The B-52's (album)

The B-52's

Cover art by Tony Wright
Studio album by The B-52's
Released July 6, 1979
Recorded 1978–1979 at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas
Genre
Length 39:14
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Chris Blackwell
The B-52's chronology
The B-52's
(1979)
Wild Planet
(1980)
Singles from The B-52's
  1. "Rock Lobster"
    Released: April 1978
  2. "Planet Claire"
    Released: July 6, 1979
  3. "Dance This Mess Around"
    Released: 1979

The B-52's is the eponymous debut album by the Athens, Georgia-based new wave band The B-52's. The kitschy lyrics and mood, and the hook-laden harmonies helped establish a fanbase for the band, who went on to release several chart-topping singles. The album cover was designed by Tony Wright (credited as Sue Ab Surd).

The B-52's peaked at number 59 on the Billboard 200,[3] and "Rock Lobster" reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] In 2003, the television network VH1 named The B-52's the 99th greatest album of all time. Shortly before his death, John Lennon said he enjoyed the album.[5] In his 1995 book, The Alternative Music Almanac, Alan Cross placed the album ninth on the list of 10 Classic Alternative Albums. In 2003, the album was ranked number 152 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideA[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Select4/5[11]
Slant Magazine[12]
Smash Hits5/10[13]
Spin Alternative Record Guide10/10[14]

Critical reception for The B-52's was generally favorable; critics praised the album's kitschy lyrics and party atmosphere.[1][15] Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album a perfect 5 out of 5 stars, stating that "Unabashed kitsch mavens at a time when their peers were either vulgar or stylish, the Athens quintet celebrated all the silliest aspects of pre-Beatles pop culture -- bad hairdos, sci-fi nightmares, dance crazes, pastels, and anything else that sprung into their minds -- to a skewed fusion of pop, surf, avant-garde, amateurish punk, and white funk."[1] Rolling Stone also gave the album 5 out of 5 stars, concluding that "On The B-52's, the best little dance band from Athens proved that rock & roll still matters if it's about sex and hair and moving your body. Even if you have to shake-bake shake-bake it like a Shy Tuna."[9] Music critic Robert Christgau initially awarded the album with an "A-", though he later upgraded the album's rating to an "A," commenting that he is "more delighted with their rhythms, which show off their Georgia roots by adapting the innovations of early funk (a decade late, just like the Stones and Chicago blues) to an endlessly danceable forcebeat format."[7] Slant gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "(l)ike any over-the-top act, The B-52’s wears thin, but the band successfully positioned themselves as pop-culture icons—not unlike the musical antiquities they emulated."[12]

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[16]

Track listing

All tracks written by The B-52's, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Planet Claire"  Henry Mancini,[17] Fred Schneider, Keith StricklandSchneider, Pierson4:35
2."52 Girls"  Jeremy Ayers, Ricky WilsonPierson, Wilson3:34
3."Dance This Mess Around"   Schneider, C. Wilson4:36
4."Rock Lobster"  Schneider, R. WilsonPierson, Schneider, C. Wilson6:49
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Lava"   Pierson, Schneider, C. Wilson4:54
2."There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)"   Pierson, Schneider, C. Wilson4:54
3."Hero Worship"  Robert Waldrop, R. WilsonC. Wilson4:07
4."6060-842"  Pierson, Schneider, Strickland, R. WilsonPierson, Schneider, C. Wilson2:48
5."Downtown" (Petula Clark cover, 1964)Tony HatchPierson, C. Wilson2:57
Total length:39:14

Personnel

Production

Charts and certifications

Chart performance

Album

Chart (1980) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 [3] 59
UK Albums Chart 22
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart 3

Singles

Single Chart (1980) Position
"Planet Claire/Rock Lobster/Dance This Mess Around" Billboard Club Play Singles [4] 24
"Rock Lobster" Billboard Hot 100 [4] 56

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[18] Platinum 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[19] Platinum 1,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The B-52's – The B-52's". AllMusic. Retrieved March 22, 2004.
  2. "The Definitive Guide to Dance-Rock". Spin. 21 (10). October 2005.
  3. 1 2 The B-52's > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at AllMusic. Retrieved 16 October 2004.
  4. 1 2 3 The B-52's > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles at AllMusic. Retrieved 16 October 2004.
  5. imdb.com
  6. Levy, Joe; Steven Van Zandt (2006) [2005]. "152 | The B-52's - The B-52's". Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (3rd ed.). London: Turnaround. ISBN 1-932958-61-4. OCLC 70672814. Archived from the original on 3 April 2010. Retrieved 8 Aug 2011.
  7. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (September 3, 1979). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 13, 2012. Relevant portion posted with a new rating at "The B-52's: The B-52's > Consumer Guide Album". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved March 31, 2006.
  8. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-857-12595-8.
  9. 1 2 Blashill, Pat (October 16, 2003). "The B-52's: The B-52's". Rolling Stone (933). Archived from the original on June 2, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2004.
  10. Considine, J.D. (2004). "The B-52's". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 67–68. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
  11. Cavanagh, David (July 1990). "Flip Your Wig". Select (1): 121.
  12. 1 2 Cinquemani, Sal (October 11, 2003). "The B-52's: The B-52's". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  13. Starr, Red (August 9–22, 1979). "Albums". Smash Hits: 25.
  14. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-67975574-8.
  15. Carson, Tom (September 20, 1979). "The B-52's: The B-52's Music Reviews". Rolling Stone (300). Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
  16. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
  17. Mancini is credited as a co-author of "Planet Claire" on reissues of the album due to the song's use of the bass line from Mancini's "Peter Gunn."
  18. "Sale 40 - Lot 489: Australian Record Industry Association Award For The B-52's". Australian Recording Industry Association. Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles. 2011. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
  19. "American album certifications – The B-52's". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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