i think its one of there best ones and last good one sadly,there has been a song here or there that l have liked since but this was the last of a great string of albums starting with there first and endind with this one.
May 18, 2008 |  | The calm after the new waves stormed the world |  |
I saw the B-52s at RED ROCK during their promotional tour for this album. They came out and sang "SONG TO A FUTURE GENERATION", sans any LIVE band, with this surreal "hello my name is Cindy, and I'm a CANCER" band introduction. I was STUNNED, because up until that time, the idea that a COMPUTER would play all the musical parts, and a band would just come out and sing to canned music, was unheard of. IT offended my every bone. Now this is almost the norm for many genres of modern rock. In that sense, this album was far ahead of itself. They were adding TONS of textures to their once ultra basic rock sound, thanks to the first programable sampler, which Peter Gabriel seemed to master for his album SECURITY, the Fairlight CMI. In that sense, this album is basically the band PROGRAMMING drum samples, keyboard samples, bass samples. So, the groove is a bit mechanical. SO, anyway, that concert. By the end of the concert, they were all jamming on real instruments, Cindy on her bongos, Kate on her Farfisa Keyboard, Keith and Rick on drums and guitar, and Fred using a little Casio type keyboard to push out some bass notes. I'm so sad to see that the Yoko Ono tribute they recorded on the first version of the LP, a version "Don't Worry, Kyoto", has not been released. Yoko had said publically she liked their sound. (It was obvious, that the B-girrrrls were influenced by Yoko.) So, that Yoko would force them to remove that song, is regrettable. BTW, for those who never heard that song, they basically had a one chord hypnotic backing track, and overtop that, Kate, and Cindy sang DONT WORRY over and over again, with Fred adding a spoken word "DONT WORRY" on top of that. It was cool, and didnt sound like anything else they had done, tho it sounded perfectly B-52s. I hated the song that replaced it, obviously something in the can from the sessions, that was not worth a B-side of a single. Oh well. This album is a holding pattern for the band, lyrically. Instead of ROCK LOBSTER or QUICHE LORRAINE, or even CAKE, you had BUTTERBEANS for the "FOOD" song. SCIFI was represented not by 53 Miles west of Venus, but rather TRISM. (a form of light speed space travel. far out.) IN that sense, I couldnt give it five stars. WHAMMY! isnt a first purchase for this band, but for fans, it's an essencial purchase.
February 25, 2008| | | It's the original B-52s... is there anything else to say? | |
I tend to like the albums that they made prior to Ricky's death much more than those that came after his passing. He was the heart and soul of the group. Even though this wasn't one of their best albums, it still retained the uniqueness of their style. Those that came after Ricky died became too commercialized and mainstream. My favorite cut in this will always be Big Bird... LOL
December 30, 2007I bought the `Cosmic Thing' CD first and enjoyed it... going to the beginning with the first B-52's CD. `Butterbean' is my favorite track... where else could you find such a thing? Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Keith Strickland and Brian Wilson... the Fun Five.
November 25, 2007This is not a bad album. Many listeners would cite Bouncing Off the Satelites or This album was a bit more of a musical shift for the group; almost having the influence of Devo. This album saw heavy use of drum machine as opposed to live drum kit, and allows the album to maintain the same feel thoughout. Easily a dance album. The music is not as produced as Mesopotamia, but is not as thinly textured as their 2 early albums. Legal Tender was their first real video on MTV; the subject matter of counterfeiting is novel. Queen of Las Vegas is also an interesting idea. Butterbean is one of their most fun songs ever and reflects their southern roots. Most people extol Song for a Future Generation, yet after many listens does not have the energy and variety of most of their songs. Trism has lots of interesting harmonies. Whammy just wasn't my favorite track on the album. Big Bird carries interesting vocal motifs by the girls. Having not grown up listening to all the B-52's albums until the 90's, I find it interesting listening to a bands discography out of order. I would say for most people, it's either take or leave on this album. If you purchase, keep an open mind.
October 11, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
