B-52's

It’s all they do, and they do it well.

Brilliant Camp Classic Reminds me of school

✈️💣

Dog shit singers with RuneScape music in the background. Awful album.

Kind of a weird album, and aside from rock lobster there's not a ton here worth hearing.the B-52s have other good songs, they're just not on this album.

A collection of the most insufferable vocalists, vocal styles, instruments, and overall musical genres. I'm not going to give this music extra kudos for employing elements of absurdity when the music is still bad.

Have had a run of stuff from the late-70s and early-80s lately: punk, new wave, post-punk, and whatever this is. They all have this sneering swagger in common, even if some are angry, some melancholy, and in this case, absurdist and silly. Some indelible songs, but the pony veers dangerously close to only having one trick...

I don't think i'll ever hear another album as kitschy as this. it is kinda charming

I believe that this, right here, is what the kids nowadays would call, “serving c*nt”.

My favorite parts of this are when it's Kate and Cindy on the vocals, even though Fred is the face of the group. They just have a more lovely style of singing even when they get particularly aggressive and weird with it. That being said, "Rock Lobster" is my favorite song on here. I can only imagine what was going through people's heads in 1978 when that song showed up for the first time. And to think this isn't even the best band to come out of Athens...

Soft spot in my heart for this band Playlist add: "Lava"

A true masterpiece

I never took to the band’s kitsch, and, well, some of the vocals are a little shrill. But the album is still largely fun—and helped establish New Wave, which I love.

I dig the hair, but not the music.

I just think of the Flintstones whenever i hear this band.

Only the first song was available in my country. Idk why. The one song i heard was pretty good but... its still a 1

pretty dope actually

really not a fan

This album lived up to my expectations, having never heard it before. It’s upbeat, happy sounding, and maybe just a little erratic. When you hear it, you have to start dancing. A breath of fresh air compared to the other alternative music on this list. They may not be the best musicians or make the best music, but at least they’ll make you smile a little.

They were just in that studio doing whatever the hell they felt like at the time… and I like it!

I definitely have some fun memories associated with these guys and I do enjoy some of the songs but this style can get a bit old after a while. 3.5/5

So good, I loved this.

Fun

Único en su especie.. maravilloso

Esta cool original

Enjoyed this album, a few songs I already knew but most I didn’t. Very different for the time from what I have been told. Solid.

What an interesting album. It feels like such a fallout to the nuclear age (pun intended). The visuals and music feel like an ironically idealistic version of the 50s and 60s. But the shouty vocals and the almost meaningless lyrics juxtapose what that whole era wanted to represent - perfection. I would definitely listen to this again. I recognised a few songs like rock lobster but it was interesting to listen to this as a whole I think.

Pleasantly surprised by this, as I absolutely detest 'Love Shack'. Had that post-punk rawness and oddness that I look for. Would listen again.

Such a unique band, album, and sound! Fav song is ‘Rock Lobster’.

Nah

It was a very original LP.

wow muy bueno. medio homo

Ushering us into the 80's was this most amazing album. An album so good that it was on your playlist almost without regard to the type of music you listened to. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wasteoids, dweebies, dickheads, we all thought it was righteous, dude. My first listen was in a group of kids who loved and traded heavy metal. It literally transcended genres. If you need to get up and get moving, break glass.

It was okay. It actually had some solid points, but it's obviously over the top obnoxious.

Man, albums being less than 40 minutes was a golden age. It's also somehow way cooler. Everything is so self-indulgent now. "I am a deeply troubled soul who also happens to have a panache for writing oh so beautiful songs, here is 85 minutes of that being showcased." Instead of that tripe, lets go absolutely nuts for 39 minutes and simultaneously be punk, unabashedly queer, and incredibly fun. In less than 40 minutes, this thing shrieked and caterwauled its way into my heart. It's so off-kilter and self-assured, and above-all, it's pretty angry. The ability to bring punk sensibilities into different artistic expressions has always intrigued me, and the B-52's do that extremely well. I have no idea how a few of their songs cracked the mainstream, pricing that even a broken clock is right twice a day. Everybody, lift up your rock!! You're all getting new cars!! Except for the guy who got a lobster. I'm sorry, you will be publicly executed. 4 HIGHLIGHTS: Persnickety is fun word.

Great

Weird and wacky and a little bit a tacky

la primer canción parece de spys. punk girlie muy girlie. setentozo medio de película. canciones con sonidos raros medio surrealistas, sin sentido, dadaísta.

Another discovery: just knew a couple of songs, including the obvious single. Listening to the whole album is amazing. Fun, upbeat, clever, elaborate structures yet raw sound.

"Very funky sounds. I knew going into this album that it was about to be an experience of sounds, and it did not disappoint. ""Rock Lobster"" is a classic. "

Niet heel spectaculair, wel een aardige verrassing. Puntje extra voor de originaliteit.

It was okay, sounded a bit like spy music but rock lobster was funny and a classic.

Kinda wack but I can understand the appeal at the time

I really like this! Much more than I thought I would!

Ok, but a bit samey and not quite my thing

Fun, retro, probably like a 3.8

interesting start but gets boring real quick

Fun, kinda goofy dance rock album. Crazy that this came out in 1979, the songs all sound like leftovers from 1965. ‘Rock Lobster’ is the track everyone knows, but I thought ‘Planet Claire’ and ‘There’s a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)’ were better, and ‘Hero Worship’ kinda had a Joan Jett-type edge to it. Far from a flawless album, but a good, low-stakes listen for a Friday morning. Solid 3/5

