The B52's - Wild Planet

Original Release Date

1980

Release Information

UK LP 1980 (Island - ILPS 9622)
US LP 1980 (Warner Bros - BSK 3471)
UK CD 1988 (Island - 842 436-2/IMCD 108)
US CD 1989 (Warner Bros - 3471-2)

1 Party Out Of Bonds 3:19
2 Dirty Back Road 3:20
3 Running Around 3:10
4 Give Me Back My Man 3:59
5 Private Idaho 3:53
6 The Devil's In My Car 4:28
7 Quiche Lorraine 3:58
8 Strobelight 4:00
9 53 Miles West Of Venus 4:53

Chart Placings

UK Chart Hit: 18, 4 wks

Credits

LP:

Kate Pierson - vocals, organ, bass
Cindy Wilson - vocals, percussion, guitar
Ricky Wilson - guitar
Fred Schneider - vocals, keyboards
Keith ‘Julian’ Strickland - drums

Produced by Rhett Davies and The B-52's
Executive producer: Chris Blackwell
Engineer: Rhett Davies
Assistant Engineer: Benjamin Armbrister

Recorded at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas, 4/1980

Reviews & Opinions

DAVID HEPWORTH, SMASH HITS, SEPT 4-17, 1980: Anyone who reckoned that these Georgia fruitcases had shot their collective bolt with that debut album had better roll back the carpets and get into dancing shape because the B52's are shaking more violently than ever. Coming off a rhythmic base which lends them more substance and bounce, those three lead voices conduct a non stop conversation while clipped, funky guitars do dramatic things and furious deadpan drums pummel the action along. Imaginative, hilarious, sly and sharp: a person could easily flip their wig. (8 out of 10).

FRANK ROSE, ROLLING STONE, 1980: Wild Planet proves that the group is still discovering fresh directions in the wonderful world of kitsch. Who knows what horrors lurk fifty-three miles west of Venus? The next B-52's album might not be a party record at all.

SCOTT ISLER/IRA ROBBINS, THE TROUSER PRESS RECORD GUIDE, 1991: The eagerly awaited Wild Planet has its inspired moments: "Private Idaho" and "Devil in My Car" mesh a firm beat with dark and/or silly senti-ments. "Give Me Back My Man" takes a new direction - a serious (!) showcase for Cindy Wilson's Patsy Gine-influenced singing. (Vocalist Fred Schneider is usually up front for comic relief.) But too much of the album, with its short length and recycled ideas, comes across as a pale imitation of its predecessor.

ROBERT CHRISTGAU: I keep waiting for number two to come through on the dance floor the way the debut did, but "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.

RECORD COLLECTOR, 1993: Over a decade later, the first two B-52's albums (from 1979 and 1980) still exist in a world of their own. Like Devo, the band were lumped in with the American new wave, but singles like the over-played 'Rock Lobster', 'Planet Claire' (Henry Mancini meets Gary Numan) and the quirky '6060-842' from their debut owed little to punk aside from a blatant disregard for convention. The B-52's wacky party sound was more akin to the keyboard wackiness of Sparks or contemporaries like Talking Heads but with the addition of a strong sense of humour and kitsch 50s imagery (beehives, bright colours, and art deco furniture on their sleeves). But B-52's albums should be scratched and covered with beer stained and finger marks, not neatly tucked away on this Island Twinsets CD edition.

Additional Notes

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Images

UK LP 1980 (Island - ILPS 9622). Some in carrier bag. Click here for more

US LP 1980 (Warner Bros - BSK 3471). Click here for more

UK CD 1988 (Island - 842 436-2/IMCD 108)

US CD 1989 (Warner Bros - 3471-2)

 

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