♫ Before I talk, I should read a POLL! ♪ ILM Artist Poll #93 ♪ B-52’s ♫

https://i.imgur.com/ru5qBCN.jpg

34 track ballots
62 tracks received votes

29 album ballots
10 releases received votes

thanks to Bee OK for getting this all started, and to everyone for voting! i'm thinking we'll start with albums and some tracks today, more tracks tomorrow, then finish up the countdown on wednesday.

Yay!

Glad Karl Malone was able to take this over and keep open voting. Because of this, we got 14 more ballots.

Nice opening image, very excited to see how this all turns out

yeah, a bunch came in at the last minute! plus, not to hype it up too much, but the top tracks ended up verrry close

BUTTAH BEAN
BUTTAH BEAN

bookmarked!

Thanks to Bee and Karl for making this happen! I know it's a lot of work.

*applause*

Yes!!! Thanks guys!

xpost

i did put in quite a bit of time on the tracks images, trying to make each one reflect the song in various ways (usually incredibly literally ways), and paying homage to the covers of the albums they belong too as well. it was fun!

ok, without further ado

https://i.imgur.com/yyF69PD.jpg

(i was one click away from starting with #1 on accident. i'm a rookie! i'm nervous!)

https://i.imgur.com/yUrTw4Z.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/EFxjBmC.jpg

10. Funplex (2008)

28 points, 1 vote.

stoked for this rollout!

and woof at the back cover of funplex.

i...did not get around to listening to this album, although i did listen to the individual tracks from it that got votes.

so for those that didn't see the little mini-discussion in the voting thread, we decided to leave party mix (1981), mesopotamia (1982), and the party mix / mesopotamia comp (1991) as three different votable releases, rather than combining them all into one. normally i guess a comp wouldn't be eligible, but since several people submitted votes for it, it felt wrong to deny them their democratic will. anyway, if the splitting/non-splitting bothers you, you can just add up the points yrself.

https://i.imgur.com/T5EgkPs.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/EW0V7q6.jpg
9. Party Mix (1981)

36 points, 1 vote.

Excited for this! I'm at the mall on a diet pill!!!

TOO LOW

btw, Party Mix RULES! i hadn't listened to it before this thread, and normally i'm kinda eh at remix albums. but this one is very well done. the songs flow together well, and the remix alterations are fun and in keeping with the spirit of the originals. i've found myself turning to it pretty often when i only have time for 15 minutes of B-52s B-52's

I actually prefer some of the remixes to the regular versions, esp. "Lava" and "Private Idaho"

https://i.imgur.com/rlLB6vu.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/WHX6Vlj.jpg
8. Good Stuff (1992)

56 points, 2 votes.

now THERE'S an album cover
i like how the back uses the same style, so you know it was all on purpose

top-drawer graphic effects of 1992 there.

as i mentioned in the voting thread, this album baffles me. on the heels of a major comeback and massive success, which overflowed with life and energy, and then you get this, which feels like it should be three or four albums later in a deep rut period, down to the missing core member. maybe they'd just said everything they needed to say, idk.

https://i.imgur.com/h5dUSEp.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/HuIG430.jpg
7. Party Mix/Mesopotamia (released in 1991, comp of 1981/82 EPs)
191 points, 6 votes. 1 first place vote.

i love my sister, but i very much wish that she were the kind of older sister that would have given me this tape to listen to when i was a kid. it would have changed my 90s.

https://i.imgur.com/pdrnHiF.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/TfvNh3u.jpg
6. Mesopotamia (1982)

417 points, 13 votes. 1 first place vote.

mesopotamia is siiiiiick. one of the best musical discoveries of this year, for me. i found myself tempted to go back and change my ballot to reflect what i had learned, but decided it would be a breach of trust to do so.

funnily enough i think my b-52s fandom sprung from finding my brother's cassingle of "channel z" though it's possible i was already into "private idaho" from taping it off the radio.

https://i.imgur.com/JF9TN8u.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/nMbuL0v.jpg
5. Bouncing Off The Satellites (1986)

417 points, 13 votes. 2 first place votes.

this actually tied with Mesopotamia, but i gave it the prestigious 5th place edge since it received 2 first place votes

My big discovery from the voting period. Still need to sink some more time into it - "She Brakes For Rainbows" really hit me on my bus ride just now.

mine too

So underrated imo. All the songs are good to great. Was it the circumstances surrounding its release that gave it a bad aura ?

they understandably didn't tour or do much promotion of any kind, i think it just kinda got lost in the shuffle.

I've only listened to this twice, but really loved "Detour Thru Your Mind" and especially "She Brakes For Rainbows".

maybe BotS suffered from falling in between Whammy! (a drop-off from the earlier albums) and Cosmic Thing (which was mostly about the singles)

learned about this on wikipedia:

A backwards message was deliberately inserted into the album by the B-52's. The message occurs in the song "Detour Thru Your Mind", in the last 30 seconds of the track: Fred Schneider says (slowly and distinctly), "I buried my parakeet in the backyard. Oh no, you're playing the record backwards. Watch out, you might ruin your needle."

Ain't It A Shame and Wig are just two reasons this album should never, ever be overlooked

https://i.imgur.com/k0tgyJk.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/AeUmcg5.jpg
4. Whammy! (1983)

563 points, 18 votes. 1 first place vote.

whatever my mixed feelings about that album, i've always loved that cover.

Still need to hear this. From the discussion in the last thread, I'm surprised it outscored BotS.

Nice touch including the back images.

BotS is better.

for those of you with a printer at home, simply print out the front and back covers, staple them together, and it's like you own the album!

Lol

https://i.imgur.com/M5rDX8C.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/T8iPuyT.jpg
3. Cosmic Thing (1989)

805 points, 24 votes. 4 first place votes.

whaaaaaaaa

was sure that'd be #1 or #2

Huge uptick in points

https://i.imgur.com/LassFXC.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/fDX5CDW.jpg
2. Wild Planet (1980)

943 points, 27 votes. 4 first place votes.

https://i.imgur.com/SSEmaO3.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/XSZ8wcE.jpg
1. The B-52’s (1979)

1012 points, 27 votes. 16 first place votes.

What I was expecting for the Top 5.

interesting bonus consideration, though:



Mesopotamia 
votes
+ Party Mix/Mesopotamia
 votes
————————————

608 (4th place)

if i ever go to a party again, and the topic of the b-52's comes up, i am totally going to be that guy who is like "have you heard mesopotamia, though?"

xp That would have made the list close to chronological, with only Cosmic Thing out of place.

https://i.imgur.com/hIdAZM4.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/uMPNP2H.jpg
40. Butterbean

85 points, 5 votes. Highest position on ballot: 10

Whammy!

Pick 'em, hull 'em, put on the steam
That's how we fix butterbeans

Wow at the images!

Looking forward to this.

OH, i almost forgot! for those who would like to have the spotify playlist handy:

https://open.spotify.com/user/weinventyou/playlist/6I6dvoE1Vd3qOKe8fvRZRD?si=8R9kcvKwSDyimJoEFnvjyw

Yes, love the first of these images!

I play in a band that does mainly blues/roots rock kinda stuff, but I nicked the "pass me a plateful, I'll be grateful" line for a song I wrote.

the Whammy! images have less of a coherent style template than the others - really the only reference is just the colors of the track title. also, some of them i spent a lot of time and i'm pretty happy with how they came out, and others the product of rush-job solo drunkdom. but hopefully the enthusiasm shines through! really had a great weekend jamming all these songs and making weird cutouts

xp thanks dorsalstop!

Don't you wait, don't you linger
Butterbean don't slip through my fingers

BUTTAH BEAN
BUTTAH BEAN

― I like queer. You like queer, senator? (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn)

aaaaaaaalfreeeeed

hi!

butterbeans are tasty iirc

oh shit, i forgot to include this link for Butterbean:

Live 1983
i'm not linking to the actual songs, because they're all easy enough to find using your favorite streaming service, or by walking over to your cd collection or whatever. but if anyone has any cool videos or performances or whatever, please feel free to link to them (but please don't embed the actual videos in the thread - broken youtube videos will make this thread look like garbage in the future)

butterbean must have been fun as hell to perform

https://i.imgur.com/eRG9ZCp.jpg
39. Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can

92 points, 5 votes. Highest position on ballot: 7

Mesopotamia
Performance on Guiding Light, the soap opera (?!?!)

seriously, check out the guiding light performance, it is amazing. was that a thing on soap operas back in the day, to feature full performances by new wave bands?

no IT WAS NOT

Brilliant image.

it reminds me of that Incredible Hulk episode with Mackenzie Phillips as a Ziggy Stardust-like androgyne...in 1978. These shows were at least four years behind the times.

i mean, it's not even the regular band cameo kind of thing where they occasionally get featured while the camera focuses on the characters, who are usually holding a conversation over the top of the music. it's the opposite - it's just a straight up b-52's music video, with a few occasional shots of the actors. i love it

These images are amazing! So excited for this roll-out

hahaha take that beats!

thanks bunny (and hi bunny!)

OMG that performance! In a soap opera!

https://i.imgur.com/oFMshA8.jpg
38. Queen Of Las Vegas

96 points, 6 votes. Highest position on ballot: 14

Whammy!
alt version (outtake from Mesopotamia sessions)

kind of a weird photo (she kinda looks like tom cruise there), but i liked the reflection

https://i.imgur.com/l1lCDp7.jpg

Haha I hadn't recognized her!

yeah, plus it's possible that britney is the queen of las vegas. it's all very subjective

https://i.imgur.com/5Orcd8C.jpg
37. Runnin’ Around

99 points, 5 votes. Highest position on ballot: 4

Wild Planet
Live 1978

I think you got it right with Céline. Your images are amazing and super fun!

QOLV = as monolithic as I find Whammy I kind of love one of the central ideas, which is to re-imagine "52 Girls" as coldwave and then use that as a template for a few almost singer-songwriter-type songs about counterfeiting and gambling

(& that doesn't even get into the Mesopotamia gersion, which I actually like better. It's so fervorous!)

^ totally dig this notion.

