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Jul 17, 2025 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

Charging out of Atlanta, GA in the late ’70s, The B-52’s have been a staple of quirky, exuberant, hyper-melodic, forward thinking indie rock for nearly 50 years. Here, Rhino has compiled all of the band’s eight albums from 1979 to 1992 in The Warner and Reprise Years, available on nine brilliantly colored vinyl records or eight CDs.

The sheer vibrant exuberance of the band’s self-titled debut is palpable, and the songs shuck, jive, and jerk their way in a sonic miasma that’s both utterly engaging and entirely weird. The band comes forth so fully formed on its debut, and so unlike anything before it (think about the sonic landscape of the late ’70s). And it seems, despite all of the peculiarities and idiosyncrasies of The B-52’s, there could simply be nothing more danceable.

The band’s second album, 1980’s Wild Planet hits less hard than the previous year’s debut, but still features classic tunes like “Private Idaho” and the terrifically bizarre “Quiche Lorraine.” Its follow up, the six-track Party Mix! album, featuring dance mixes of previously released tracks, is fine but unnecessary at best and was really a stop gap release before 1982’s Mesopotamia. Produced by David Byrne, Mesopotamia is more Talking Heads-ish in terms of style and not nearly as vibrant or fun as previous B-52’s releases. Word is at this time the group was tired of being a party band, and one can hear this on Mesopotamia.

1983’s Whammy! reclaims some of the old fun and glory. Although not nearly the striking works that the first two albums were, there’s still some wonderful strangeness and a laugh-out-loud moment or two, care of Fred Schneider (see “Butterbean,” for instance). Between Whammy! and the band’s next release, guitarist Ricky Wilson, brother of singer Cindy Wilson, died from complications related to AIDS, at 32 years old. Bouncing Off the Satellites, the band’s next album, from 1986, sounds dated to today’s ears, with its synthesizers, drum machines, and ’80s production. This is very clearly no longer The B-52’s of “Rock Lobster” and “Private Idaho,” but if one can look past how far from its beginnings the band sounds at times on Bouncing Off the Satellites, tracks like “Summer of Love” and “Detour Thru Your Mind” present more than a modicum of the old charm.

With the band’s next album, however, it’s clear that The B-52’s as you knew and loved them were back. From the title track opener, it’s immediately like The B-52’s went back in time 10 years. They sound renewed, invigorated, light, funky, and danceable like the old days. From the first note, 1989’s Cosmic Thing is a return to form. And it’s not just due to the two mega-singles the band released, “Love Shack” and “Roam.” The entirety of Cosmic Thing is great, and it finally sounds like The B-52’s are having fun again.

Of course, all good things come to an end. After touring Cosmic Thing, founding member Cindy Wilson left the band, and the resultant follow up album Good Stuff, despite being produced by Nile Rodgers and Don Was like Cosmic Thing, was lesser than its predecessor. There are still catchy, danceable songs on Good Stuff, but often the songs are not as concise and don’t pack as heavy of a punch as those on Cosmic Thing.

As a whole, revisiting The B-52’s’ catalog is an exciting proposition, made possible by this all-in-one-place box set. However, it’s also uneven, and due to this fact an at times frustrating experience. It seems ironic that in sum, the decade of the 1980s were something of a wash for The B-52’s. It would seem that their particular brand of quirky, infectious pop would have been perfect for the decade. Yet, their best albums only bracketed that decade, with much wayward soul-searching in between. Still, kudos to Rhino for allowing such a comprehensive look back at a band that was, and still can be, so exciting (www.rhino.com)

Author rating: 8/10