Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?
Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? is the debut album of new wave band the Waitresses, originally released in 1982 by Polydor, licensed from ZE Records.
Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 11, 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1980 - 1981 | |||
Genre | New wave, post-punk | |||
Length | 41:43 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Producer | Chris Butler, Kurt Munkacsi | |||
The Waitresses chronology | ||||
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The album peaked at No. 41 in the Billboard 200 chart and included the earlier single "I Know What Boys Like".
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Rolling Stone | |
The Village Voice | B+[3] |
AllMusic critic Ben Tausig, writing retrospectively, said that the album "was a unique and fairly important moment in early-'80s new wave", and noted that "lead singer Patty Donahue's singing ranged from a playful sexiness on the well-known hit "I Know What Boys Like" to a half-talk, half-yell with shades of post-punk groups like Gang of Four and the Raincoats on 'Pussy Strut' and 'Go On.' The guitar and bass were bizarre and funk-influenced in much the same way as other well-known Akron, OH, groups like Devo and the Pretenders".
Track listing
The original US release contained:[4]
- "No Guilt" – 3:46
- "Wise Up" – 3:20
- "Quit" – 5:10
- "It's My Car" – 3:20
- "Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?" – 3:40
- "I Know What Boys Like" – 3:11
- "Heat Night" – 3:43
- "Redland" – 2:55
- "Pussy Strut" – 4:12
- "Go On" – 2:49
- "Jimmy Tomorrow" – 5:37
- All songs written by Chris Butler.[5]
Personnel
- Patty Donahue – vocals
- Mars Williams – reeds
- Tracy Wormworth – bass
- David Hofstra – bass
- Billy Ficca – drums
- Dan Klayman – keyboards
- Chris Butler – guitar
- Ariel Warner – backing vocals
with:
- Ralph Carney – saxophone on "No Guilt" and "I Know What Boys Like"
- Don Christensen – drums on "No Guilt"
- Rick Dailey – piano on "I Know What Boys Like"
- Stuart Austin – drums on "I Know What Boys Like"
- Andrew Fuhrmann – art direction
Charts
Chart | Peak | Date |
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U.S. Billboard 200 [6] | 41 | May 1982 |
References
- Tausig, Ben. "Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? – The Waitresses". AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- Puterbaugh, Parke (February 18, 1982). "The Waitresses: Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 20, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
- Christgau, Robert (March 9, 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? at Discogs (list of releases)
- Arar, Yardena (April 7, 1982). "The Waitresses: They Know What Boys Like". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, CA. AP. Retrieved August 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Waitresses Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019.