The B-52's - Wild Planet

After all the imports die away, the B-52's--the least serious--remain

It was a friend's party, senior year in high school, a hot June night after graduation 1980. A girl I knew arrived in a black cat-suit, dominatrix boots, and a purple telephone extension cord wrapped around her slim waist as a belt. I kissed somebody--I don't remember who. And this crazy, goofball tune pounded away on the host's JVC...

"Has anybody seen/ a dog dyed dark green?"

People seemed to know "Rock Lobster" from the year before. I guess I'd missed it. But listening to this album a week later, I found other tunes stuck out more, and one's stayed with me ever since. "Give Me Back My Man" is remarkable, and I don't care how dorky that word sounds in connection to the B-52's. The guitar work--a lonesome drone in a minor key--builds with the plaintive vocals to a hypnotic climax that's sublime--the ultimate woman's crie de coeur. Did I just say that? Yup.

Equally good, though more expansive, is "53 Miles West of Venus". The 50's Sputnik kitch aside, this song succeeds for the same reason "Give Me Back" does--stacatto guitars in a minor key, with wailing female voices pushing the limits of "harmony". Fantastic. It's all here--the humor, the silliness hiding a quirky musicality not unlike Gang of Four. Fantastic, too, to come back to them in adulthood. Some things are too serious to be left to the serious. Give me back my bouffant!

May 3, 2008

Wild Planet

The B-52's-Wild Planet *****


While the bands self-titled debut album, The B-52's, will always be the bands strongest and most legendary outing, Wild Planet is not far behind, and was quite the sophomore release. Mixing space age New Wave, classic Punk, what I consider the start of Alt. country, 1960's garage rock, and disco,(you know the standard formula for a rock album), The 52's made yet another classic album.

From the ultimate couch potato anthem, and really a song that we can all relate to 'Private Idaho' which may just be the bands greatest track, and the incredible album opener 'Party Out Of Bounds' and 'Runnin' Around' and the manics of 'Devil In My Car' and 'Strobe Light' the band manage one of the strongest albums of 1980, and really one of the strongest of the decade, one that would destroy all that would come for the rest of the 80's.

Wild Planet may not be as infamous as the debut but it is every bit as essentiale with it's killer grooves, over the top subject matter (that when you really think about it isn't that crazy) and the amazing vocals meshed with a really good time how could you go wrong with Wild Planet? March 27, 2008

Reckless Driving

This is my favorite B's "rock" geared album ever! Putting both "Whammy!" and Mesopotamia" aside for the moment (these are my favorite "experimental/electronic" geared B albums ever)no album after "Wild Planet" has remotely come close to the timelessness and overall punch this record has--everytime I play it. Two of my favorite tracks are "Dirty Back Road" and "53 Miles West of Venus". May 1, 2007

Ricky Wilson: guitar god

The B-52's second album, 1980's "Wild Planet", is thoroughly a blast, and probably the best showcase for the late Ricky Wilson's imaginative, propulsive guitar playing--one listen to the track "Runnin' Around", with its weirdly off-kilter, yet driving riffery, and it's clear that Sonic Youth picked up a thing or two from this guy.

And that's not to take anything away from the rest of the band. Drummer Keith Strickland consistently keeps up a great beat on this mostly uptempo album. The only really laidback tune here, "Dirty Back Road", is fantastic, with a breathtakingly tuneful melody and marvelous unison vocals from Kate Piersen and Ricky's brother Cindy. And the inimitable Fred Schneider, with his enthusiastic-yet-unsettled vocal stylings, gets plenty of room to shine, as on the manic, riff-packed classic hit "Private Idaho", and the wacked-out "Strobe Light". Even the album-closing "53 Miles West Of Venus", an instrumental-plus-title chant, has an irresistibly toe-tapping quality. Things get a hair too silly on "Quiche Lorraine", but that's just a minor quibble. "Wild Planet" is an insanely catchy, joyous album--a definite classic of the so-called New Wave era. April 15, 2007

Just As Good As The First

This is another super fun and greatly unique album. This and the first album are rock classics with their own special appeal. The B's rock. February 25, 2007

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