Word Up! (album)

Word Up! is the 13th studio album by American funk group Cameo, released in 1986.^[3] 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.^[4] The album includes three of their biggest hit singles, "Word Up!", "Candy", and "Back and Forth".

Word Up!
Studio album by Cameo
Released	September 9, 1986 (1986-09-09)
Recorded	1985–1986
Studio	Quad Recording Counter Point Power Station Sound Ideas (New York City)
Genre	Funk[1]
Length	34:46
Label	Atlanta Artists
Producer	Larry Blackmon
Cameo chronology
Single Life (1985) Word Up! (1986) Machismo (1988)
Singles from Word Up!
"Word Up!" Released: July 1986 "Candy" Released: October 21, 1986 "Back and Forth" Released: February 24, 1987 "She's Mine" Released: June 1987

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Village Voice	B[2]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Word Up!"	Larry Blackmon Tomi Jenkins	4:21
2.	"Candy"	Blackmon Jenkins	5:39
3.	"Back and Forth"	Kevin Kendrick Nathan Leftenant Blackmon Jenkins	6:33
4.	"Don't Be Lonely"	Blackmon Jenkins Kendrick Willie Morris	5:19
5.	"She's Mine"	Blackmon Leftenant Antonio Matthews Ray Malloy	4:37
6.	"Fast, Fierce & Funny"	Blackmon Jenkins Leftenant	4:09
7.	"You Can Have the World"	Blackmon Jenkins Leftenant	4:38

• 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 (1, 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.^[5]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1986) Peak position Australian Albums Chart[6] 75 Canadian Albums Chart 72 Dutch Albums Chart[7] 48 German Albums Chart 34 New Zealand Albums Chart[8] 13 Switzerland Albums Chart[9] 30 UK Albums Chart[10] 7 US Billboard 200[11] 8 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[11] 1

Certifications

Certifications for Word Up!

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[12]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA)[13]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.