I voted for at least three of this first four!

"Runnin' Around" hadn't really stood out for me before this exercise, oddly.

images are so good i almost can't take in the results, karl you are spoiling us

yeah, plus it's possible that britney is the queen of las vegas. it's all very subjective

Bobbie Gentry is the queen, all others are residents of principalities

https://i.imgur.com/vbapyDE.jpg
36. Deep Sleep

105 points, 5 votes. 1 first place vote.

Mesopotamia
♫ Walking backwards into the sea /
Bodies, angels, like musical peaks♫

1 first place vote (!)

https://i.imgur.com/CQDyGQh.jpg
35. Whammy Kiss

107 points, 6 votes. Highest position on ballot: 6

Whammy!
Live 1983

I always have this song stuck in my head, thought it would be higher

tie for 33rd!

https://i.imgur.com/xVWekjo.jpg
33. (tie) There’s A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon)

108 points, 6 votes. Highest position on ballot: 9

The B-52’s
Live in Rio, 1985, with Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz

https://i.imgur.com/YbwpQhR.jpg
33. (tie) Theme For A Nude Beach

108 points, 6 votes. Highest position on ballot: 5

Bouncing Off The Satellites

great rollout so far, these images <3

excited to see Deep Sleep place, stuck it on mine at the last minute. I always find the ending weirdly intense, it creeps up on you.

way fonder than expected of Whammy! on relistening. in my head it sounds a bit like it looks - a flat, pop-up B-52's, lots of arid black space between bright cut-out sounds.

first Bouncing of the Satellites track!

https://i.imgur.com/QX6lVZg.jpg

32. Nip It In The Bud

115 points, 5 votes. 1 first place vote.

Mesopotamia
Live 1983 (audio only)

You have done an amazing job today, so glad this ended up in your hands.

thanks Bee, it's been fun!

https://i.imgur.com/GGYNyqS.jpg
31. Dry County

121 points, 6 votes. Highest position on ballot: 8

Cosmic Thing
Live 1990

MTV Clip, 1989 (B-52's give tour of Athens)

last one for today! we'll do #30-16 tomorrow, then the final 15 on wednesday.

and i'll post the spotify playlist, one more time:

https://open.spotify.com/user/weinventyou/playlist/6I6dvoE1Vd3qOKe8fvRZRD?si=2NW2gSvzTOa1it-AGiv3mg

in that tour of Athens clip you can tell they've been out of town for most of the 1980s

"Nip It in the Bud" is wonderful.

karl the b-52's need to hire you to do all their typography and layouts. love these.

"dry county" is underrated but i can understand it placing here, it's definitely got that "album track" vibe. the backing track always gives me a STRONG whiff of Sonic the Hedgehog music.

but it's an important part of the album i think, and a perfect tee-up to "deadbeat club" which is also about young people killing time and being grateful for having friends in an often-dumb, conservative town. here though we're getting the mostly happy, lazy, daytime version of that memory: there are blues, but they're as easily canceled as the heat of the day: the blues may kick you in the head, but they require no more drastic remedy than lazing around on the porch and wait for some of the people who live your same lifestyle to come ambling up the road, laughing and grumbling about how they can't get their hands on any booze. some of my love of this is ineffable and idiosyncratic, as this whole porch-bumming thing resembles very much the athens i knew in the early 2000s and is a huge part of what us athens expats tend to reminisce about and miss now that we live differently. my porch didn't have a swing, and i wasn't drinking yet, but i remember friends struggling to scrounge up drinks, or anything much to do, on some lazy sundays of summer. it was good.

just checking in, amazing rollout.
happy for the Whammy! and Queen of Las Vegas showings.

seeing this on a computer for the first time and not my phone, i'm even more impressed. listened to the Spotify on the way home from work tonight, i feel like i don't even know these songs.

is that Julian Casablancas in photo 35?

The quiet triumph of the B-52's is how Keith Strickland adapted to the death of their primary songwriter: he taught himself to play guitar something fierce.

Good, er, stuff so far. I almost voted for "Deep Sleep" - I quite like that one. Only a couple from my ballot have placed yet.

Not much of a shock with the album rankings. In retrospect, I should probably have voted for Party Mix/Mesopotamia instead of Mesopotamia itself - the CD remix is better than the original EP.

xp
that is julian, yep. it was a last minute re-do. before that it was a really intense close-up shot of a dog making out with its owner, tongue waaay out there.

i've got the final top 40 on a separate playlist and this may shock you all, but...there are some really good jams on there. it makes for a fine listen

Really enjoying the rollout. The images all look great.

No real big shocks so far, although I was expecting/hoping that Cosmic Thing would be in the top two albums.

I regret leaving Dry County off my list, but I already had six Cosmic Thing tracks on there.

these images are superb!

SUPRIIIIIIIIIIIIIZE! PAAAAAARTY!

where's the icebox?

and where's the punch?

:/

Ewww, BALLOT-osis!

^^YES^^

https://i.imgur.com/6hH6vCd.jpg
30. Is That You Mo-Dean?

122 points, 7 votes. Highest position on ballot: 7

Good Stuff
Music video

Up and running again, yay!

LOL love the graphic! On the bus, to the plane, to the UFO, and to outer space baby!

ON A UFOOOO

B-52's fact i didn't know before starting all of this:

In late 1990 Cindy Wilson took time off from the band, with Julee Cruise filling in for her on tour. The B-52's released Good Stuff in 1992 as a trio (Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland).

there are some vids floating out there on youtube with Cruise, not just in the early 90s, but also some clips from 1998 and beyond.

Hm, I'm not really digging this on first listen.

yeah...it's not my fave. i like the little pre-chorus where kate's sings "on the bus, on the plane, to the ufo and to outer space baby". but then it continues for 5 and a half minutes.

i can imagine a good version of this song, though, sped up considerably (making it shorter), with cindy on board

https://i.imgur.com/dFmryGD.jpg
28 (tie). Quiche Lorraine

128 points, 7 votes. Highest position on ballot: 10

Wild Planet
live 1980

The first one that made my ballot.

that image <3 <3

QUICHE LA POODLE

Has anybody seen a dog dyed dark green
About two inches tall, with a strawberry blonde fall
Sunglasses and a bonnet
And designer jeans with appliques on it?

i just want to say that the b-52's are amazing because they made me consult this meme as a serious reference

Ha, where did you find that image?

i edited this image of doris day

Like many Good Stuff tracks, "Is That You Mo-Dean?" is a minute too long.

https://i.imgur.com/zpsaIg2.jpg
28 (tie). 53 Miles West Of Venus

128 points, 7 votes. Highest position on ballot: 6

Wild Planet
live 1980

If I'd voted, this might have been my #1. xp to Quiche Lorraine

the last tie on the rollout

'Quiche La Poodle is her name / And having a good time on a crummy day is our game' is such a great lyric

in 1982 when I was maybe in 10th grade a guy dressed in full on 80s new wave weirdo Square Pegs regalia did a lip-synch version of "Quiche Lorraine" at a talent show, it made a big impression on me

Alright, I got something into "Highest position on ballot." I just love the cool simplicity of this song.

"Is that you Mo-Dean" is based on a bit of call-and-response they used to do in the early days. There's a bit of it on the "Anola Gay" bootleg from '78.

I love Mo-Dean and wish I'd had more room for it on the ballot

Like many Good Stuff tracks, "Is That You Mo-Dean?" is a minute too long.

Certainly not that euphoric last minute though...

https://i.imgur.com/hbRnc4W.jpg
27. Cake

176 points, 8 votes. Highest position on ballot: 3

Mesopotamia
fan video

this song is horny as hell

The groove on "Cake" is fabulous in its post-Byrne re-mix. This is the B-52's track to which James Muprhy was avidly listening.

I don't know if Wilson or Byrne handles the guitar, but this is about the only time its thin, hard insistence works.

27 wtf? i love this thing

yeah, cake is super good. it made my ballot, but it was one of those that i wanted to bump up near the top as i listened to it more.

just ran across this:

Follow
Mesopotamia - The B-52's - Full third album fan edit

Loveland (Byrne mix)
Big Bird (Whammy version) - 8:30
Adios Desconocida (extra rare demo) - 12:44
Mesopotamia - 17:02
Deep Sleep - 20:48
Cake (Byrne mix) - 24:20
Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can (Byrne mix) - 32:08
Butterbean (Whammy version) - 37:56
Queen of Las Vegas (Byrne mix) - 42:17
Nip It In The Bud - 48:00

I know that "Mesopotamia" is not the record fans always prefers, but when reading about the story of that record, (David Byrne, the few tracks that never make it and all that stuff...) I was fascinated.
Between 2012 and last year, I've searched all the internet to find any of these outtakes and "special long versions" of "Loveland", "Cake" and "Throw That Beat" that didn't make it on the american version of the record. I did find almost all of these. The english version of the record is available on youtube. One outtake, "Queen of Las Vegas", is available on "Nude On The Moon". I even find some kind of a demo of the "Adios Desconocida" song, which is pretty rare. But the "Mesopotamian versions" of "Butterbean" and "Big Bird" are unavailble, or simply don't exist.
Anyway, with all the tracks I've found over the years, I made some kind of a "fan edit project" (with all the David Byrne's versions and outtakes) of the original third album from the B-52's.

Enjoy !

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3leq9q

The groove on "Cake" is fabulous in its post-Byrne re-mix.

the post-byrne, 1991 remix is the only version i've heard, i think! i think that's the version of spotify.

i'm listening to the original now (via the dailymotion upload just above), and yeah, the doubling of the snare hits is annoying the living hell out of me

My first vote! Cake was the big revelation for me in the poll, it's really top-tier imo. Byrne, like a total pro, zeroes in on the real source of sexual tension in the band--between Cindy and Kate...

but actually, the annoying delay on the snare is mostly confined to the beginning. and i like the way the chorus sounds, without the horns! i like both versions a lot tbh

mesopotamia rules

https://i.imgur.com/PRPV8t8.jpg
26. Bushfire

178 points, 9 votes. Highest position on ballot: 5

Cosmic Thing
live 1990

SMOKE IN YOUR EEE-YYYEES

this song is horny as hell

Haha otm I love Bushfire!

