Word of Mouth is the debut studio album by Toni Basil. It was first released in May 1981 in the United Kingdom and April 1982 in the United States. The album features the number-one worldwide hit "Mickey", as well as three covers of songs by Devo, who also performed on those three tracks ("Be Stiff", "Space Girls", which is a re-titled "Space Girl Blues", and "You Gotta Problem", which is a re-titled "Pity You"). The U.S. version of the album added the songs "Rock On" (a David Essex cover) and "Shoppin' from A to Z", deleting "Hanging Around". Word of Mouth was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Word of Mouth | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 22, 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1981 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 39:28 | |||
Label | Chrysalis (U.S.) Radial Choice (UK) | |||
Producer |
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Toni Basil chronology | ||||
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Singles from Word of Mouth | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+[2] |
The lead single "Mickey" became an international hit, earning a double platinum certification. The album, which was released shortly after, was also a success, peaking at number 22 and receiving a Gold certification. However, the following singles, "Nobody" in the UK and "Shoppin' from A to Z" in the US, both under-performed, which cut the album's success short. It also reached number 27 on the New Zealand albums chart.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Mickey" | 4:12 | |
2. | "Rock On" | David Essex | 4:04 |
3. | "Shoppin' from A to Z" | 4:08 | |
4. | "You Gotta Problem" | Mark Mothersbaugh | 4:34 |
5. | "Be Stiff" | 3:22 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Nobody" | Paul Delph | 4:00 |
2. | "Little Red Book" | 4:04 | |
3. | "Space Girls" | Casale | 2:56 |
4. | "Thief on the Loose" |
| 3:50 |
5. | "Time After Time" |
| 4:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Nobody" | Delph | 4:03 |
2. | "Hangin' Around" | Conway | 4:08 |
3. | "Thief on the Loose" |
| 3:54 |
4. | "Time After Time" |
| 4:23 |
5. | "Mickey" |
| 4:15 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Little Red Book" |
| 4:07 |
2. | "Be Stiff" |
| 3:24 |
3. | "Space Girls" | Casale | 3:00 |
4. | "You Gotta Problem" | Mothersbaugh | 4:36 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Mickey" |
| 4:15 |
2. | "Nobody" | Delph | 4:03 |
3. | "Hangin' Around" | Conway | 4:08 |
4. | "Thief on the Loose" |
| 3:54 |
5. | "Little Red Book" |
| 4:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Time After Time" |
| 4:23 |
2. | "Be Stiff" |
| 3:24 |
3. | "Space Girls" | Casale | 3:00 |
4. | "You Gotta Problem" | Mothersbaugh | 4:36 |
Weekly charts edit
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Year-end charts edit
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Word Of Mouth is a pretty good piece of twitchy, hook-centric new wave.