THE B-52'S, THE EARLY YEARS: Pop Culture Graveyard, Ep. 4 | Ricky Wilson Guitar

Hope you enjoyed Pop Culture Graveyard's deep dive into how Ricky Wilson's Guitar drove the sound of The B-52's early years. Let me know your thoughts on the B-52s in the comments!

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B-52's - The legend begins. Their self-titled debut is the perfect symbiosis of everything the band does well. Propelled by Ricky's infectious guitar, Kate and Cindy's gorgeously off-kilter vocals, Keith's rock-solid drumming and Fred's game-show-host histrionics, this LP does not let up for a minute. For a band with such a unique sonic palette, the range of songs is stunning; the Sci-Fi horror of Planet Claire, the surf-party fun of Dance This Mess Around, and the power-play sex of Hero Worship all coexist cohesively. In Lava, volcanic badasses Krakatoa, Pompeii and Herculaneum are all reduced to pale analogies of the song-subject's burning/erupting love. If rock bands were drinks, the B-52's would be served in a coconut with five umbrellas--all tiki-bar kitsch, sweet to the taste but laced with stronger stuff. Rock Lobster deservedly took over the world, but for me, 52 Girls and Dance This Mess Around are the album standouts. Deep cut: A cover of Downtown, which they make their own. https://amzn.to/3xsUk5i

Wild Planet - This LP features songs that didn't make the first album, from the same setlist the band had been playing for years prior to their record deal. It should come as no surprise then that it rocks as hard as it does. Party Out Of Bounds and Private Idaho are as good as anything on the first album, and Give Me Back My Man may be the most underrated B-52's song ever--with Cindy's pleading vocals showcasing her heartbreaking range. My two favorite tracks on the LP, though, are Dirty Back Road (Ricky's down-and-dirty guitar work meshes perfectly with the girls' doubled vocals and subversive lyrics) and Devil In My Car, another guitar rave-up, this time about, well, literally the devil in their car. Deep cut: Strobe Light https://amzn.to/37mD8Uu

Party Mix - Far from a mercenary cash-grab, this album features exciting remixes of songs from their first two LPs. In fact, it kicks off with my favorite version of Party Out Of Bounds. There's something about the remix's echo-chamber production that really draws the listener into that wild party. Lava's remix slides some saxophone underneath the murky mix. And the segue from Dance This Mess Around into 52 Girls is so perfect it has to be heard to be believed. If given a choice, get the LP on vinyl where each side's remixes blend seamlessly into one long track as intended; other formats separate the songs. Deep cut: Side Two! https://amzn.to/3xxWZup

Mesopotamia - This EP was produced by David Byrne and saw the band experimenting with different instruments, song structures and production techniques. Title track Mesopotamia was my favorite B-52's track for years, perfectly showcasing the vocal interplay between Fred and Kate. Nip It In The Bud is the ideal synthesis between the B-52's signature sound and the forward-thinking Byrne's off-beat production. Standout track Loveland is a real Cindy showcase, with her vocal melodies carrying the entire song (The UK pressing contains an extra three minutes and thirty-five seconds of Loveland goodness). Deep cut: Cake https://amzn.to/3xr1MOf

Best live audio I've found of the B-52's on the "MesoAmerica" Tour. This set catches them in NYC: https://youtu.be/SFZRYW8-Jh8

Whammy! - The band amps up the synth sound and blast off into outer space with this deliciously '80s album. Whammy Kiss was everything I wanted from the band, and to this day is a top-five B-52's song for me. Legal Tender and Song For A Future Generation are also among their best songs. Although Big Bird, Butterbean and Queen Of Las Vegas were outtakes from the Mesopotamia EP, all three were rerecorded so as to fit in perfectly with the LP's other tracks. For my money, Trism is the most underrated track on an under-appreciated album. Deep cut: Queen Of Las Vegas https://amzn.to/2WRj1f5

Bouncing Off The Satellites - The final Ricky Wilson album, this unfairly maligned LP boasts some fine songs. Cindy's vocals really shine on Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland, with a killer chorus and perhaps the best production on the whole LP. Wig is a fitting throwback to their quirky early work updated for the mid '80s. This album's "semi-hit" Summer Of Love doesn't disappoint, but something about the bittersweet production doesn't match its sunny lyrics. If there's a hidden gem on this LP, it's She Brakes For Rainbows. Deep cut: Juicy Jungle https://amzn.to/3isT0uV

Live! 8-24-1979 - In 2015 Real Gone Music released this album (an edited set from one of two concerts on my 2-disc "Anola Gay" bootleg). Though repackaged, the audio retains all its original grit: https://amzn.to/3ClERYz

#B52s #RockLobster #VinylCollection

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