Album Reviews of the 80s

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Bananarama, "WOW!" / 1987 Review by: Diego Martinez
Right after the huge sucess of 1986's "True Confessions" and the chart-topping cover of the Shocking Blue's "Venus", the girls of Bananarama knew quickly who they wanted to work with on their follow up. The producers of the "Venus" single, UK's Stock-Aitken-Waterman (who also worked with Dead Or Alive, Kylie Minogue, Donna Summer and Rick Astley) not only made the Bananas music more dance-pop driven but also influenced on the band's sudden stylish look from new wave renegades to pop divas. A look witnessed on the videos from the WOW! singles, singles that became the signature music of the clubbing stage of the 1980's: the excelent Top 10 smash "I Heard A Rumour" (also included on the movie "Disorderlies"), a extended version of a cover of the Supremes' 70's hit "Nathan Jones", "I Want You Back", the disco-pop gloss of "I Can't Help It" (whose video was banned from MTV due to its sexy scenes), and perhaps the best song of the album, the great "Love In The First Degree". All the rest of the album are not exactly filler, they're just not as great as the singles themselves, yet they have something rather special in them, like "Some Girls", "Bad For Me" and "Once In A Lifetime". All in all, it's a fine Hi-NRG album from the UK's greatest female band of all time.

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