New to me favourite: Dance this mess around

"ROCK LOBSTER!" de absoluti höheponkt vo dem Albom. Nei wörk esch e voll guete Song, aber halt ned för jedermann. Ond wel das Peak esch, esch de räscht no vel weniger för alli. Velecht vorwäg: Ech lose das Albom of Youtube wels of spotify nömme drof esch. Einersiits esch das velecht e chli es Zeiche, wels jo bi andere eher spezielle Albe au scho de fall gse esch (*Tank battles sweating in the corner), aber au e chlini möglechkeit dassi ned s rechtige verwötscht ha. Ech be do aber optimestisch. S Albom fod metere Art morsecode ah wo de mol dör es computerpipse ond e Rockgitarre ersetzt werd. Okay chammer mache, esch au de Afang vom Albom. Ergendeinisch chond de e relativ dissonanti stemm. Joa okay god das ächt so wiiter? Spoiler: Jo. Es esch halt es 1979er Rock albom, eifach dass sech t B52s deför entschede hend no chli rächt avant grande z go. So schlächt hend sies eigentlech gar ned so troffe. Ergendwie erennerets e chli a e Show us de 90er met de eigete Musig, wo aber leider chli e Fiebertraum worde esch. Mer mues säge, ehri skills send absolut do. Alles esch makellos gspellt ond vorallem t stemm stell ech mer rächt schwerig vor so konstant gäge t Melodie z bruuche. I mine Ohre tönts chli wie e stemm wo jetzt de kollabiert, sie tueds aber ned. So bewiisets e rächte Balanceakt am Rand vom mögleche. Es esch also sehr impressive, aber öbs guet tönt esch e anderi Frog. So öppis esch secher secher gwönigssach. Ech be wenig dra gwönnt ond ech glaube die allermeischte no düdlech weniger. Drom hani so doch scho s einte oder andere Frogezeiche öbercho. Doch denne, *trommelwirbel, chond Rock Lobster. Stilestisch passt dä Song sehr guet zom Räscht: Dissonant. Är hed aber dütlech meh Regelmässigkeit als de Räscht vom Albom. So bliibt eim s Albom relativ guet ond mer cha met de Ziit au rächt guet metvibe. Do helft aber secher au s relativ schnelle Tempo aber au die positive Vibes, woni jo emmer sehr schätze. Nochär chond mer weder zrogg zo de eher langwiilige synth lines. Esch jo schön wie dass du dini paar Akkörd hesch, aber es werd de met de Ziit au chli langwiilig. Ond au chli Dissonanz helft do ned gross. So stellt sech t Frog scho chli, wieso dass das Albom i dere Liischte esch. Vermuetlech heds ergendwie e gwösse Ifloss ha, äbe velecht of Fiebertraum-90er-Rock oder so. Bi mer emu chonds wäg em rächt geile Rock Lobster of 2 Stärne.

nop

Really fun, energetic album but I have to listen to this in chunks or else it gives me a headache lol.

Nice

Me ha gustado mucho el rollo setentero. Un disco divertido

Surprisingly good, especially once out in the context of things like Talking Heads. Not a million miles from something like Chumbawamba, and the disconnect between their chart success and the rest of their output.

A solid opening album from these guys.

I don't know anything about the B-52's beyond their three big singles. This album is entirely on-brand with what I know of them, for better or worse. This is a fun happy album, and it's very well done, for what it is.

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Dance This Mess Around, Rock Lobster Yo. YO. I want whatever drugs the B-52's were on when they recorded this shit. Seriously though, this album is fresh. It's a little punk. It's a little surfer rock. It's a little psychedelica. It's a little dance. And that all adds up to 100% bonkers, just like the Beehive hairdo (which I secretly dig) I have two memories of "the beehive": the first one is my maternal grandmother, who definitely had a beehive at one point in her life, and the second one, Mar's Attacks alien woman rocking a beehive right before she kills you. Anyways, I approve of this (and the moon, which is called The Moon).

Algunos riff de guitarra está claro que los brujos también los aprendieron jajaja

Yessssssss. Brilliantly weird, fun, and catchy. Pop music stripped back to an elemental form with delightful results. Love it.

When I was three years old I loved Planet Claire. Listening to this music now, I never realized they had a very 1960's surfer vibe and some punk as well. Really strange unique voices and I like the girls' harmonies. Giving this five stars for my three-year-old self and to balance out the one star my co-worker gave it.

No me gustó nada!

OMG Veggietales parodied rock lobster in pirates who don't do anything, 10/10 banger

This was fun as hell. Super weird but never in a way that felt overbearing or forced and several absolutely banging songs too. Fav Songs: Rock Lobster, Lava, 6060-842, Hero Worship Least Fav: Downtown 8.6/10

Rough around the edges but has its charms

It was not a good album for me! Sorry.

Fun cheeky little album. Ended up listening to Cosmic Thing as well today, definitely more my style! The B-52s have such a silly approach to music, you have to laugh at how much they use 4 note chromatic lines through out the album, but it works! I see more B-52s in my future.

Peak camp americana post punk. RIP Ricky Wilson, maybe one of the more underrated guitarists out there

ROCK LOBSTER!!!!

3 Stars (8/15)

This album was really bad. It all sounded the same. The same song from hell on loop over and over again. The only tolerable song was Rock Lobster and it was almost 7 minutes long. Overall, I’d give a 1.9/5!

Classic!

Embora goste muito da irreverência dos anos 70, nesse album eu não entendi nada

I like the B-52s and Rock Lobster is a banger and also the morris code at the beginning of the first track is cool but ultimately the rest of the songs sounded the same to me

Contexte atténuant, la go qui crie c'était pas pour moi, mais passages vraiment très intéressants

Good

Not for me. 1/5

Pretty fun and goofy.

This band is better than their singles. This is the first album by them that I have listened to front to back, pleasantly surprised. Good album.

Upbeat, quirky, and proudly weird—but mostly just grating. A couple of fun moments, but the frantic surf‑pop energy wears thin fast. I’ve heard three B‑52s songs before this, and honestly? I’m not convinced I need to hear any more.

Goofy but there are some serious tunes in here that I liked or were musically inventive/challenging.

