Reviews (page 5 of 10)
Rock Lobster is a very interesting song and I am here for it. Overall a very enjoyable album and definitely a prime example of The B-52's music style. 4 stars for sure.
Good.
Roligt och unikt. Bra rytm och inte för skrikigt även om det var mycket skrikande.
4.4
I get it. I dig it. I don’t love it.
Rock Lobster earns this one a whole extra star. “You’re a rock bob bobster”
The guitar sound of the early B52s was simply out of this world. The guitar player, Ricky Wilson used some unheard of tunings and would often play with a couple different strings missing. Supposedly he said the guitar was too hard to play with 6 strings, but take that with a grain of salt. In any case this record is really good and you can see it's influence in new wave and post-punk for the next decade and beyond.
Oh ya.
Strange group. But I’m with it 8/10
This was fun. 7/10
Their energy is cosmic and addictive. T 8/10 K 7/10
Very fun tunes
Drulluskemmtilegt stöff.
This album was released in 1979. It does not sound like an 1970s album to me. In some ways it's timeless, but the production just seems really clean and it's really hard to pigeon hole into a specific decade. I'm going to give this 4 stars as it's a feel-good album that was deeper than I thought it was going to be and I think I will revisit. I even liked the weird cover of Downtown!
This is a thoroughly entertaining listen. Creative and unique for certain. Strong 4.
Surprisingly normal and good new wave. The girls particularly liked it making dinner.
Deliciously stupid and incredibly fun. Rock Lobster is a 5 and Planet Claire is close behind.
This is a really solid debut album. I only recently started to get the B-52's. Growing up I thought they were a joke band because of some of their big hits, then I realized they're a real band that just doesn't take themselves too seriously, which is great. It was cool to listen to a full album of their early music to get an understanding of where they came from. Personal favorite track was "Hero Worship" but I liked the majority of the songs on the album, no skippers that I heard. Standout Tracks: 52 Girls, Rock Lobster, Lava, Hero Worship, 6060-842
I liked this more than I thought I would! I’ve always been aware of the B52s… Love Shack, Rock Lobster, etc… but this is the first time I’ve listened to a whole album. I thought it would be too quirky for me …but I liked it!
New wave, post-punk. Está bien. Un 4.
didnt finish but rock lobsters are great
this feels like a classic debut album. starts so strong with four great songs in a row, then the back half drags. "Rock Lobster" on its own earns this album at least a 3. Their weirdness, the vocals, and the guitars push it up for me; the unevenness of the songs, and the samey-sameness of the back half drag it back down.
Yeah sure! A couple of songs get draggy or the vocals get to be too much. It's The B-52s idk what to tell ya
Dance This Mess around is an incredible track
One of my favorites. I keep coming back to them time after time since the '80's and these guys still seem fresh.
I've always enjoyed The B-52's. High energy and fun.
Doesn't even have Love Shack! Would be lying if I said I didn't vibe though.
Own
Love this and then. Artistically, are they on same level as Coltrane? Nah. But based on their impact on music and culture, I understand why they are included. Personally, too many fond memories of dancing and partying to their music not to love!!! ❤️
rock lobster!
I've always loved this album.
4/5
Quirky and fun, with a punk dance beat that has survived as totally enjoyable for generations.
Almost 4
The B-52s have such an interesting style. I don't particularly like their sound, but at the same time, having a camp approach to music is very interesting. This is especially true relative to all their peers, since I can't think of another band working in that punk/alternative area of rock that was doing what they were doing. It's not a band I'm generally all that interested in listening to, but I have to admit that they put together a good and wholly original album here 4/5
We tend to forget that a lot of so called new wave was really doing the punk manifesto of returning to a Pre 1965 ethic. A short list might include in no real order Nick Lowe. Dire straits. Springsteen, the stray cats the ramones. The cramps. And the b52s. All drew on inspiration from before revolver really. Sometimes it was the Spector wall of sound. Sometimes it was surf music. Sometimes it was pop or rock and roll. The b52s dressed like they came out of the late 1950s-1960s and their better early stuff gave the impression of cheap exploitation films. Rock lobster is at least to me a 1950s horror, that might have made it into the golden turkeys if it was a film. Gloria in Excelsis The b52s are tremendously fun. In fact too much fun to write too much about. Analysing this is like explaining a joke everyone gets. Doesn’t add to the enjoyment. Makes you look like a wanker. But I’d have loved to have seen them in a small club, say, the love shack in Atlanta. But they are an arena band now, if indeed they tour at all. My blessings to them. I missed out. Ah well. A great band with terrific musicianship. Turn this album up loud and pogo till you drop.
Right Band, wrong album. Yes we get "dance this mess around" and "rock lobster" for a taste of zany crazy fun. But maybe "Cosmic Thing" is the name of the album all the young kids need to hear. This album (B-52s by the B-52s) is a musicologists choice as it's their debut and they introduced a new and very distinct and original style. But I can't trash the album. Extra points for being so wacky and out there. Nice cover art.