Re: Cake, sounds like the Byrne mix is actually just a rough cut demo, which makes a lot of sense to these ears

http://diffuser.fm/b52s-mesopotamia/

In Island’s haste to get Mesopotamia printed and in stores, the label accidentally included longer rough mixes of “Cake,” “Loveland” and “Throw That Beat” – upping the EP’s running time by more than seven minutes. The error was found and corrected, but the fans who got their hands on an initial version quickly dubbed the demo versions “David Byrne’s original mixes,” due to some funkier touches and denser sounds. Some listeners still prefer the rougher takes to the versions on the approved EP, which earned mostly mixed reviews from fans and critics

thanks, that article is really useful

I prefer pie tbh

https://i.imgur.com/UK2foHV.jpg
25. 6060-842

211 points, 11 votes. Highest position on ballot: 5

The B-52’s
live 1980

I know there's a place in one of the old B52s threads where Donut goes into a tremendous amount of detail abt the different versions of Mesopotamia

I love 'ya numbahz ben dis-ka-neck-ted' so much.

I love Mo-Dean and wish I'd had more room for it on the ballot

Like many Good Stuff tracks, "Is That You Mo-Dean?" is a minute too long.

Certainly not that euphoric last minute though...

― slack thompson (Drugs A. Money)

Absolutely! The "astro projector" part is one of my favourite moments in music.

love this track, but why isn't it 606-0842, as per conventional US phone number notation?

know there's a place in one of the old B52s threads where Donut goes into a tremendous amount of detail abt the different versions of Mesopotamia

hmm, i just searched through the other b-52's threads, and while he does bring up mesopotamia several times, i think he really only discussed the different sounds here:

I should underscore that the arrangements for most of the songs on the original vs. 1990 remix of Mesopatamia are like night and day. The original is far more sparse and dubby, and entire chunks are either amplified and echoed, or just muted out. The 1990 mix is just a nice succinct "rock" mix. Both work, but both are practically different releases.

love this track, but why isn't it 606-0842, as per conventional US phone number notation?

haha, you know, i've never really noticed that! they do sing

606 and I'm waitin' for you /
6060-842

those b-52's are wacky, maybe they were just being funny

Great song, too low.

I'm curious whether anyone voted for "Downtown".

had Downtown low and dropped at the last minute - my list was super Cindy heavy

Can confirm someone voted for "Downtown" :)

https://i.imgur.com/3YWyLKs.jpg
24. Devil In My Car

220 points, 10 votes. 1 first place vote.

Wild Planet
promo video, 1978
live 1978

ow too low :(

"I've got the devil juice in my caaaaaaaarburettor" is a favourite B's moment

Chris Ott (sorry) had this great line about how 'Disturbance at the Heron House' sounds like a band that's totally at ease, playing to their strengths.
I get the same feeling about 'Devil in My Car'.
My #1.

that Mesopotamia article answers many questions, thank you DAM

As I remember, contemporary Athens reaction to the Byrne collaboration was "Of course, yes!" -- the only disappointment was that it wasn't an LP. Remain in Light and My Life in the Bush of Ghosts were both still in constant rotation, so working with Byrne seemed an ideal way for the Bs to expand on the sound of the debut and Wild Planet.

https://i.imgur.com/y3T3QL6.jpg
23. Wig

246 points, 12 votes. 1 first place vote.

Bouncing Off The Satellites
appearance on UK’s Get Fresh, 1987

this great line about how 'Disturbance at the Heron House' sounds like a band that's totally at ease, playing to their strengths.
I get the same feeling about 'Devil in My Car'.

A lot of Wild Planet sounds like that! Which is really rather remarkable for a sophomore effort.

Wig is the fourth one from my ballot today, all clustered around the 7-12 area

Five from my ballot have now placed, all from my nrs 14-19

I love Wig because it's about three songs jammed into one.

https://i.imgur.com/tcVsb0D.jpg
22. Hero Worship

260 points, 13 votes. Highest position on ballot: 3

The B-52’s
1978 promo video

live 1978

Cindy's screaming = A+

You can really hear the Velvet Underground influence in that first promo clip.

Glad I re-did my ballot, thanks Karl.
Too low!

Wig is an impressively dead-on homage to 50s novelty numbers like Yakety Yak, but because the B's have such a deep bag of tricks, there's all these 'free lunches' thrown in, like the gossip breakdown (complete with laugh track) and Kate's(?) soaring high notes during the "Wig's on fire" call-and-response section

https://i.imgur.com/6hSQxoT.jpg
21. Channel Z

262 points, 12 votes. Highest position on ballot: 4

Cosmic Thing
music video

rehearsal for Saturday Night Live, 1990

creeped-out lol at that image

you are killing it, Karl

Where's DJP been lately, he should be here raving about "Bushfire" with us.

Something good is happening!

Poppy Bush Interzone homage in that image!

Living on the edge of Z
Waste dumps
toxic fog
irradiate, and keep it fresh forever
Good old boys, tellin' lies

that's good ol' boy lee atwater on the right

https://i.imgur.com/cHpMUDQ.jpg
20. Summer Of Love

282 points, 14 votes. Highest position on ballot: 4

Bouncing Off The Satellites
PSA for AMFAR

Points to Doogie Howser, M.D. for including scene of Doog listening to "Channel Z" while in post-breakup haze -- on vinyl!

see "Summer of Love" is too clanky

I love "Summer of Love" but I don't LOOOOOVE it. #18 of my 20.

It made my Top 20.

that AMFAR ad was probably the first time I ever heard of the B-52s, I remember buying multiple albums by them and being like "huh, I guess that song (Summer of Love) isn't on this one"

https://i.imgur.com/2m1WpUx.jpg
19. Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland

289 points, 15 votes. Highest position on ballot: 2

Bouncing Off The Satellites
music video

^^^^ love this thing -- a hook monster

I can tell it was assembled around the mixing desk, with those excellent synth whooshes covering for the lack of Ricky.

Are the BotS images in a golden ratio? Took me long enough to see it.

do not sleep on the video

My favorite image so far.

https://i.imgur.com/9zzA5u9.jpg
18. Ain’t It A Shame

294 points, 12 votes. Highest position on ballot: 2

Bouncing Off The Satellites
Cindy Wilson singing this at karaoke in 1989 (this is amazing)

I LOVE THIS SONG. shamefully, i didn't even really know about it when i submitted my ballot. now it would be top 5, i think.

my, uh, second-favorite song by them : )

Missed the results in real time. "Wig" was my first vote to place. Surprised to see it, "Channel Z" and "Girl From Ipanema" so low! All awesome imo. The image for "Girl" is fantastic! (x-post)

"Ain't it a Shame" placed high on my ballot too. Great Cindy performance.

Great video

https://i.imgur.com/DLmc5HS.jpg
17. Lava

295 points, 15 votes. Highest position on ballot: 6

The B-52’s
cool 1978 performance with someone dancing in middle of the band

live 1980

Sinead O'Connor killed "Ain't It a Shame," one of their queerest songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUF5mrKUOVA

Nice to see Bouncing Off The Satellites being represented well. Ain't It A Shame was my number four. One of the most beautiful and heartbreaking songs I know.

That 1978 video fascinates me beyond all comprehension, still performing to recorded backing. As early as it is, you can hear how they have all of their quirky parts and performances cemented.

If I have my B lore straight, that video predates their first trip to NYC to play at Max's Kansas City. The book Party out of Bounds mentions how they had made a video prior to the trip, and took some stills from it to create a press kit to try to land a gig at CBGB, which didn't book them, and Max's, which did.

https://i.imgur.com/0WXmuLR.jpg
16. Love Shack
338 points, 16 votes. Highest position on ballot: 3
Cosmic Thing
music video
Letterman show, 1989
Stephanie Tanner dances to Love Shack
Shaquille O’Neal lip syncs to Love Shack
Mike Yannacone sings and dances to Love Shack while driving

that's the last one for today.

Top 15 tomorrow!

https://i.imgur.com/0WXmuLR.jpg
16. Love Shack

338 points, 16 votes. Highest position on ballot: 3

Cosmic Thing
music video

Letterman show, 1989

Stephanie Tanner dances to Love Shack

Shaquille O’Neal lip syncs to Love Shack

Mike Yannacone sings and dances to Love Shack while driving

goddammit. well, i fucked that one up

I know we're all pretty tired of it by now, but still, too low!

woooow

ILM in eschewing overplayed trax shocka

Another great day. Pacing and rollout has been top notch.

I am glad that Mike Yannacone found good music on the radio.

I still enjoy Love Shack even after hearing it a thousand times, but I didn't even think of voting for it.

Huggin' and a-kissin', dancin' and a-lovin'
Wearin' next to nothing 'cause it's hot as an oven

Zero #1 votes for "Love Shack," wow

the call and response "I'm gonna jump in a crater-See ya later" is so delightful.

I really don't see the mistake with the last image, maybe I will on a computer and not on a phone.

It was posted twice.

‘Jukebox money’ is such a great phrase.

"Ain't It a Shame" is another track that didn't really stand for me until this exercise. Until TODAY, in this instance. Great!

Stand OUT

I still enjoy Love Shack even after hearing it a thousand times, but I didn't even think of voting for it.

I thought about it, but yes. One of those songs like Rock the Casbah or Tainted Love that I can't hate but can't seek out either. Keep it in reserve for something to be a good sport about at wedding receptions.

> 19. Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland

Watching the video made me like this one more, where they dose it with more surrealism. The tune stays in one place. It could use a "Tin roof, rusted!" slap of incongruity in there somewhere.

Nah, Ipanema is the vertiginous diva turn, it's all about build

Ain't It a Shame was my #5. Way too low! BotS has such an expansive vision of pop music

I couldn't not vote for "Love Shack", but my love for it diminished a bit over the years from overhearing it. It was the video that introduced little me to RuPaul and shocked my mother, so it still holds a special place in my heart.

