Wild Planet

Last updated
Wild Planet
The B-52's - Wild Planet.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 27, 1980 [1]
RecordedApril 1980
Studio Compass Point (Nassau)
Genre
Length34:44
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Rhett Davies, the B-52's
The B-52s chronology
The B-52's
(1979)
Wild Planet
(1980)
Party Mix!
(1981)
Singles from Wild Planet
  1. "Private Idaho"
    Released: October 1980
  2. "Give Me Back My Man"
    Released: 1980
  3. "Party Out of Bounds"
    Released: 1980

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

Contents

As with their first album, the B-52's traveled to Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas to record Wild Planet. [2] Several of the songs from the album had been concert staples since 1978. The band did not record them for their first album, as they had more songs than could fit in a quality LP record. [3] [4]

Film director Gus Van Sant later referred to the song "Private Idaho" in the title of his 1991 film My Own Private Idaho and thanked the band in the film's credits, although he did not seek approval from the band to use it. [5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]
Christgau's Record Guide B+ [7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [9]
PopMatters 8/10 [10]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [11]
Select 3/5 [12]
Smash Hits 8/10 [13]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 7/10 [14]

Commercial

Wild Planet charted for 27 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 18. [15] Wild Planet was certified Gold by the RIAA. [2]

Critical

Billboard gave Wild Planet a positive review, calling it an improvement over the band's debut album and "a cinch for hot rotation in rock-oriented discos". [16] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice observed, "'Party Out of Bounds' and 'Quiche Lorraine' are expert entertainments at best and the wacko parochialism of 'Private Idaho' is a positive annoyance. Only on 'Devil in My Car' and 'Give Me Back My Man' do they exploit the potential for meaning—cosmic and emotional, respectively—that accrues to the world's greatest new-wave kiddie-novelty disco-punk band." [17] Frank Rose of Rolling Stone felt that it "plainly lacks the relentless exuberance of the group's debut disc", which he considered "partly a result of the production: flatter and duller sounding than its predecessor". [18] While Trouser Press thought the album had its "inspired moments", they concluded that "too much of the album, with its short length and recycled ideas, comes across as a pale imitation of its predecessor." [19]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, David Cleary thought the songs were "faster, tighter, and punchier than previously, though production values are not as wonderfully quirky and detailed", and highlighted the "cunning mix of girl group, garage band, surf, and television theme song influences, all propelled along by an itchy dance beat." [6] In 2018, Pitchfork ranked Wild Planet number 183 on its critics' list of the 200 greatest albums of the 1980s. [20]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Party Out of Bounds"3:21
2."Dirty Back Road"
  • R. Wilson
  • Robert Waldrop
3:21
3."Runnin' Around"
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
  • Pierson
3:09
4."Give Me Back My Man"
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
4:00
5."Private Idaho"
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
  • Pierson
3:35
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Devil in My Car"
  • Schneider
  • R. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
  • Pierson
4:28
2."Quiche Lorraine"
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
3:58
3."Strobe Light"
  • Schneider
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
3:59
4."53 Miles West of Venus"
  • Strickland
  • R. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
  • Pierson
4:53
Total length:34:44

Personnel

The B-52's

Technical

Chart performance

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [27] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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