[.ca] Wild Planet

From Amazon.com:
After the likes of "Rock Lobster" and "606-0842," a lot of new wavers were curious about what Athens, Georgia's fun-loving B-52s were going to do for an encore. The answer came with this rollicking second album in 1980, which found flat-toned Fred Schneider and twin bouffant-topped, gogoing chanteuses Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson nearly equaling the giddy highs of their debut. From the riotous "Party Out of Bounds" and "Devil in My Car" to the ahead-of-the curve couch potato classic, "Private Idaho" to the ever-kitschy "Strobe Light" and the other-worldly "53 Miles West of Venus," this collection proved the B-52s were no flash in the lava lamp. --Billy Altman

THE BEST PARTY YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO:
Does it get any better than the The B-52s' 1980 follow up of their classic debut? ... From the frantic opening track, PARTY OUT OF BOUNDS, to the trance inducing closer, 53 MILES WEST OF VENUS, WILD PLANET is one party that just doesn't quit. The band comes up aces on this one by deftly blending rock, disco, new-wave and punk into their own unique high octane cocktail. Gems are truly across the board on this outing. DIRTY BACK ROAD is a perfect ditty that features a Kate and Cindy harmony in front of a snaky rythmn courtesy of Ricky Wilson's genius guitar and Keith Strickland's rock steady beat. RUNNIN' AROUND has all the urgency and drama that only frontman Fred Schnieder can serve up and gives the tune a raw punky feel to it. Other highlights are the hilarious ...STROBELIGHT and the Twilight Zone borrowed, forever hip, PRIVATE IDAHO. One of the biggest gems among all these diamonds, however, is the Cindy Wilson showcase, GIVE ME BACK MY MAN. On this track the band truly shines. Cindy's vocals run an admirably wide gamut between seduction and desperation while Kate Pierson's keyboard bass solidly anchors a tune that could only be described as a ballad from Neptune. So do yourself a favor and hijack a rocketship and get to WILD PLANET. It's the best party you've never been to.

Desert Island fav!:
If you were stuck on a desert island you want to make sure you bring this CD. Just about every song here makes you wanna dance. Some great memories with the B's. Truly one of the cornerstone bands of the New Wave era with a style that will never be duplicated. A must have for any 80's or even punk fan. Strobe light is one of my favs. 5 stars! Go get it!

A fairly mixed album:
I loved the first B-52's album for its wackiness and great beats. This second outing has some great material (Party Out of Bounds, Private Idaho, and possibly Give Me Back My Man) but the rest of the songs are much weaker: You can't listen to Quiche Lorraine too many times before it wears out and other tracks sound out of energy.

A Slight Sophmore Slump--But Fans Will Enjoy It:
Lots of bands suffer from the legendary "sophomore slump." The B-52's were no exception: WILD PLANET seems quite tame in comparison to their legendary, self-titled debut. Even so, the release offers several truly memorable B-52's classics--you'll just have to work a bit harder to get at them. The big number here is "Private Idaho," and it stands alongside the absolute best of the band, a sharp and crackly piece with sardonic lyrics, a driving tempo, and a wicked sense of humor. "Party Out of Bounds" and "Devil in My Car" aren't quite in the same league, but they're still good enough to spin your head around. But the rest of the selections don't quite manage to cross the line into manic B-52's country. "Dirty Back Road" and "Runnin' Around" are well done but not actually very memorable--and indeed, as I sit here fresh from the recordings I can barely call either of them to mind. "Give Me Back My Man," "Strobe Light," and "53 Miles West of Venus" seem to be slightly lesser reincarnations of cuts from the debut album, and while the notorious "Quiche Lorraine" starts well it overplays into pure silliness without ever finding the cutting quality for which The B-52's were and are so famous. Listening to WILD PLANET today, it seems to me that the problem was less with the band than it was with management. The debut album got lots of critical attention and became a cult-smash, but then as now it proved too edgy for the sort of airplay that translated into big bucks with the buying public. I can almost hear the money men saying "Oh, that's fine--but if you'd only just..." and in the process tampering with the very thing that made the B-52's so memorable in the first place: their complete originality. Fans will enjoy this particular recording, but when everything is said and done its neither edgy enough nor pop enough to rank with the band's best. GFT, Amazon Reviewer

'TRUE ALTERNATIVE'... EXCELLENT:
The dog runs away after a German Shepherd, leaving the man broken-hearted and vindictive for being abandoned I started with this, for it is mentioned in an earlier review. I fealt a need to correct it. It's actually a Great Dane, not a German Shepherd... from the song "Quiche Lorraine." It goes "Oh no, here comes a Great Dane, trotting down the lane...etc." Anyhow, other than that, mostly what has been written about how great the album is, I agree with. I was 10 when they first came out with their debut, and I bought all their albums through the release of "Whammy." Soon after that, I became enthralled with Metal, but B-52s and Devo have always been enjoyable for me. To be honest, I wasn't too much into "Love Shack," however. This (Wild Planet) album is, I believe, every bit as good as their first.

• Party out of Bounds
• Dirty Back Road
• Runnin' Around
• Give Me Back My Man
• Private Idaho
• Devil in My Car
• Quiche Lorraine
• Strobe Light
• 53 Miles West of Venus