“Ain’t it a Shame” really the hidden gem of their catalogue, and reason alone to check out BOTS.

I liked your Chevy Duster
I liked your brand new trailer
I liked your colour TV
But you looked at that colour TV
More than me

I never noticed the error in that first line. Plymouth made Dusters, not Chevy.

and they should know better, having cited the Plymouth Satellite in "Planet Claire"!

Oh it's so hot
Oh, it's burnin' up in here
Oh look out, it's about to erupt
Oh, my body's burning like a lava from a Mauna Loa
Let it flow!

who is ready for the top 15?

yeah!

https://i.imgur.com/MviectO.jpg
15. Dirty Back Road

342 points, 16 votes. Highest position on ballot: 3

Wild Planet
tv performance, early 1980s (anybody know details?)

this song is horny as hell

Good start! It's looking likely that all the songs from Wild Planet will place. I guess, maybe Strobe Light could miss out?

If Strobe Light misses out, I will never log on to I'll again.

I'll = ilm

I def voted for Strobe Light

Top 40 Spotify Playlist

My #3. I love this track. It's so effortlessly cool and alluring.

yeah, it's got one of those classic, simple ricky wilson riffs

https://i.imgur.com/sGjnxxZ.jpg
14. Song For A Future Generation

394 points, 17 votes. 1 first place vote.

Whammy!
live on Switch tv, 1983 (they also play Whammy Kiss and Butterbean)

way too high

perfect

favorite song image so far

Yay, back for the final day.

"Meet the Flintstones" is still to come, right?

Let's meet and have a baby now!

And Strobe Light has to place. Top 10?

I find it fascinating that 1960s bouffants and better-living-through-chemistry illustrations were thoroughly ironic fodder for new wavers by 1978. Culture shifted so quickly in the seventies.

way too high

― sleeve, Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Yep. All their songs are songs for future generations.

"Song For Future Generations" is really good but got slightly old for me. You reach the bottom of it fairly quickly.

although as late as 2003, I dealt with a car salesman sincerely sporting a blazer and pencil mustache a la Fred or John Waters.

https://i.imgur.com/KgihCvL.jpg
13. Topaz

400 points, 16 votes. 2 first place votes.

Cosmic Thing
learn how to play this on guitar, I guess

I still like Future Generation a lot even though I think I should be sick of it. Usually spoken words in part of songs gets old fast.

Nice showing for Topaz.

Ah, I was hoping this would sneak into the top 10. My number one and one of my ten favourite songs of all time. One of the most beautiful melodies there is.

DJP's enthusiasm for "Topaz" a decade ago taught me to love it.

Strickland's slink guitar sounds marvelous.

holy shiiiit at love shack this low. i'm not sure there is *any* band that has sixteen songs better than "love shack," so poll is anyone's game i guess. the song is a fucking masterpiece if you didn't notice. there's a reason it's never gone away, it's so joyous and dynamic and the interplay between fred and kate-n-cindy is maybe some of the best ever. it's like they're riffing on the squarest of old "there's a little place down the way" kinda songs - like, say, "sugar shack" and just leaning right into it with all their might. they don't try to sex it up or imply shady business at the love shack (tho it ends up being kinda sexy anyway, in the way that happy people are sexy), and then at the same time it is an incredibly, unashamedly, untearfully gay song about gay communal spaces, in 1989...

and so many fun parts to sing along to!!! the different ways of delivering "it's as big as a whale"... the james-browny "bang bang" breakdown and build-up, and of course, "TIIIIIIIIIIIIN ROOOF!" it will still be getting the love it deserves on wedding dance floors in fifty years.

xp "Song for Future Generations" is the opposite of the way I like the Bs to sound. The lyrics and delivery are too twee and self-consciously camp, the music too soft and pretty. They're at their best when they're straight-faced and urgent.

Dr. C. OTM hearing James Brown in "Love Shack," it's a better song that the ones that have placed above it so far

didn't get the chance yesterday to join in the "quiche" love but man that's a delightful song. love how fred doesn't turn moody and vindictive until the very end, finally catching up to the sinister, pylon-y, post-punk energy of the music. the gauzy, earnest backing vocals are also beamed in from another genre and yet it just seems obvious and natural that they should be there. and this is the story of a guy and his poodle and how having a good time on a crummy day is their game. half a million people bought this album. i love it.

https://i.imgur.com/QJdXbJJ.jpg
12. Strobe Light

406 points, 18 votes. 1 first place vote.

Wild Planet
fan video (well done though)

live 1980

live 1990

woooooooo

lol that fan video is well don!

i didn't vote for "strobe light" but it's great. i don't think i've ever been in any dance party context where it was playing, that would probably bump it up a lot as it seems like it'd be a blast.

yessss

Too low

I didn't realise this was so popular. I always think of it as one of the lesser songs on Wild Planet.

That fanmade video is really great!

love how their queer sensibility fucks with the Bo Diddley rhythm of "Strobe Light."

https://i.imgur.com/qUauay5.jpg
11. Legal Tender

432 points, 18 votes. Highest position on ballot: 2

Whammy!
music video

live in Rio, 1985 (with Tina Weymouth and her dull husband)

lol Karl

Exhibit A in my Whammy! is underrated thesis.
My #4.

this song is so great, sort of an angular Devo thing, mixed with Kate Bush's "There Goes a Tenner"... so joyful

I heard this for the first time because of the poll. It's beautiful.

Ten!
Twenty!
THIRTY MILLION DOLLARS!

would have been better with Keith instead of a drum machine

Wow, I thought for sure Top 10.

you weren't far off!

here comes my #1

i don't love the whammy! sound but it's at least unique and on this song it just about works. it does feel kinda like a demo though, this basic synth backing track and the guitar feeling eerily pasted on top of it. it's sort of their "temporary secretary" in that i think most casual fans have never heard of it and would be baffled by a poll where it places this high... but it appeals to things a lot of us ilm types find fantastic in records. wiki tells me it was a top-ten dance chart hit, which surprised me. i wish they'd done a b-side "rock version" just to see how it worked....

also reminds me of stuff my friends and i were trying to do with very rudimentary recording skills and software drum machines in the early 2000s. we were trying to cover "deceptacon" and such so i guess there's a reasonable line of descent. i wish "legal tender" went a few more places along the way but the hooks are so simple and appealing, and i'm charmed by cindy's lyrical conceit here, where launching a counterfeiting operation is expressed almost the way you'd explain that you've been setting up a darkroom, or taking up canning of course. but of course, it's always a communal project. we're in the base-meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeent....

https://i.imgur.com/mcucLLn.jpg
10. Party Out Of Bounds

463 points, 19 votes. 3 first place votes.

Wild Planet
live 1980, but not the same 1980 show as a lot of other links in this countdown. Fred approaches Andy McCluskey levels of lateral dancing coverage, at times

according to B-52's legend, they first decided to play together after enjoying a Zombie drink together

WHO'S TO BLAME!?

i love the whole idea behind 'Party Out of Bounds', as well as the execution. when you play it out of nowhere, it really does sound like the B-52's are crashing your party and making it a million times more fun (which makes it a great opener, too)

"ok, who ordered pizza?"

and this is my "too low!" of the countdown, too. i expected it to be top 3 for sure

oh, ALSO: cindy ripping into a machine-gun bongo pattern
<3

xp I heard the formative drink was one of these

https://s3-media3.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/tMw2KftMIbgsgujVcpUwIw/348s.jpg

this one has basically been stuck in my head since Bee OK picked it for the voting-thread title. their nerviest, jumpy-footed-est rock song. love the back and forth between fred and kate - "crashers getting bombed!" "who's to blame?"

another great update of an old concept. about half of fred's lyrics seem like they could come straight from some now-public-domain educational film about throwing a fun and wholesome party, but his delivery, cindy's bongos, and the keith-and-ricky attack turn up the dial and something much more dangerous and exciting seems to be sneaking in the back door. something is going out of bounds and it's great. "people get sick - they play the wrong games" is one of fred's very best lyrics imho. then stuff like "It shouldn't be difficult! Try not to condemn!" seems like it came in from a straight ahead sloganeering punk record. what a creation.

xp

oh shit, that's right! flaming volcano!

a good night at a tiki bar involves a flaming volcano, then a zombie, then maybe a test pilot to top things off. THEN you go crash someone's party and order pizza imo

BE TACTFUL
WHEN MAKING THE ROUNDS

The B-52's are the only ones qualified to give party advice in song form.

This has got to be Planet Claire or Dance This Mess Around #1. I hope it's the latter.

On ILX, :Roam" might be #1.

* "Roam"

there are about five songs left on my ballot where i'd be 100% unsurprised, and satisfied, if they made #1.

they have a lot of legit contenders for #1, both in the ILX and non-ILX context.

I tried to make the email address Party Out of Bounds but was already taken on gmail.

Astonished this wasn't Top 3

They have nine songs that are better?

"Roam" as #1 = disgusting things you'd never anticipate

"roam" rules

https://i.imgur.com/W9Bjq3t.jpg
9. Deadbeat Club

501 points, 21 votes. 2 first place votes.

Cosmic Thing
music video (with michael stipe cameo)

live 1990

Well this is a surprise

TOO LOW

many famous faces of Chronic Town in that video

I get kind of emotional thinking about them coming back to make that album.

i was one of the #1 voters. there are other b-52's songs that rock much harder or that make me giggle but this one puts tears in my eyes, i think it's so beautiful. one of the best musical evocations of real bittersweetness, genuine smiles in looking back through incredible loss and pain, to a time that can never be had again but which still lifts the spirit and matters. a love letter of gratitude to one's bandmates, a statement of just how much it could matter, at the right time, to have a few other proud deadbeats to bum around with.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/94/f0/16/94f0167c72e74c32cfbd3db7e83f103b.jpg

i went on a date once to allen's. i don't remember what the beer cost in 2003 but the burgers were solid greasy-spoon fare at a reasonable price.

downstairs was foxz, a dirty, leaking, falling-apart bar whose customers were roughly split between queers and tolerant bud-drinking southern drunks, and on karaoke wednesdays, a whole supplemental contingent of college and townie hipsters. the first time i went as a freshman i was too chicken and shy to join my friends doing "love shack." the last time i went before they closed and relocated, i remedied that.

https://i.imgur.com/8b1zrMK.jpg
8. Mesopotamia 

618 points, 25 votes. 2 first place votes.

