WYSIWYG 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 culturethe 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.
Recording
About 8 months after the release of Tubthumper, Chumbawamba returned to the studio to work on a follow-up record. They recorded a full 10-song album, but decided it was too similar to its predecessor, so they scrapped it and started over.
Critical reception
The album was subject to polarized reviews from music critics upon its release. Some critics were extremely positive regarding the album. Robert Christgau awarded the album an "A-" and praised it as "an unslackening stream of infectious invective and simplistic satire," going on to praise "Hey Hey We're the Junkies". AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine also praised the album, giving it 4 stars and felt that although the album didn't contain any obvious hit singles and was rather short, concluding that the record "delivers far more than anyone could have expected, especially anyone that considered the group one-hit wonders." Some critics' feelings regarding the album were more mixed. MTV Asia gave the album 7 out of 10 and commented that the album was "very different" from its predecessor, going on to question the album's subtlety but concluding that the album demonstrates great range, positing that "all the eccentricities of the album, however, are offset by sweet melodies." Entertainment Weekly, though praising the record's melodies and temper, felt that some of the songs' topics "are thumpingly dated." However, some critics were extremely negative regarding the album. Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield awarded the album 1 and a half stars out of 5, commenting that the album sounds like "a self-imitating mishmash of shout-along choruses, tepid beats and confused eclectic diddling", deeming the album "bumbling adult pop". Louis Pattison's review for Amazon.co.uk was also negative, deeming the songs "soulless" and "saccharine" and commenting that the album lacks subtlety and tact.
Commercial performance
Upon its release, the album 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. As of August 2015, the album had sold 22,000 copies in the US.
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from AllMusic and WYSIWYG liner notes. Group Members
