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Wild Planet

 
Album Review: Wild Planet

  • Artist: The B-52's
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: 1980 09
  • Total Time: 34:44
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Conventional wisdom has it that all the B-52's' subsequent releases are highly inferior to their debut. While Wild Planet is not the rarefied wonder their first platter is, it's still darn good. The songs here are generally faster, tighter, and punchier than previously, though production values are not as wonderfully quirky and detailed; fewer songs here are as over-the-top crazy as the first album's "Rock Lobster" or "52 Girls." These formless selections continue to exhibit a cunning mix of girl group, garage band, surf, and television theme song influences, all propelled along by an itchy dance beat. "Give Me Back My Man" allows Cindy Wilson a unique opportunity to croon a broad, expressive melodic line. Fred Schneider parades his inimitably nervous vocals on chucklesome ditties like "Quiche Lorraine" and "Strobe Light." The best songs here are "Private Idaho," a wonderfully jittery number that employs a variant on the famous melodic snippet from the Twilight Zone theme music, and "Devil in My Car," a delightfully loopy hoot that lays the craziness on very thickly. Performances and sound quality are fine. This album is well worth hearing and recommended. ~ David Cleary, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Party out of Bounds (Lyrics) Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson The B-52's (3:21)
Dirty Back Road (Lyrics) The B-52's The B-52's (3:21)
Runnin' Around (Lyrics) Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson The B-52's (3:10)
Give Me Back My Man (Lyrics) Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson The B-52's (4:01)
Private Idaho (Lyrics) Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson The B-52's (3:38)
Devil in My Car (Lyrics) Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson The B-52's (4:29)
Quiche Lorraine (Lyrics) Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Ricky Wilson The B-52's (3:58)
Strobe Light (Lyrics) The B-52's The B-52's (4:01)
53 Miles West of Venus (Lyrics) Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson The B-52's (4:53)

Credits

Steve Jensen (Management), Fred Schneider (Keyboards), Cindy Wilson (Vocals), Fred Schneider (Vocals), Rhett Davies (Producer), Cindy Wilson (Guitar), Lynn Goldsmith (Cover Photo), Chris Blackwell (Producer), Lynn Goldsmith (Photography), Benji Armbrister (Assistant Engineer), Kate Pierson (Guitar), Robert Waldrop (Art Direction), Chris Blackwell (Executive Producer), The B-52's (Producer), Kate Pierson (Vocals), Kate Pierson (Keyboards), Keith Strickland (Drums), Ricky Wilson (Guitar), Paul Bricker (Make-Up), Rhett Davies (Engineer), Martin Kirkup (Management)
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Artist: Wild Planet
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  • Active: '90s
  • Genres: Electronica

Biography

In the late '90s, the well-known Detroit techno label 430 West released the work of Swedish techno producer Simon Hartley, who records as Wild Planet. Since 430 West rarely works with any producers from outside of Detroit, many took special notice to Hartley's work, which admittedly sounds quite consistent to the label's trademark style of Detroit techno. The Burden brothers, who run the Detroit label, first released the Synthetic/Moving On 12" in 1998, followed by the Transmitter full-length a year later, as well as a remix EP, Genetic (Remixes), also released in 1999. No Wild Planet releases followed as Hartley seemed to disappear into obscurity just as mysteriously as he appeared. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
Wikipedia: Wild Planet
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Wild Planet
Studio album by The B-52's
Released August 27, 1980
Recorded April 1980 at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas
Genre New Wave
Length 34:44
Label Warner Brothers (US)
Island Records (UK)
Producer Rhett Davies and the B-52's,
Chris Blackwell (exec.)
Professional reviews
The B-52's chronology
The B-52's
(1979)
Wild Planet
(1980)
Party Mix!
(1982)

Wild Planet is the second studio album by the The B-52's, released in 1980. The album has a slightly more psychedelic and even paranoid sound than that of their debut. Wild Planet also contains the band's first experiments using electronic drum machines.

As with their debut, The B-52's travelled to the Bahamas to record Wild Planet. Several of the songs from the album had been concert staples since 1977 but were omitted from the debut album by choice of the producer, Chris Blackwell. More emphasis was put on production for Wild Planet with the tracks having more of a slick feeling than the first album. It was fairly well received by critics, most of whom regarded it as a strong sophomore album following the success of the eponymous debut. Wild Planet was quickly certified gold.

Contents

Track listing

All songs written by Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Ricky Wilson, Cindy Wilson, and Kate Pierson, except as indicated.

  1. "Party out of Bounds" – 3:21
  2. "Dirty Back Road" (R. Wilson, Robert Waldrop) – 3:21
  3. "Runnin' Around" – 3:09
  4. "Give Me Back My Man" (Schneider, R. Wilson, Strickland, C. Wilson) – 4:00
  5. "Private Idaho" – 3:35
  6. "Devil in My Car" (Schneider, R. Wilson, C. Wilson, Pierson) – 4:28
  7. "Quiche Lorraine" (Schneider, Strickland, R. Wilson) – 3:58
  8. "Strobe Light" (Schneider, Strickland, R. Wilson) – 3:59
  9. "53 Miles West of Venus" (Schneider, R. Wilson, C. Wilson, Pierson) – 4:53

Miscellanea

  • "Party out of Bounds" lends its name both to singer Fred Schneider's radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio, and to an annual charity benefit party held in the band's hometown of Athens, Georgia.
  • Director Gus Van Sant thanks the band in the credits of the 1991 film My Own Private Idaho for the use of the song title, "Private Idaho." The song itself is not referred to anywhere in the movie.

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1980) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 18
UK Albums Chart 18

Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA – U.S. Gold October 21, 1981

 
 
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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Wild Planet" Read more

 

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