The Discussion: The B-52's
(Nominations are now closed, and thanks to everybody who participated! -D)
That's right, the second most beloved band from Athens, Georgia (we'll get to that other band in due time), The B-52's were formed in 1976 by frontman Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Keith Strickland, and the late Ricky Wilson, who unfortunately passed away in 1985. To date, this new wave-art pop band has seven official albums to their credit, numerous world tours and high profile collaborations under their belts, and they've accrued millions of loyal fans. And although eligible for nomination since 2004, The B-52's have never been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, which we think is an actual crime. So let's get this amazing band into the TRAPPO Essentials Can(n)on, shall we?
Now to explain what, exactly, we're expecting from you, dear listeners. Simply put, we want you to tell us all about your favorite B-52's songs. What are they? Why do you like them? What do they mean to you? Spill your guts in a comment below, or fire off an email our way if you're feeling a little more wordy. We want to narrow down a list between 12 to 15 songs to nominate for inclusion in the official TRAPPO B-52's Mixtape! In the inevitable episode, we will take your reasons for nominating these songs into account when we argue whether or not we think they deserve to be included, so rest assured, you will be a vital part of the final discussion.
We're going to be allowing listeners to nominate songs both here and via email until March 1st, then we will close all discussion and begin work on the actual episode, so get cracking ladies and germs! We want you to help us create the ultimate B-52's mixtape! We can't do it without you! If you'd like to learn more about The B-52's, here are links to their official website and their Wikipedia page, and you can listen to their music on YouTube, Apple Music or Spotify. Now remember, you have until March 1st to nominate your picks for inclusion in the official TRAPPO B-52's Mixtape!
I've got a few nominations for this mixtape!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I have to mention "Work That Skirt" from WHAMMY! It's a funky electro instrumental that gives me a real 'strutting on the boardwalk' vibe. Listen to the song and tell me you don't see a cool lady in big shades with teased-out hair working that skirt as she's stretching her legs in the summer sun.
The other is "Private Idaho" from WILD PLANET. This song is radioactive! I hear this and I wonder what the hell kind of weird place Idaho is! It's some sort of messed up Twilight Zone place where there's no escape. I love the beat, man. You can dance to it, you can drive to it, you can eat pancakes to it, it's so versatile.
I can't wait to hear the episode when it comes together and I think this is a cool idea. And The B-52's are a great band for this, because just about everybody has heard of them, but most people haven't gone any deeper than "Love Shack:, maybe, so it's an opportunity to bring the real fans out of the woodwork if they're listening.
I'm not very well versed in the music of the B-52's, but I like what I know. I'm going to be the basic bitch and nominate Rock Lobster from their debut album because it's just fun and weird and I don't want to meet the person who hears this song and doesn't like it. I don't even remember the first time I heard Rock Lobster, but I know I just listened to it again a few minutes before I decided to comment, and my opinion hasn't changed. It's the best.
ReplyDeleteAlso Devil In My Car from Wild Planet. One of my friends slipped this song on a burned CD along with a bunch of music I actually asked for a long time ago, and when it came on the first time I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I mean that in a good way. "The Devil's in my car! Oh, he ripped the upholstery! I'm going to Hell in my old Chevrolet!" It rocks.
I'm nominating "53 Miles West Of Venus" from Wild Planet. It's a slow, trippy groove with minimal lyrics (basically just the title harmonized ad nauseam by Kate Person and Cindy Wilson), but it's a good time. Just cruising around outer space in a vintage Chrysler without a map or a care in the world.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to nominate two songs from COsmic Thing, the band's comeback album after Ricky Wilson died in 1985. I'm throwing out Channel Z, the album's first single, all about environmental collapse, but it's delivered in such a fun and jaunty way that you don't really feel like you're being preached to. And when Fred Schneider wobbles out "where's my umbrellaaaaaa?" it's adorable.
ReplyDeleteThe other song is Roam, because I can't be the one who picks Love Shack. I can't do it, but we all know it has to be on the actual mixtape. It's probably already there, we just haven't looked yet. But I'm nominating Roam, because it's an optimistic road trip filled with fun and adventure, and it's an EAR WORM for sure. Cindy wilson and Kate Pierson's harmonies are beautiful, maybe the best they've ever been, on this song. Is the song frivolous, disposable fluff? Absolutely, but damn, it's so well made you can't help but love it.
That's it from me, but if Love Shack doesn't make it to the mixtape, then there's gonna be riot. YOu know I'm right.
I want to see Legal Tender on the mix tape. The upbeat song about getting fed up and counterfeiting money. It's good times. And Butterbean! It's about how much the folks of Athens, Georgia love butterbeans! THey're so excited about these things! It's infectious!
ReplyDeleteFix em hot! Hot! Hot!
Whammy is a good album. Maybe you should just put the whole thing on your mix tape. That would be easier.
Heck, I'll nominate Love Shack. I don't remember the first time I heard it, but that doesn't matter. It's Love Shack! It's their best known song! If you ignored Love Shack, you'd only be doing it to prove some kind of dickhead contrarian point, and we don't need that. So there's Love Shack. Put it on the mixtape, guys. Love Shack.
ReplyDeleteLove Shack.
I've always really enjoyed Summer of Love. I just like the picture it paints in my head. This was my summer song when I was growing up. I had the album on a cassette tape and I would listen to it while I was riding my bicycle around the neighborhood during the summers when I was 10 and 11. This song is my summer anthem and every time I hear it as an adult it brings back some real good memories of chasing the ice cream truck and hanging out with my friends drinking my grandma's lemonade on hot afternoons while we watched TV and argued about whether Hulk Hogan could really beat ANdre the Giant in a fight.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, Andre The Giant would destroy Hulk Hogan.
"Dirty Back Road" is a big favorite for me. Written by the late Ricky Wilson, it's a pretty obvious sex metaphor, but you can just take the song at face value and enjoy the ride if you want to. Killer beat. And I'll second "Butterbean" because it's just so dumb I can't get it out of my head.
ReplyDelete"Detour Thru Your Mind" is absolutely my pick, if only for the phrase 'all of the sudden your mood changes and your face looks like a cake left out in the rain'. But it's actually a solid song with a cool message of nonconformity that can get lost if you're just scratching the surface. Also, it's got a bizarre little message hidden in the track if you play it backwards, so there's that. I love it!
ReplyDelete