The B-52's: their legacy/influence today

Bobby O once wrote/produced a track called "Just A Gigolo" under the guise Barbie & The Kens, and it was pretty much his attempt to emulate "Private Idaho" as close he could. It's hilarious.

Fucking hallelujah

What do they do with guitar tunings?

An interesting notion on many levels.

a) an earlier Ru Paul being in the video
b) "TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN ROOF!.... rusted"

The latter will be one of the most "WTF but whatever" pop song moments in history.

This is all conjecture here, but right around the time The B-52s and Byrne were working together, the Tom Tom Club released their first album, and "Genius Of Love" became a *smash* hit. It's possible that Byrne may have had something to do with the ideas that went into the first Tom Tom Club album, but I'm not sure. I'll let the Talking Heads/Stop Making Sense connoiseurs speak up about the relationship between Tina and David at the time. Maybe it was always contentious, but I'm not sure it was that disjunct in 1981.

In any case, it seemed like Byrne produced the Mesopotamia EP trying to use the B-52s has his own take on the Tom Tom Club, because.. well, let's just say that the first mix was a highly sparse, disco-ey, dubbed out, complete Arthur Russell-esque affair, that sounded like it was sampling the B-52's moreso than actually being the B-52's. For some reason, a few copies of this initial mix "accidentally" went to press and was recalled immediately.

I was thoroughly confused, because I happened upon a vinyl copy of this in a record store for $5, and I only payed that much for it only because it was in great condition... otherwise, you can find it for 99 cents easily just about anywhere in the U.S. in any used vinyl bin. When I listened to it, it was completely different than then 1990 CD-reissue remix that was released on the Party Mix/Mesopotamia two-fer CD. The original mix sounds like Byrne trying to make the B-52s some arty dance project...

Now I'm hardly a Byrne apologist. Recent quotes from the man rub me the wrong way almost all of the time, but I have to give major props to the brilliance of this EP, though out of context. It's a terrible B-52s release/mix, but a brilliant David Byrne dancey side-release, if that makes sense. Anyway, I later found out I lucked out in that my vinyl copy of Mesopotamia was an Island pressing in Greece, and the record store had no idea what they had stocked and price.

Later, I'd pick up a mint copy of the very abundant Warner Brothers U.S. version of the EP for a buck, and realize that it was later remixed to be less dubbed out and dancey and more B-52s sounding. Even then, the mix is kinda weird.

In the mid to late 80s, Island UK re-released Mesopotamia as it's own CD with this second "fixed" mix from back in the day.

In 1990, the band went back and decided to finally remix it again, and actually made it sounds pretty damn great. This is the version you can buy today as the Party Mix/Mesopotamia.

While the "approved" "original" mix suffers in comparison to the 1990 remix/remaster, there are a few elements in some songs that are put higher in the mix that enhance certain songs, like the synth parts in "Loveland". However, the most recent mix certainly improve "Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can" and the title track.

So, that's the long version of the story.

It's too bad there doesn't seem to be a dedicated B-52s biography of some sort. I have almost as much interest in the genesis of Mesopotamia as I do with the Beach Boys' Smile -- and I'd love to learn more about what the hell happened with this EP.

I strongly disagree. While I never want to hear "Love Shack" again, there are so many great songs on Cosmic Thing: the title track, "Roam," "Deadbeat Club," "Junebug," etc.

"leagacy/influence" a blind alley though

And no, I'm not a member of The VCs.

also, re: Love Shack, as a kid I'd hear it on the radio and thought she was saying "Ten months... pregnant!"

That's the best misinterpretation I've ever heard!

TR: What is it that you say in "Love Shack?"

CW: Tin roof rusted!

TR: What is that?

CW: It's just a description of the Love Shack, just nonsense that I made up when we were jamming, and the rest of the band thought it was so funny, we stuck it in there. Actually, in the South, they have metal roofs that tend to rust.

-from a 1989 B-52's interview with Tom Rubnitz

..at this point, the line between a B-52s influence and a Yoko Ono influence becomes blurry.

There's a good Lois Maffeo interview in the Angry Women In Rock book where she describes the heavy influence that the early Rough Trade bands had on Olympia. Also note the (Oly-based) Kill Rock Stars reissues of those bands. So while I could see a bit of the B-52's the Liliput/Ess. Logic axis seems like way more of a reference point.

The only thing I've heard lately that reminds me of that great B-52's sound is the Tammys' "Egyptian Shumba", which predates them by quite a bit.

I guess Chicks On Speed might qualify...

http://mobile.theonion.com/articles/honey-im-not-going-to-stand-here-and-debate-the-me,18952/

I love The Onion...

Ricky Wilson's guitar playing is really unique and has a very minimalist perfection on those first two B-52s albums. The arrangements on the tunes are really clever, mostly just using a simple organ, key bass, the 3 vocals and maybe a guitar over dub. The songs are sparse as there isn't a whole lot of sustained chords, it's all these spikey simple melodies bouncing off each other. Listening to The B-52s now and hearing all of the octave chords playing simple melodies brings out a textural similarity to Sonic Youth and Fugazi, as they use that same type of chording and phrasing all over their tunes.

