June Record Club: The B-52s, "The B-52s"

I lurve this rekkid. I've owned it since I was a junebug. I was a clawin' aimlessly at the lights of culture, just tryin' to figure things out. Many a time did I find comfort in the sprechgesang of Fred, stark surf riffs of Ricky, marching funky drums of Keith, and the awesome harmonies and percussions of Cindy and Kate. As an obtuse youth I did not get Schneider's innuendo, nor did I completely understand his sexuality. I was, to invert the euphemism, a closeted kid.

"Planet Claire" - 60s TV theme as reinterpreted by The Apostles of Wacky/Cool in ol' Athens, GA. I think what's addressed here is the outline of The B-52s aesthetic. Far-out, space-age references and music referencing an "other" type of persona you see walking the street with style you've just never even thought you'd encounter, but strongly admire for their ability to inspire such confoundment. Early summer fun.

"52 Girls" - 60s bubblegum stomp. Lyrics seem to reflect that contracted phrase. Total rocker. I hear this and wanna be dancing in the warm climes of the summer South @ 00:30, sweating profusely with the joy of movement. Preferably with the breeze of the ocean, river or lake wafting in the open doors. Midsummer fun.

"Dance This Mess Around" - 60s choppy, chippy ballad. Great stuff from Cindy. She really belts it out. Anecdotally, I could swear I yelled this phrase at some girls who wouldn't dance with me in my early teens. They didn't want to dance with a yell-y chubster in ill-fitting nehru jacket. Just didn't wanna. Midsummer after first or second heartbreak.

"Rock Lobster" - Love it, but I've heard it too much - and, sometimes, I wish it ended around the 4 minute mark. I have skipped this song on cassette and LP when I had the work in those forms. Great absurd interjections from Fred. It can still hit me funny, even with its overusage on my part. But, without this song, there is no competitor for "Monster Mash" - and, I just couldn't live in a world where a go-to goofy shagging (US reference to dance craze) song only came up during Halloween. Peak summer fun experience.

"Lava" - The "love" duet between Cindy and Fred. Hilarious double-entendres that I didn't get until my later teens, maybe even 20s. Still fun, and funny. Summer romances a burnin' up for this one. Peak summer lust fun experience.

"There's A Moon" - I will say this is the weakest track on the record for my tastes. I do snicker at the tautology of the title. Might be some deeper readings in this one for the crew listing their approval/disapproval of this LP. And, there is, a lament of the space-age idealism that gave The B-52s a look to their aesthetic but left many crestfallen after its promises didn't play out. Tired of summer fun summer fun.

"Hero Worship" - Cindy really tears it up on this one. She wrote some great, fun jilted lyrics for this. Rockiest track. Coulda been a Blondie track. Wonder if there's a cover of them doing that??? A wisp of summer bummer, but too much fun already. And the put-downs are righteous. See, still fun.

"6060-842" - Proto "Jenny". Listens like a hilarious Penthouse Letter, if an animated Milhouse van Houten (or finally angry about something Schleprock for you oldies out there) recited the lyrics. Summer fun can be frustrating. Like when I did poppers on the beach during peak heat (2PM - 5PM).

"Downtown" - Excellent cover paying homage to the Downtown. Petula Clark. Fred shouting he wants a beer is some great on par with Van Halen's call and response from Women and Children First. Yes, I just said there was a rock moment in a B-52s record equivalent to a rock moment on a Van Halen record. Summer fun can be glamorous when people notice your glamor.

The B-52's were the first bit of adult pop culture (as opposed to children's fare such as Masters of the Universe or those made for TV Ewok movies) that was uniquely my own. While I'd undoubtedly heard the Beatles and Joni Mitchell before the B-52's those had been things introduced to me by my parents. Cosmic Thing was the first album I purchased myself. While most of the other pop culture of my youth fell by the wayside the B-52's endured.

While their debut isn't my favorite (I like Wild Planet better) it is still my favorite summer album and to this day it doesn't really feel like summer's started until I've heard "Rock Lobster" on the radio while driving about town with my windows rolled down. I'll give the album a proper listen on the way home from work tonight.

I had Fred Schneider and The Shake Society on cassette from the Bargain Bin - original blue cover. Purchased (ca. 1990 or 1991, before the re-release). I jammed to "Cut the Concrete" and "Monster". I kinda migrated to different foci when Just Fred was released in 1996. Never looked at it. I will now. Fred's hi-larious.

As soon as I hit puberty my mother added her old cassettes of Wild Planet and Purple Rain to the car’s glove box—finally her kid was old enough to listen to “Strobe Light” and “Darling Nikki” so she could re-introduce them into her regular listening rotation, regardless of potential embarrassment over listening to “Strobe Light” and “Darling Nikki” alone in the car with one’s mother.

One more thing: the TI Record Club is one year old this month. I first proposed it in May of last year, and our first selection was DJ Shadow's "Endtroducing...". Thanks to all the forumites who visit the music board and contribute every month with nominations, votes, and reviews on this and the Anniversary Record Club.

I really enjoyed Just Fred—the background might be a bit generically buzzy alt-rocky, but Fred’s vocals really do elevate the whole thing. It’s a wonderful, energetic little album that didn’t deserve to be forgotten.

It also has the only tolerable version of “Lime in the Coconut”: