''Party Mix!'' is a remix album by American new wave band

the B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

, released in 1981 by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

Background

The album was released between the band's second album, ''

Wild Planet ''Wild Planet'' is the second studio album by the B-52's, released in 1980. As with their first album, the B-52's traveled to Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas to record ''Wild Planet''. Several of the songs from the album had been concert ...

'' (1980), and their ''

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

'' EP (1982). It was devised as a stop-gap release by the band's manager,

Gary Kurfirst Gary Kurfirst (8 July 1947 – 13 January 2009) was an American music promoter, producer, manager, publisher, and record label executive. Kurfirst founded Radioactive Records, whose acts included Live, Black Grape, Ramones, Big Audio Dynamite, ...

, while the band were working on the ''Mesopotamia'' sessions. On the original vinyl, this six-song collection contained songs from their first two albums remixed and sequenced to form two long tracks, one on each side. On the CD version, however, all the songs feature their own tracks. In 1991, ''Party Mix!'' and a 1990 remix version of ''Mesopotamia'' were combined and released as one CD in the US. In Europe, both albums were made available on separate CDs, with ''Mesopotamia'' retaining the original US mix.

Reception

Commercial

''Party Mix!'' spent 11 weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at No. 55.

Critical

Robert Christgau of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' observed that the album's "implicit equation of party and disco offends old new-wavers, but at EP list for half an hour's music the extravagance is recommended." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' opined that the album was "functional for discos but antithetical to the B-52's' minimalist precepts." In a retrospective review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, William Ruhlmann stated, "Since the group's bouncy songs are already dance-ready, this makes for alternatives rather than real improvements, even from a dancefloor perspective."

Track listing

Side one #"

Party Out of Bounds "Party Out of Bounds" is the title of a 1980 song by The B-52's, from their album ''Wild Planet''. Featured with the other dancefloor-bound tracks from the album, the song peaked at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1980 ...

" ( Fred Schneider,

Keith Strickland Julian Keith Strickland (born October 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, musician, multi-instrumentalist, and one of the founding members of The B-52s. He was born in Athens, Georgia. Originally the band's drummer, Stricklan ...

, Ricky Wilson,

Cindy Wilson Cynthia Leigh Wilson (born February 28, 1957) 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 ...

Kate Pierson Catherine Elizabeth Pierson (born April 27, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52's. She plays guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the B-52s, she has performed alongside Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneid ...

) – 5:12 #"

Private Idaho "Private Idaho" is a single released by The B-52's from their 1980 album ''Wild Planet''. Composition The B-52's are from Athens, Georgia, and never played a concert in Idaho until September 13, 2011, when they played at Eagle River Pavilion in ...

" (Schneider, Strickland, R. Wilson, C. Wilson, Pierson) – 4:04 #"

Give Me Back My Man "Give Me Back My Man" is a song written and recorded by the American rock band the B-52's. It was released as the second single from their album ''Wild Planet'' (1980), and is one of many solo vocal performances from Cindy Wilson in the band's ea ...

" (Schneider, Strickland, R. Wilson, C. Wilson) – 7:02 Side two #"Lava" (

The B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

) – 6:08 #" Dance This Mess Around" (The B-52's) – 2:59 #"52 Girls" (

Jeremy Ayers Jeremy Ayers (1948 – October 24, 2016) was an American artist, writer, photographer, and musician. Ayers was a member of the Athens, Georgia, creative community, published three books of photography, and co-wrote songs for The B-52's and R.E.M. ...

, R. Wilson) – 2:58 * Side one: original versions from ''

'' (1980) * Side two: original versions from ''

'' (1979)

Personnel

Credits adapted from ''Party Mix / Mesopotamia'' CD liner notes. *

Rhett Davies Rhett Davies (born 1949 in London) is an English record producer and engineer. Davies' father was trumpet player Ray Davies (no relation to Ray Davies of The Kinks). Davies became a studio engineer at Island Records studios in the early 1970s, a ...

– producer (1–3) *

– producers (1–3) * Daniel Coulombe – remixing *

Steven Stanley Steven J. C. Stanley (born July 11, 1958), is a Jamaican audio engineer, record producer and keyboardist who has worked in the reggae, dub and rock music genres since 1975, most notably with Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and Black Uhuru. Stanle ...

– remixing * Paul Wexler – remixing * Chris Blackwell – producer (4–6) * Robert Ash – associate producer (4–6) * Tony Wright – cover *

Lynn Goldsmith Lynn Goldsmith (born 1948) is an American recording artist, film director, celebrity portrait photographer, and rock and roll photographer. She has also made fine art photography with conceptual images and with her painting. Books of her work hav ...

– photograph

Chart performance

References

{{Authority control The B-52's EPs Albums produced by Rhett Davies Albums produced by Chris Blackwell 1981 EPs 1981 remix albums Remix EPs Warner Records remix albums Warner Records EPs The B-52's remix albums