Sometimes, working through this particular list of 1001 albums, I tire of the bias towards white-boy, rock critic approved material. As a result, the list skews towards straight, white males and their concerns. At extremes, this leans towards homophobia and misogyny. And often it is very self-serious, and not a lot of fun. And so, thank goodness for the B-52s. They bring a whole boatload of campy fun to their party rock. My first introduction to the B-52s was a child, seeing the video clip on Simon Townsend's Wonder World. They would often play the clip (or maybe not that often; I just remember it so vividly). I would have been about 10 years old, and it hooked right into my brain. Emma Madden, in her Pitchfork essay 'The Secret Gay History of Indie Rock' (https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-secret-gay-history-of-indie-rock/) insightfully states: 'If there were ever a band that took suburbia—and, in turn, indie rock—and queered it, it was the B-52’s. With the influence of the Velvet Underground and Yoko Ono filtered through a kitschy sound, the group became the substratum of indie rock in the ’80s; their queerness deep-seated rather than explicated. “It was unspoken but it was out there,” says Cindy Wilson, the B-52’s’ sole heterosexual member. “We were saying it without saying it.”' And the queer culture is a key part of what makes this great: the dancing, the clothes, the weird jokes, the embrace of wild fun, the love of kitschy pop culture. Indie rock has a tendency towards being po-faced and overly serious, and the B-52s are here to blow all that pretention away. And in a very inclusive way; everyone is welcome at their party. Their own songs have their own logic. It is that wonderful blend of stupid and smart. Ricky Wilson himself thought that the riff to Rock Lobster was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. But it is so much fun, and underpins one of the best songs ever for getting party really wild. Their songs are seemingly random, simplistic and nonsensical, but as you listen through the album, they have a raw and consistent framework. They are a good example of what Simon Reynolds in 'Rip It and Start Again'; they are informed by music of the past, but they have created their own rule book. I think that's why the cover of Downtown sounds so out of place. It just doesn't fit the unique world of the B-52s. So, I love this record. It is tons of fun, and you can dance to it all the way through. It still sounds fresh all these years later.
Just a super creative and fun band. They aren’t all hits but when they hit it’s like a truck.
Sounds like the soundtrack to a B-grade sci-fi movie from the 60s. The B-52s built their own genre for music and haven't looked back. Somewhere in the proto-punk-new wave-alternative-post punk lanes you find the B-52s and this near perfect album. 4.5/5
Really fun album. A few of mene songs made me chuckle.
This is in the category of "Oh I meant to listen to this but I forgot". I've heard various B-52s songs at parties over the years, but only remembered the hits. This is the first album where I've not known the album, but immediately wanted to play it again after it finished. It's not a masterpiece that will end up in heavy rotation, but it's good.
ROCK LOBSTER
I love the song rock lobster
I'd always suspected that I liked the B-52s. Love Shack is a banger, and I won't take any arguments suggesting otherwise. Whenever any of their other tunes have popped up they tend to have ticked the right ear buds. What I wasn't expecting was for how this album sounded. It's obviously B-52s. That kitsch 50s/60s surfer rock thing with the unmistakable vocals ... but it's so stripped back and efficient in how it does it. And danceble. Some tracks are like ESG stripped back. Bass and driving rythym being the focus rather than wailing guitars. I thought I would like it. I loved it.
My first thought was "where's Love Shack?" since my only knowledge of B-52s (the apostrophe is irritating to my OCD) related to the aforementioned song and their appearance on (as it turns out fellow Athens, Georgia natives) R.E.M.'s Shiny Happy People. Nevertheless, what my ears experienced was a pretty cool album, some of the vocals were a little too screamy but on the whole it was good fun and quite groovy.
So trashy but so good.
I always forget how truly unhinged B-52s were (in the funnest of ways). What an absurd treat.
I was skeptical at first, but it turned out to be a very funny and fun album.
Rock Lobster is really good and there's enough other strong material here. Fun riffs. Deranged sci-fi soundtrack feel on Planet Claire.
Actually had a lot of fun listening to this album, kind of punky I thought and I enjoyed the style they went will. Not something I would normally listen to I don’t think, may have caught me in the right mood.
Стилек
Fins i tot en un any com 1979, l'estrena discogràfica de B-52's era original i diferent. No el vaig viure en directe, però imagino que al seu moment devia ser cool of the coolest. Amb tants anys passats, continua sent un disc fresc, engrescador i un testimoni de luxe més dels millors anys de la música pop
so good!!! my dad used to play this around the house a lot when i was little but i’ve never actively revisited it as an adult. he rly loved quoting dance this mess around and commanding ppl to do all of the various moves. rock lobster was a childhood fave and still holds up to this day. BOYS IN BIKINIS! THERE GOES A NARWHAL! i put it on my very first mix cd. 52 girls is FIREEEEE. was also very surprised it came out in ‘79 it feels sooooo 80’s to me! ok that’s all i think
would give 3.75 but can't... like a high B. i had fun!
Great album with a few stand outs - my favourite being Dance This Mess Around. What an awesome song that is. Cindy Wilson’s voice gives the B-52’s such a distinct flavour, it’s chronically underrated in general. Great album.
A fun and groundbreaking album.
Amazingly I haven't ever listened to this album. "WELL SHE ISN'T!" from Planet Clair - lol.
Ten years after this, Love Shack was ubiquitously annoying, but at this point, the B-52s were goofy, spiky, surfy, punky fun.
a four. this was enjoyable enough, not what I expected going into it. rock lobster is kind of an earworm.
3.6
Great new wave and bonkers sounds from a fairly unique band. Very enjoyable all round.
It’s a unique jam phase for a band but I feel like the songwriting came later
I got this album right before I started college in the mid-80s and, wow, did I absolutely love it. It was so different from just about anything else I'd heard, and it still holds up superbly well. To my ear, the tracks are original, fun, a little spooky, quirky, kitsch-y (in a fun way, without tipping into mockery), and they compose and perform so skillfully. I had some of their later albums, too. On this album, I remember being captivated by both Ricky Wilson's guitar, which was interesting to my ear, and the vocals by all, especially Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson. They deliver so well! Listening to this album all the way through once again was a true delight. Love them. I remember my first time hearing and seeing them. They were the musical guest on SNL in 1980. We weren't allowed to stay up late enough to watch it live, but we were allowed to record it, so we did each week...yep, on Betamax. I was about 13 years old and my older sister had heard them and liked them, so we watched the band's performances together. It was so different, so cool, especially to me who at that age was mostly listening to bands like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and their ilk. Started opening me up to different styles. Soooooo good!