Favorite: Rock Lobster Yayyyyyy. Rock lobster is life. I need this to be the soundtrack when I'm studying lobsters. 🪨🦞 Also, Lava is really good. This album is probably realistically a 3-3.5, but I love it

The B-52’s are so weird

everybody had! matching towels!!!

i love this album more every time i listen to it. perfect blend of weirdness, nostalgia, great riffs, ... what else could you want? really having a hard time deciding between a 4 and a 5, but a 4.5 would definitely be the sweet spot.

Loved it. Not sure I could listen to this very often.

Slapper on slapper, white people BEWARE

Excellent album ! Not one bad track and an new wave album that was very popular back in 1979 when released

I really didn't enjoy this. Not my thing at all, which doesnt help. But its so cheesy, devoid of anything solid and frankly its boring. No thanks.

Great album. Technically so clean which gives it a modern drive as the songs have an old school style.

This album really isnt really my thing. That being said, vocals are really jarring at times and production sounds the same on most songs. Its either too much or too boring at times. This album is a light 2 stars out of 5. I can see why people might like it but again, not my thing.

This was weird in all the right ways. I’m so grateful that I got to rediscover the masterpiece that is Rock Lobster. This is an album that will continue to grow on me over time

I find the B-52’s fun but only in small doses. After an entire album it starts to feel like a little much. It’s partly because this is so frontloaded with hits. Planet Claire, 52 Girls, Rock Lobster, and to a lesser extent Dance This Mess Around and Lava are all great. Their shtick starts to wear thin after that — and Downtown I found particularly grating. The songs are at their best when the guitar licks are pulling more of the weight. Torn between a strong 3 and a light 4, but the three strongest songs win out.

Nice upbeat music. 4/5

1/1

Not all of it is great, but I enjoyed a good chunk of this. And learnt where Soulwax sampled the riff for Six Days.

very overrated; also, how is this dance music?

Amazing!

Could have been a 4, because while not my style I could still (mostly) appreciate the album for being fun. But good lord what an awful cover of Downtown. I know the album was already less than 40 minutes long but you could still trim that off.

I loved this album. There were some great moments of unexpected absurdity and though the singing ranged from really talented to "wtf, is this guy just shouting things?", everything really worked in this alternate surf rock universe. I was also surprised by the amount of punk in this, loved the guitar work!

I am starting to feel like Daniel reconciling with his previously held belief that he didn't like psychedelic rock ... do I like New Wave? This was fun, the background singing by the ladies was excellent (I love the occasional scream), and the album never flirts with one sound for too long, which is essential since any of the sounds on the album could be annoying after more than a few minutes. 4.5 rounded ...?

This is one of those albums that remind me that you don't need to be a good singer to be the lead. Fortunately, if camp had a soundtrack, it would probably be something like this and that is a sound I can get behind.

+1 Meets notability guidelines.

Albeit iconic, fad inducing, proto indie, and a nu wave sensation. Finally sitting down and listening to the full album didn't do much for me. Some psychedelic and classic r&b sounds in there coupled with big up do's and 1960s mod essence. Its just not that important or great of an album. Rock Lobster is always a great song but standalone. Rest of it is run of the mill.

Against all odds... they created a timeless record.

A shining example of new wave music. Fun, danceable music with nerdy, sometimes dark lyrics. Best party album from my college years.

Couldn't have said it better..."Stephen Malkmus, frontman of Pavement, recalled in 2018: "There's a time in your life, when you're 13/14, when you buy records just 'cos you're supposed to buy them. I had Get Happy!! by Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Give 'Em Enough Rope by The Clash and this one from the B-52's. Well. I listened to the B-52's a thousand times, Elvis Costello like 20 times, and Give 'Em Enough Rope maybe five times."" Yep...5 "dancing to Rock Lobster on the dance-club dance-floor, literally on the floor" stars (Memories of Mannheim).

I have talked SO MUCH shit about the B-52’s over the years.. but I really enjoyed this

None of the songs lived up to rock lobster the only real big hit on their

SLAY so silly and fun a true classic

rock lobster all timer fun vibe fun sound

I don't mess with Fred Schnider's vocals, which is my main dislike about the album as a whole. There's a lot of potential here but it's delivered in such an empty and unfinished way, that the whole record sounds cartoony and bare. Most songs run way too long for their own good, and just keep repeating the same ideas. I don't get the B-52s fuss whatsoever, but I still mess with some songs on side B to an extent. I just wish they could flesh out more ideas into a song to keep it engaging. The female vocalists are out of this world though.

6/10

The B-52’s surprised me in a good way. It has a playful, quirky sound that feels more like new wave than straightforward pop, with a hint of punk attitude. Tracks like Rock Lobster stand out for their unusual structure and sense of humor, making the album both fun and slightly strange. Even though they are an American band, the detached and ironic tone gives it a somewhat British feel.

The kitschy catchy silly new wave sound is a good listen every once in a while. The surf/new wave feel of the record isn't unwelcome at all. I can easily see how this was a pretty big hit.

I vaguely remember finding The B-52's annoying when I was kid. It was so kitschy and over the top. I still remember the feeling of wanting to change radio stations as fast as possible when "Love Shack" came on. But something in my switched later in life and now I love this ridiculous surf rock avante punk record. This is amazing new wave and very, very fun. I think my biggest take away is simply that life is too short to take things too seriously. Too bad I didn't realize that when I was younger.

A lil fun and cheeky innit. Majority of their best songs on this album.

i had low expectations due to only knowing love shack but this was actually a very good album

Better than Coldplay

Amazing album, isn't it? So much fun in so little time.

so many of these songs not available in my country... but groovy nonetheless. i will try and find a way to listen to them i love their early gen punk pop sound

Fun not my hairstyle though lol

An album meant to have a great time to

idk why but this genre of band pisses me off so bad so so so bad idk why.

The music reminded me of the Aquabats and it turns out the Aquabats once opened for the B-52's!

“Rock Lobster” is still very cool

I’ve only ever seen Rock Lobster as a gimmick song, so this was better than I expected.

