Good Stuff

Last updated
Good Stuff
The B-52's - Good Stuff.jpg
Studio album by
the B-52's
ReleasedJune 23, 1992 [1]
RecordedNovember 1991–March 1992
Studio
Genre
Length56:01
Label Reprise
Producer
The B-52's chronology
Cosmic Thing
(1989)		Good Stuff
(1992)		 Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation
(1998)
Singles from Good Stuff
  1. "Good Stuff"
    Released: June 1992
  2. "Is That You Mo-Dean?"
    Released: August 1992
  3. "Tell It Like It T-I-Is"
    Released: November 1992
  4. "Revolution Earth"
    Released: February 1993
  5. "Hot Pants Explosion"
    Released: May 1993

Good Stuff is the sixth studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1992 by Reprise Records. It was conceived after the band's manager urged them to quickly issue a follow-up to their highly successful album Cosmic Thing (1989) and was created without founding member Cindy Wilson, who was on a temporary hiatus. The album peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 and its title track peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. Good Stuff was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards.

Contents

Background

Good Stuff was created in the wake of the departure of B-52's singer and founding member Cindy Wilson, who left the band after an Earth Day performance in Central Park in 1990. [2] The band were just finishing up 18 months of touring, following the massive success of their 1989 album, Cosmic Thing . [3] Wilson would ultimately be absent from the band from 1990 to 1994, taking a hiatus to raise children, and later stated, "My clock was ticking, so I chose to take some time off." [4] Wilson said that another reason for her departure was that she still missed her brother Ricky Wilson, the band's former guitarist who died in 1985, and that she "needed to step back and chill." [4] Fred Schneider recalled, "All of a sudden she just decided she was quitting ... so it was real stressful. It was a real shock." [3] However, the band continued with Wilson's blessing and eventually hired Julee Cruise to tour as a vocalist with the band. [3]

Guitarist Keith Strickland later stated that Good Stuff came about when the band's manager pushed them to quickly come up with a new album to follow up the success of Cosmic Thing, despite them being "burnt out" and "exhausted" from touring. [5] Like Cosmic Thing, Good Stuff was produced jointly by Nile Rodgers and Don Was. [6]

Commercial performance

The title track, "Good Stuff", was issued as the lead single and peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, charting for 13 weeks. [7] The album charted for 15 weeks, peaking at No. 16 on the Billboard 200, [7] and went on to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards, losing to Tom Waits's Bone Machine . [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Calgary Herald B− [10]
Robert Christgau Scissors icon black.svg [11]
Entertainment Weekly C [6]
Orlando Sentinel Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 6/10 [14]

David Browne of Entertainment Weekly felt the album "reduces their sound to a dull formula", and that "their attempts to keep the party going ... sound more forced than ever", although he cited "Revolution Earth" as the highlight. [6] Elysa Gardner of Rolling Stone found the work of the two producers "impressively seamless", citing "Dreamland" and "Bad Influence" as highlights, and added that "Pierson's richly textured vocals hold up just fine on their own" in light of the absence of Cindy Wilson. [13]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine thought the title track "was a transparent attempt to recapture the good vibes of 'Love Shack'" that "didn't succeed" but "did have the distinction of being the best single pulled from Good Stuff." [9]

Track listing

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

  1. "Tell It Like It T-I-Is" – 5:13
  2. "Hot Pants Explosion" – 4:55
  3. "Good Stuff" – 5:58
  4. "Revolution Earth" (Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Robert Waldrop) – 5:48
  5. "Dreamland" – 7:35
  6. "Is That You Mo-Dean?" – 5:32
  7. "The World's Green Laughter" (Strickland) – 4:04
  8. "Vision of a Kiss" – 5:57
  9. "Breezin'" – 5:21
  10. "Bad Influence" – 5:41

Personnel

The B-52's

Additional musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for Good Stuff
Chart (1992)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [15] 36
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [16] 21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [17] 45
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [18] 22
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [19] 14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [20] 36
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [21] 26
UK Albums (OCC) [22] 8
US Billboard 200 [23] 16

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [24] Silver60,000^
United States (RIAA) [25] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The B-52s</span> American rock band

The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson (guitar), and Keith Strickland. Ricky Wilson died of AIDS-related illness in 1985, and Strickland switched from drums to lead guitar. The band has also added various members for albums and live performances.

<i>Harlem World</i> 1997 studio album by Mase

Harlem World is the debut studio album by American rapper Mase. It was released on October 28, 1997, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album was nominated at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. It went on to sell 4.9 million copies and going quadruple platinum in the United States.