I liked it
ROCK LOBSTA
Kanske bättre som singelband nen första är bästa.
'Planet Claire' & 'Rock Lobster' are classics
4/5. Quite weird but so silly and fun. Hard for me to say I would enjoy this all the time but I cannot find a fault on this one. And although Rock Lobster is joked about a lot, it really is such a good song. Plus the songs flow into each other so well. It does drop near the end of the album but almost perfect.
She came from Planet Claire I knew she came from there She drove a Plymouth Satellite A-faster than the speed of light Planet Claire has pink air All the trees are red No one ever dies there No one has a head Great album! 4/5
йоу алкоальбом: ну B-52
На улыбочке и стиле прокатились с кайфом. Ё НАМБЕР ХЭС БИН ДИСКОННЕКТЕД!
I love whacky spooky music like this
Just very very fun. Planet Claire is a great opener, Rock Lobster is of course amazing, and the whole album is just really enjoyable
Lovely kitschy punk-rock fun.
Just weird fun. I appreciate that they are themselves and make what they want. I get Rock Lobster stuck in my head often along with their other hits. Great fun vibe
Slightly bigger fan of Wild Planet, but this is a fun album with some classics. It's quite unique as well and holds up for a listen nowadays.
Better than I'd hoped.
In high school, my friend had a car that only played cassettes, so he went to the thrift store to pick up some old tapes. One of the ones he grabbed was this album. We drove around one day listening to it, cracking up at how completely ridiculous it was. But damn, if this album isn't fun as hell.
Great energy
3.5
Always loved this album. For some reason Lava and Hero Worship aren't available on Spotify while the rest of the album is. Liked Songs: Planet Claire Rock Lobster
Very good, some very catchy parts and unique
C'est eclaté j ai bien aimé. Dur d'ecouté ca dans le sysfeme de son mais dans les ecouteurs c'est tres bon
Pretty fun album. I've always liked Rock Lobster, aside from the implication that all undersea animals sound like dolphins.
Great album. Band commercially super successful but not enough critical appreciation.
Impressive right out of the gate, and a true original sound.
So dancy and fun! More punk than I remember it being. I want to be their friends.
I'd never listened to the B-52's outside of their famous songs. I find them a little repetitive but I do really like their sound, so it's okay. Besides "Rock Lobster," "6060-842" was the highlight for me.
A classic!
Very nice album in an unfollowable style. Nice to hear planet Claire again and of course i already knew the hit Rock lobster, but the other songs are also very nice. Great singing, especially from the female singer Kate . Dont know the titles anymore nut i added two songs to my favourites.
Have always loved B-52's, glad to listen to this whole album.
Solid album
I’m excited to listen to this album, as I’ve never heard a single bad song by the B-52’s. Admittedly, I’ve only heard two songs by them, but that’s still a 100% success rate. Songs I already knew: Rock Lobster Favourites: Planet Claire, Rock Lobster I really enjoyed this album. It’s the perfect blend of silliness and good music for my taste. The lyrics are complete nonsense at times, but I still want to boogie to it nonetheless. I do generally have a soft spot for music that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s a fine line between silly and stupid. And once you get into stupid then you’ve lost me. Thankfully, I found this album pretty great, and I’ll likely be keeping this in mind for party playlists in the future.
amazing what happens when you listen to a full album, not just that one well known track
This is such an awesome album. I can not believe this was 1979. The vocals work so well with each other. Definitely a 4. 1. Rock Lobster 2. Lava 3. Dance This Mess Around 4. There’s a Moon in the Sky
Difficult not to love the B-52s. A shame most people only seem to know Love Shack and a more recently, now also Rock Lobster. First 5 songs absolute stone cold worldies. Particularly Dance This Mess Around. Love love love. Lots of fun to be had elsewhere. Pure party band you have to get up and do all 16 dances to, and low key queer pioneers. Hey. So don't that make you feel a lot better?
I'm pretty sure the B52s invented the whole "New Wave" genre with this album. I mean, that's gotta be something, right?
Fun, kooky, surf-ish punk craziness - just right up my street. Might get a tad repetitive at points, but I just can't get enough of Rock Lobster, Planet Claire and well, most of the songs here.
3,5/5
This is another favorite but not quite a 5 star album. It hits most of my criteria but not an album I'd play over and over. I just don't love it that much.
I love this album. From the opening "beep beep beep" of "Planet Claire" to the camp surf-guitar rock opera of "Rock Lobster," from hearts crackin' like Krakatoa to the unnamed moon in the sky, from every one of the 52 girls to... OK. You get it. The album is a 5-star affair up until "Hero Worship," which starts the slide into the final three tracks, which I still like while recognizing they're not as strong as the first 75% of the album. If we were to take the best of the second release ("Dirty Back Road," "Private Idaho," "Quiche Lorraine," "Strobe Light") and mash it with the best of this, you've got a masterpiece on your hands. Kate and Cindy's vocals, especially when harmonizing, are magic. Lyrically, this is so goofy, punctuated by one-off insights that make me chuckle every time I listen to it. Anyway, not a perfect album, but this band came out of left field 53 miles west of Venus and stirred the hot lava in my heart.
