Have the B-52s ever been given proper credit?

For me it was Rome.

For a "gimmick" band, their stuff holds up awfully well.

If you're not from Georgia, you don't really know their work.

I always thought they were kitschy crap.

Some great rock songs.

Like them or not, they are one of the gayest bands ever. The lead singer Fred Schneider and the original guitarist, Ricky Wilson (RIP, brother of vocalist Cindy, who died prematurely of AIDS) are/were both gay, and Cindy and Kate Pierson's stage getups outdid the greatest of any John Waters movies. They did "camp" perfectly, but the music was always a perfect mix of unique, upbeat, and utterly weird. There's nobody else that really sounds like them.

The people who caught on to them later, when they were having hits, probably think they were gimmicky. But people who were paying attention all along knew how talented and innovative they were. (I bought the debut record when it came out, in 1979 or whenever, so it's true that I'm patting myself on the back here. They sounded great and like nothing anyone else had done.)

How can you not dance to this?

Or this. BTW, the drummer Keith Strickland was devastatingly handsome.

R9 Keith is gay too, I believe. And yes, he was stunningly handsome in his youth. He took over lead guitar after Ricky died. Here is the two of them together

Cindy Wilson was also striking looking. She looked like a prettier version of Shelley Duvall.

They were very influential and creative, one-of-a-kind talent.

I know Fred and Kate get all the attention, but Cindy is the secret sauce in the group -- the album they did without her really showed that.

Yes Keith is definitely, and one of the two women is I believe bi.

Kate has a woman partner. Not sure if they're married.

I legitimately didn't know Kate was bisexual, let alone in a longterm relationship with a woman. She says in this interview from 2015 that she's been with her partner, Monica, for over 10 years.

[quote] For me it was Rome.

I think you mean “Roam”

They were/are truly wonderful. To be that young again...

OP, you must have read my mind. Just yesterday, I was thinking about how furious I become when I hear some idiot-- or some "edgy" rock critic-- call them a "party band". They need to fuck off forever, because the B-52s made some of the greatest and purest rock 'n' roll ever recorded. "Cosmic Thing" is a masterpiece from start to finish.

You know you've made it when.......................

B-52s exploded with success. Even John Lennon compared the girls' harmonies to Yoko very early in their career. Love Shack was phenomenal success -- radio and video.

July 1998.

Joyously gay....they loved "96 Tears" AND Yoko Ono!!!!

One of the most heart-wrenching, melancholic elegies to a failed relationship set to music. Sublime. The reurring sound effect of the ringing doorbell (that's never answered) is genius.

"Flying saucers could land And it wouldn't make much difference to my man I could walk aboard and thank the Lord And leave this damn town in seconds flat Check my bags and never come back..."

I think they are mostly known as a party band now because of Love Shack. I also think the album "Good Stuff" gets a bad rep amongst fans, because Cindy decided to sit that one out, but Good Stuff, Hot Pants Explosion, Revolution Earth, Dreamland, The World's Green Laughter, and Is That You Mo-Dean? are great tracks.

1986.

Sorry, forgot Tell It Like It Is (I remember some idiot friend of mine, when he heard the title, thought it's a cover of the Don Johnson song LOL).

They were considered a niche act that kept breaking out of the niche. But songs like "Deadbeat Club" were just great pop, and they should have been bigger.

I think they were "too quirky" or "too camp" for pop back then. While I do love Love Shack, I think Channel Z (which didn't age at all thanks to the message still being current), Cosmic Thing, and Roam are vastly superior tracks. But it was Love Shack that gave them the most attention in the band's career.

For me it was all about their first two albums. Ricky Wilson was an amazing guitarist, and the band’s initial sounds were so innovative.

[quote]call them a "party band"

Didn't Fred used to say their ambition was to be the world's greatest party band? Lack of pretension is/was one of their virtues.

I confess I didn't know them well until "Cosmic Thing." Then I went back and listened to their older albums. Their debut is so, so good. Now one of my favorite New Wave albums.

They were a gimmick band. I liked their ironic sense of humor, but they were very grating live. OK for a single on the radio, though.

They are still not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Even though they are eligible for decades now.

R32 - I don't know what you're talking about. I've seen them about 10 times and they were always great. Their late 80's album, Cosmic Thing, was the most 'pop' album they did - but it's really not like their earlier stuff.

Their first couple of albums were fresh and innovative for the time - and a lot of fun. I had every album except their most recent one. There are brilliant songs on all of them.

And I believe they are probably the gayest band to ever have that level of success. Of the original 5 members, only Cindy is straight. Of course most straight people are willfully ignorant of that.

I met Keith at a gay bar in Key West about 10 years ago - he was the sweetest man ever. I had a massive crush on him when I was younger and he looked great for being 50+ at the time.

They're about fun and not taking themselves seriously, despite having some great music and, for my money, Cindy and Kate's harmonies are some of the most unique and best you'll ever hear - even if they go a bit off key.

[quote]Cindy Wilson was also striking looking. She looked like a prettier version of Shelley Duvall.

Sometimes she reminds me of the Cartwright sisters.

Don't call them a party band? They have some of the greatest party music of all time. In college, everyone got onto the dance floor the minute one of their records was played.

Maybe being in college already puts you in a niche that you can't see the outside of, but I never considered them a niche band.

They were really talented, but they decided to go very campy when they hired Schneider, and that made them popular but also made sure they would always be dismissed as too campy.

I enjoy them for what they were.

Their praises have been sung.

Cindy rockin' a Mondrian dress.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for me. Best music tp dance to ever. And a long career that built like REM's did. Classic, not kitsch.

Just before getting famous.

The guy who managed Talking Heads, Gary Kurfirst, also managed B52s, and he used some of the same tricks to develop them.

Admitted Eldergay here, who rec'd his first B-52's album as a high school graduation present in 1980. I love this band. Have loved them since I was a teen.

I don't think they've ever been given the credit they deserve, but am pleased they actually had pop hits without completely giving up their unique sound and lyric sensibility.

I could never choose a favorite, but I l-o-v-e "Housework". There's no official video, so enjoy this.

And for a more "recent" single, I think "Funplex" is everything the 2's represent... God, recent is 13 years ago!

My last "favorite" song of theirs was "Pump". Probably in my top 5 favorites.

Down a rabbit hole of videos... I forgot this tune until it popped up in youtube... "Song for a Future Generation" from WHAMMY!

Damn you DataLounge!

I think they did a lot of innovative things.

But their time of innovation is long gone, and the last really solid album they released was 30 years ago. They have coasted on fumes ever since.

Then again same for the GoGos and those whores just got into the RRHOF, so......

R47 - please don't sit by me. ever. Cheers, thanks a lot!

R26: That was one of my coming out songs, back when I was a "baby-gay". R30: Their first two albums, along with"Bouncing Off the Satellites" make me sigh for my youth.

The mini-album they did with David Byrne was a bit of a mess, but I fucking love throwing shapes in the kitchen to this track.

I don’t know. Did they rob a bank or sumpin’?

Funny you should say that [R51] - they wrote a song about robbing a bank

I wouldn’t say no to a very messy Ryan Murphy biopic.

[quote]the last really solid album they released was 30 years ago.

I thought Funplex was quite good. So a mere 15 years ago! Oh god I'm an eldergay.

If anyone is interested, the book "Party Out Of Bounds" is a great read. Covers the Athens, GA music scene during that time, with lots of great first-hand accounts, including thr B52s first live performance at a house party. Wild!