The B-52's
stripped-down, off-kilter funk,
topped by chirpy vocals and
lyrics crammed with '50s and
'60s trivia - garnered such a
large following at dance clubs
and colleges that the band's
debut album sold 500,000 copies
despite minimal airplay. Named
for the tall bouffant hairdos
worn onstage by the two female
members, the group claims that
it originated in a jam session
under the influence of tropical
drinks. Fred Schneider, Kate
Pierson, and Keith Strickland
had minimal previous performing
experience; the Wilson siblings
had none. The B-52’s debuted at
a Valentine’s Day party in 1977
in the college town of Athens,
Georgia; they originally
performed with taped guitar and
drum parts, but they preferred
the sound when someone
accidentally pulled the plug on
the tape recorder.
Their first “official” gig was
at Max’s Kansas City. They soon
attracted a New York cult,
partly thanks to their stage
image: miniskirts, go-go boots,
toy instruments, and
demonstrations of such dance
steps as the Camel Walk and the
Shy Tuna. They pressed 2,000
copies of the single “Rock
Lobster,” which sold out
rapidly, before signing in early
1979 to Warner Bros. Their debut
album sold steadily as the band
toured the U.S. and Europe.
Wild Planet, which hit #18
in 1980, was even more
successful, and songs from it
reappeared in remixed, more
danceable versions on the
Party Mix EP. For 1982’s
Mesopotamia EP, the B-52’s
collaborated with producer David
Byrne of Talking Heads, who
brought in backup musicians to
broaden the sound. Whammy!
was a Top 30 LP, boosted by the
singles “Legal Tender” and “Song
for a Future Generation.” The
accompanying videos captured the
group’s trademark retro American
style. Drummer Ricky Wilson’s
death from AIDS in 1985 made it
impossible for the group to tour
or promote Bouncing Off the
Satellites.
Nearly four years passed before
the B-52’s returned with their
most successful release, the
double-platinum Cosmic Thing
(#4, 1989). With Keith
Strickland moving from drums to
lead guitar, the B-52’s seemed
to strike the perfect balance
between their stylistic
idiosyncrasies and a
four-on-the-floor drive with
“Love Shack” (#3, 1990); other
hit singles from the Don Was–and
Nile Rodgers–produced LP
included “Roam” (#3, 1990) and
“Deadbeat Club” (#30, 1990). In
1990 Cindy Wilson started a
family and left the group (Julee
Cruise filled in on tour), which
continued as a trio on Good
Stuff (#16, 1992).
Concurrently Kate Pierson
appeared on Iggy Pop’s hit
single “Candy.” (She had
previously sung on R.E.M.’s
“Shiny Happy People.”) Calling
themselves the B.C. 52’s, the
band recorded “(Meet) the
Flintstones” (#33) for the 1994
film version of The
Flintstones. Cindy Wilson
returned for the ensuing concert
appearances.
Time Capsule contained
songs spanning two decades of
the B-52’s’ existence, as well
as two new tracks. A tour with
the Pretenders followed.
Schneider, who had previously
recorded a campy, cheerfully
smutty album with the Shake
Society (its delightful single
“Monster” warned of what lurked
inside Fred’s pants), released
his second solo album in 1996.
Just...Fred, produced by
ex–Big Black noise master Steve
Albini, was a radical departure,
featuring aggressive surfabilly
backing by members of such indie
grind-punks as the Didjits, the
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and
Tar.
