobacon Lou Watts Dunstan Bruce Alice Nutter Harry Hamer Dave Dillon Paul Greco Jude Abbott Neil Ferguson Phil Moody

Albums	Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records (1986) Never Mind the Ballots (1987) English Rebel Songs 1381–1984 (1988) Slap! (1990) Shhh (1992) Anarchy (1994) Swingin' with Raymond (1995) Tubthumper (1997) WYSIWYG (2000) Readymades (2002) Un (2004) A Singsong and a Scrap (2005) The Boy Bands Have Won (2008) ABCDEFG (2010)

Compilations and soundtracks	Uneasy Listening (1998) Shhhlap! (2003) Revengers Tragedy (2003)

Live albums	Showbusiness! (1995) Get On with It (2006)

Singles and EPs	"Revolution" (1985) "Smash Clause 28! Fight the Alton Bill!" (1988) "(Someone's Always Telling You How To) Behave (1992)" "Enough is Enough" (1993) "Timebomb" (1993) "Homophobia" (1994) "Ugh! Your Ugly Houses!" (1995) "i - Portraits of Anarchists" (1996) "Just Look at Me Now" (1996) "Tubthumping" (1997) "Amnesia" (1998) "Top of the World (Olé, Olé, Olé)" (1998) The ABCs of Anarchism (1999) "Tony Blair" (1999) "She's Got All the Friends That Money Can Buy" (2000) "Enough Is Enough (Kick It Over)" (2000) "Her Majesty" (2002) "Jacob's Ladder (Not in My Name)" (2002)

Related	Discography Agit-Prop Records One Little Indian Records No Masters Records Credit to the Nation The Ex Oysterband Coope, Boyes & Simpson Noam Chomsky Negativland

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