Mobile Fidelity
Ranked at #152 on Rolling Stone´s List of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Boffo! Beehive hairdos, goofy sci-fi humor, lava-lamp kitsch, thrift-store fashions, party-starting tunes, unconventional perspectives, and the unique blending of the underground aesthetic with mainstream accessibility: The B-52´s mix all this and more into a dizzying cocktail on their self-titled debut, which remains one of the most ahead-of-its-time, endlessly enjoyable, and vividly colorful albums ever released.
Ranked at #152 on Rolling Stone´s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, The B-52´s has its roots in the band´s improbable genesis, itself reflective of the record´s gleeful moods and quirky charms. The five members first played after sharing a tropical alcoholic beverage at a Chinese restaurant, the ironic silliness and spontaneous irreverence indicative of the music on its breakthrough record. Not to mention how it mirrors the unusual hodgepodge of instrumentation: organs, walkie talkies, bongos, glockenspiels, tambourines, toy pianos, smoke alarms, and more!
Musically, the band proves just as adventurous and whimsical. Using pleasant harmonies as a backdrop and Kate Pierson´s squealing organ as a starting point, the B-52´s draw upon surf-rock grooves, beach-bound soul-pop, herky-jerky funk riffs, minimalist rhythms, and Ricky Wilson´s unusual guitar lines to craft songs that tower above the sarcastic suggestiveness and campy declarations. Of course, the latter are plenty entertaining on their own, but there´s no denying the dance-bound persuasiveness and melodic shimmy associated with the classic cult single "Rock Lobster" and splendid cover of the ubiquitous Petula Clark standard "Downtown." You´ve never heard anything like this.
Indeed, the B-52s were about a decade ahead of the alt-rock revolution when they recorded this delightfully campy, intentionally goofy, lyrically tawdry, and undeniably harmonic 1979 new-wave set that comes off as the best dance party you might ever hear. This is 40 minutes of nothing but a good time.
Mastered on our world-renowned mastering system and pressed at RTI (America´s best record plant), Silver Label numbered edition LP presents the B-52´s brilliant debut in a fidelity it´s never previously enjoyed. So detailed and realistic are the timbres, accents, and harmonies, you´ll think the band´s bright outfits are appearing right in front of you. Plus, the LP is worth the cost alone for the iconic album cover, which spotlights those bouffant ´dos.
