The B-52's

The B-52's are a rock band from Athens, Georgia; the first of many from the college town that has become one of the most important centers in alternative rock. The name comes from the bouffant wigs that are a part of the band's distinctive look, worn by singers Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson. Along with Wilson and Pierson, Keith Strickland, Ricky Wilson (Cindy's older brother) and Fred Schneider formed the band after a drunken night at a Chinese restaurant. Their sound is particularly marked by the vocals of Wilson and Pierson, with Kate singing in a slightly deeper voice, along with the generally monotone or spoken-word vocals of Schneider. Aside from their vocals, the band also had a unique New Wave sound that was a combination of dance and surf music and the unusual guitar-string tunings utilized by Ricky Wilson. Although part of the new wave movement, their music was more experimental than most new wave, indulging in all manner of odd vocal and synthesizer effects. It created a quirky dance sound that became very popular.

Mid-point

Although recording sessions with David Byrne (of Talking Heads) failed, the recordings were released as the Mesopotamia EP in 1982 (Party Mix! and Mesopotamia would later be combined and released together on a single CD).

Related Topics:
David Byrne - Talking Heads - Mesopotamia - EP - 1982

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The Whammy! album in 1983 brought the band into electronic and drum machine experimentation, much to the chagrin of some of their early fans. "Legal Tender" became their third chart single. After the initial pressings of Whammy! were released, copyright issues with Yoko Ono led to the song "Don't Worry" being pulled and replaced on future copies of the album with a new track called "Moon 83."

Related Topics:
Whammy! - 1983 - Yoko Ono

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1984 brought about a self-titled solo album from Schneider (Fred Schneider and the Shake Society) and the band reformed shortly after to record Bouncing Off the Satellites. On October 12, 1985 Ricky Wilson died at age 32 of what was originally thought to be natural causes but was later revealed to be AIDS-related. Devastated, the band went into immediate seclusion and the album sunk without any tour or promotion behind it.

Related Topics:
1984 - Bouncing Off the Satellites - October 12 - 1985 - AIDS

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