Ricky Wilson's one of my favorite guitarists, period.

Not just some vague "favorite," I'm talking like top 5.

don't know if it is considered a part of their legacy, but to me they are without a shadow of a doubt the funniest band.

this is the thread where i learned about ILM's obsession with the B-52's debut album (the very first Acclaimed Music poll that i ran): ttp://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=41&threadid=92483

try that again: Acclaimed Music Top 25 from 1979 poll

Imperial Teen - "Ivanka," "Baby," "Teacher's Pet" from the album On, but every album has a few.

Check out B-52's contemporaries The Cosmopolitans:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skNId-8g17A

Did the B-52s do any gigs with The Cramps? They would have had to, right?

The Cosmopolitans sound quite a bit like the B-52s, but there is something oddly about the dual female vocals that reminds me of Stereolab. Groovy.

Whenever I play early B-52s these days, I'm surprised how much they engender the same response for me as The Fall - jagged twang, bemused alienation, the perfect non sequitur. One spits where the other squeals with delight, but still. I imagine a face swap of "Mesopotamia" and "Bingo Master's Break Out".

Rank if you want to! Rank around the world!

Solid list; I disagree with none of it.

Too harsh on Whammy! More that half of it is excellent, fun jams.

Where would you place Mesopotamia & Party Mix if they were separated? To me Mesopotamia is one of their best, Party Mix a bit of a drag.

SUR-PRIIIIIIIZE

^that's one of my all-time favorite album openings.

slide ct down to 4, move whammy up to 5 and i'm good, but i just can't accept cosmic thing at 1 or 2 or 3. i do like the props to strickland and that's persuasive enough to get me to listen and think again to ct.

^everything OTM

Cosmic Thing is a great, great record, but the debut was a defining moment in my life. And I love Whammy, drum machines and all. I'd probably go debut, Wild Planet, Cosmic Thing, Whammy, and then the rest jockeying around.

realized I no longer own a copy of Cosmic Thing (I had it on cassette and never re-bought it cuz it was everywhere for awhile) and yet grabbed all the pre-CT stuff on vinyl for a couple bucks apiece way back when. such a great discography.

To be clear, I dislike the dull manner in which Wilson and Strickland program the drum machines, not the use of drum machines.

No I get that. They *are* kind of brittle and chirpy and Casio-like, but I dig 'em. I'm listening to the album today for the first time in a long while.

whammy rules

Wow, I was about to link Shakey to this, but screw that. What the actual fuck, though? I bought that thing brand new at Barnes + Noble like two or three years ago for $7.99. No idea why it's gotten so expensive in the interim.

Often when things become unavailable, scarcity drives up price.

That's the line I use on OKCupid.

Is it really that scarce, though? I mean, it's less than ten years old!

Things can be scarce the second they’re released, if there are few of them and any demand exists. That release is out of print, and one single customer decided $46 was a price he was willing to pay one single seller that was asking it. These are the facts we have, do with them what you will!

PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART-Y!

SUR-PRIIIIIIIZE

― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, September 26, 2018 11:37 AM (ten hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^that's one of my all-time favorite album openings.

― how's life, Wednesday, September 26, 2018 11:44 AM (ten hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I used to date a big B-52's fan who had a bunch of their albums running in her CD changer, and this intro had a knack for popping up awkwardly during intimate moments.

Nothing against the B-52’s, but I can’t imagine “getting intimate” to any part of any their songs!

Re: The David Byrne mix of "Mesopotamia" discussion from 12 years back, the UK vinyl Byrne mix has longer versions of 3 tracks:

8:33 vs. 5:00 - Loveland
7:45 vs. 5:48 - Cake
5:46 vs. 4:30 - Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can

I used to date a big B-52's fan who had a bunch of their albums running in her CD changer, and this intro had a knack for popping up awkwardly during intimate moments.

― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles),

I imagine Schneider breaking through the door like the Kool-Aid guy, holding a dead cat.

thread delivers

I don't know about 'getting intimate', but come on, 'WHERE'S MY TELEPHONE?!'

so since we were talking about doing the sex to B52s - there is a sex scene in the 1990 volleyball movie Sideout scored to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmQYJRNG5bM

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-b-52s-the-b-52s/

The rains have stopped, the stream out back is rushing past the cabin, and Kate Pierson is on my deck filming and calling the wild turkeys, who are gathered under the trees being courted… https://t.co/1OqqTfzbL6

— Laura Levine (@LauraLevinePix) April 20, 2019

dis is good
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/07/15/arts/music/b52s-influences-playlist.html

Yeah that is good fun. But no room for Lou Christie & the Tammys?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g0LwVgTiVA

Whiney did that NY Times thing