Mesopotamia
live 1990, with an extended shadow puppet dance party in the middle starring Kate and Fred

cool show from 1982

live 1983

this is lame to point out, but each of those images, top down from left to right, specifically references lyrics from the song

My one and only visit to Athens in the early 90s I made a pilgrimage to Allen's.

AND YES THOSE ARE THE REAL CUNEIFORM SYMBOLS FOR 1, 2, AND 3

Dr Casino otm, great writeup, Deadbeat was my #2 but it could have been #1

also cosign this 100%:

The B-52's are the only ones qualified to give party advice in song form.

― jmm

https://i.imgur.com/ck8VWma.jpg
7. Planet Claire

735 points, 30 votes. Highest position on ballot: 2

The B-52’s
live 1982

miming to the album track for a kid’s show in 1987

First one in the Top 10 without a number 1 vote

I also have no idea of the order, so this rollout is a surprise to me as well.

That was my #2. So many things I love: the Peter Gunn riff (and Ricky's riffing overall,) Kate's wordless vocalizations, Cindy's congas, Fred's "BUT SHE ISN'T!!!" I never get tired of this song. Just heard it a few weeks ago while seeing a local band, as intermission music. I danced to the intermission music.

Too low!

as a first track on a debut album, this is as definitive a statement of purpose as "Black Sabbath"

^^^ yes!

I saw The Charlatans last month and between the opening band and them they broke out this song. They also played an obscure Pink Floyd track. I think the DJ was better than the band.

I love how Fred's vocal doesn't start for about 2:30 of a 4:34 track

I always thought it was "WELL, SHE ISN'T"? works either way!

whoa there, let's talk about mesopotamia a little first.

I pitched a paper for this year's MoPop Pop Conference based on "Deadbeat Club."

Re "Planet Claire": we don't discuss Kate Pierson's organ here and elsewhere enough.

https://i.imgur.com/VsGj8YB.jpg
6. Give Me Back My Man

757 points, 29 votes. 2 first place votes.

Wild Planet
Music Video (this is sick footage imo - the kind of stuff that temporarily makes it your favorite song)

xpost it's just what you hear when all the other sounds on Earth are turned down low enough

Planet Claire is definitely one of their best songs

Xpost

Nearly made Planet Clare my number 1, but had it at 2 and Mesopotamia at 1. PC was first B-52s song I ever heard. It was about 1980, I was about 12, and a 16 year old friend of the family took me out in his mom's big white Oldsmobile one night. He played Planet Claire over and over, ducking his head kinda like David Byrne, and making the motorized drivers seat rise up and down to the measures of the music. He pulled over to a farmer's field, 'cause he wanted to pilfer some corn, but the cobs were all too small. Both things freaked me out! But by the third or fourth play, I started digging it.

high five to the other #1 voter for Give Me Back My Man

I always thought it was "WELL, SHE ISN'T"?

It is, busy day at work and typing too fast.

this is sick footage imo

Yeah, agreed. They look amazing in this video.

this is one good looking band.

uh, apparently GMBMM is just my #1 track at this moment, I had it at #4 on my ballot

"Mesopotamia" was my #1. I just love everything about it. The lyrics, the guitar, the decending keyboard lines and the incredible hamonies between Kate and Cindy.

Last month when I wrote about the band for my blog the older brother of a buddy -- as amiably macho a dude as you can get -- said that the B-52's were "like a portal" for him in the early '80s. He said he'd date girls and blast 'Planet Claire' and 'Rock Lobster' and ask them if he didn't think they were the greatest shit she'd ever heard. They were his gateway to other music besides the Eagles.

I'LL GIVE YEW FISH

it's probably not clear, but in the image the other fish are dragging the backwards font fish away from his fish gal. it's a very dark interpretation of the lyrics

I think "Planet Claire" was also the first B-52's song I heard. My babysitter had their first album and would play it all the time. She had a blonde streak in her dark brown hair, I thought she was so cool.

> hey were his gateway to other music besides the Eagles.

Yeah, I'd pretty much just heard the Beatles and Eagles other things Otto the Bus driver played. Total portal.

"love shack" was definitely the first and only B-52's song i heard for a very long time. it was many years before i even realized they were also a cool early new wave band

searching for something else, but here's an interview/feature with rolling stone from 1980: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/interview-the-b-52s-113100/

https://i.imgur.com/uhfJggV.jpg
5. Rock Lobster

790 points, 28 votes. 5 first place votes.

The B-52’s
music video

music video, version 2(? apparently there were multiple versions that circulated on comp videos? neither one is great tbh
Countdown 1980

#5!!!!

This one also shows up at wedding receptions, and I like it even more than Love Shack.

Way too low

I remember hearing this on the radio as a kid on k-earth 101 and being blown away

I think I know how the top 4 are gonna shake out

Didn't discover them until I changed the channel to KROQ years later

I remember K-earth playing this and Another Brick in the Wall all the time

guessing:

#4 Your Own Private Idaho
#3 Roam
#2 Dance This Mess Around
#1 52 Girls

Because of how it effected me as a kid, my #1

Sorry about all the posts in a row, at work

I'd love to have been at those first concerts. This is such a batshit song to release as your first single.

uh "Roam"

(not the order i had those songs in fwiw, just trying to read the ILM hivemind!)

No way are "Roam" and "Your Own Private Idaho" better than "Rock Lobster".

I think I first heard the original DB Records "Rock Lobster" single on Dr Demento, before the debut album was released

My #1. It changed my life. Details when I have more time to type.

I'd love to have been at those first concerts.

I was. More later...

I was just about to post about the single version. I kind of prefer the DB version of 52 Girls:
https://youtu.be/V2DEgpiK8Oc

https://i.imgur.com/R4KdLfD.jpg
4. Roam

796 points, 30 votes. Highest position on ballot: 2

Cosmic Thing
music video

mtv live, 1990

Live 1999, with Julee Cruise

My #1.

This song.

Those harmonies.

That guitar.

Kate's finest hour

overplayed, but for good reason

roam is a wonderful song. not top 10 for me, tbh, but i will never skip it.

I really like that image.

My #1.

Roam was not your #1, if you were referring to it with that post (it was your #2)

thanks jmm!

i'll be back in 30 minutes to finish the top 3

Way late, but:

i was one of the #1 voters. there are other b-52's songs that rock much harder or that make me giggle but this one puts tears in my eyes, i think it's so beautiful. one of the best musical evocations of real bittersweetness, genuine smiles in looking back through incredible loss and pain, to a time that can never be had again but which still lifts the spirit and matters. a love letter of gratitude to one's bandmates, a statement of just how much it could matter, at the right time, to have a few other proud deadbeats to bum around with.

(Roam was my #2 too)

shout *out*, even

And *who's*. My word.

My #1.

Roam was not your #1, if you were referring to it with that post (it was your #2)

― Karl Malone, Wednesday, November 14, 2018 5:29 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

See? I was right about changing my mind!

Monster cracked the top 3?!

"Loveland" hasn't placed, has it? Clearly impossible now. Didn't vote for it, but wouldn't have picked that as the sole Mesopotamia omission.

"Roam" always reminds me of returning to school at end of (southern hemisphere) summer, early 1990. It was new and suddenly as massive as "Love Shack" and was playing in art class. A girl who usually didn't say much (least of all about music) was moved to remark "this is such a good song, isn't it?" I don't remember any occasion when it would have been harder to find a dissenting view.

thanks dorsalstop - and i also had "roam" at #2!

come on Flintstones theme

Lol

"Roam" is brilliant and I don't know many other songs as perfectly affirmative.

https://i.imgur.com/RjY2EHk.jpg
3. Private Idaho

888 points, 33 votes. 4 first place votes.

Wild Planet
music video

another guiding light performance(!), from 1982

Live 1992, with Julee Cruise

placed on 33 of the 34 ballots!

OK, who didn't vote for Private Idaho.

I'm glad three other people also put this as #1

again, I prefer the Party Mix version, so great with this wide open sound

Yes,a great song

Yeah, who didn't vote for Private Idaho!!!!!!

...

:D

the bonus secret question is Who Voted For 'My Own Private Idaho'?

A: several of you

https://i.imgur.com/CarUDmi.jpg
2. Dance This Mess Around

892 points, 32 votes. 3 first place votes.
The B-52’s
live 1983

tv performance 1990, new year’s eve

https://i.imgur.com/Dn3kdBy.jpg
1. 52 Girls

932 points, 32 votes. 5 first place votes.

