The B-52's - Wild Planet poll

this album did come in second on are above artist poll...

hard not to vote for "Party Out of Bounds" as what better way to start off an album?

quiche la POOODLE

Yeah, cant beat the opener

Yes it can.

"Private Idaho" for one.

Also:

I'LL GIVE YOU FISH

I asked this in some other B-52s thread, but anyone have any idea what Queen of the Nile is?

voted “dirty back road”

I asked this in some other B-52s thread, but anyone have any idea what Queen of the Nile is?

I've always wondered

Give Me Back My Man > Dirty Back Roads > Party Out of Bounds > Private Idaho

Three way tie for me: Party, Give Me, Idaho. Voting the latter, but that’s pretty much random. Sweet, sweet, sweeeeet..... record!

I was a Quiche Lorraine man for a very long time, but the past few years have been all about Strobe Light for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swBDlOk0V6Y

This album has grown immensely important as there was no way did I ever expect my 5 and 2 year olds to latch to this so quickly when it was sporadically playing in the background. “Play Private Idaho!” is music request I’ll never tire of.

That said- “Give Me Back My Man”

awwwww shiiiiiit

that "give me back my man" video is everything to me. freeze frame at 1:34

'Give Me Back My Man' is my favourite B-52s track and this video may well be my favourite music video by any band.

The look that Cindy gives her brother around 2 minutes into the song is particularly poignant.

Yep. That or "Private Idaho" are my absolute faclve B-52s songs full stop.

In fact I can't watch them right now cos too many feelings to be under lockdown

"Private Idaho", it's a party but the menace is constant

video is all time.

Indeed. I sense Give Me Back My Man will win this. Its only fault is it doesn't give Fred much to do.

i voted _party out of bounds_ impulsively, and wish i could recast for strobe light instead. i do think _party_ is a more memorable song to me now, but strobe light was more gigantic in my brain in 1983, which is when my cells really came on line for this album.

Give Me Back My Man is fine and all, but no song w such minimal Fred (the best B52) content deserves to win imo

he did play the toy piano and extra synth parts

dunno if they are fred’s extra synth parts, but the reverb percussion sounds on that song are wonderful

Gave it to Party Out of Bounds just slightly over Give Me Back My Man. Agree with Bee OK - this one of my favorite album openers ever. Favorite line is "Who's to blame when situations degenerate?"

THE DOG THAT BROUGHT ME SO MUCH JOY

i just listened to this in full yet again and want to change my vote to "Strobe Light." record is just so much fun to listen to but the YouTube link that i listened to was mixed really loud and the brick walled sound didn't suit it.

quiche lorraine is a sentimental favorite, but it's really hard to deny private idaho, which is one of the rip-roarin'-est rock songs of the whole era.

but then again, "having a good time on a crummy day is our game!!!"

Thank you for this Bee. Putting it on right now!

How cool are these girls ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMoOPo5zW3w

they are the coolest

Cindy's like a real life Keane painting in that one.

THE DOG THAT BROUGHT ME SO MUCH JOY
HAS LEFT ME WALLOWING IN PAIN

Once upon a time there was a "twofer" cassette of the debut and Wild Planet, which I often declared was my desert island "disc." Love those two so much, words can't explain.

they really are a great band that i didn't appreciate at the time. i decided to do the Acclaimed Music polls for every decade since the 60s back in the day. 1979 just happened to be the first poll in that series. when The B-52's won that poll it blew my mind because i had no idea how great the debut was. ILM is the place where i discovered this band. fast forward a few years and i was going to run the artist poll for them, had to bail but it has been a long a very fun ride since this board made me take notice. just one of the examples of why i do love ILM as much as i do, this place is very, very special!

exactly, imo. only been 18 years, but still.

wooo this is my fav of their albums!

Confession: I only listened more closely to the second and third B-52's LPs after Chicks On Speed (!) covered "Give Me Back My Man" and "...Future Generation". I'd heard both LPs (and had a copy of this one + the debut, whose merits had been obvious since the beginning of time), but only "Private Idaho" and "Legal Tender" really stuck with me, for a ridiculously large number of years.