While Wikipedia likes to use the term “kitsch,” I prefer “High Fidelity Class.”
A unique record that can be listened to again and again and that immediately spreads a good mood and where you can't sit still.
Funky and fun but it wouldn't blow me away.
A great album and it doesn't sound over 40 years old. A reminder of how much fun and inventive music used to be. Couldn't help putting it on again to listen to as I enjoyed it so much
Boys in bikinis! Girls on surfboards! Some things last a long time. To be honest, Fred Schneider‘s actual vocals are my least favorite thing about the band’s music. His lyrics are fun, the camp vibes alongside surfy, rock and roll vamps make for a joyful listen. Fred’s nasal delivery is just a little grating at times. I’ll take the bad with the good when it comes to the B-52s. Instant alien beach party.
Very good
Another one of those bands I've never listened to a full album from. These guys were awesome. So weird yet fun and approachable. Great debut
This made me say, "What the fuck am I listening to?" but in a good way??? I can't say I've ever had quite the experience I had while listening to this album before. Everything worked, strangely enough, when it should have fallen apart. It really should have fallen apart, but it just kept going strong through sheer force of will. Rock Lobster rocks. Everything on this album rocks. Count me in as a new fan of The B-52's.
Honestly a really fun album
Tremendous fun. 🪨🦞 Fave track - "6060-842" is so catchy!
I enjoyed this album a lot more than I expected! The vocals are interesting in a cool way. I love the cadence and way each singer utilises their voice to complement the songs. It feels almost chaotic but a controlled chaos. My favourite songs were 52 Girls, Rock Lobster and There's a Moon in the Sky.
Such a fun album, B-52s bring that surf sound and have us all bopping along. Never forget that they had a cameo in The Flintstones movie as the BC-52s.
The vocal styles and music come together to create a fun and unique vibe. You definitely know you're listening to The B-52s when you hear them. The only downside is that this is the kind of album I have to be in the mood for; sometimes that kitschy style can be a little off putting. I'd probably give it a 3.5 but I think a bump to 4 for Rock Lobster and the overall abilities of the band.
Rock lobster
This was the fresh amazing sound of the B-52s that was never really repeated. This hasmy favorite songs. So fun.
He sings these songs like gay Joy Division
Love the singles, rest of the album is fine
i enjoy a bit of silliness now and then
I've never listened to an album by The B-52's. It was way less gimmick driven than I thought it would be. Some vocals verged on 90s grunge punk/grrrl power. I liked this one a lot.
The B-52’s prove it’s possible to be quirky without annoying everyone. Right from the beginning, they establish their unique identity by flirting with punk, new wave and surf rock.
Started to get into it after a few spins and the lyrics really pulled it to a 4.
Very fun weird and energetic music. Has some good highlights and kept surprising.
New wave excellence
Weird but surprisingly good
A little repetitive, but some absolute bangers. Overall really good
Had a blast listening to this. The vocals are so fun and silly. I love all the interplay and harmonies. Favorite part is when she makes the narwhal sounds in rock lobster. Pure joy.
Bizarre and kitschy in all the right ways. Not sure what's in the drinking water in Athens, Georgia, but it makes some truly fun music. Favorite tracks: "52 Girls", "Rock Lobster"
Spunky, with B-Movie flair. Feels distinct not just for it's place in the past, but still in the present. Solid overall.
A very Austin Powers-like feel. I like it a lot.
I enjoyed it, very weird songs
I haven't explored their discography in a systematic way, but I love the B-52's so damn much. This isn't their strongest album, but "Planet Claire" and "Rock Lobster" alone are worth four stars. I assume we'll be seeing more of their albums in the future, and I look forward to it.
Classic. Rock Lobster is one of those crazy infectious songs you can't help to dance to. From my 20s to now, I have countless memories of dancing to it with friends. I love the sound of Planet Claire, and the whole album is quintessential B-52s.
I remember first listening to this album in high school. And my swimming coach was like, "rock lobster!" but in a derogatory way. Yes, the B-52s are camp AF. Which was great when I was learning about music that didn't get played on the radio. I loved them because they were female led, and "weird," and (I didn't really have the language for it then) pop-y. 52 Girls is a legit great bop. The screams on Dance This Mess Around are pure Riot Grrl, with a 50s keyboard and surf rock guitar sound. No, this isn't high art. But it's definitely something different, fun, and absolutely a good album. Three stars for a solid album, and a fourth star because it came out in '79! 46 years later I still like listening to it.
Goofy, party music. I'm sure I've heard most of this record on the radio or at parties. I didn't really love it as an album, but the songs are all fun.
This is like if my buddy Roman was a record
gloriously weird. incredibly fun. a little less than a 5, but a solid 4
I was happy back then....
Iraq Lobster
Good music
Fun music, very different. Not sure if it's an every day listen, but enjoyable.
Great music for a montage of me hiding from a team of detectives with a dollar sign-marked burlap sack on my back. I love stupid goblin music and this album doesn't even slightly try to hide that it's stupid goblin music. Very strong 4/5! Please put this back on Spotify so I can add "Rock Lobster" to my shower playlist and feel like the baddest motherfucker around.
Good album I've never heard before. Some songs did drag on though. Still fun. 3.5/5
Really didn't enjoy the vocals on the first track, though I thought the soundscape was interesting. But it did pick up after that with a really catchy "52 Girls" and "Rock Lobster".
Yeah, this is pretty good! Fast, fresh, eclectic. And "Rock Lobster" may be the most copied riff of the past 50 or so years. B
Well this is fun! Bet nothing sounded like this in 1979.