This is a band that I've always been told I should like but that I can never get into. The vocals bother the hell out of me. The lyrics do nothing for me. I should've timed my listen better than I did, because nothing pissed me off more than hearing "Rock Lobster" while stuck in standstill traffic on Leestown Road (aka the seventh circle of hell). By the time I finally got through, "There's A Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)" came on and I thought about the futility of life and maybe driving into oncoming traffic. But "52 Girls" was a fun jam!

Great pieces of art strive to answer important questions. In this case, if you’re anything like me, you’ve often asked yourself, “what if The Jetsons went to the beach and it was directed by John Waters for some reason?” And here is my second favorite Athens, GA post-punk band to answer that question. i love the b-52s so much <3 and if you don't i cannot be your friend i am sorry for any breakups that occur as a result of this sentence Some scattered observations: - we need to bring back bands where no one has ever even held an instrument until after the band has formed and they just pick who plays what based on what looks coolest - we need to bring back songs that say “do the…” and then just throw out a bunch of nouns as fake dances - I love all three vocalists in this group because none of them are especially good singers but they all sound great. I watched some recent clips of Fred Schneider and he just... still sounds like that. - “Rock Lobster” is beyond reproach and I will tolerate no slander. The “here comes a dog fish chased by a cat fish” line lives in my head rent free and I say it every time I encounter a water level in a video game. -6060-842 coulda had the success of 867-5309 if they’d just picked a catchier phone number. - I watched “Interview With The Vampire” over the weekend so this album is somehow the second gayest piece of media I’ve consumed in the last 48 hours i do think i maybe like wild planet more than this one tho and my curve is a little fucked atm so it gets a 4. Hoping for something terrible tomorrow!!!

Few albums on this list have felt as singular and fun as this Nickelodeon cartoon-punk masterpiece. I’ll circle back if another record dares to cackle dolphin noises or exclaim “Krakatoa!” This album is like a family group pic where someone suggests “now let’s do a silly one”, but everyone goes so damn hard that the resulting photo ends up in the MoMA. Every instrument has precision wonky-ness. Each vocal and sound effect is performed cross eyed, tongue sticking out. I consider myself a Talking Heads fan, but I liked this B52s debut much more than anything of theirs not named Remain In Light. This has the similarly angular guitars and off-kilter vocals, but is more infectious and instantly enjoyable to me. I ran into Brandon while vinyl shopping a while back, and he pointed out this very record on the display ledge and told me I should get it. I didn’t, like an idiot, and it’s the last time I pass on his sage wisdom. I’ll be looking for it at Cut Corner posthaste!

Almost fine but just a bit too ridiculous

It's pretty odd, but I quite liked it.

Fatuous

It was fun. 3.5 rounded up because the end of track 3 goes well with the Garth Crooks GIF

ahead of its fucking time this album is retro futuristic space vibes, rock lobster is one of my all time favorite songs, their SNL performance was c*nt

rock lobster

3⭐️/5 03.29.2026

Дуже давно не слухав цей гурт і альбом зокрема. Мені досі чоловічий вокал іноді ріже вухо, нічого не можу з цим поробити. Проте це дуже стильний запис, з танцювальною енергетикою. Із задоволенням переслухав зараз.

Planet Girl // 52 Girls // 2.5/5

"Why don't you dance with me? I'm not no Limburger!" This must be the most fun album on the list. Fred Schneider is legendary. Liked Songs Added: Planet Claire Dance This Mess Around Rock Lobster

If John Waters made G rated music, this is what it would be. Also never realized how long Rock Lobster is. That should be like 2 minutes tops

Iconic album, but doesn't rise to a higher level.

An infectious blend of bubblegum pop, surf and (proper) rock n roll nicely skewed through a post-punk lens.

This is New Wave at its fun-loving best! Try not to move around when its playing- just you try! Girl, you're gonna move- you too, boy! ANYTHING alive is going to dance around! Move it on over!

I tend to prefer the more melodic tendencies of the B-52's than the weirder (read more Kate Pierson than Fred Schneider), but it's a classic yin/yang and they made the leap to the mainstream while retaining their idiosyncrasies as gracefully as any act. Nonetheless, this remains an auspicious and infectious debut. (I remember buying this on vinyl and listening with Matt Johnson and being struck by how amateur the drumming is on the closing sort-of cover of "Downtown.")

Tubular

Rock Lobser

Surf rock, new wave, bizarre vocal lines...The B-52's self-titled debut has it all. The energy emulating from this record is very much its own beast. Fred Schneider's spooky, David Byrne-esque vocals contrast quite sharply with the sweet-yet-provocative vocals of Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson, and that 'off-the-wall' vocal combination, alongside surf rock-inspired guitars (courtesy of Ricky Wilson) and the neatly paced drums of Keith Strickland, create a sound that is very much unlike any other. It's true that some people probably find the music of The B-52's a little grating, especially Schneider's strange voice, but there's something rather unique about this record, as if the beauty is in its weirdness. The songs are all toe-tappers and while they're relatively simple musically, the electric presence of Schneider, Pierson and Wilson working together on vocals is hard not to appreciate. All three bring their own distinctive flavour to the songs, and there's no doubt The B-52's would be a very different band without them. 'The B-52's' is quite the unique record that emerged at a time where music was getting weirder and zanier, so they couldn't have arrived on the scene at a more ideal time. Best songs: Planet Claire, Rock Lobster, Lava, Hero Worship, Downtown

This is nonsense. Not at all humorous. Even the much vaunted rock lobster is irritating. How these are still going nearly 50 years on is a mystery

This thing slaps

I've been a fan of Rock Lobster since DDR in 2005. But the rest of the album is really good too.

Apparently marrying punk music and surf rock creates new wave? Listening and learning. A lot of fun. Catchy and practiced but not too serious. I could see it rubbing me the wrong way if I was in a certain mood, but as it was I got a kick out of it. And “Rock Lobster” is a crazy banger.

Not a big fan of teh first track especially cause of teh way of singing.