<i>Jar of Flies</i> 1994 EP by Alice in Chains

Jar of Flies is the third studio EP by American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released on January 25, 1994, by Columbia Records. The band's second acoustic EP, after 1992's Sap, it was the first EP in music history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with the first week sales exceeding 141,000 copies in the United States. The self-produced record was written and recorded over the course of just one week at the London Bridge Studio in Seattle. The tracks "No Excuses", "I Stay Away" and "Don't Follow" were released as singles to promote the EP. Jar of Flies was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1995: Best Recording Package and Best Hard Rock Performance for "I Stay Away".

<i>Wild Planet</i> 1980 studio album by the B-52s

Wild Planet is the second studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1980 by Warner Bros. Records.

<i>Cosmic Thing</i> 1989 studio album by the B-52s

Cosmic Thing is the fifth studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1989 by Reprise Records. It contains the singles "Love Shack", "Roam" and "Deadbeat Club", which reached the Top 10, 20 and 30 of the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, respectively. The music video for "Love Shack" won the award for Best Group Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. Six of the album's songs were produced by Nile Rodgers in New York City, and the remaining four by Don Was in upstate New York.

<i>Whammy!</i> 1983 studio album by the B-52s

Whammy! is the third studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on April 27, 1983, by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, in December 1982 and produced by Steven Stanley. The album spawned three singles: "Legal Tender", "Whammy Kiss", and "Song for a Future Generation".

<i>Bouncing Off the Satellites</i> 1986 studio album by the B-52s

Bouncing off the Satellites is the fourth studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on September 8, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded in July 1985 and was produced by Tony Mansfield. Founding member and guitarist Ricky Wilson died of AIDS after most of the work on the album was completed, but a year prior to its release. The B-52's had gone on hiatus by the time Bouncing Off the Satellites was released, and it took three years for the band to recover from Wilson's death and release their next studio album, Cosmic Thing.

<i>Chicago 17</i> 1984 studio album by Chicago

Chicago 17 is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Chicago, released on May 14, 1984. It was the group's second release for Full Moon/Warner Bros. Records, their second album to be produced by David Foster and their last with founding bassist/vocalist Peter Cetera. As of 2023, it remains Chicago's best-selling album, with over 6.1 million copies being sold in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Four singles were released from the album, all of which peaked in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The success of the music videos for "Stay the Night", "You're the Inspiration", and "Hard Habit to Break" on MTV propelled Chicago 17 to achieve an RIAA certification of six times platinum.

<i>Sixpence None the Richer</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Sixpence None the Richer

Sixpence None the Richer is the third studio album by American band Sixpence None the Richer, released in 1997. It was certified platinum by the RIAA on February 9, 2000, for a million certified units in the United States and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album.

<i>Caribou</i> (album) 1974 studio album by Elton John

Caribou is the eighth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 24 June 1974 by MCA Records in the US and on 28 June by DJM Records in the UK. It was his fourth chart-topping album in the United States and his third in the United Kingdom. The album contains the singles "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", which reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart and number two in the US, and "The Bitch Is Back", which reached number 15 in the UK and number four in the US. Both singles reached number one in Canada on the RPM 100 national Top Singles Chart, as did the album itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Wilson</span> American singer-songwriter and musician

Cynthia Leigh Wilson is an American musician and one of the vocalists, songwriters and founding members of new wave rock band the B-52's. She is noted for her distinctive contralto voice and also plays percussion during live shows. She is the younger sister of the late guitarist Ricky Wilson (1953–1985), who was also a founding member of the band.

<i>Turning Point</i> (Mario album) 2004 studio album by Mario

Turning Point is the second studio album by American recording artist Mario, released by J Records on December 7, 2004 in the United States. A R&B record with heavy elements of soul and hip hop music, it involves a diverse roster of collaborators including Scott Storch, Lil Jon, The Underdogs, Carvin & Ivan, and Sean Garrett. The album guests include Cassidy, Juvenile, Jadakiss, T.I. and Baby Cham.

<i>Nude on the Moon: The B-52s Anthology</i> 2002 compilation album by the B-52s

Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology is a two-CD compilation album containing 35 songs recorded by American new wave band the B-52's between the years 1979 and 1998. This compilation includes live recordings of "Quiche Lorraine" and "Whammy Kiss", and a previously unreleased outtake version of "Queen of Las Vegas". The title is a reference to the 1961 film of the same title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roam</span> 1989 single by the B-52s

"Roam" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's released as the fourth single from their fifth studio album, Cosmic Thing (1989). The vocals are sung by Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson, making it the only vocal track on the album without any vocal involvement from Fred Schneider. It is also the only track from the album in which the B-52's worked with a co-writer, Robert Waldrop, who penned the lyrics. Released as a single in 1989, "Roam" peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and entered the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.

