The B-52's - Funplex
|
List Price: Our Price: $9.99 You Save: $8.99 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $6.66 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Funplex
Free Music Review: They are in top form!
Hit: 5 Stars
I remember being just a kid when I saw them on SNL doing "Rock Lobster," back in '79 or '80, and thinking at the time "they're really weird." I wasn't an instant fan, but felt oddly drawn to them. Over the years, I took notice of their more mainstream stuff (I was rather sheltered and never sought out music that I wasn't rather mundanely exposed to), such as I'd see on MTV, and as of "Cosmic Thing" I began to check out more of their older stuff and have considered myself a fan for a few years now.
However, nothing prepared me for what I'd feel with upon hearing this magnificent CD. I don't think I have ever loved an entire album so much upon the first listen, and "infectious" (to quote another reviewer) is an entirely appropriate adjective for this collection of songs.
I find it to be the perfect blend of their early, raw party sound, and the more highly-produced sound of their later years. This is classic, prime B-52s here, folks; it doesn't get any better than this. The songs from this CD stay with me even after I've stopped listening to them (which, I admit, can be maddening if one is in a circumstance--such as at work--where the CD can't be played).
I find that the best venue for this CD is in a car with a great stereo system, on a sunny-day highway. It is the ultimate road-trip music, and I can't help but crank it up so loud that I fear I'll blow out my speakers. And that is saying a lot: I'm about to turn 41 and I very rarely do that (or even feel like doing that). So thank you, B-52s, for staying the course and doing what you do best: making great, uplifting, bizarre and fun music that inevitably makes people move and smile. This is one of the rare bands that just keeps improving with age, and I can't help but wonder if or how they could top this terrific CD. BRAVO!!
Free Music Review: Ego-Free Vitality in an Age of Exhaustion and Angst
Hit: 5 Stars
The music of the B-52's, for me, has always been an acoustic narcotic. Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson have got to be the two most emotive singers I have ever heard, and they contrast beautifully, the former being the tortured one (think "Hero Worship," "Give Me Back My Man," or "Ain't It A Shame") while the latter is all sunshine and positivity (think "Revolution Earth" or "Housework"). Fred Schneider is Fred Schneider; he can't sing and he can't dance, and he's brilliant at both.
Keith Strickland has the impossible job of compensating for the absence of Ricky Wilson, and it has to be said that he is the main brain behind the reinvention of the band. In his minimalism, Ricky Wilson was a fantastic guitarist. "Funplex" is the first post-Ricky album to capture the riff-happy playfulness of his style, and the album has a buoyancy and lift that "Cosmic Thing" and (especially) "Good Stuff" lack. It seems Strickland has learned from Ricky Wilson to keep it simple, straightforward, and energized.
There is nothing around today that sounds this exuberant. I'm thrilled that the B-52's are back, but it is something of a sad commentary that music nowadays, for the most part, simply isn't fun like this. Just because it's "party music" doesn't mean it isn't or can't be important (think Motown during the early 1960s). Yes, the B-52's are political (not that Amazon is the place to make that argument).
When I heard Steve Osborne was producing, I cringed a bit. He was ideal for New Order, but the B-52's sensibility seemed antithetical to the extremely polished tendencies of Osborne. I was totally wrong; Keith Strickland's choice to work with him was a stroke of genius (if only other vintage acts would make such a move). Osborne and the band really meet each other halfway, a truly inspired collaboration.
To really appreciate the production value of the album, you need to listen to it in full stereo on a more-than-decent system (it sounds muddy in my car and overly compressed on my mp3 player).
It amazes me how some people make their minds up so quickly, and have decided that the album is something of a letdown without really letting it grow on them. Remember, it took "Cosmic Thing" months to catch on. I have found that the more I've listened to it, the better it has gotten. The songs I initially didn't care for ("Dancing Now," "Deviant Ingredient") have become my favorites. Just no pleasing those dimestore critics out there, I guess.
I don't mean to sound greedy, but this can't be their last album...
Free Music Review: Really, really, really good!
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD is really good, and gets more amazing every time I've listened to it. The whole "let's party, have fun and a good time" vibe is still there, but there are songs that are beautiful and meaningful, too, while still being upbeat and everything you'd expect from this great group. Cindy's vocals are the strongest they've ever been on this one, as I prefer her voice over Kate's. It's am amazing CD, buy it, you won't be disappointed and you will grow to like it more and more and more. I love the songs Juliet of the Spirits and Deviant Ingredient the best. But the whole CD is great.Free Music Review: The B's
Hit: 5 Stars
Everyone should own this addictive mood booster. If you are ever down, just play this album at a decent danceable volume. I'm so happy to hear the new harmonies from Cindy and Kate! I love Juliet Of The Spirits. What a terrific sound. The B-52s always seem to know how to create an instant party with their creative lyrics and melodies. Free Music Review: Wow..
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm suprised... this disc rocks. They've lost nothing in the sound of the band, although it's definitely been tweaked a bit for "modern" times.
I expected "good"; I was suprised when I liked it as much as I did.
Nice job, Bs.