* This is a reprise of an old post in answer to a request from fred -
cheers for stopping by. Remember, if there's anything from the archives
that you want to hear again, have a scour through our archives (in the
right hand column) and get in touch.*
Following the vinyl excavation that led to the SCARILY popular Muppets
post, I've delved into my B-52's back catalogue to give you some nuggets
a bit further off the beaten track.
The B-52s - There's A Moon In The Sky (called the moon)
For
some reason this never appears on "best-of"s, but it's one of my
favourite tracks from their self-titled debut. Great title, bonkers
lyrics, fantastic vocals and, as always, the brilliant scrathy guitar
playing of Ricky Wilson. See also...
The B-52s - Running Around (instrumental version)
...
which crops up on the b-side of the first Island pressing of the "Rock
Lobster" 7-inch. It's an instrumental version of a track that would
later appear on "Wild Planet", but this (unfinished?) backing track
sounds better to my ears than the later version. Lord knows what guitar
tuning Ricky was using (I think he only used 5 strings??) but it's SUCH a
great sound - all gnarly and rusted and chunky!
The B-52s - Cake
This
is from the "Mesopotamia" album, which I think gets a bad press. The
album was produced by David Byrne, who brought in a lot of additional
players from the Talking Heads live band of the time to fill the sound
out. It's a more serious album on the whole and it features two extended
groove-fests, opener "Loveland" and "Cake", which is great, depsite
featuring one of THE most half-arsed talkie-bits ever recorded.
If
you're looking for a B-52's introduction, you could do a lot worse than
Rhino's "Nude On The Moon" double CD, which features all of the "Cosmic
Thing" album, bar this track, which is my favourite.
The B-52s - Topaz
Yes,
the lyrics might be a bit new-age-y, but oh lord can those ladies sing.
Beautiful harmonies - and if I remember rightly, that's Nile Rodgers on
guitar.
SPECIAL B-52's BONUS!!
... because we love you!
The B-52s - Rock Lobster (DB Records version)
The B-52s - 52 Girls (DB Records version
These
are the 8-track versions that were released as a 7-inch in 1978 by DB
Records before the band got signed. Neither version will drastically
change the way you feel about the widely released tracks but if you're a
fan, I'm sure you'll be interested to hear these early takes if you've
never been able to track down a copy yourself. Enjoy!
Visit - B-52s.com
Read - The B-52s Wikipedia entry
Buy - B-52's albums.
Buy - Nude on the Moon: the B-52's Anthology [Us Import]
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
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