The B-52’s
live 1978

live 1980

live 1990

Rank, Track, Points, Total Votes, #1 Votes
1 52 Girls 932 32 5
2 Dance This Mess Around 892 32 3
3 Private Idaho 888 33 4
4 Roam 796 30
5 Rock Lobster 790 28 5
6 Give Me Back My Man 757 29 2
7 Planet Claire 735 30
8 Mesopotamia 618 25 2
9 Deadbeat Club 501 21 2
10 Party Out Of Bounds 463 19 3
11 Legal Tender 432 18
12 Strobe Light 406 18 1
13 Topaz 400 16 2
14 Song For A Future Generation 394 17 1
15 Dirty Back Road 342 16
16 Love Shack 338 16
17 Lava 295 15
18 Ain’t It A Shame 294 12
19 Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland 289 15
20 Summer Of Love 282 14
21 Channel Z 262 12
22 Hero Worship 260 13
23 Wig 246 12 1
24 Devil In My Car 220 10 1
25 6060-842 211 11
26 Bushfire 178 9
27 Cake 176 8
28 (tie) 53 Miles West Of Venus 128 7
28 (tie) Quiche Lorraine 128 7
30 Is That You Mo-Dean? 122 7
31 Dry County 121 6
32 Nip It In The Bud 115 5 1
33 (tie) Theme For A Nude Beach 108 6
33 (tie) There’s A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon) 108 6
35 Whammy Kiss 107 6
36 Deep Sleep 105 5 1
37 Runnin’ Around 99 5
38 Queen Of Las Vegas 96 6
39 Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can 92 5
40 Butterbean 85 5
41 Trism 79 4
42 Cosmic Thing 75 5
43 Detour Thru Your Mind 70 4
44 (tie) She Brakes For Rainbows 68 4
44 (tie) Work That Skirt 68 3
46 Revolution Earth 60 3
47 (tie) Good Stuff 59 3
47 (tie) Loveland 59 3
49 Juliet Of The Spirits 51 3
50 Follow Your Bliss 39 2
51 Junebug 32 2
52 Downtown 28 2
53 Funplex 26 2
54 Debbie 25 1
55 (tie) Meet The Flintstones 22 1
55 (tie) Moon 83 22 1
57 Hot Pants Explosion 21 1
58 (tie) Big Bird 13 1
58 (tie) Eyes Wide Open 13 1
58 (tie) Housework 13 1
61 (tie) Deviant Ingredient 12 1
61 (tie) Dreamland 12 1

KATE! Kate and Cindayyyy

Rank, Release Name, Points, Total Votes, #1 Votes
1 The B-52’s 1012 27 16
2 Wild Planet 943 27 4
3 Cosmic Thing 805 24 4
4 Whammy! 563 18 1
5 Bouncing Off The Satellites 417 13 2
6 Mesopotamia 417 13 1
7 Party Mix/Mesopotamia 191 6 1
8 Good Stuff 56 2
9 Party Mix 36 1
10 Funplex 28 1

I basically couldn't really order my top three, of which Private Idaho was one, because I like them all too much... Private Idaho is like everything great about this band at once, and says in four minutes what Blue Velvet needs two hours to say.

these are always so fun. Thanks so much Karl & Bee, this is one of my favorite bands.
The only thing I had that didn't place was "Too Much To Think About", an attempt at having one off every album.

1 Devil In My Car
2 Dance This Mess Around
3 Hero Worship
4 Legal Tender
5 52 Girls
6 Dirty Back Road
7 Planet Claire
8 Private Idaho
9 Lava
10 Runnin' Around
11 Give Me Back My Man
12 Dry County
13 Song For A Future Generation
14 Strobe Light
15 Roam
16 Rock Lobster
17 Queen Of Las Vegas
18 Wig
19 Quiche Lorraine
20 Deadbeat Club
21 Party Out Of Bounds
22 Mesopotamia
23 Is that You Mo-Dean?
24 6060-842
25 Too Much To Think About

Final rankings by album

B-52's (#1, 4251 points)
1 52 Girls 932 32 5
2 Dance This Mess Around 892 32 3
5 Rock Lobster 790 28 5
7 Planet Claire 735 30
17 Lava 295 15
22 Hero Worship 260 13
25 6060-842 211 11
33 (tie) There’s A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon) 108 6
52 Downtown 28 2

Wild Planet (#2, 3431 points)
3 Private Idaho 888 33 4
6 Give Me Back My Man 757 29 2
10 Party Out Of Bounds 463 19 3
12 Strobe Light 406 18 1
15 Dirty Back Road 342 16
24 Devil In My Car 220 10 1
28 (tie) 53 Miles West Of Venus 128 7
28 (tie) Quiche Lorraine 128 7
37 Runnin’ Around 99 5

Roam (#3, 2742 points)
4 Roam 796 30
9 Deadbeat Club 501 21 2
13 Topaz 400 16 2
16 Love Shack 338 16
21 Channel Z 262 12
26 Bushfire 178 9
31 Dry County 121 6
42 Cosmic Thing 75 5
50 Follow Your Bliss 39 2
51 Junebug 32 2

Bouncing Off The Satellites (#4, 1370 points)
18 Ain’t It A Shame 294 12
19 Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland 289 15
20 Summer Of Love 282 14
23 Wig 246 12 1
33 (tie) Theme For A Nude Beach 108 6
43 Detour Thru Your Mind 70 4
44 (tie) She Brakes For Rainbows 68 4
58 (tie) Housework 13 1

Whammy! (#5, 1296 points)
11 Legal Tender 432 18
14 Song For A Future Generation 394 17 1
35 Whammy Kiss 107 6
38 Queen Of Las Vegas 96 6
40 Butterbean 85 5
41 Trism 79 4
44 (tie) Work That Skirt 68 3
55 (tie) Moon 83 22 1
58 (tie) Big Bird 13 1

Mesopotamia EP (#6, 1165 points)
8 Mesopotamia 618 25 2
27 Cake 176 8
32 Nip It In The Bud 115 5 1
36 Deep Sleep 105 5 1
39 Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can 92 5
47 (tie) Loveland 59 3

Good Stuff (#7, 274 points)
30 Is That You Mo-Dean? 122 7
46 Revolution Earth 60 3
47 (tie) Good Stuff 59 3
57 Hot Pants Explosion 21 1
61 (tie) Dreamland 12 1

Funplex (#8, 102 points)
49 Juliet Of The Spirits 51 3
53 Funplex 26 2
58 (tie) Eyes Wide Open 13 1
61 (tie) Deviant Ingredient 12 1

Other Releases
54 Debbie 25 1
55 (tie) Meet The Flintstones 22 1

The only thing I had that didn't place was "Too Much To Think About", an attempt at having one off every album.

oh, speaking of, i meant to tell you, i didn't include your 21-25 on your ballot! i probably could have left it on but i wasn't sure what to do since everyone else submitted 20 max. similarly, alfred submitted a top 6 albums and i left his #6 off.

please do not sue me for a recount, or to prevent a recount

terrific results, terrific list of songs, and possibly the best images in any ilm poll ever? would type more but am headed out for drinks.

god "private idaho" is great, probably the song that *really* hooked me on the band. that wild riff, that super-tight playing overall, the crazy hooting, the delicious chewing into 50s b-movie stuff (which i already knew from mst3k, and in the case of radioactive swimming pools, maniac mansion). but it's also a sexy party pool "full of strangers." they're on fire on this track.

also fun to think about that pool as the live-in-the-late-70s version of what stipe is brushing up against and remembering on "nightswimming."

Karl Malone excellent job, thank you so much for taking this over for me. You did this poll and band justice. Told you that you would have fun.

More later.

lol, I'm just glad the poll got completed, and I go back and forth about whether 6060-842 is a great track or not.

I approve these poll results and commend Karl, Bee OK, and we participants on our excellent taste

Paypaled a fish to Karl.

"52 Girls" was my own number one from my very first longlist but I discuss B-52s matters too infrequently to know it was quite this popular. Not too sure I can say much about it beyond "it bangs" or similar.

My only selections to miss out were "Trism" and "Follow Your Bliss", which is not terribly surprising.

Thanks for putting it all together, Bee OK and Karl Malone!

I will never not put "Private Idaho" at number one.

Thanks Karl & Bee. I don't agree with all the placings ("Strobe Light" TOO LOW - my #1), but it's hard to argue with that top 3. Cheers!

ILM did a great job like always, hard to argue with these results. these polls are a lot of work to put together, i think Johnny Fever is the brain child behind them, but so rewarding when you are actually running the polls. like always thanks for taking the time to put together a ballot, as poll runners we appreciate the time in doing them and sending them in.

Karl Malone, much respect. no-one would have done a better job!

I go back and forth about whether 6060-842 is a great track or not.

the coda makes it

my ballot, shamefully I didn't listen to BOTS and I apologize

also, "Strobe Light" was too low here

Private Idaho
Deadbeat Club
Party Gone Out Of Bounds
Rock Lobster
Planet Claire
Lava
Give Me Back My Man
52 Girls
Roam
Dance This Mess Around
Bushfire
Quiche Lorraine
Hero Worship
Devil In My Car
53 Miles West Of Venus
Channel Z
Love Shack
Is That You Mo-Dean?
Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland
Strobe Light

I ranked the albums last month.

The B-52's are a funny band for me. like my story above, i heard "Rock Lobster" on the radio back in the day and it blew my kid mind. surprised i never really seek them out in the late 80's when i started to form my own tastes. they were probably too happy for me but loved all the singles that got played. i went more in the New Order, The Cure and Bauhaus direction. when i started doing the Acclaimed Music polls, i ended up doing 1979 first and to my surprise The B-52's album won. to me it was like woo, really? so then i started to seek out their albums. thou i never got around to hearing all of it, i figured i would get to know them running this poll. as you know family issues happen and i wasn't able to absorb everything by them and handed this poll off. i thought polls were in a bit of a rut and we needed a bigger band to close out the year, so i opened it up. glad i did because 34 ballots is a great turn out for today's ILM Artist Polls.

thanks ILM for exposing me to this band and thanks again to Z for running all this for us.

i will post my ballot here when i find it...

Still haven't gotten to these results, but fixing to rectify that now!

i love the whole idea behind 'Party Out of Bounds', as well as the execution. when you play it out of nowhere, it really does sound like the B-52's are crashing your party and making it a million times more fun (which makes it a great opener, too)

"ok, who ordered pizza?"

― Karl Malone, Wednesday, November 14, 2018 1:57 PM (five hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

and this is my "too low!" of the countdown, too. i expected it to be top 3 for sure

― Karl Malone, Wednesday, November 14, 2018 1:58 PM (five hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

If this isn't my favorite song by this band, it's damn close

thanks to everyone very much for voting and being here on the thread, and especially to Bee for getting it started! i haven't done a big music poll before so it was pretty fun to figure out how the spreadsheet worked and all of that. also, i had a self-inflicted bummer of a year or two, and found it hard to get much done creatively over the past few months. this poll was a great excuse to make a bunch of 5x8 postcard images for the rollout. the fact that it's the b-52's and silliness and/or horny as hell-ness is to be expected just made it all the easier to do.

also, i have to say, if i run across any of their records from mesopotamia through roam in the record store, i am definitely going to be picking them up. before this poll, i really only knew their first two albums and thought that by reputation the rest of their stuff was pretty meh except for a fluke hit with Love Shack and Roam. very wrong about that! i look forward to one day closing out a karaoke bar with an intense version of Ain't It A Shame.