Listed

Overall: 9/10 It's goofy. It's weird. It's corny. It's all over the place. It's so much fun to listen to that I had a stupid grin on my face and laughed out loud several times. Anyone with a childish whimsy and sense of humour is going to enjoy this. Fav Song: There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)

It's odd that an album of only 9 tracks totalling 40 minutes can feel ill disciplined, but I found most of the tracks overly repetitive. Even Rock Lobster overstays its welcome. In general the vocals are unpleasant and the instrumental work feels pedestrian.

To me, this album is just silliness. Nothing to hate, just silly. Two stars.

interesting sounds but not smth im gonna listen to

Very fun listen. There is something raw it, and it's a delight.

Would be a 3 if what’s his name wasn’t yodeling on every track.

C’est habituellement pas mon genre de musique, mais étrangement il y a de quoi de vraiment attrayant dans ce genre de pop-punk là, et l’esthétique globale est impeccable, je sais pas comment le dire autrement. En plus, je l’ai trouvé en CD dernièrement!

I mostly hate the B-52s, and have always considered them a second rate novelty band. But other than the familiarity with the iconic "Rock Lobster" (arguably their best song), I had never heard this record. And I have to say, this one works a bit better than their later, more pop oriented affairs. The more angular, surf-rock sound suits the material better. And while on the whole I find the record weak, there are a handful of winners on here including "Planet Claire", "52 Girls", and "There's A Moon In The Sky". But they are not enough to carry the day.

This was the band's debut album. They used classic rock elements as a vehicle for their quirky vocals and lyrics. Think like a comical depiction of aliens in television, and that's how their music sounds. It was fun for a little while, but I admittedly got bored of it pretty quickly. The guitar hook in "Rock Lobster" is iconic, and it was cool to hear where that hook comes from.

Wackiness at its finest. What a brilliant, silly, groovy album. I'm so glad I listened. 9/10

Настолько быстро забывается, что уже даже не помню ничего оттуда

Звучание интересное для тех времен, но уж очень однообразно и сумбурно.

Sounds British, sounds good ✨

Лень искать, где можно переслушать, по памяти вроде прикольно было, еще и обложка крутая, пусть будет 4

Лучщая песня: Rock Lobster Худшая: Downtown Побольше бы роклобстеров

самое сложное в прослушивании было - найти этот альбом, а так люблю rock lobster давно, другие композиции тоже вызвали только положительные эмоции, твердая 4ка

Начались сложности челленджа: даже всерьез раздумывала купить винил, так как на стримингах альбом отсутствует. По первым трекам, найденным на ютубе, сначала даже пожалела, что не взяла - звучание как у моего любимого музла. Женский вокал и музыка звучали бы актуально и на нынешних фестивалях. Но для 30 минут альбом тянулся слишком долго, слишком однообразное звучание , которое поначалу цепляет

Spiky, kitschy, kinda-sexy, arty weirdness. Plenty to enjoy.

Until fairly recently I thought the B-52's were a bit of a novelty pop act based largely on Loveshack. It was only when I got into Squid and read positive comparisons I started to see otherwise. This is pretty great stuff. Spikey, catchy, varied new wave / art pop. It's close to a 5 (in part due to my modest expectations), but I started to find it ever so slightly annoying by the last couple of tracks.

Even if you’re like me and expected Love Shack (I didn’t realize that came out 10 years later!) this is a blast. Awesome quirky rock.

annoying

I really don't know how to rate this other than to say it was not at all what I expected and also was exactly what I expected. It's certainly not listen-in-the-background-while-working music, so that's biased my feelings about it. But I also wouldn't play it on a run or while doing laundry or while trying to unwind. So that basically leaves road trip music, and this excels in that.

B-52's, or: "Hear a sound go from delightfully unique to surprisingly normal to frankly a bit annoying in just 9 songs".

Not for me, I can see the appeal but too plinky plonky.

Don’t need an excuse to relisten to this classic. Still got my original vinyl from ‘79.

Fab, fun album full of vibes, playfulness and energy. Glad to revisit.

Enjoyed it, surf punk, lively great guitar. A 3 or 4 but I’ll err towards a 3 just lacked that extra bit of something.

Vekkulia, vähän kokeellista ja kieli poskella tehtyä rokkia ja tai new wavea. Ja Rock Lobster tietenkin tällä levyllä. Parhaat: Rock Lobster

I like the idea of the B-52’s better than the music. The hits and live show are great but not into the albums as a whole

This is such a fun and strong debut album by The B-52’s! I’ve always loved this band and how campy, eccentric, and fun their music is. There is truly no one like this band because they have such a distinct vibe and sound. This was such a fun new wave album that I will definitely be jamming to again soon! 10/10 no notes.

3.4. Super original. The guitar sounds great. The cover of Downtown didn’t add anything but minutes.

Had this album for years. Have not listened to it for years. Holds up pretty well.

Predictably cooky and zany. “Lava” is the only song I hadn’t heard before; otherwise it’s a nice walk down memory lane and that’s all.

rock lobster!!!!

new fav

Were they from the beach, or outer space? Maybe both??? Whatever, this is a timeless collection of punky New Wave anthems, centred on the amazing nearly 7 minutes of madness that make up Rock Lobster. Honourable mentions to Planet Claire, Lava, and a rambling take on ‘Downtown’. All up, fantastic fun and highly recommended.

So fun and groovy. Surprising to know this came out in '79. It has such an experimental, silly, robust and entertaining vibe. This is a group that was really just about pushing the limits with creativity, allowing themselves to be playful and joyful with these uplifting harmonies and lyrics. This is a really enjoyable listen, especially when I need to be reminded to strive to be happy in life.

niceeeeeee

I knew Rock Lobster going in. The rest of the album was just as fun.

A properly done fun album. Great distinctive sound

Aww, brings back memories. I had Cosmic Thing back in the day with their best knows songs and loved it. They are fun and quirky. This is more new wave than I was expecting but that’s no bad thing . Makes me smile and want to dance round the room

3 star for rock lobster. ıraq lobster.