B52s are an interesting band, the guy's voice is so distinctive and aside from that seems like a kind of spacey go-go music. I waffled between a 3 and a 4 listening to it, there are definitely some low points but damn if a lot of it isn't super catchy. It's kooky, camp, kitchsy, just so out there and unique that it definitely deserves a spot in this list.
This was a great funky pop/rock/new-wave album that I think really stands the test of time. A fantastic debut that feels well and truly like we have entered the 80s with this album, full of hook-laden beats and kitschy vocals. Definitely one to add to the playlist. Best: Rock Lobster Worst: Downtown
Schneider, Pierson, and that Farfisa organ are hypnotic.
Hearing surprising Michael Jackson sounds in the first track bass line
Fun as hell.
Solid debut album, I enjoyed it.
A sound mashed up from fifties rock and roll, easy listening and punk. I think that Wild Planet is a better album but it's a great debut.
A little bit of punk, a little pop and all somehow alien to the music scene of the late ‘70s. Headlined by a good single and featuring good tracks throughout.
I liked this more than I thought I would. Musically quite good.
I enjoyed how weird this was
ROCK LOBSTER/10. Or 4/5, whatever.
Otros locales de Athens GA
Great debut
Tons of fun, of course, but more musically interesting than I knew and just long enough not to grate.
Was great to listen to this one again, though I can see why people could find it annoying or weird. On my first listen several years ago stuck in a car trip in between parents, the guitarist was the sole appealing factor in a sea of bat-shit insanity. And it was such good playing too. But as time went on the music didn't go away from my head. And with every listen there would be something else to appreciate each time. The keyboards and synth bass, the chaotic vocals, the steady but loud drumming, and most importantly the songs. B-52's is something I couldn't listen to in every circumstance as there are certain times when learning about the Moon in the Sky and the girls of the USA can be incredibly annoying. But when the mood and/or the atmosphere is right, it's a joy. Rock Lobster has always been my pick of the bunch, a fantastic riff and breakdown, steady rhythm, filled with beautiful harmonies, story telling lead vocals, and insane animal noises. Dance This Mess Around and Planet Claire are the other highlights and the rest range from good to great.
Takes me back
first listen there's something otherworldly about this band, like aliens on acid imitating human music
Classic! 4.5 / 5
Rock Lobster! I actually really like the dynamic the group has, even with the very different sounding voices. A fun album. 7/10
Punk-Rumba!
Kitschy, cool, unique, and fun. What's not to like? Great debut album. 4 stars.
New wave, post-punk. Está bien. Un 4.
Está bien. Pero sin más.
Mi fanno venire in mente i Magma, deliranti così.
Lot's a great fun and energy. What's not to like.
Andy is psychic, y'all. Could you please mention something about Black Sabbath in your next review? Thx. Anywho, this came out in 1979??? I had no idea. They are an '80s/'90s band in my heart and there they shall remain. I enjoyed listening to this and I really do love the vocals across the board. That is the sound of this band, as far as I'm concerned. They could sing Will Smith's Oscar speech and it would fill me with joy. Nobody else sounds like this band because of those three vocalists. But man... did "Rock Lobster" have to be damn near 7 minutes long? They play that song on the kids' station on SiriusXM from time to time and I'm always in disbelief, because I can't keep it in my attention for 7 minutes so what's a kid supposed to do with it? (Know what else is also unapologetically long and feels even longer? That fucking "Space Jam" song. Oh my God in Heaven.) That aside, an enjoyable listen. I don't think I'll ever call myself a full-blown 52 Head, but I'd always welcome putting it on.
Killer. Great debut.
Not commercially as successful as Cosmic Thing, but definitely more impactful. Can't believe this came out in 1979. Still very worth a listen.
Fun album. ROCK LOBSTER!!! The cover of Downtown wasn't great.
Classic.
Pretty fun funky oddball tunes.
It’s easy to forget how out there this record seemed in the very late ‘70s. Holds up better than most kitsch of that era. Though the latter work significantly degraded their legacy (approaching at the nadir novelty act status), this is tight and hooky and edgy, interesting and original. Somehow arty and vaguely punk at the same time. 3.5 stars but gets 4 because of the originality.
Very solid debut from one of the strangest bands I can think of (in a good way). I was definitely aware of the B-52's through Love Shack and Rock Lobster (the latter being on this album) as well as through Kate Pierson's vocal appearance in R.E.M.'s 'Shiny Happy People'. Although I have enjoyed what I have heard from them in the past, I wouldn't have necessarily thought that an album of theirs could be worthy of being on a list like this; however, I think S/T earned a spot for sure due to how fun and unique it was. I would say this album was ahead of its time by a few years at least and that it fully embraced its weirdness in a way that there is a certain charm to it that is nearly impossible to duplicate. There is just so much personality here shown through their dorky beach rock vibes and very unique vocalists ('Hero Worship' had some insane vocals from Kate in a way that was almost Yoko Ono-esque). Overall, it was clear that this was their statement to the world and that nothing was going to stop them from being themselves which I can really respect. I wouldn't say it is the most finely-crafted or well-written album ever, but it is a fun listen that I would recommend to others. 3.5/5.