Karl and Bee OK, thank you so much for this poll. I have some emotional thoughts about this band, as they were the first band that meant anything to me, but I'll get into that at another time when I'm not so exhausted. It's wonderful to know so many other people who care so much about the B-52s, full stop.

Anyway, my ballot:

BALLOT ONE

1. Party Gone Out of Bounds
2. Roam
3. 52 Girls
4. Mesopotamia
5. Bushfire
6. Topaz
7. Cake
8. Summer of Love
9. Good Stuff
10. Deadbeat Club
11. Private Idaho
12. Lava
13. Dance This Mess Around
14. Rock Lobster
15. Song for a Future Generation

BALLOT TWO

1. Party Mix!/Mesopotamia (1991)
2. Cosmic Thing
3. The B-52s
4. Whammy!
5. Good Stuff

Was always so jealous of "Deadbeat Club" - and longed for the oddball friendship group that song seemed to celebrate.

the doogie howser with Channel Z is in the first season, episode 8, 9:35 in, here

vinnie, why i oughtta

now if you'll excuse me, i have to go watch the entirety of guiding light 1982

Spotify: ILM The B-52's Top 40

thanks Karl and Bee OK for a fantastic poll!

My ballot:

1 52 Girls
2 Ain't It A Shame
3 Private Idaho
4 Dance This Mess Around
5 Girl From Ipanema Goes to Greenland
6 Deadbeat Club
7 Mesopotamia
8 Roam
9 Legal Tender
10 Cake
11 Wig
12 Dry County
13 Give Me Back My Man
14 Summer of Love
15 Strobe Light
16 Theme for a Nude Beach
17 Planet Claire
18 Queen of Las Vegas
19 Housework
20 Topaz

1 Bouncing Off the Satellites
2 Cosmic Thing
3 The B-52's
4 Wild Planet
5 Mesopotamia

This was a blast. Thank you poll-runners!

52 Girls
Rock Lobster
Dirty Back Road
Hero Worship
Planet Claire
53 Miles West of Venus
Dance This Mess Around
Roam
6060-842
Love Shack
Give Me Back My Man
Mesopotamia
Party Out of Bounds
She Brakes For Rainbows
Detour Thru Your Mind

Thank you Bee OK and Karl Malone, this poll was so much fun. It brought me back to the old days of ILM.

1. Party Out of Bounds
2. Planet Claire
3. Legal Tender
4. Roam
5. Dance This Mess Around
6. Give Me Back My Man
7. Song for a Future Generation
8. Rock Lobster
9. Strobe Light
10. Love Shack
11. Private Idaho
12. Summer of Love
13. Whammy Kiss
14. Channel Z
15. 52 Girls
16. Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland
17. 6060-542
18. Wig
19. Lava
20. Deadbeat Club

These images were some of the best I have seen for one of these polls, great job by Karl.

1 - Rock Lobster
2 - 52 Girls
3 - Roam
4 - Private Idaho
5 - Channel Z
6 - Planet Claire
7 - Summer of Love
8 - Wig
9 - Dance This Mess Around
10 - Dirty Back Road
11 - Strobe Light
12 - Topaz
13 - Love Land
14 - Is That You Mo-Dean?
15 - The Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland
16 - Dry County
17 - Legal Tender
18 - Devil in My Car
19 - Funplex
20 - Theme for a Nude Beach

I'm still perplexed how Rock Lobster with 5 #1 votes could get beaten by Roam with no #1s.

Here's my own variation on the picture at the top of this thread:

https://i.imgur.com/2m2uRkN.jpg

ooh, very nice on the fluffy blouse

so here were the rock lobster votes (rank in ballot, points)

1 40
1 40
1 40
1 40
1 40
2 36
2 36
2 36
2 36
2 36
3 33
4 30
4 30
5 28
6 26
7 25
7 25
8 24
10 22
11 21
11 21
11 21
12 20
13 19
13 19
14 18
16 16
20 12
----------
790 points
28 votes, average of 28.14 points per vote

here's Roam:

2 36
2 36
2 36
2 36
2 36
3 33
3 33
3 33
3 33
3 33
4 30
5 28
5 28
6 26
6 26
7 25
7 25
8 24
8 24
9 23
9 23
9 23
9 23
10 22
12 20
12 20
13 19
15 17
19 13
20 12
--------
796 points
30 votes, average of 26.53 points each

Damn you, math!

i don't believe it in myself, i just do what it says

here's my lame ballot btw (only 15 tracks!)

Party Out Of Bounds
Rock Lobster
Dance This Mess Around
Legal Tender
52 Girls
Mesopotamia
Private Idaho
Planet Claire
Roam
Give Me Back My Man
There’s A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon)
Love Shack
Lava
Cake
53 Miles West Of Venus

if i could do it again, just literally typing all this out as it comes to mind, after listening to all these tracks a million times the last few days, starting NOW:

tier 1( no order for any of the tiers)
party out of bounds
ain't it a shame
dance this mess around
give me back my man
throw that beat in the garbage can (honestly the guiding light performance slays me)

2:
private idaho
52 girls
roam
planet claire
topaz

3:
dirty back road
mesopotamia
cake
legal tender
nip it in the bud

4:
butterbean
legal tender
theme for a nude beach
trism
queen of las vegas

throw that beat in the garbage can RULES

the part 1:25 in where fred's like 'STOP STOP STOP STOP! it's driving me craaaaaaazy - hahahahahahaha' is one of the best moments of their entire catalog

i think you should have updated your ballot, i have always believed you can redo any ballot up until the deadline.

are you saying "Rock Lobster" went from number 2 to not even making your Top 20?

oh shit, no, no saying that! rock lobster is a tier 1 for me, all time! drinking the lagunitas over here, mistakes were made.

i honestly struggled a bit with whether or not to update my ballot. i thought about at least adding 5 more songs at the bottom, 16-20. but then while i was thinking about that, i couldn't help but notice that Trism was right on the edge, and i thought i thought it deserved to make it. but adding it on there might bump something off, and i knew what that was something was (and liked that something!) and just felt weird about the whole thing. so in the spirit of free and fair elections, i decided to just let my first ballot stand, even though it no longer represented what i really thought.

dang, deep sleep should go on there as well.

several takeaways from this poll, but one important one is that mesopamia, whammy!, and bouncing all have really worthwhile tracks. not everyone would agree on what those tracks are, maybe, but they each have at least a few songs that are excellent.

My list!

nice
roam would have been my #1 had i got a vote in

thanks for this poll guys, only really familiar with the first two records + cosmic thing tbh - lots to explore :)

Yep, I'm gonna have to dive into some listening too. Never listened to anything past the greatest hits, which has a lot of great tracks. "52 Girls" is probably my favorite track, had no idea it was that well-liked by y'all!

when i started doing the Acclaimed Music polls, i ended up doing 1979 first and to my surprise The B-52's album won. to me it was like woo, really? so then i started to seek out their albums.

This is eerie, because I got into them in this same way from that exact thread as well. Here is the precise minute I discovered how much I liked the B-52's:

Wow, "52 Girls"... I guess I need this record.

― jim, Wednesday, June 6, 2012 2:38 PM (six years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Thank you Karl and Bee OK! I’m not much of a polls guy, but this was great fun.

My story: in 1976 I was 18 and playing in my first band. We hated all the hard rock hits of the day. My cousin played keyboards and wrote all the songs, derivative of Elton John, but we also loved Sparks. We weren’t very good, but we *did* record a poorly produced 45 and sent it to radio stations and record labels hoping for stardom. Nothing happened, and we disbanded.

1976-78 I worked at several small town radio stations. I was starting to hear some of the new punk music like Sex Pistols and Ramones, but was more enamored of quirky, arty stuff like Jonathan Richman, Talking Heads, and Devo. By late 1978 I had been fired for deviating from the playlist too often, airing Blondie and The Cars when it should have been Bee Gees.

I returned to Minneapolis, where I heard the DB Records “Rock Lobster” single in a record store. I was floored! Here was what I had been trying to do back in 1976, but now there was a scene for bands to tour clubs across the country. I eagerly bought a ticket at the store for their upcoming performance.

I wish I could recall it more clearly. I remember Fred announcing every song as “this is a dance song,” and I’ve been told they played their same short set twice, but memories are a blur. What I do remember is that being in a “new wave” club for the first time, I felt surrounded by like-minded, creative individuals looking for something outside the mainstream. I resolved not to move to any more small towns, to remain in the city. I began to disassociate myself from some of the metalheads and meatheads of my teen years, began to attend more clubs, more art shows, more dance and repertory film. I began to scour thrift stores for vintage clothing and records, and mainly kept playing music, kept writing, kept creating. The more I read of The B-52s and their history, the more inspired I am by them, and I’m happy they inspire others!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1203143963040174&set=gm.10154386723414651&type=3&eid=ARCRabnESaMd1VFz24PghxpVwCFttUS4Li06ojY3VtiQeAFn9VI2s0uyNmUDZaMPlyu6KY5CYwqyDXbu&ifg=1

<3

[Removed Illegal Image]

Stupid Photobucket.

Wonderful story. Is your first band's 45 available to hear somewhere?

^^^ Discogs link plz

lol my record actually did show up in cyberspace recently. Please be gentle. Piano is way out of tune on the A side, it's "Genius" I'm more proud of. I did the sax.

http://citizenfreak.com/titles/318745-yukon-nova-scotia-b-w-genius

My ballot:

- Tracks
1. Mesopotamia
Private Idaho
Planet Claire
Strobe Light
Rock Lobster
Whammy Kiss
6060-842
Bushfire
52 Girls
Butterbean
Dirty Back Road
Quiche Lorraine
Dance This Mess Around
Wig
Hero Worship
Party Out Of Bounds
Cake
Runnin' Around
Big Bird
Give Me Back My Man

- Albums
Wild Planet
The B-52's
Whammy
Mesopotamia

This exercise made me realize I'm much fonder of the all-three-vocalist tracks with the wiggly groove-laser that is Wilson's guitar. "Hero Worship" being the biggest exception. It's impossible not to love every aspect of this band, but Ricky is my favorite child.

that's a wonderful story, Dan!

if nothing else, this poll introduced me to the Mesopotamia version of Queen of Las Vegas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4SAclO9JAE), which is amaaaaaaaaaaazing

well I didn't think that would happen

I had so much fun listening to the band almost non-stop for the last month. Thanks so much Karl and Bee, this poll was great. Really what the B-52's deserved.

