Wah! - Part 1 (1980-1981)

After the release of the second single, and the departure of guitarist Redmond, Pete Wylie decided to reshape the group as a four-piece – featuring Wylie (Guitar, Vocals), Washington (Bass), King Bluff (Keyboards) and Joe Musker (Drums, ex Dead or Alive) – shortened the name to Wah! And started working on a long player vinyl release. With the album on the way, Wah! recorded their first Radio One BBC Session in March 1981:

Peel Session (broadcast: 14/04/1981)
- Sleep
- The Checkmate Syndrome
- Cut Out
- Forget The Down

In June of the same year the album Nah Poo! The Art Of Bluff came out. Apparently the title has to do with the fact that the keyboardist King Bluff – not originally intended as a stable member of the band – managed to bluff his way into the group.

Nah Poo! The Art Of Bluff (1981)

1. The Wind Up

2. Otherboys

3. Why D'You Imitate the Cutout?

4. Mission Impossible

5. Somesay

6. The Seven Thousand Names of Wah!

7. Sleepp

8. Seven Minutes To Midnight

9. The Death of Wah!

To promote the album in the summer of the same year a couple of singles were released

Forget The Down (July 1981)

a. Forget The Down

b. The Checkmate Syndrome

Somesay (September 1981)

a. Somesay

b. Forget The Down (this time)

The A side was on their debut album, Nah = Poo - The Art Of Bluff (though the single was a re-recorded version of the song). The B side was a non-LP track but had previously been released as an A side.

Wah!