In a previous review of the band The Jams, I cited how polymath Carrie Brownstein (unf) mentioned the band being the gateway to her punk and alternative journey. So imagine my excitement when I get the chance to review yet another Carrie Brownstein gem. The B-52s played dance-y keyboard tinged rock known as New Wave, which was a related to, if not a sub-set, of Post Punk. In keeping with its punk roots, post punk was iconoclastic and defiant of boundaries, but in doing so, it favored keyboards and angular, single notes on guitar (as opposed to the power chorded rage of hardcore contemporaries like Black Flag). The B-52s self-titled album was a fun ride clocking in at just under 40 minutes. From the hypnotic synths and guitars of Planet Claire to the ridiculous but oddly-catchy Rock Lobster, to the punky guitar crunch of the irreverent Lava, the album was emotive and experimental without taking itself too seriously. The band sees both male and female vocals, both being utilized in whole songs , or as a call-and-response. As such, the influence on Sleater-Kinney is thus clear and apparent, as is their rightful place in the unsung line-up of post-punk greats.
Growing up I never really liked Love Shack or Rock Lobster, which was all I knew of the B-52's. The entire album is exciting and unique, ahead of its time maybe. Took me on a trip, that's for sure!
A Whole Day On The Bus From Thala To Béni Khiar. Still Sick, Only Heard Planet Claire
Decent album - knew a few of them from before - will play again.
This is a pretty good album, I recognized the voices when the first song started but I could come up where they came from. It was great actually listen to songs they have made that did not go as big as Love Shack and Rock lobster.
It’s hard to recall how offbeat and strange this album sounded back in 79. From the gradual build and killer guitar of Planet Claire to the body shaking Dance This Mess Around and the goofy Rock Lobster. It opened up a new day glo world to my 17 year old brain. Good stuff.
Pretty good. Love rock lobster
it was good!
Love it!
7/10
8/10. Just a really fun album. Gets a bit long, but stays exuberant
Toes the line between delightful and annoying expertly. I wish a few of the other songs had the same chaos as Rock Lobster. Still, it's an album I'd listen to again. 8/10
Solid new wave album
Was pretty disillusioned with 70’s music and then along came the B-52’s,and my music world heading into the 80’s changed…cool album and they only got better…fun,fun,fun
this was a lot of fun
kooky, packed with hooks and joy
Sounds like the soundtrack for my memories of college parties. A fun album from one of the many bands that came out of Athens, Georgia in the early 80's.
I've been secretly banging everyone in the B-52's behind their backs. I plan on revealing this information at the Christmas party and watching the fireworks go off. They all love me, the freaks.
cool punk esque alternative album with a uninque catchy sound
My introduction to the B-52's was their album "Cosmic Thing" which came 10 years after this album. I have listened to this album at least once before to hear the rest of the album that includes "Rock Lobster". The B-52's have a consistent sound throughout the album. If you like the band you'll probably like the album. "Rock Lobster" (with all of its oddities) and "Planet Claire" are the tracks I'm most likely to revisit. I do like the band, and I like many of their songs. I may not come back to the album very soon, but I wouldn't be surprised if I do.
Totally distinctive sound, fun record.
7/10
Athens' new wave spawned the quirky dance-music with Sixties overtones of the B52's, basically a synthesis of the three leading phenomena of the time (new wave, disco-music and Sixties revival). (7/10) FT: Rock Lobster
261020 10:57 3.5
I've never heard this whole album. It's fun
Certainly unique and original. Weird surf guitar mixed with haunted organ and lots of shouting. I didn’t know they were doing this a full 10 years before Love Shack. It did get a bit ‘one trick’ to keep my interest for a full album though.
Hey, I've heard this band before. Took 4 days to get to a band I know! First time listening to a whole album straight through, though. Toe-tapping fun! I think I like late 70s/early 80s New Wave. I don't know if I knew that Rock Lobster was that long of a song.
This was surprisingly good. The album can't really escape the decade it was made in, so it sounds a little bit dated, but even then this is way more original than many albums coming out today. The songs are fun, kind of psychodelic at times and in general really good. Saving it to my list to listen more another day.
Love the B52s sound. So different for the time...especially coming out of Athens Georgia. Just fun songs all around. 4/5
Fun campy music
Surprised me. In a good way
Very 70's and very groovy. Really liked it.
Great poppy dance number
Fan Ade
Listened 2/10/21
Saved Prior: Rock Lobster Off Rip: Planet Claire, 52 Girls, 6060-842, Downtown Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: The word "kitsch" is used all over this band's wiki, and it's the perfect description of their music. Underrated hook writers, they're spiritual predecessors of the hyper-pop of today imo. Love Rock Lobster, a truly insane song that somehow works.
Es muy sencillo, a quien no le gustan los B 52s no tiene alma. No hay mucho que pensar, no son un parteaguas en nada particular, no tienen mucha sustancia pero son música absurda tremendamente divertida y bien hecha que si bien no cambió mucho durante su carrera tampoco bajo su calidad. Podrían poner aquí este disco con Rock Lobster o poner Loveshack que es de años adelante y no se siente la diferencia. No hay mucho que decir pero tampoco mucho de qué quejarse, quizá unicamente que el disco pueda llegar a sentirse un poco repetitivo hacia el final y pudiera sentirse también un poco largo. Esa queja es de personas matarrisas, el disco es pop del mejor y más alegre que pudiera encontrar.
Los B-52's son una banda muy curiosa porque son casi casi un género en sí mismos y tal vez sin darse cuenta inventaron el sonido esteretípico de fiesta de Halloween. Aunque todas las rolas suenan bastante bastante parecidas entre ellas, la música no es nada mala y no me molesta nada cuando aparecen aleatoriamente en mi música.
Fun throwback but not my favorite stuff
It's the B-52's, but without arguably their top two songs. Solid album, nothing to turn your nose up at, just not a 5.
