The B-52's (album)

''The B-52's'' is the debut album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1979. 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 (credited as ''Sue Ab Surd'').

''The B-52's'' peaked at number 59 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and the single "Rock Lobster" reached number 56 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Shortly before his death, John Lennon said he enjoyed the album. In 2003, the television network VH1 named ''The B-52's'' the 99th greatest album of all time. In 2020, ''The B-52's'' was ranked number 198 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Critical reception

''The B-52's'' album has received critical acclaim, with music reviewers praising its infectious rhythms and guitar riffs, kitschy lyrics, and party atmosphere. In June 1979, British rock critic Paul Rambali of the ''New Musical Express'' wrote: "This is the best debut album of the year. No conditions, no exceptions. As innovative and invigorating as '' New Boots and Panties'' or '' Talking Heads '77'', and as wayward yet accessible. That good." Similarly, two weeks later in ''Record Mirror'', British journalist Tim Lott wrote that ''The B-52's'' album was the best record he had heard that year. In his "Consumer Guide" column for ''The Village Voice'', music critic Robert Christgau remarked on his fondness "for the pop junk they recycle—with love and panache," while also noting that he was "more delighted with their rhythms, which show off their Georgia roots by adapting the innovations of early funk (a decade late, just like the Stones and Chicago blues) to an endlessly danceable forcebeat format."

In the 1979 Pazz & Jop year-end critics poll, ''The B-52's'' album was ranked number 7. ''New Musical Express'' ranked it number 12 on their critics' list of the best albums of 1979.

In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote: "Unabashed kitsch mavens at a time when their peers were either vulgar or stylish, the Athens quintet celebrated all the silliest aspects of pre-Beatles pop culture – bad hairdos, sci-fi nightmares, dance crazes, pastels, and anything else that sprung into their minds – to a skewed fusion of pop, surf, avant-garde, amateurish punk, and white funk." ''Rolling Stone'' writer Pat Blashill concluded: "On ''The B-52's'', the best little dance band from Athens proved that rock & roll still matters if it's about sex and hair and moving your body. Even if you have to shake-bake shake-bake it like a Shy Tuna." ''Slant Magazine''s Sal Cinquemani stated that "like any over-the-top act, the B-52's wears thin, but the band successfully positioned themselves as pop-culture icons—not unlike the musical antiquities they emulated."

In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked ''The B-52's'' number 152 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, maintaining the ranking in a 2012 update of the list and dropping it to number 198 in a 2020 update. In 2003, VH1 named it the 99th greatest album of all time. ''The B-52's'' was included in the 2005 book ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''. In 2013, it was ranked number 452 on the ''New Musical Express'' critics' list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

In 1995, ''The B-52's'' was named number 42 on the top 100 alternative albums list of all time by the ''Spin Alternative Record Guide''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the album number 28 on its 2013 list of 100 best debut albums of all time, dropping it to number 43 in a 2022 update. In 2023, ''Paste'' magazine's staff placed ''The B-52's'' at number 86 on their list of the 100 greatest debut albums of all time. ''PopMatters'' magazine named it number 40 on its 2024 list of the 50 best post-punk albums ever.

Influence

In January 1980, the B-52's appeared on the TV show ''Saturday Night Live'', where they performed "Rock Lobster" and " Dance This Mess Around", two songs from this album. Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl mentioned seeing the B-52's in this TV episode as a memorable moment in their preteen lives.

Stephen Malkmus, frontman of the American band Pavement, said in 2018: "There's a time in your life, when you're 13/14, when you buy records just 'cos you're supposed to buy them. I had '' Get Happy!!'' by Elvis Costello & the Attractions, ''Give 'Em Enough Rope'' by The Clash and this one from the B-52's. Well. I listened to the B-52's a thousand times, Elvis Costello like 20 times, and ''Give 'Em Enough Rope'' maybe five times."

Track listing

Personnel

The B-52's
*Kate Pierson – vocals, organ, keyboard bass; additional guitar (2, 7)
*Fred Schneider – vocals, cowbell, walkie-talkie, toy piano; keyboard bass (7)
*Keith Strickland – drums, percussion, Claire sounds
*Cindy Wilson – vocals, bongos, tambourine; additional guitar (6)
* Ricky Wilson – guitars, smoke alarm

Additional personnel
*Chris Blackwell – producer
*Robert Ash – associate producer, engineer
*George DuBose – photography
*Cass Rigby – assistant engineering
* Sue Ab Surd – art direction
*La Verne – hairdos

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Track-by-track analysis
by ''The New York Times''
*


''The B-52's''
at Myspace (streamed copy where licensed)
''The B-52's''
(Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)

{{DEFAULTSORT:B-52's, The
1979 debut albums
Albums produced by Chris Blackwell
Albums recorded at Compass Point Studios
The B-52's albums
Island Records albums
Warner Records albums