Sunday, 27 August 2017

Revisiting Wild Planet - The B-52's

First post in a month and it should be something fun and quirky!

 Apologies if you have been checking in seeking new posts. Had a wee break from all social media for the past four weeks dealing with "life stuff" (you know that thing that actually is going on whilst you are trying to keep up with everything else! 😁) 

 So on this day, way back in the dark ages before the internet, social media etc in 1980, the second album Wild Planet from Athens, Georgia band The B-52's hit the shops and what an absolute delight it was (and still is for that matter).
Wild Planet - The B-52's
Island Records (UK) / Warner Bros. (U.S.)
Produced by Rhett Davies and The B-52's
Released 27th August 1980
UK Chart #18
US Chart #18



Side 1
 
Side 2

Personnel
The B-52's
    Fred Schneider – vocals, percussion
    Kate Pierson – vocals, keyboards
    Keith Strickland – drums, percussion
    Cindy Wilson – vocals, percussion
    Ricky Wilson – guitar

The album contained a number of singles that were released in various territories.

 
 
 
July 1980
UK Release
UK Chart #61


(German and Dutch Picture Sleeve)

 
 
 
August 1980
Netherlands, Spain, Poland and Germany Release
No Chart Details

 
(US Picture Sleeve)
 
 (Dutch Picture Sleeve)
 
 
 
September 1980
US Release
US Chart #74

   
(UK and French Picture Sleeve)

 
 
 
November 1980
UK Release
Did Not Chart 

**************************
 
 
Wild Planet spent 27 weeks on the Billboard album charts and reached its peak position of #18 in late September 1980.
 
The album was recorded in the Bahamas (as was their magnificent Debut Album) during April 1980 and some songs had been held back from their first record in order to deliver a strong second album (a very clever move indeed by the band) that was actually better produced and brimming with quality tunes that spotlighted not only their Quirky side  (Party Out of Bounds, and Quiche Lorraine) but also a Rocky edge (Runnin' Around, Private Idaho, Strobe Light and Devil In My Car) and also their Pop sensibilities (Dirty Back Road and Give Me Back My Man). 

Most of the songs on the album were co-writes between various band members with the only exception being Dirty Back Road which was a co-write between Ricky Wilson and art director Robert Waldrop (who would also co-write a number of other songs in The B-52's canon - Hero Worship, Deep Sleep, Mesopotamia, Roam, and Revolution Earth). 

Thirty Seven years on from its release I think it still sounds great.
 
In 1981 three tracks from the Wild Planet album were included on the Party Mix! release. My personal distaste for Remixes was furthered as I thought that the version of Give Me Back My Man on it was absolutely wretched and that they destroyed a perfectly brilliant Pop song! (I have included the links below for you to make up your own mind).

 
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