This is like a four way tie for me Part, Man, Idaho and Strobe. I'm going to vote for "Strobe Light" in this case.

"Give Me Back My Man" is one of my fave songs/videos ever, and i did vote for it, but it's not a very representative B-52's song. very little fred, as shakey mentioned, but more than that it's a pretty serious song! it's not "fun" like so many B-52's songs are, it's just fucking awesome

probably should have voted "Party Out of Bounds" because it's ALSO fucking awesome, and it kind of the epitome of the B-52's experience

also, i am the least qualified person to point out typos on ilx, but gentle reminder to everyone that it is B-52's, with an apostrophe. very important to adhere to that messed up tradition!

fun fact of ancient Athens history: my wife dated Cindy's man for a while, and then Cindy took him back

as far as I know no fish or divinity was exchanged

That's a great story. Really makes you think how interconnected we all are and how small the world actually is.

but gentle reminder to everyone that it is B-52's, with an apostrophe

Not anymore!

Q With this album, you made a change in your moniker after 32 years: You dropped the apostrophe from B-52s. Why?

A It was not grammatically correct. It's not like a possessive. It just seemed superfluous. Actually, we were trying to modernize our logo. Then we realized it was so good, why change it? We just dropped the apostrophe because it's easier, and when you go on the web, it just simplifies things.

wtf

listen, i will always love the b-52's, and i still think they're all great as people and stuff, but that is a jumping the shark moment if i ever saw one

It’s particularly funny if you look back at how small their logo is on most album covers after the first few. Like, glad they solved that “problem”:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/Funplex.jpg

(unless that’s the point - that a tiny apostrophe doesn’t look good / reproduce well on a small logo? seems fine to me on the other covers.)

but that is a jumping the shark moment if i ever saw one

Still not as dumb as Matchbox 20 insisting "twenty" be spelled out and the whole name only being lowercase ("matchbox twenty").

Given that it was my #1 in the artist poll, I don't think I can turn my back on Devil In My Car now, a personal favorite.
"I'm goin' to Hell in my old Chevrolet"

This is such a great album. I would argue their most Southern album as well. Dirty Back Road, Give Me Back My Man, & the aforementioned Devil In My Car all capture that "duality thing" years before more-famous Southern bands.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMFZGnlqMWY

Yeah it's Devil in My Car for me too, imo the best of the rollercoaster songs on here

Went up to my local comic book store before they shut down curbside deliveries today and picked up Archie Meets the B-52s. I haven't actually read an Archie comic since I was 10, but I wanted to show the b52s some love. Here is a relevant scene with Betty and Cindy:

https://imgur.com/JwTxg4B

https://i.imgur.com/JwTxg4B.jpg

wow!!

betty's immediately like "oh, sorry, no i haven't heard of Love Shack. good luck tonight!"

then cindy says "well, i mean you know we could play "Give Me Back My Man" instead, with you up there, since that's the one you know!" and Betty's like "oh yeah, sure! Yes, I know that one well. I'll be there!"

lol

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

I’m good with these results. Virtual tie between the song that best showcases Cindy and the time-tested new wave classic that encapsulates everything I love about the band.

Pineapple needed more kissing.

GASP

*organ trill*

this album is so strong that even "53 Miles West Of Venus" is a totally defensible pick, kudos to that voter

Great turnout! Agree about 53 Miles West Of Venus Sleeve. I've really come to love that as a closer in recent years. Certainly a stronger finish than Downtown on the first album.

This is the first time in my whole life I’ve felt like my vote truly mattered

lol

i feel guilty! i should have voted for party out of bounds.

20
20
10
7

it would have been such a good progression

bless this album.

In many ways this and the debut are the apex of rhythm guitar playing. It's alchemy, it presses some button deep in my brain and I just go "guh, want guitar sound loud play more faster."

I voted for 'Private Idaho' but secretly wanted 'Give Me Back My Man' to win, so this worked out nicely!

i don't even have strong opinion on results, i'm just glad it has so much love all around because it is fucking good all around.

"Strobe Light" might boast my favorite Kate organ lines.

I voted for 'Private Idaho' but secretly wanted 'Give Me Back My Man' to win, so this worked out nicely!