Wild Planet [Import]

The follow up to the phenomenally successful debut album was an even better effort from the B-52s released in the fall of 1980. Though it lacked a breakout blockbuster song like "Rock Lobster", their second LP was more solid and consistent and contained no "throw-away" tracks like "Downtown".

"Party Out of Bounds" opens with the sound of breaking glass and lets us know the B's are back in town and ready to party. Kate hoots her way through the track while Cindy asks "Where's the punch?" with just the right amount of blase in her tone, and Fred explains the chaos that happens when party crashers descend upon your house.

"Dirty Back Road" is a rather low-key change-of-pace offering and is surprisingly my favorite track on the whole album. Kate and Cindy's vocals blend perfectly together like milk and honey while the cleverly suggestive lyrics seem to refer to "back-door" sex.

"Running Around" features amazing guitar work from the late Ricky Wilson and is the kind of retro-pop '60s music that seems to have inspired the Austin Powers franchise, et al.

"Give Me Back My Man" has Cindy on lead with a slightly ominous bassline and ends with her anguished wails accompanied by hypnotic chimes.

"Private Idaho" kicks off what was Side 2 in the old days of vinyl and is probably the second best track. From Kate's hooty opening to the Twilight-Zone inspired riff right before the chorus, to Ricky's surf-rock guitar licks right after, Keith's machine-gun drumming and Cindy's "I-I-I-da-ho", this song's a winner and will stay in your head for days.

"Devil In My Car" is another rowdy number but not one of my favorites.

"Quiche Lorraine" is Fred's hilarious mid-tempo tale of a fickle poodle who deserts it's owner for a Great Dane. The lyrics are ridiculous but they help make the song as memorable and good as it is.

"Strobe Light" is another rousing track that will stay with you for days. It has a memorable start-and-stop structure, and call-and-response between Fred and the girls.

"53 Miles West of Venus" is perhaps the weakest track but still enjoyable in its own right and an effective closer. It has the same celestial vibe as "Planet Claire" but isn't quite as spooky or innovative.

This is the perfect party CD for anyone over 40, or one you should pop in your car to make any road trip enjoyable.

While I also recommend the "yellow" album that preceded this one, the "red" album will always be my favorite from this amazing Atlanta quintet.

If you were stuck on a desert island you want to make sure you bring this CD. Just about every song here makes you wanna dance. Some great memories with the B's. Truly one of the cornerstone bands of the New Wave era with a style that will never be duplicated. A must have for any 80's or even punk fan. Strobe light is one of my favs. 5 stars! Go get it!

Lots of bands suffer from the legendary "sophomore slump." The B-52's were no exception: WILD PLANET seems quite tame in comparison to their legendary, self-titled debut. Even so, the release offers several truly memorable B-52's classics--you'll just have to work a bit harder to get at them.

The big number here is "Private Idaho," and it stands alongside the absolute best of the band, a sharp and crackly piece with sardonic lyrics, a driving tempo, and a wicked sense of humor. "Party Out of Bounds" and "Devil in My Car" aren't quite in the same league, but they're still good enough to spin your head around. But the rest of the selections don't quite manage to cross the line into manic B-52's country.

"Dirty Back Road" and "Runnin' Around" are well done but not actually very memorable--and indeed, as I sit here fresh from the recordings I can barely call either of them to mind. "Give Me Back My Man," "Strobe Light," and "53 Miles West of Venus" seem to be slightly lesser reincarnations of cuts from the debut album, and while the notorious "Quiche Lorraine" starts well it overplays into pure silliness without ever finding the cutting quality for which The B-52's were and are so famous.

Listening to WILD PLANET today, it seems to me that the problem was less with the band than it was with management. The debut album got lots of critical attention and became a cult-smash, but then as now it proved too edgy for the sort of airplay that translated into big bucks with the buying public. I can almost hear the money men saying "Oh, that's fine--but if you'd only just..." and in the process tampering with the very thing that made the B-52's so memorable in the first place: their complete originality. Fans will enjoy this particular recording, but when everything is said and done its neither edgy enough nor pop enough to rank with the band's best.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer