Wild Planet | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 27, 1980 [1] | |||
Recorded | April 1980 | |||
Studio | Compass Point (Nassau) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 34:44 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | Rhett Davies, the B-52's | |||
The B-52's chronology | ||||
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Singles from Wild Planet | ||||
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Wild Planet is the second studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1980 by Warner Bros. Records.
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, knowing that performing the tracks live would make fans look forward to it.[ citation needed ]
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. [3]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [5] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [7] |
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
Select | 3/5 [9] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10 [10] |
Wild Planet charted for 27 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 18. [11] Wild Planet was certified Gold by the RIAA. [2]
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". [12] 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." [13] 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". [14] 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." [15]
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." [4]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Party Out of Bounds" | 3:21 | |
2. | "Dirty Back Road" |
| 3:21 |
3. | "Runnin' Around" |
| 3:09 |
4. | "Give Me Back My Man" |
| 4:00 |
5. | "Private Idaho" |
| 3:35 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Devil in My Car" |
| 4:28 |
2. | "Quiche Lorraine" |
| 3:58 |
3. | "Strobe Light" |
| 3:59 |
4. | "53 Miles West of Venus" |
| 4:53 |
Total length: | 34:44 |
The B-52's
Technical
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [22] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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.
Kings of the Wild Frontier is the second album by English new wave band Adam and the Ants. It was released on 7 November 1980 by CBS Records in the UK and Epic records internationally. The album was the UK number 1 selling album in 1981 and won Best British Album at the 1982 Brit Awards.
The B-52's is the 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.
Catherine Elizabeth Pierson is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52's. She plays guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the early years, as well as being a vocalist, Pierson was the main keyboard player and performed on a keyboard bass during live shows and on many of the band's recordings, taking on a role usually filled by a bass guitar player, which differentiated the band from their contemporaries. This, along with Pierson's distinctive wide-ranging singing voice, remains a trademark of the B-52's' unique sound. Pierson has also collaborated with many other artists including the Ramones, Iggy Pop and R.E.M. Pierson possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range.
Frederick William Schneider III is an American singer and frontman of the rock band the B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well known for his sprechgesang, which he developed from reciting poetry over guitars.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
"Rock Lobster" is a song written by Fred Schneider and Ricky Wilson, two members of the B-52's. It was twice recorded and released as a single, first by DB Records as their debut release in April 1978, and again the following year for the band's self-titled debut album on Warner Bros. Records.
Party Mix! is a remix album by American new wave band the B-52's, originally released in 1981 by Warner Bros. Records.
Mesopotamia is an EP by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1982. It was produced by David Byrne of Talking Heads and was originally planned to be the band's third studio album. Due to conflicts with Byrne and record label pressure, recording sessions were aborted prematurely and only six of ten songs to be completed were released. The record was distributed as a 12-inch EP by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and by Island Records on vinyl and cassette in the UK and other non-U.S. markets.
"Party Out of Bounds" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's, from their second album, Wild Planet (1980). Featured with the other dancefloor-bound tracks from the album, the song peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1980 as an album cut and has long been a staple of alternative/new wave dance club playlists. Lyrically, the song is a guide on how to better plan house parties in order to prevent potential disasters. An instrumental dub mix was included on the B-side of the vinyl 45 rpm single "Private Idaho".
"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.
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.
"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.
"Private Idaho" is a single released by the B-52's from their second studio album Wild Planet (1980).
"Legal Tender" is the first single released by the B-52's from their third studio album Whammy! (1983).
"Love Shack" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's from their fifth studio album, Cosmic Thing (1989). It was released on June 20, 1989, and was produced by Don Was. The song was a comeback for the band, following their decline in popularity in the mid-1980s and the death of guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985.