Effie, Madge & Mabel

Somewhere in the past 20 years, the critical tide turned against the poor old B-52s. I suppose it was a buildup of frustration at their studied quirkiness, their reliance on kitsch and 'the space age', their continued use of lists, groups and countdowns and... Fred Scheider's awkward talky-singing. I can see that these may be taken as genuine concerns but, really, they're nothing in comparison to their real strengths.

The crrrritics should just sit back, be entertained and actually listen to the sounds that this great band of 'entertainers' made.

mp3: 52 Girls

This was the B-Side of their 1st single and a high point on their self titled 1st album. All the pieces are in place: a fantasticaly simple rock guitar riff with insistent synth bass backing overlayed with the voices of the Cindy and Kate, blending together in a way that still raises the hairs on my arms. Oh, and a vocal line that is impossible to tie down, twisting the harmony into a lead line.

mp3: Dirty Back Road

A softer but very intense moment on their 2nd album "Wild Planet" which still has that same riff magic and vocal line fascination. The use of the organ in counterpoint would continue to the very end. I'll admit readily that they went completely off my radar after this. I never knew until recently that they'd made an album a year for 2 more years or that they had another album in 86 before their 89 renaissance. I can only assume that I too had had enough of the fun.

mp3: Trism

After the sludgy "Mesopotamia" where they'd obviously run out of ideas, they returned with "Whammy!" in 1983. This used a more electro backing but still continued with their trademark sounds. "Trism" isn't a great song by any means but I had to include it here because of the wonderfull organ phrases behind the main riff. Fred S. rears his rather ugly one note voice for the 1st time on these mp3s but, as was often the case, it actually fits in with the music more neatly than people want to admit.

mp3: Communicate

They took another 3 years to come up with "Bouncing Off The Satellites". Released in 1986 but recorded in 1985, it was the last album to feature the fabulous guitar of Ricky Wilson who died from AIDs soon after recording finished. It's a terrific album, full of great songs and slightly less exuberant 80s production. This song is a complete surprise. It starts with some sort of unresolved chord - I have no idea what bass note is being played (maybe a 7th but very, very low) but it creates a delicious tension, finally resolved by the 2nd verse section. The chorus is sublime - what the hell is that coughing behind the 'straight from your heart' refrain?

mp3: Dry County

They took a while off to mourn their friend and eventually came back revitalised with the album that really made them famous - "Cosmic Thing". The lyrics and melodies for the most part on this one seem more personal, human and sad and I assume this is due to some sort of introspection. It all comes together beautifully on this unexpected funky shuffle where, sur-pi-ise, Fred's vocals are restrained and absolutely essential.

I saw the album tour wind down in Sydney 1990 and you could tell they'd had enough. The show was fine but Cindy especially seemed way, way past entertaining any more. The crowd, though, was fantastic - mainly young girls singing along to 'Dead Beat Club' and 'Love Shack' with joyous abandon.

So Cindy left and they returned as a 3 piece in 92 for "Good Stuff" (which I haven't heard) and then they started little tours in the new millenium. They probably look like vultures on a stick but I bet they still sound marvellous.