This album is always a great listen and is full of good rock tunes with fun lyrics that always have me bopping my head and singing along to. 4/5

Wasn't really in the mood for them :/ will give 3

Really, really weird, but it was my kind of weird so it's OK

This gets a 4 for Rock Lobster alone. I really did enjoy the rest of it too. Surprised me a lot.

Nope, vocals are for crap

No. Just not my thing. B52s have never been my thing.

Zorpno edino, da sem mogla poslušat prek youtube, ker na Tidal tega albuma preprosto ni. Na srečo, tokrat brez oglasov (zadnjič enkrat sem mogla en album z oglasi, jupi). Prvi komad "Planet Claire" je hud! Ah, pa kar naenkrat ga je konc! Ampak nika veze, smo že v drugem komadu ("52 Girls") and it's a banger! Naslednji, "Dance This Mess Around", mi je postopoma prirasel k srcu. Všeč mi je menjavanje dveh vokalistov. Edini, k to trenutno konsistentno počnejo & da se jih ta trenutek uspem spomnit, so Shannon and the Clams. "Rock Lobster" je fakin amazing. "Hero Worship" mi je všeč. In zadnji, "Downtown" je kjut. V glavnem, a very good time tale album.

Vintage and roaring. The B-52’s iconically themselves

This was a great thing to do in 1979. A really fun quirky idea for a band. The musical ideas are good, there are plenty of great sounds, the vocals are terrific. I’m just left wondering why I don’t like it more than I do. It’s possible that while on the surface I enjoy the style, deep down it’s just not for me (I had The Cramps recently - darker, but similar retro concept - and I couldn’t rate it higher than a 3). Maybe though, while I want to like it for many reasons, it’s just not good enough? I think I would be more satisfied with it if the songs were shorter; it feels like it should be 14 killer songs at 2 mins each.

The B-52’s are just that… the B-52’s. lol it’s a 3 for me.

I was surprised to learn this came out in 79! I always thought of them as an 80’s band. Fun album! I was only familiar with “Rock Lobster” but there isn’t a bad song on the album!

Me gustó y es simpático, pero tanto el disco como sus canciones tienen un gran problema: se alargan demasiado. Canciones que podrían ser geniales si duraran 3 minutos, las alargan a 6 y terminan sintiéndose muy repetitivas. Así pasa con el disco: parecería que estamos escuchando variaciones de lo mismo durante 9 veces. Eso sí, tiene Rock Lobster, que siempre es genial, pero el resto del disco me acabó cansando un tanto.

It brings a smile to my face.

Oh shit this is fire and I need more of this, please.

Basically a bunch of novelty songs but with an amazing sound and even transgressive in their own way. Just shy of 5 stars 4.5

Great record!! Plant Claire is one of my favorite tracks. If you went to a party in Iowa City in the mid 80's and they didn't spin this one at some point you might as well leave cause it's a lame party

On the one hand it's a unique sensation of fun, cheesy glee, and on the other hand you can catch a peek of why Rock Lobster is the big one, the rest of the songs don't match up but they're still fun, though it seems like they run out of things to do

Pure retro, retro gold.

Comes in hot. Fades out a bit at the end.

Cool to hear this group getting started. The style was there, though in my opinion the music composition isn't quite as complex as they demonstrate on some of their later recordings. Very unique sound, with hints at what was coming.

I would like to thank Peter Griffin for introducing me to ‘Rock Lobster’

This is really a well done album. I don't have anything else clever to say because I have a migraine from hell.

Best Song: Rock Lobster Wow, I really didn't enjoy this much at all. I guess I can understand why this was included in the list as it was part of the evolution from punk to New Wave/80s pop. But that doesn't mean I have to like it! The vocals are by the far the weakest part, especially Fred Schneider. My favorite song is Rock Lobster off of this and makes me wonder if SNL used that for their skit Space Pants. 2/5.

I wish it was summer. 5/5

I love them. Started listening when I was 11, when this came out, I'll never forget it bc I was at Barbara O'keefe's house and her big sister was laistening to this album w some friends. I picked up the sleeve and said 'who are the B 5 twos? They all laughed and I Was embarrassed : ) I LOVE old B52s and this album CRANKS - starting from the f-ing AMAZING Planet Claire, what a crescendo! The last few songs are so-so, but this album is allmost perfedt

Super fun quirky creative album. A whole lot of unbridled spontaneous squeals, screams, and howls. Who doesn’t want to be at this party!

This is theatre camp. A bunch of unrestricted youths joining forces to create something that both amuses them and pokes holes in all of the established rules they want to rebel against. It's fun deep to the core. It’s youth.

The first great album of the 90s was actually released in 1979. While grunge gets the headlines the real story of the 90s is "anything goes". Punk, pop, 70s funk, twee, dance, hip hop, surf, noise, disco, country (in both its alterna and vintage forms), ska and metal all have their day. And if you want to mash up a few of those - go for it - especially if you throw in a bit of earnest detachment - just enough to keep em guessing. The b-52s touch most of these genres and add in a little yolo ono to boot. Still sounds fresh 45 years later. The songs on the back have could be stronger but overall it's a great listen.

As much as I love the uniqueness of this album, I enjoy it as a 4. So many songs on this are ingrained into my brain. Planet Claire, Dance This Mess Around, Rock Lobster. I play this about once a year.

This doesn't get enough credit as being one of the best post-punk albums.

This feels like an elaborate joke, its not good.

Slatki album, ali nije mi u cijelosti zanimljiv, imaju oni boljih. 2/5, 4/10

cool album with cool sonority !!! 4 out of 9. I like the audacity of the cover!

One of my favourite albums ever. Loved the quirkiness, the girls vocals, the weirdness. Still relevant today.

A bit too chaotic for a Friday morning, but there’s defo a right time and place where I’d appreciate it.

Meh, no track really stood out to me

This feels like a joke too.

