Customer Reviews

Bouncing Off The Satellites

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1985, one of the B-52's key members, composer/lyricist/guitarist Ricky Wilson, was suffering from complications resulting from HIV and AIDS. Unfortunately, with no adequate treatments for HIV in 1985, Ricky passed away in October of that year not long after he and his band mates (sister Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson and Keith Strickland) had completed recording the album entitled "Bouncing Off the Satellites", which was released a few months later in 1986. While grieving Ricky's loss and lacking Ricky's unique guitar sound, the four surviving members of the B-52's decided to not go on a concert tour to promote the album. Sadly, this album, which was dedicated to Ricky's memory, quickly went into obscurity and many people speculated whether it marked the end of the B-52's. Fortunately, the four surviving members regrouped a few years later and recorded their most commercially successful album, "Cosmic Thing", in 1989; but Ricky's final album continues to this day to be least known B-52's album.

The ten songs of "Bouncing Off the Satellites", which total nearly 46 minutes of play time, are rather good overall in spite of several negative critiques written about the album shortly after its release in 1986. It also features rare vocals by Keith and Ricky. I rate each of the album's ten songs as follows:

1. "Summer Of Love" (5 stars, sung by Kate & Cindy). Fun & danceable song praising the fun and heat of the summer. This song was used in the soundtrack of the 1989 film "Earth Girls Are Easy".
2. "Girl From Ipanema Goes to Greenland" (5 stars, Sung by Cindy). A fun tribute to the well known jazzy 1960's song "Garota De Ipanema" (a.k.a. "The Girl From Ipanema") by Stan Getz And Joao Gilberto. Ipanema is a well-known beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
3. "Housework" (4.5 stars, sung by Kate). A fun tribute to the toils of housework and wanting a man to help clean.
4. "Detour Through Your Mind" (5 stars, sung by Fred, Cindy & Kate). A fast & fun internalized trip through the mind and visiting a doctor.
5. "Wig" (4.5 stars, sung by Fred, Cindy & Kate). A fast & fun tribute to various wigs, which were often a trademark part of the B-52's performing costumes.
6. "Theme for a Nude Beach" (5 stars, sung by Fred, Cindy, Kate, Keith & Ricky). One of the very few songs sung by all 5 B-52's members, this fun song with beautiful harmonic vocals praises the joys of being on a nude beach.
7. "Ain't It a Shame" (5+ stars, sung by Cindy, Keith & Ricky). This sad, but beautiful, love song is one of the few with Ricky & Keith singing and is probably the only one with this combination of vocals in the B-52's repetoire.
8. "Juicy Jungle" (4 stars, sung by Fred & John Coté). A fast & danceable song praising the environment and nature, as well as protecting the rain forests of the world.
9. "Communicate" (4.5 stars, sung by Fred, Cindy & Kate). A fast song encouraging people to talk to prevent arguments.
10. "She Brakes For Rainbows" (5 stars, sung by Cindy, Ricky, Keith & Kate). Mostly a beautiful solo for Cindy that I would love to hear performed live.

Whether or not you are a diehard B-52's fan, this is a wonderful album that has truly been very under appreciated since it was recorded 18 years ago. Overall, I rate the B-52's album "Bouncing Off the Satellites" with a very-well deserved 5 stars and highly recommend it to every B-52's fan, especially to those fans who have never heard all of its songs.

The B-52's had been through a lot between the release of 1983's "Whammy" and the 1986 release of "Bouncing Off the Satellites." The musical climate had changed since they first came on to the scene in the late 70's with their quirky blend of sci-fi madness and new wave party anthems. It had also been 3 full years between albums. And the members' personal relationships with one another seemed to be coming apart at the seams. But sending things into even further disarray was the death of founding member and multi-instrumentalist Ricky Wilson in 1985. To make things even worse, "Bouncing Off the Satellites" was a commercial disaster, and it would be ANOTHER three years before the band would make an amazing comeback with the multi-platinum, hit-filled "Cosmic Thing."

Perhaps because of Wilson's battle with AIDS during the making of the album, "Bouncing Off the Satellites" is considerably more downbeat than its predecessors. "Summer of Love" (which was actually a top-10 dance hit) manages to be dark and upbeat at the same time, while Wilson's sister Cindy does her best Patsy Cline impersonation on the ballad (!) "Ain't it a Shame." "She Brakes for Rainbows," the closing track and one of the album's highlights, also leans toward the melancholy (it's also an absolutely gorgeous tune.)