My ballot:

TRACKS

Mesopotamia
52 Girls
Rock Lobster
Channel Z
Give Me Back My Man
Wig
Song For A Future Generation
Dance This Mess Around
Girl From Ipanema Goes to Greenland
Topaz
Ain't It a Shame
Deadbeat Club
Planet Claire
Party Out Of Bounds
Dirty Back Roads
Love Shack
Legal Tender
Private Idaho
Roam
Summer Of Love

ALBUMS

The B-52's
Bouncing Off The Satellites
Cosmic Thing
Wild Planet
Mesopotamia
Whammy

The poll also has me chin-stroking over the queerness of the B-52s relative to their other circa 1980 peers. I'm not sure that within the New Wave era I read them as more queer than Talking Heads, Devo, Lena Lovich or other twitchy rock bands. But did others? As Dan describes, they felt more like something arty and urban, vaguely in contrast the suburban arena rock of the time, but also so cool they didn't seem to care about being an "alternative". Certainly by the time of Cosmic Thing, "Love Shack" had a much more obvious queer subtext. I was older and had had my semiotics classes and such, and was in an environment were people could be out, however.

The intro to the Loverboy "Lovin'" video gets at the cultural tension -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bohVV_KlSHw

Trying this again:

http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh633/1Handloose/B-52s_zpshaltvhv7.jpg?1542303343202&1542303343401

YAY!!!

is that a censored listing for the Suicide Commandos?

Same band, I don't know why their name is altered, maybe just shorthand. "Suicide" ran in local rags all the time.

I figured, thanks!

The poll also has me chin-stroking over the queerness of the B-52s relative to their other circa 1980 peers.
On some level, I think we may be selling the B's short. They seem as pioneering as John Waters in retrospect, IMO.

The poll also has me chin-stroking over the queerness of the B-52s relative to their other circa 1980 peers. I'm not sure that within the New Wave era I read them as more queer than Talking Heads, Devo, Lena Lovich or other twitchy rock bands. But did others?

The recent pitchfork review of the S/T album sort of addressed this idea:

Until the early 1990s, the B-52’s talked more about their vegetarianism than their sexual orientation. With four queer members out of the founding five, they chose to present themselves as if it were a foregone conclusion, so normal or obvious that it wasn’t worth mentioning.

otm on the last point, a bit like Pet Shop Boys

here is my list, i did not know Mesopotamia other songs before this poll and why it's a black hole on this list:

1. Rock Lobster
2. Strobe Light
3. Party Out of Bounds
4. Planet Claire
5. Song for a Future Generation
6. Give Me Back My Man
7. Dance This Mess Around
8. Legal Tender
9. Roam
10. Love Shack
11. 6060-542
12. Mesopotamia
13. Private Idaho
14. Summer of Love
15. Whammy Kiss
16. Channel Z
17. 52 Girls
18. Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland
19. Cosmic Thing
20. Wig

Albums:

1. The B-52’s
2. Wild Planet
3. Bouncing off the Satellites
4. Whammy!
5. Cosmic Thing

Thanks, Karl! You did an amazing job. I might take your Topaz graphic and use it for my new FB cover photo if that wd be cool...

Topaz
Dance This Mess Around
Roam
52 Girls
Ain't It a Shame
Rock Lobster
Cake
Devil in My Car
Bushfire
Wig
Dirty Back Road
Detour Thru Your Mind
Girl From Ipanema Goes to Greenland
Lava
Deadbeat Club
Revolution Earth
Song for a Future Generation
Private Idaho
Planet Claire
Party Out of Bounds

Might as well throw these up here--covers I made for a couple of bootlegs...

https://i.imgur.com/nErqwUW.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/MSCESm8.jpg

xp to drugs

of course! it's nice of you to ask, but no need, feel free! if you'd rather have a version of it without either the number or title, just let me know, it would only take a minute or so to edit and upload

B-52's with Teenage Jesus and the Jerks would be an incredible show

This was such a fun poll. Thanks so much for all the effort Karl and Bee!

My lists

1. Topaz
2. Dance This Mess Around
3. Planet Claire
4. Ain’t It A Shame
5. Deadbeat Club
6. Give Me Back My Man
7. Roam
8. Is That You Mo-Dean?
9. Mesopotamia
10. Private Idaho
11. 52 Girls
12. Follow Your Bliss
13. Rock Lobster
14. Party Out Of Bounds
15. Bushfire
16. Junebug
17. Song For A Future Generation
18. There’s A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon)
19. She Breaks For Rainbows
20. 53 Miles West Of Venus

1. The B-52's
2. Cosmic Thing
3. Wild Planet
4. Mesopotamia
5. Bouncing Off Satellites

Thanks Karl and Bee OK! I've been busy with work the past few days so have had to play catch-up with the rollout, great results and I all the images, great work there.

My tracks ballot:

Private Idaho
52 Girls
Roam
Nip It in the Bud
Planet Claire
Topaz
Lava
Dance This Mess Around
Legal Tender
Mesopotamia
Give Me Back My Man
She Brakes for Rainbows
Rock Lobster
Trism
There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)
Ain't It a Shame
Bushfire
Butterbean
Runnin' Around
6060-842

Albums:
The B-52's
Wild Planet
Whammy!
Mesopotamia
Cosmic Thing

*love all the images

"I give you fish, i give you candy"

finally finishing listening to the Spotify playlist today. i think ILM got it right, the songs just kept getting better and better and then finally ens with "52 Girls" perfect!

came across this today, and it made me laugh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2pljSVp0Uk

$120....not bad

"we can bobble our heads, but we're not bobbleheads"

haha. I still have my original B52s fanclub comb.

"Trism" is my #1 but I didn't know enough songs by this band to vote.

Without checking Youtube, I think it sounds weirdly similar to the themesong of the Canadian Nickelodeon show "Fifteen."

God, I was just thinking about Fifteen a few weeks ago. First time in probably 20 years

Now you will remember forever.

is an ilxor djing in greenpoint tonight, cause I just heard "mesopotamia" transition into devo's "satisfaction" and it is sweeeeeet

This was so much fun

Listen to this Spotify all the time

Same! It’s a good road trip listen

i had a free three month trial to Apple Music that just came to an end and i missed Spotify. so today i was back on Spotify and this B-52's poll playlist was what i played first. such good stuff!

One of today's Dangerous Minds reruns: https://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_b_52s_bring_their_mess_around_to_the_popular_soap_opera_guiding_light_1

Apparently them doing "Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can" was the producer's idea, and during that period Guiding Light had regular musical guests.

how did I completely miss this

You can only atone by posting a late ballot imo

Hmmm...

It would look something like:

52 Girls
Rock Lobster
Junebug
Bushfire
Private Idaho
Channel Z
Follow Your Bliss
Girl From Ipanema Goes to Greenland
Love Shack
Strobe Light
Give Me Back My Man
6060-842
Planet Claire
Topaz
There's A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon)
Whammy Kiss
Dance This Mess Around
Butterbean
Dry County
Work That Skirt

argh actually I want to redo the whole thing but I will stand by my impulse ballot

atonement achieved!

in retrospect, the biggest life-changer of this poll was permanently putting fred schneider singing "mesopotamia" in my head. it's ridiculous. i can't even look at a bookshelf now without thinking "before i talk...i should read a book!"

! this is a fun revive because THIS MORNING i threw my ballot/shortlist playlist on while walking the dog. just had to hear "Girl From Ipanema Goes to Greenland," "Nip It In The Bud," and all these other songs I really only got to know thanks to this poll.

I am completely in love with "Song For A New Generation" right now

sorry, Future

how did I completely miss this

― shout-out to his family (DJP), Friday, September 18, 2020 7:45 AM (five hours ago)

me too as i made the voting thread very loud: Surprise! POLL! Yeah, we just thought we'd drop in! - ILM Artist Poll #93 - The B-52’s (vote until November 10, 2018)

then my dad got sick and i had to postpone the poll, eventually Karl Malone stepped in and took over. so what i'm saying is voting did stay open for longer than normal. hope you have fun reading this poll. i'm going to put on this Spotify right now.

i'm sure this is posted up-thread somewhere but since this bumped today and i'm cursing YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WSenc2Z5OA

For Ruth Bader Ginsburg!

Keith Bennett B-52's Home Movie Collection

Hosted by Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection, UGA Libraries

... On Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m., another Facebook Live event features artist Keith Bennett, who will discuss his B-52s home movie collection from the 1970s and 1980s. In his home movies, Bennett chronicled the early rise of the Athens band on Super 8 camera, as the boyfriend and then husband of singer Cindy Wilson. Viewers will see his footage, now digitized and housed at the Brown Media Archives, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the band as well as early performances in Central Park in New York and the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, as well as international tours.

https://www.facebook.com/events/793334338150287

won't be attending that e-event, but if anyone else does i'm curious ! too bad super-8 doesn't have sound...

This was... okayish. An hour of grainy, silent home movies grew wearisome.

agreed ... the touristy bits from Japan, Australia, and Paris could have been anyone's home movies

some of the show clips were interesting but the lack of sound was frustrating ... Pylon!

the fun parts for us were Cindy's high school "art films" and the party at the Georgian Hotel, where we recognized a few familiar Athens faces ... also the street scenes where they're loading the car to drive to their first NYC show

bombed, crashers getting bombed

"she brakes for rainbows" needs more love. what absolute loveliness.

Such a fun poll, need to dig out this playlist as it has been a minute.

i may have posted this on another b-52's thread but when you think about how their guitars were tuned, flat out "love shack" is the greatest song the rolling stones never wrote.