The B52s appreciation thread

[Kieran McConville]

I know I sometimes give the impression of being against upbeat, poppy, party music. Well, yes and no. If it's the sugary kind, yeah... but now if we're talking about Athens, Georgia's The B52s, with their mainline back into some kind of retrofitted rock and roll weirdness, then that is another story.

Whether it's their kick ass energy, melodic sense, or the beguiling interplay of Fred Schneider (best taken in moderate doses) and Kate Pierson's and Cindy Wilson's seriously awesome vocal work, they had something, back in the day. Also, underneath that party band big-as-a-whale-Chrylser hood, there was sometimes a slightly spooky undercurrent to their music, for mine. Maybe it's just coming from the same part of the world as REM. Something in the water down there. Maybe it was their being steeped in old surf music, something they incidentally shared with Australia's Midnight Oil.

All I'm saying is, it takes a bit to make me want to get up and dance. And rock and roll should do that. Rock and roll can be silly, but it should never be toothless, something that Coldplay never learned.

Oh, I mean, they recorded some forgettable shit too, but that's not the purpose of this particular thread.



[youtube=YvsxG7ytXRQ]Is That You Mo-Dean?[/youtube]


[youtube=jpKEzFZYqBg]Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland[/youtube]

[youtube=EmdyfEQ4-D4]Dirty Back Road[/youtube]

and once more with feeling...

[youtube=9SOryJvTAGs]Love Shack[/youtube]

 

[lazarus]

I'd appreciate this appreciation thread more if you had remembered the hyphen in the band's name.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Yeah...

At least you didn't rag me about the apostrophe, I guess. Since it officially got taken out of their name last decade.

 

[Hewson]

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

They're the ones on Shiny Happy People right? I like that song more than most R.E.M. fans. I know it's dumb and shallow. I like Buck's guitar part on it. It's actually pretty easy to play too. It's all notes on an open D major chord, if I remember correctly.

 

[LemonMelon]

Roam, Deadbeat Club and Planet Claire are classics. Good band. They seem to be constantly on tour with at least one other pretty good 80s rock band.

 

[Kieran McConville]

They're the ones on Shiny Happy People right? I like that song more than most R.E.M. fans. I know it's dumb and shallow. I like Buck's guitar part on it. It's actually pretty easy to play too. It's all notes on an open D major chord, if I remember correctly.

Kate Pierson did vocals on Shiny Happy People (and a bunch of other Out of Time stuff); that's about the extent of it.

 

[Hewson]

Kate Pierson also dueted with Iggy on "Candy"

 

[Kieran McConville]

Yes exactly. Also a good one, albeit also not a B52s song.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Whoops, forgot the "-" again.

*punches self in mouth*