2.0 stars This one just didn’t land for me. I can absolutely respect the boldness...releasing something this campy as a debut album takes nerve. But it felt intentionally unserious in a way that I struggled to connect with. It’s not incompetent, and I understand why there’s an audience for it, I just rarely connect with the art-school theatricality of the absurd.

129/1001 An authentic,original, fun, creative and interesting album. 7/10

I love this album, so good to hear it again, Planet Claire is an all time favourite song, I could play along on bass guitar 🎸 I recently purchased the album again on vinyl

Id give this album 52 out of 100.

Definitely a unique sound.

It's crazy to me that they debuted with this and then a decade later released the album with "Love Shack" and "Roam" and did "Shiny Happy People" with REM. They somehow sound like exactly the same band and yet with a completely different vibe. This album? Avant garde new wave. It's catchy, yet experimental and weird. Love Shack? Still catchy, still weird, but also formulaic and poppy. And honestly, I appreciate both. Their progression really feels like a band taking their unique, defining sound and making it marketable to the mainstream rather than "this band totally sold out." Maybe I'm wrong, and I certainly have no actual basis for this this having only listened to those two albums. Either way, I appreciated this for what it is. My only real complaint is that many of the songs went on for far too long and became very repetitive. Like I love the "Rock Lobster" bass line and the various sections but the first part goes on for like 4 minutes and is just the same verse/chorus over and over again. And now that I think about it, maybe that's the fundamental difference between experimental and mainstream for the B-52s. They learned to tighten up and keep a good pace to their songs without any particular section or refrain over staying its welcome. Either way another late 70s album totally does it for me. 4/5

Not bad. Now I understand rock lobster references in Family Guy :)

It’s fine

Really fun album that doesn't waste time. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

assumed id hate this but its actually pretty enjoyable

I have discovered something today: I don't like Rock Lobster. I thought I did, but it turns out I only like the *idea* of Rock Lobster. That bass line is so enticing, the surf rock drums, the ascending run of vocal ahhs, the weird organ stuff... If you've only heard the iconic snippets of it, it's a wickedly cool song. Turns out it's nearly 7 minutes long - and I'd argue that 6 of those minutes are entirely unneccesary. The rest of this album is wacky and harsh and weird and the sort of thing I should find interesting but just... don't. It's just not for me.

2/10 - nah, nothing of note, boring and forgettable

An album like no other, whacky without coming across as goofy, and sincere throughout. I love this album and everything the B-52’s set out to do. This album is a perfect document of that, and I’ll never have a bad time listening to these songs.

Brutal

Rock lobster is a track I always kind of knew, but listening to it today made me think of how improvised it sounds, but definitely isn't. The sections transform from one to the next incredibly smooth . Lava is an energy Bomb. The guitar playing is marvelous and harmony vocals moving. Track 6 quit similar and very good as well. Vocals on 7 really out there. The wall of guitars is again very good. Last two songs are great shorter once. Fun. I enjoyed this one very much. I think it's going to be a very very big 3 I should go back to this one at some point High 3!

Hab nur durchgeskipped. Fand es ziemlich monoton. Nicht ganz meins

Quirky but not bad. Rock Lobster is head and shoulders above the rest of the album.

Quirky fun party album

Fun but not really my favorite music style.

de 7 min lange rock lobster gaat wel hard

I have heard of this band but didn't hear much of their music. The morse code grabbed me at the start and I found their tunes interesting. Overall, a good album.

This band is so fun. Solid album.

Weird / odd but fun album. Not entirely my thing though. I liked "Rock Lobster" a lot, definitely the highlight track for me. 7 / 10

some bangers, very futuristic vibes

All good songs even though they’re kinda out there. Good atmosphere. I guess that’s what the 70s were like!

meh

Pretty silly but fun

Divertido. Me ha gustado mucho como empieza. Algo escuché de ellos en los últimos 80 y pensé que eran más recientes. Saber que este disco del 78 seguía haciendo ruido años después de su publicación sorprende.

Heard Before? Yes yes yes. Notes: - over the years I've shifted my allegiance from "make lots of weird noise at once" to "make weird noise with lots of space". this fits the bill perfectly. - the bass is a little lost, but everything else sounds raw, crisp and direct. - they wrote better songs later, but never quite matched this feeling of odd metronomic discomfort. - this album is a gift for people that usually hate rock lyrics. - the world needs a new wave revival. Verdict: Both celebratory and menacing. Will you join my B52s tribute act? I play keyboards. I can lend you an outfit if need be. Listen Again? Yes yes yes.

mommy & me class playlist

Planet Clair & Rock lobster zijn pareltjes

I love these little freaks. Probably not the right album to write an essay too, but progress is progress:D I always think of mom when I listen to them. I doubt she liked this album very much, and it definitely required a mood for freaks, but it’s fun

Good

It's alright

it's good, but none of the other songs compare to rock lobster.

ROCK LOBSTER

There’s no surprises here: the album tracks you haven’t heard before sound exactly how you’d expect.

An alright album! Enjoyed a few songs (rock lobster) but some were a bit too weird for me. Went on a bit long too so started getting repetitive 3 ⭐️

This album sounds like it would have been fun t dance to and hear in movies at the time it was released. But yeah strong 3 to light 4/10. I don't like music where I can't tell if the singer is singing or talking

