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 'B-52s—
Nude On The Moon Anthology'
by The B-52s
on Rhino Records
A few years ago The B-52’s (who got their name for the mile high
hairstyle of lead singers Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson and not the
bomber plane) came out with a ‘Time Capsule’ of all their greatest hits.
It’s always best to wait in this reviewer’s opinion because something
better could be just around the corner. Well three years later Rhino
Records has released 'Nude on the Moon: The Anthology'. The Athens band
(that’s Georgia not Greece folks), which started with four friends who
had no musical experience but a quirky outlook on live, decided to try
their hand at the new wave sound of the late 70’s. Their first album,
the self-titled debut, still rocks after all these years with classics
such as ‘Rock Lobster’ and ’52 Girls’. During the mid 80’s they lost one
of their founding members Ricky Wilson (Cindy’s older brother) to AIDS
but by the end of the decade they had ‘regrouped’ and went back into the
studio. Boy did they ever produce a winner album as a result. 'Cosmic
Thing' was released in 1989 with a slew of Top 40 hits making it their
most successful album to date with yet again more ‘classic’ songs that
can be heard today such as ‘Love Shack’, ‘Roam’ and ‘Deadbeat Club’.
The anthology opens with ’52 Girls’ when their sound was fresh
and new. In truth no one has quite been able to master The B-52’s
avant-garde style although they’ve had many imitators over the years.
Even The Talking Heads who’s front man David Byrne produced The B-52’s
album 'Mesopotamia' in 1982 has never been able to get that ‘sound’ that
put the B-52’s on the map although his attempts to do so on his records
are obvious at times. The anthology is filled with different a mix of
disco music (‘Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland’, ‘Queen of Las
Vegas’), punk (‘Private Idaho’, ‘Devil In My Car’), new age (‘She Breaks
For Rainbows’) and some real rocking dance tunes (‘Love Shack’, ‘Channel
Z’). By the way, the words at the end of ‘Love Shack’ that Cindy yells
is ‘Your Tin Roof!… Rusted’. It’s been debated for years so there’s the
answer.
What’s also intriguing about this new 2-disc set is that it
includes some of the rare songs along with some remixes and live
performances. There’s also a new track ‘Debbie’ which is a tribute to
Blondie front woman Debbie Harry, yet another punk/new wave rocker from
their era. The best addition, which is wonderful it’s included although
a surprise that it’s on the record is a track from the 'Cosmic Thing' LP
called ‘Follow Your Bliss’. It’s a slow soulful instrumental piece,
which reminds this listener of seeing a beautiful sunset. Any band that
can create images so real you can almost touch without uttering a single
syllable is a pretty damn good one in my book. For a group of 5 friends
that didn’t know how to even play an instrument when they began that’s
quite an amazing feat. 'Nude on the Moon: The Anthology' is a wonderful
compilation for those old B-52’s fans but perhaps it’s even more fitting
for those who are just joining the bouffant wig party.
UB
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Nadine Meeker, devout
generation X’er and confirmed 'Xena Warrior Princess' addict, lives in
Michigan with her hubby of 10 years and their 8-year-old daughter. She
left a career in journalism when she knew more than her college
instructor did but got happily sucked back in by UPBEAT Magazine. Her
goal in life is to be stay at home mom/writer. She’s not there yet...
but she’s definitely working on it.
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