Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD.
As the follow-up to Cosmic Thing, I had high hopes for this album, and while there are some classic B-52's songs to be found here, it doesn't quite measure up to its predecessor (granted, that's asking a lot of the group). For reasons I won't go into here, the former quintet had become a trio, but it still sounds like pretty much any other B-52's album (except Bouncing Off the Satellites). It's party rock and that's what I'm looking for - ballads need not apply.
Press of the time:
- Rolling Stone (★★★): "impressively seamless"
- Billboard: "slightly daffy, funk-oriented mess-arounds"
- Entertainment Weekly (C): "reduces their sound...to a dull formula."
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #16
Tracks: The production duties were evenly split among Nile Rodgers and Don Was; long-time readers of the blog would expect me to prefer the Rodgers tracks, and even I'm surprised that's not true. My top tracks are Tell It Like It T-I-Is, Revolution Earth (Rodgers), Hot Pants Explosion, Good Stuff, and Is That You Mo-Dean (Was). Fred shoulda left all the singing to Kate on Dreamland. I'm guessing I listened to side A of my cassette more than side B, probably because the album falls apart near the end - no particularly bad tracks, but nothing you'll be humming later in the day.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I remember getting rid my cassette during an ill-advised vinyl and tape purge in 1994. In my defense, I was starting...nah, nevermind. I gots nothin'. No excuse for that purge. None.
I often use the phrase "Tell It Like It T-I-Is" much to the chagrin and/or embarrassment of my family. Deal with it.
Previously revisited for the blog:
Funplex (2008)
Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation (1998)
Love Shack (1989)
Bouncing Off the Satellites (1986)
Whammy! (1983)
Party Mix/Mesopotamia (1981/1982)
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| CD Longbox, notable for the following message from the band printed on the back: |
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