Word Up! (album)

Word Up! is the 13th studio album by American funk group Cameo, released in 1986. The album reached number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, number 8 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 1 million copies. It took Cameo to their highest level of popularity, and solidified them as one of the most successful bands of the 1980s. The album includes three of their biggest hit singles, "Word Up!", "Candy", and "Back and Forth".

Track listing

• Tracks 1–3, 6 and 7 published by All Seeing Eye Music-Better Days Music.
• Tracks 4 and 5 published by All Seeing Eye Music-Better Days Music-Better Nights Music.

Personnel

Cameo

• Larry Blackmon – lead vocals, backing vocals, bass guitar, drums, percussion, horn and vocal arrangements
• Tomi Jenkins – lead vocals, backing vocals, horn and vocal arrangements
• Nathan Leftenant – backing vocals, horn and vocal arrangements

Additional musicians

• Merv De Peyer – keyboards
• Kenni Hairston – keyboards
• Kevin Kendrick – keyboards
• Eric Rehl – keyboards
• Bernard Wright – keyboards
• Peter Scherer – Synclavier programming
• Pat Buchanan – guitars
• Charlie Singleton – guitars, backing vocals
• Michael Burnett – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Aaron Mills – bass guitar
• Sammy Merendino – drum programming
• Duduka Da Fonseca – percussion
• Giovanni Hidalgo – percussion
• Steve Thornton – percussion
• Melvin Wells – saxophone, backing vocals
• Michael Brecker – tenor sax solo (2, 4, 5)
• Randy Brecker – trumpet
• Willie Morris – backing vocals

Uptown Horns

• Crispin Cioe – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
• Arno Hecht – tenor saxophone
• Bob Funk – trombone
• Paul Litteral – trumpet

Production

• Larry Blackmon – producer
• Larry Alexander – recording engineer
• Matthew Kasha – recording engineer, mix engineer
• Eric Calvi – recording engineer, mix engineer
• Michel Sauvage – recording engineer
• Jerry Solomon – recording engineer
• Alan Meyerson – mix engineer
• Dave Ogrin – mix engineer
• Henry Falco – assistant engineer
• José Rodriguez – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)
• David Krebs – direction
• Steve Leber – direction
• Louis Levin – direction
• Bill Levy – art direction
• Paula Scher – design
• Chris Callas – photography
• Toyce Anderson – stylist
• John Dellaria – hair, make-up
• Jean Paul Gaultier – clothes

Critical reception

Accolades

Word Up! was ranked number 5 among the "Albums of the Year" by NME.

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

References