Out Come The Freaks

At the time of writing, this is my very latest addtion to Discogs: it's one of nine records I brought back from my last trip to Chepstow nineteen days ago: five were LPs, four were singles. I was aware that Was (Not Was) had recorded multiple songs under the title 'Out Come The Freaks', out of which I was only properly familiar with the one on their album What Up, Dog? I wondered if this might be one of the others so picked it up.

If I'd taken longer than a moment to glance at the back cover, I could have seen that this was the 1987 version I already knew, here titled '(Stuck Inside Of Detroit With The) Out Come The Freaks (Again)' and not the 1981 original 'Out Come the Freaks' nor '(Return to the Valley of) Out Come the Freaks' (1983). Musically it still sounds good, but lyrically it hasn't aged terribly well. Aiming to be a sort of sardonic rogues' gallery, it comes across now as more of a sad reflection of its times.

For example, in the second verse we hear about Tara Venus, a "rent-a-stripper" and her bodyguard "Jack the Human Knife" whose presence is required to prevent assaults from her audiences ("He'd slice you silly if you got too friendly / If you value living better treat her gently"). 'Earth to Doris', the B-side, was a track on the US release of What Up, Dog but not on the UK version I had - it sounds like a comedy skit set to off-kilter music, somewhat like 'Dad I'm in Jail' - only less funny.

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