Oh, man, this is so hard to rate! Before I started listening, I was thinking it could be 5 stars - but I'd forgotten how steeply it falls off, after the 1st 3 or 4. But: I sooooo love those first 3 (4?) songs! #4, Rock Lobster, is the beginning of my complicated relationship with this group, and this album (and that song, specifically), because, I guess, I was put off by the singer's weird voice, and puzzled by the crazy, weird (but catchy!) song, and so, I guess, you could say, I wasn't ready for "Rock Lobster," when it, incredibly (how did this happen?!) became (only) a minor hit, ca. 1979-80 (#56, in the US - though in Canada, it made it to #1). I also just confirmed my suspicion that they played "Rock Lobster" on Sat. Night Live (Google says it was January 26, 1980 - during my Senior year of high school), which I'm sure played a big part in the whole Rock Lobster phenomenon -- I'm also pretty sure I remember being at a party later in 1980 (I didn't go to that many parties, so this stands out, lol), and people dancing the Rock Lobster to this song. But, yeah, the singer's voice (and the band's whole shtick) were so weird, and I wasn't sure what to make of the whole Rock Lobster phenomenon . . . so it wasn't until (a year or two?) later, when I was in college, that I discovered that the B-52s had other, even better, songs, and were part of an exciting "new wave" of music, which included others (e.g., Talking Heads, Elvis Costello) who I was initially puzzled by, but soon came to love. Anyway, apologies for kinda getting sidetracked, but . . . CONTEXT, I guess. So, anyway, NOW? Today? I love the B-52s, and I LOVE the 1st 3 (4? 5?) songs on this album, plus I have to give props to the B-52s for helping to usher in a new wave of freedom and fun and creativity into popular music, and so I think I have to give this (unofficially) 4.5, despite the relative weakness of tracks 6-9.

prime example of lyrics>sound. The instrumentals are pretty boring to me. I'm sure they were much fresher in '79 blah prime example of how music declined going into the 80's

The Sugar Cubes' older American cousin, ABBA's evil kid sister. Another reason the best of the 80's all started in the 70's.

This is quirky in a way that I don't typically enjoy all that much. There is something about their voices that I like though. They're unmistakable. And how could I not like Rock Lobster? So many good sea creature references. "Rock Lobster" was my instagram bio for years and I'm not exactly sure what my inspo was, but the song was definitely part of it. I also just really like crustaceans.

I think every 90s child grew up to many of the B-52’s songs at sock hops or random kids events. With the obvious tracks including rock lobster as well as love shack. I like how they lean into making pop music that’s just a bit weird. In the Flinstone’s movie, some of the band members formed the BC-52’s for the movie theme track and bedrock twitch. The Flinstone’s movie even though it is rated poorly, will be a core memory in my brain connected to the B-52s. It’s probably best I don’t rewatch that movie to preserve my rosy memories of my childhood. From my memory the entire soundtrack was the BC-52s and that’s wrong. So I’ll just never watch it again and remember it as a fun movie from my childhood.

Such a weird album. Definitely had some fun moments. Some I didn't vibe with as much

What an odd album... if this album were a person it would be a quirky 13 yr old girl who wears silly bands, band T's from hot topic, ripped skinny jeans, and has a musically inclined older sibling so they have the music taste of a 36 year old man who smokes cigarettes, wears oversized thrifted flannel shirts and still reads the newspaper. All that being said, it goes hard, even if its weird and super niche. Like at times it was like sneaking around spy music, and other times they were just screaming aquatic animals at me. That's some crazy range... (The Who should listen to this to get some ideas on what musical range is). Sometimes I wish the girl was screaming less, but c'est la vie. 8/10 (bonus points for rock lobster)

2.5

3.0

True story: I was once caught in big city after work traffic in an uber that had this album on repeat for the whole two hour drive and I didn’t mind at all.

track 1: interesting ambience in track 1, takes a long time to change and get into lyrics, not particularly grabbing lyrics but not bad, fred schneider has a unique voice that to me sounds like if ian curtis smoked more and read the lyrics off of someone else's paper track 2: cindy wilson's voice is better in my opinion, track 2 has a better riff and feel to it track 3: not particularly fond of the chords but at the vocals at the beginning kept me interested and then i lost interest near the end track 4: iraq lobster, cindy wilson is the only thing keeping me interested in the vocals, the riff is good otherwise track 5: its alright track 6: cindy wilson's vocals are keeping me interested again track 7: cindy wilson i love you track 8: you know track 9: not really a fan of this one track 1: least favorite track 2: favorite so far track 3: good track 4: good track 5: okay track 6: okay but better than 5 and 1, cindy wilson saving it track 7: good, cindy wilson carrying again track 8: okay, still better than 5 and 1 track 9: tied for least favorite overall: i can see why people love this album, its a very fun and unique sound that i could definitely see a crowd for. rating around a 3 or 3.5

I thought I would like this but it really wasn’t for me. In fairness I have never liked Rock Lobster. When I was around six we had to do a dance in a school play to this and I absolutely hated the song. My feelings have not changed and I have since associated the song with that.

Old but gold

little to psychedelic but was fine

My dad’s seen the B52’s live so I should know them but aside from the riff to rock lobster I don’t. Rock lobster is great though, I’m kinda surprised this was the song that got John Lennon back writing/ releasing double fantasy just before his tragic assassination. Another thing I noticed was that one of the guys in the band is called ‘Ricky Wilson’… same as the Kaiser Chiefs singer. (The B52’s) Ricky Wilson died tragically too HIV-AIDS… Depressing stuff aside this is a really fun album Rock Lobster, Lava,

love their groove

Can’t really get into the music, not necessarily for me. I do enjoy rock lobster every once in a while, but I don’t really like the rest of the album.

always a good time

Campy, kitschy, quirky, funky, and wildly creative. What did I just listen to, and why did I like it so much? The arrangements, the guitar riffs, the weirdness, and the interplay of vocals just work, and it’s so fun. “Rock Lobster” is straight up genius. B-52’s, you are so much more than just your hits! This was totally bonkers but completely wonderful.

Rock Lobster is always a bop.

A fun and groovy surf rock album

This one didn't land for me, aside from Rock Lobster, which had a real driving rhythm, the zaniness bounced off me.

This was alright

Goofy and fun. Luv me some rock monster, I'll grade it B-

Legendary and one-of-a-kind band. It's a must listen.

5/10

This would never be on any of my playlists

Without a doubt some of the newest waviest music ever made. Fun, bouncy, playful, just everything you would expect and want from this genre. So much so, that I think it does almost border on being cheesy at times, which does make it feel like it hasn't aged maybe quite as well as other new wave at the time. But on paper it still has all the same great features, and an album that's this fun is hard to hate even if it is a bit dated.