Fancy, cool, geht in den Nacken
Vernieuwende band met veel invloed op jaren 90 muziek en verder. Vrolijke deuntjes waar je je wel even voor open moet stellen, maar vooral live zo ongelooflijk leuk om mee te maken. Dikke vier ster
Fun fun music
The B-52's have always had a special brand of wacky mixed with surf rock, and I've always appreciated it.
free spirited and adventurous.
Not a bad album. Good background music with catchy beats.
Gute Laune Musik. Gut für "im Hintergrund laufen lassen".
This a very fun and interesting album. It's like the perfect mix of kitsch, British pop, funk and 60's sci-fi. The songs are upbeat with a particular sound that I really enjoyed.
Aangename easy listening, Rock Lobster is geweldig! 4/5
Kuulosti vähän surffirokilta. Levyn kansikuvan ja artistikuvan perusteella odotin jotain ABBA-kopiota, joten yllätys oli iloinen. Tykkäsin kyllä levystä, mutta lopun Downtown-cover meinasi olla vähän liikaa, miksihän sellainen oli pitänyt tunkea mukaan? Arvosana levylle olisi suunnilleen 3.5. Pyöristettäköön kivasti ylöspäin.
Good fun
Music that's fun, I enjoyed.
Está bien. Pero sin más.
This album starts out brilliantly with a hommage to the Peter Gunn theme with Planet Claire, legs are a' moving and head is a' bopping. Funky, punky, kitchy and so much fun. To this day Rock Lobster still gets everyone on the dancefloor.
Fine
Athens GA represent! Love the girls voices and the sounds of the guitar is great. How did Fred get that job?
I like how goofy this band is, and I like their surf rock sound. My dad used to play them for us kids sometimes. LOVE "Rock Lobster." I don't think they needed to include the cover of "Downtown", that track weakened a pretty good album.
A true unicorn of a music group. Great record, so much fun, so weird and funky.
catchy hooks, surprise funk, driving beat, and ridiculous FUN lyrics. Refreshing.
I enjoyed this. A little weird, but that's par for B-52s.
This was a pretty good album, the production was great als ahead of its time 8,5/10
3.75/5. I liked this. It’s was weird, different, and good. I would not mind revisiting this.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would - really interesting with the time it came out. Seems to be the antithesis of stadium rock and disco. Plus a few good deep cuts in here (52 girls, Lava) plus the obvious Rock Lobster. 3 stars
Pretty much as quirky as I expected it to be. Kinda had me yearning for Love Shack though (clichéd I know)
Fun album
silly and bouncy. some song overstay their welcome a bit but theres more good songs than annoying ones
Funky and fun. Not just a gimmick band. Genuinely fun music.
This is a really weird one. I think that its biggest flaw is its biggest appeal, but also the reason why many people don’t like it. It’s just a very unusual album as a whole, imagine party music with crazy vocals and strange lyrics. There’s obviously the hit ‘Rock Lobster’, but aside from that I was very confused with what the albums was trying to do. This seems like the sort of album to have a cult following that thinks it’s the best album to ever be released! I didn’t really see the appeal, but I found it to be a fun listen!
ROCK LOBSTER! And some other songs.
Bizarre and quickly forgettable.
Talking Heads, Abba og G-bar har fået et barn, og det lyder crazy Rock Lobster er måske det mærkeligste nummer, jeg nogensinde har hørt Det er lidt det der barn, der sidder bagerst i klasselokalet, som man aldrig rigtig har forstået, men som man heller ikke rigtig kan have noget imod - fordi selvom de er weird, så er det da anderledes om ikke andet - og måske egentlig rimelig fængende på sådan en trafikuhelds-måde. Jeg kan ikke helt kigge væk fra de flotte farver og underlige lyde. 3.5
the abysmal cover of Downtown notwithstanding, this was fun to listen to. 3/5.
Unexpectedly fun.
Entertaining. Mostly.
Wonderfully unique. I especially like Private Idaho.
A lot of fun and energy.
it's funnier than other rock albums out there
I had never heard this. I only knew Love Shack. I still don't really "get it," I don't think, but this album wasn't nearly as bad as Love Shack the song. So it surprised me.
The B-52s are so funky and cool. I never knew "Planet Claire" was one of their songs!
I've only ever listen to Red Lobster from them Their sound is very interesting and funky, I like vocal inflections. I'm having a lot of fun listening to this album. My favorite track is probably There's a Moon in the Sky or 6060-842
Fun, weird, great guitar and vibes but it does get a bit old by the end. Rock lobster is mega, like it but as a whole there’s only so much I can do
ok i've listened to this record SO much in my life. the album cover is literally etched into my brain. CD was on in the house for so many family parties that it kinda meme-ified the record for me... I've returned several times in my life but never stayed. Except for 'dance this mess around' -- it's always been a fav and i've listened to it frequently. Upon return, DTMA is still my fav on the record. The ending of Rock Lobster though??? wtf? I think i just remember being forced to dance to rock lobster so maybe trauma there but the ending is so good damn. That guitar riff with all the percussion. They're fully in a flow state. I imagine it would have been nuts to see live. the ending of these songs is often my favourite part. not a diss lol they just usually have these incredible codas that are so heavy. favs: DTMA, there's a moon in the sky, last 2 mins of rock lobster
Campy, but really grooveable and silly. I like how kitchy it is. Not an album for every day, but a fun visit now and then.
New Wave post punk, late 70s. Very quirky, loads of oold school flair. Too new wave.