<i>Your Secret Love</i> 1996 studio album by Luther Vandross

Your Secret Love is the tenth studio album by American R&B singer Luther Vandross, released by Epic Records in October 1996. The album's title track won the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and was nominated for Best R&B Song at the 39th Grammy Awards in 1997. The album served as Vandross's final album under Epic Records after being part of the record label for fifteen years.

<i>Never Let Me Go</i> (Luther Vandross album) 1993 studio album by Luther Vandross

Never Let Me Go is the eighth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on May 26, 1993, in the US by Epic. It was his first studio album not to debut at #1 on the R&B Albums chart.

<i>Funplex</i> Album by The B-52s

Funplex is the seventh studio album by the B-52s, recorded during 2006 and 2007. The album was released on March 25, 2008 by Astralwerks Records. It was the first album of new material the group had released since Good Stuff in 1992, although the band did record two new songs for their 1998 compilation album Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planet Claire</span> 1979 single by The B-52s

"Planet Claire" is a song by the B-52's, released as the second single from their self-titled debut album in July 1979. Based on Duane Eddy's version of Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn theme, the single reached number 43 on the Australian Kent Music Report chart and number 24 on the Billboard dance chart in the US.

<i>The Union</i> (Elton John and Leon Russell album) 2010 studio album by Elton John and Leon Russell

The Union is a collaboration studio album by singer-songwriters Elton John and Leon Russell, released on 19 October 2010 in the US and on 25 October in the UK. This is John's second collaboration album, after 1993's Duets. This is the first studio release by John since 1979's Victim of Love without any of his regular band members. It is also his highest charting studio album on the Billboard 200 since 1976's Blue Moves, debuting at No. 3, as well as Russell's highest charting studio album since 1972's Carney. The Union was No. 3 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.

<i>Analog Man</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Joe Walsh

Analog Man is the eleventh and latest solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh, formerly of the James Gang and lead guitarist for the Eagles. The album was released in mid 2012, on the label Fantasy in the United States and the United Kingdom, It is also his first new solo studio album to be released since 1992's Songs for a Dying Planet, 20 years prior. The album features 10 new songs, and was co-produced by Walsh, Jeff Lynne, who also performs various instruments and backing vocals on the album, and Tim Armstrong from the punk band Rancid who co-wrote and plays guitar on one of the album's songs. The album also features contributions from the former Beatles drummer, Ringo Starr, the former Barnstorm members, Kenny Passarelli and Joe Vitale, former James Gang members, Jim Fox and Dale Peters, David Crosby and Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills & Nash and also a duet with Little Richard.

References

  1. ↑ The B-52's (2002). Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology (CD liner notes). Rhino Entertainment. R2 78357.
  2. ↑ Tortorici, Frank (February 26, 1999). "The B-52's' Cindy Wilson". MTV . Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Baird, Kirk (July 13, 2001). "Still Roaming". Las Vegas Sun . Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Provenzano, Jim (November 23, 2016). "Cindy Wilson: The B52s cofounder soars as a soloist". Bay Area Reporter . Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  5. ↑ Grow, Kory (June 1, 2018). "Love Shacks, Rock Lobsters and Nude Parties: The B-52's in Their Own Words". Rolling Stone . Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Browne, David (June 26, 1992). "Good Stuff Review". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  7. 1 2 "The B-52s - Chart History". Billboard . Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  8. ↑ "35th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards . Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The B-52s - Good Stuff Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic . Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ Muretich, James (June 28, 1992). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald .
  11. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Album - B-52's: Good Stuff". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  12. ↑ Gettelman, Parry (July 3, 1992). "The B-52's". Orlando Sentinel .
  13. 1 2 Gardner, Elysa. "The B-52's: Good Stuff". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on April 10, 2008.
  14. ↑ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN   9780679755746.
  15. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – B-52's – Good Stuff". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  16. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2071". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  17. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – B-52's – Good Stuff" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  18. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  19. ↑ "Charts.nz – B-52's – Good Stuff". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  20. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – B-52's – Good Stuff". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  21. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – B-52's – Good Stuff". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  22. ↑ "B-52's | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  23. ↑ "B-52's Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  24. ↑ "British album certifications – B-52's – Good Stuff". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  25. ↑ "American album certifications – B-52's – Good Stuff". Recording Industry Association of America.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.