POLL if you want to...POLL around the world: The B-52's Cosmic Thing

Okay, I relistened to Good Stufflast night, and some of the stuff I thought I didn't like much was better than I remembered. I STILL don't own Funplex and need to get.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

so am i like the only person who thinks "Dry County" is a standout?

should probly relisten to this, but hate hate the sound of it so much (in comparison to my great love for anything whammy or earlier- or even the first schneider album)

Dry County is pretty great, though I wouldn't exactly call it a standout...I love the way those little exhortations all the way through the song remind me of Prince, and the punchline is great...a really cool, bluesy (in tone not sound) song...

when I was nine I thought this song wz about living in the desert...

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

After listening to the album once more today, "Follow Your Bliss" really stood out.

Unfuckingbelievable rating Roam over Love Shack.

missed this poll, would have voted with the majority (Love Shack a close second). forgot how lovely Topaz is

When I was 11 I borrowed this tape from my local library and it made a big impression. I wrote out all the lyrics from the inlay in my school exercise book (including copying the zany lettering and doodles).

Unfuckingbelievable rating Roam over Love Shack.

yay!

I saw the original LS 7" single in a charity shop. The sleeve was a folder thing which you could assemble into your very own love shack!

"Dry County" maybe the real overlooked gem here. But what a great record.

When the blues whomp you up on the side of the head
Throw em to the floor and kick em out the door
WHENNNNNN the BLUES kick you in the HEAD

yeah Dry County is awesome.

still in love with Topaz though...

(still in love with this thread too)

haha i seriously opened this thread thinking "maybe someone else will finally show some love for Dry County"

"Topaz" is so beautiful. I love this record.

Add me to the list of people for whom 'Roam' is their favourite track on this album. It's not a track that I listen to often, but it's nothing but sheer joy when I do.

I would love to do "Roam" at karaoke.

Of all the albums I've had since childhood, this is easily my favorite.

was about to revive this thread and say basically what I said a year ago so let me just go ahead and retract my earlier shot against "Bushfire" - it's a little overlong but the harmonies are gorgeous, as they are basically across the whole record. Never fails to make me feel good.

I have a hard time imagining many people who could hate this album

Would have undoubtedly voted for 'Roam', and am absolutely delighted that it topped this poll. Every time I listen to this track I think to myself "man, this really could NOT get any better".

SMOKE IN YOUR EYES

otm

that stuttering rhythm guitar lick on "Topaz" -- god, I love this record.

Topaz has been one of my go-to tracks ever since I started this poll: I never seem to tire of it

basically every song on this album is fantastic, except for "Deadbeat Club" which is merely good

TAKE IT HIP TO HIP

I always remember Cosmic Thing as part of the year a lot of the original "alternative" or "college rock" bands made it big on the Billboard Hot 100 with the second single from their album.

There was The B-52's who released "Channel Z" (didn't chart) and then had a huge hit with "Loveshack" (#3).
The Cure did the same with "Fascination Street" (#46) followed by "Lovesong" which hit #2.
Love And Rockets came back with "Motorcycle" (didn't chart) and then had a hit with "So Alive" (#3).
REM released "Orange Crush" (didn't chart) and then "Stand" went on to become their biggest hit at the time (#6).
Depeche Mode had a minor hit with "Personal Jesus" (#28), then had their biggest chart hit with "Enjoy The Silence" (#8).

wow, pretty fascinating

Weird to me that Enjoy the Silence was such a bigger hit than PJ tbh

LoveSong was a single after Fascination Street and Lullaby in the States?

"Lullaby" was third in North America.

"Enjoy The Silence" was much more radio friendly, compared to PJ which was harder and darker. (x-post)

yah but Personal Jesus seems way more iconic, whereas I always remember Enjoy the Silence as the other (great) single from that album

and not just because M Manson's cover either

This was right around when I first started paying attention to pop music - I'd be shocked if "personal jesus" hadn't gone top 40 at all, heard it plenty on the radio, but I can believe "Enjoy The Silence" was even bigger.

with "orange crush," "fascination street" "motorcycle" and "channel z" it looks like the traditional "first single ropes in the people who already like the act on modern/rock radio, second single goes for crossover" roll-out for a career act. I guess you could say that for Depeche too, as "Personal Jesus" is definitely the more "rock" song, even if such a rock song was atypical for them.

"Enjoy the Silence" took off summer '90. It sounded great rubbing up against industrial strength Janet Jackson LET ME TELL YOU.

it really was a great time to be a little nerd listening to radio - a lot of "weird" acts were having their bubblegum crossover, so later when I started reading Rolling Stone I learned the historical reasons to like these bands besides that they were funny lookin' and catchy, and could tell people i'd been into college rock since 3rd grade.

"rubbing up against industrial strength Janet Jackson"

alfred didn't mean to turn me on

tbh this alterna crossover is one of the reasons I loved that era so much; I really felt like all of the bands I was listening to were pop bands that could totally have mainstream success if people would only just pay attention (and Depeche Mode and REM had already had one big pop moment apiece with "People Are People" and "The One I Love") and that year and a half felt like a rolling wave of vindication

iirc Personal Jesus wasn't advertised as 'coming from an album' or anything. Violator was still being finished, didn't have a title yet. people weren't sure (at least in the UK) if it would be on the album. album was out like.. a full year after? or near as dammit.

LOL I always felt that Cosmic Thing kinda predetermined for me a fascination with post punk, ie early Fall, Slits etc

xp to croup

yeah basically i went from goofy "college rock" videos to rolling stone to album guides saying shit like "oh hey if you like REM, you'll like the velvet underground, and if you like the velvet underground you'll like the feelies." It wasn't until years later I remembered that what originally grabbed me was people dancing goofy to "Stand"

i have a fond memories of seeing a team of classic cars stroll down the street to "So Alive" during a 4th of July parade in Greeley, CO. From Bauhaus to that within a decade, not bad guys.

fortunately college rock has never lacked for goofy dancing

Prior to its release, advertisements were placed in the personal columns of regional newspapers in the UK with the words "Your own personal Jesus." Later, the ads included a phone number one could dial to hear the song.[7] The ensuing controversy helped propel the single to No. 13 on the UK charts, becoming one of Depeche Mode’s biggest sellers. The single was particularly successful commercially thanks to the fact that it was released six months prior to the album it would later appear on. Up to that point, it was the best selling 12" single in Warner Brothers history.[8]

between this period and the ability of everybody from the Meat Puppets to the Butthole Surfers getting hits through the 90s, I can't help but be bummed that our current crop of college faves have uniformly failed to make that total crossover. Though the success of shit like the Lumineers and Of Monsters and Men suggests the Arcade Fire would have had several hit singles by now if they'd jumped to a major.

no need to crossover when in the bands' minds they've got a niche perfectly happy to keep'em in clover with publishing rights; and, hey, they can always sell their songs to Volkswagen.