Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation

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Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation
Time Capsule-B-52's .jpg
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedMay 26, 1998
Recorded1978–1998
Genre
Length79:22
Label Reprise
Producer
The B-52's chronology
Good Stuff
(1992)
Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation
(1998)
Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology
(2002)
Singles from Time Capsule
  1. "Debbie"
    Released: 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Robert Christgau A [2]

Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation is a greatest hits album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1998. The album presents sixteen of their single releases and fan-favorite album tracks in chronological order, with the addition of two new songs recorded exclusively for this collection.

Contents

Background

The album includes sixteen previously released as well as two new songs, "Hallucinating Pluto" and "Debbie". [3] The latter is a tribute to Debbie Harry of Blondie. [3] Also exclusive to this release is the "Original Unreleased Mix" of their 1986 song "Summer of Love".

The album cover features the five founding band members standing in front of the Unisphere.

Singer Cindy Wilson, who had been absent for several years, made her return to recording with the group on this album, and shared songwriting credits on the two new tracks. [3] As noted in the book The B-52's Universe, the band intended this to be a larger box set consisting of singles, demos, outtakes, and new tracks, but Warner made the band condense the tracklist to a single disc.

Release

Editions released in Europe, Japan and Brazil had a different track listing to the US release. In Europe and Japan the album was shortened to 15 tracks, "Quiche Lorraine" being substituted with a live version, which previously appeared on the charity record Tame Yourself , and adding "(Meet) The Flintstones". The Brazilian edition was based on the European one: it omitted track two "52 Girls" and added "Legal Tender" as track eight instead.

A video compilation consisting of twelve of the band's music videos, titled Time Capsule: Videos for a Future Generation 1979–1998, was also released on VHS.

In 2009 the album was reissued in Australia based on the international edition CD, but with new changes, and packed with a DVD reissue of Time Capsule: Videos for a Future Generation 1979–1998. The CD replaced the exclusive version of "Summer Of Love" with the 1986 single mix and "Debbie" with "Give Me Back My Man".

Reception

The album spent 11 weeks on the U.S. Billboard album charts and reached its peak position of #93 in June 1998. [4]