Extremely weird-sounding. Which is of course the entire point. The B-52's take inspiration from glam and punk rock to make something that's admittedly pretty childish, but still a bit of a bop. A shame Lava and Hero Worship aren't available on Spotify – they're some of the highlights. I expected Planet Claire to have lyrics, but for the first half we get a high (and very loud) synth acting as the "vocalist". Cool, simple percussion backs it up. The singing is untrained and wobbly – an artifact of the punk era, which had just peaked a couple of years prior – and it only really works as a novelty musical element here. A decent track. Unfortunately, it's clear that the singing isn't planning to improve anytime soon. The semi-title track, 52 Girls, makes sure of that. Presumably the two women on the album cover make their vocal debut here, but they're vastly overshadowed by the danceable guitar and drum parts accompanying them. Now, Dance This Mess Around? The impassioned scream-vocal is much more compelling. Combined with the use of organs, straight-ahead drumming, and pure classic rock melody, this sounds straight out of a Doors record. Morrison would be proud. But the B-52's put their own zany spin on it, too. My favourite part was when they said "Yeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeah." Rock Lobster is really solid too, and with that riff and the stupid, crazy, beautiful delivery, it's no mystery why the song became a hit. It certainly goes on for too long, though. Any reasonable man craves heavy electric guitar and good, punchy harmonies in the vocals. The song Lava gets the closest thus far to that, marking the end of an excellent three-track run. There's A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon). The title alone essentially tells you what the entire song will sound like. As with the others, it's pretty stupid, and also adds nothing new (sonically) into the pot. Hero Worship acts as a return to form, very much along the lines of Lava and Dance This Mess Around, and again contains some great vocals. I like this kind of "crazed" – putting middle fingers to the ultra-conventionalists, yet still musically tasteful. I can appreciate what 6060-842 was going for, but it's barely catchy enough to get away with a title/lyric that clumsy. The final song, Downtown, is stupid. It sounds like the Wiggles or something. 3/5 Key tracks: Dance This Mess Around, Rock Lobster, Lava
I can't imagine how weird this album was when it came out. Fun and unusual. Favorite track: Planet Claire
Understand the significance of the album and overall enjoyed it, but in the end it wasn't quite for me.
es una capsula del tiempo, lo escuchas e indefectiblemente te encontras en los 70s. gran álbum para dejar florecer a la nostalgia
I got exactly what I expected here. Quirky, almost angry, yet somehow still sounding like they’re having a lot of fun and want you to be having while you’re listening, but they’re mad at you for some reason that’s not really clear. Rock Lobster was all I knew of them at the time, and I’m still not a ‘fan’, but enjoy them when I hear them.
Liking it more than expected, not getting a lot of depth but these guys can jam.
this was cool, however i literally don't see a reason where i'd listen to this when The Go-Go's do this better in every way. not a badddd song on the album tho
This is new wave, but it is highly quirky, and it would have really pushed the boundaries of the sound at the time. The single "Rock Lobster" was definitely the highlight of the album, as it was refined but still fun. Other than that, it had silly energy but wasn't refined, so it didn't lure me in.
Rock Lobster
je n'aime juste pas leur voix mais l'album est fun
A few fun songs here and there, but the singer tends to be too “yell-y” to really give it any more than a 3
The B-52's are an odd crew with an unusual sound. It's peppy punk at times; new wave at other times. It's discordant yet interesting. Top tracks: "Rock Lobster," "52 Girls"
It’s really interesting. The music is weird, but peppy, the vocals aren’t very good, but they somehow match, the genre is indiscernible, but it somehow works — and it is so utterly different from anything else in the 70s you have to wonder how it was ever even conceived.
Probably the earliest album I could honestly call new wave. Very nice.
I love the B-52's. This is barely three stars.
Very cool but also obnoxious
New Wave, Rock, Pop, 1979 -> 3
Don’t mess with the Rock Lobster…
Es bastante divertido, movido moderno, bastante pegajoso, con mucha mezcla de sonidos podría considerar futuristas
They included their self-titled debut album but not Cosmic Thing? I really don’t understand this list sometimes.
Familiar with this band for Love Shack, not on this album. All songs have a beat that is infectious though the rest is hot and cold. 3 stars
Mindblown. Have always dismissed the b52 because my reference was shinny happy people which sucks. Had heard rock lobster a lot and like it but thought it was bland. Now I hear this knowing its a 1979 album and feel they were ahead of time and had some real creativity going. This album is fascinating
3/5
Fav song: Rock Lobster
This wasactually quite good. Entertaining music, little weird, but eventually good composition.
2,5
Weird AF but not bad. These guys were high on something
I wanted to like this album a lot more than I did. Interesting harmonies but most of the songs just blended together
lowkey good???
Alright, the singing gets a little tiresome by the end of it but the instruments are neat. Favorite Track: Rock Lobster (sue me)
A fun album
Yeah, not for me. They're a bit too frantic and screamy. I'll leave this one filed under "Jean has had too many gins at the office party and is now dancing" Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆(5/10) Total reviewed : 381 Already owned : 84 Purchased : 16 To buy : 7 Nope : 274
pretty fun! very early 80s. i know its from the 70s but it feels like its pointing to a the decade to come. like 3.25/5
Rock lobster is a bop, the rest of the album unfortunately didn’t hit as much to me which was unfortunate because I do vibe with the aesthetic and the music and the mixing of pop, punk and new wave. Can definitely see why some people would rate this higher than me but unfortunately I can’t get super into it
I like how raw the recordings sound. But overall not really my cup of tea.. I think. Lennon liked it, makes me question my music taste a bit. But I did not enjoy it as much. thats okay. Rock Lobster caught my interest. Maybe I will give it another listen. Maybe not. 3/5
i'm just confused Would I listen again: no Deserves to be on this list: maybe 3.2