Track listing

North American edition
No.TitleWriter(s)OriginLength
1."Planet Claire" The B-52's , 19794:36
2."52 Girls"The B-52's3:35
3."Rock Lobster" (single edit)
  • Schneider
  • R. Wilson
The B-52's4:54
4."Party Out of Bounds"
Wild Planet , 19803:21
5."Strobe Light"
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet4:00
6."Private Idaho"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet3:34
7."Quiche Lorraine"
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet3:58
8."Mesopotamia" (1990 remix)
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
Mesopotamia , 19823:50
9."Song for a Future Generation"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
  • R. Wilson
Whammy! , 19833:59
10."Summer of Love" (original unreleased mix)
  • Pierson
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
Bouncing Off the Satellites , 19864:35
11."Channel Z"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing , 19894:50
12."Deadbeat Club"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:54
13."Love Shack"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing5:22
14."Roam"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • Robert Waldrop
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:52
15."Good Stuff"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
Good Stuff , 19925:55
16."Is That You Mo-Dean?"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
Good Stuff5:07
17."Debbie"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Previously unreleased, 19983:34
18."Hallucinating Pluto"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Previously unreleased, 19984:19
Brazilian edition
No.TitleWriter(s)OriginLength
1."Planet Claire"
  • Mancini
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
The B-52's4:36
2."Rock Lobster" (single edit)
  • Schneider
  • R. Wilson
The B-52's4:54
3."Party Out of Bounds"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet3:21
4."Strobe Light"
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet4:00
5."Private Idaho"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet3:34
6."Quiche Lorraine"
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet3:58
7."Mesopotamia" (1990 remix)
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
Mesopotamia3:50
8."Legal Tender"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • Waldrop
  • C. Wilson
  • R. Wilson
Whammy!3:41
9."Song for a Future Generation"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
  • R. Wilson
Whammy!3:59
10."Summer of Love" (original unreleased mix)
  • Pierson
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
Bouncing Off the Satellites4:35
11."Channel Z"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:50
12."Deadbeat Club"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:54
13."Love Shack"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing5:22
14."Roam"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • Waldrop
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:52
15."Good Stuff"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
Good Stuff5:55
16."Is That You Mo-Dean?"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
Good Stuff5:07
17."Debbie"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Previously unreleased3:34
18."Hallucinating Pluto"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Previously unreleased4:19
International edition
No.TitleWriter(s)OriginLength
1."Planet Claire"
  • Mancini
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
The B-52's4:36
2."Rock Lobster" (single edit)
  • Schneider
  • R. Wilson
The B-52's4:54
3."Private Idaho"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet3:34
4."Quiche Lorraine" (live in Mountain View, California, August 1990)
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet3:58
5."Mesopotamia" (1990 remix)
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
Mesopotamia3:50
6."Summer of Love" (original unreleased mix)
  • Pierson
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
Bouncing Off the Satellites4:35
7."Channel Z"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:50
8."Deadbeat Club"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:54
9."Love Shack"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing5:22
10."Roam"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • Waldrop
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:52
11."Good Stuff"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
Good Stuff5:55
12."Is That You Mo-Dean?"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
Good Stuff5:07
13."(Meet) The Flintstones" The Flintstones: Music from Bedrock , 19942:24
14."Debbie"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Previously unreleased3:34
15."Hallucinating Pluto"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Previously unreleased4:19
2009 Australian reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)OriginLength
1."Planet Claire"
  • Mancini
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
The B-52's4:36
2."Rock Lobster" (single edit)
  • Schneider
  • R. Wilson
The B-52's4:54
3."Private Idaho"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet3:34
4."Quiche Lorraine" (live in Mountain View, California, August 1990)
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet3:58
5."Mesopotamia" (1990 remix)
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
Mesopotamia3:50
6."Summer of Love" (single mix)
  • Pierson
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
Bouncing Off the Satellites4:03
7."Channel Z"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:50
8."Deadbeat Club"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:54
9."Love Shack"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing5:22
10."Roam"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • Waldrop
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:52
11."Good Stuff"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
Good Stuff5:55
12."Is That You Mo-Dean?"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
Good Stuff5:07
13."(Meet) The Flintstones" The Flintstones: Music from Bedrock 2:24
14."Give Me Back My Man"
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
  • R. Wilson
Wild Planet3:34
15."Hallucinating Pluto"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Previously unreleased4:19

Time Capsule: Videos for a Future Generation 1979–1998

No.TitleWriter(s)OriginLength
1."Rock Lobster" (live in New York City, March 1979)
  • Schneider
  • R. Wilson
The B-52's7:07
2."Legal Tender"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • Waldrop
  • C. Wilson
  • R. Wilson
Whammy!3:41
3."Song for a Future Generation"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
  • R. Wilson
Whammy!3:59
4."Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland" (single edit)
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
Bouncing Off the Satellites3:54
5."Channel Z"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:50
6."Love Shack" (single edit)
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:19
7."Roam" (single edit)
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • Waldrop
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:05
8."Deadbeat Club"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing4:54
9."(Shake That) Cosmic Thing" (live in Mountain View, California, August 1990)
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Cosmic Thing3:51
10."Good Stuff" (single edit)
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
Good Stuff4:25
11."Is That You Mo-Dean?" (single edit)
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
Good Stuff4:25
12."Debbie"
  • Pierson
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • C. Wilson
Previously unreleased3:34

Chart performance

Chart (1998)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [5] 40
U.S. Billboard 200 93

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [6] Platinum70,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. The B-52's – Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation : Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  2. Christgau, Robert. "Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation". Robert Christgau.
  3. 1 2 3 Stubbs, David (August 1998). "The B-52s: Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation". Uncut . UK.
  4. "Billboard 200: The B-52s". Billboard . 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  5. "The B-52s – Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  6. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved December 27, 2021.