There was much criticism of producer Tony Mansfield's synth-filled arrangements on "Bouncing Off the Satellites." Granted, the heavy synthetics sometimes added unnecessary weight to the songs, and the album as a whole lacks focus because the band members worked on their own individual tracks (only 4 songs include all 5 band members.)

Despite the turmoil and darkness surrounding the recording of the album, there are still plenty of party anthems to be found here. "Wig" is one of the goofiest tracks they've ever recorded, and "Detour Thru Your Mind" and "Theme for a Nude Beach" are quintessential B-52's.

Fred Schneider is noticably absent from half the tracks here, but considering his barking vocal style can wear thin over the course of an entire album, it's not necessarily a huge loss. As a matter of fact, Schneider is responsible for the only true dud here, the overwrought ecology-themed "Juicy Jungle" (actually a Fred Schneider solo, since he is the only member of the B-52's to even appear on the track). "Bouncing Off the Satellites" is actually quite a showcase for the talents of vocalist Cindy Wilson, who sings lead on three tracks here...the insanely catchy "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland" is a particular highlight.

Despite the critical and commercial failure of "Bouncing Off the Satellites," it remains one of their best albums, and deserves a listen by even the most casual B's fan.

I think many B-52's fans would agree that "Bouncin off the Satellites" is the best B-52's album. Yes, it has more of a melancoly feel, but the songs are absolutely gorgeous. "Summer of Love," "Girl From Ipanema Goes to Greenland," "She Brakes for Rainbows," "Detour Through Your Mind," and "Theme for a Nude Beach" are all highlights, but the true gem is "Ain't It A Shame." Sung in heartwrenching glory by Cindy, the song is arguably the most musically beautiful and under-recognized B-52's song. This album will have you laughing, crying, and thinking a lot about yourself. It captures not only the state of the B-52's during the mid-80's, but also the underlying uncertainty in society. BUY THIS ALBUM! You won't regret it. For a band that is often considered to be simply quirky, this album has true musical and emotional substance. You also won't hear many of these songs performed at concerts, so at least make them a part of your life with the recording.

While this late 80s foray is not without its problems, many of which were due to Ricky Wilson's premature passing, I'm left with the impression that the band's grief over his death gives soul and depth to two of the album's most stellar cuts: "Ain't it a Shame?" and the achingly lovely "She Brakes for Rainbows."

"Whammy" the previous LP, was not my cup of tea, and my interests were veering away from the vibe that had made the first two B albums from 79 and 80 some of my favorite vinyl on the planet. For some reason I picked up this cassette that Spring of '87 on a car trip back from Tucson to L.A. and found myself transported. I think I played "She Brakes for Rainbows" about a hundred times before I finally got back to Tinseltown.

Yes, I always have problems with some of Fred's stuff, even though he's a fun guy and turns in a gem now and then (i.e. "There's A Monster in my Pants" for instance), so "Detour Thru Your Mind" and "Juicy Jungle" don't get played much. But "Housework" is lite and catchy, and "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland" is fab dance floor psychedelia with cosmic reverb galore.

The highlight here for me is Cindy Wilson's eccentric, interstellar, one-of-a-kind voice, and yeah, I dig all the Fairlight synthethic textures, as much as people panned them in their day.

Chalk up another one for the South and the Bs: They took the bitchiness out of camp and replaced it with love.

Flyyyyyyyyyy, Brenda..........

BOUNCING OFF THE SATELLITES is an extraordinary album which is overlooked and undeservedly underrated."Summer of Love" and "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland" are purely effervescent. Seek out rare but still obtainable remixes of "Summer of Love" and "Girl from Ipanema Goes To Greenland" if you need further convincing. This album is also the last B-52's album to have a songwriting contribution from the late band member Ricky Wilson, whose presence is felt throughout this recording. When listening to this album one can sense the artistic direction the band is heading before hitting big with COSMIC THING.

With the release in 2002 of "NUDE ON THE MOON"(2 cd anthology), the B-52's were
able to put out a much larger body of their best work. The
first 6 cuts on Disc 2 feature cuts from "BOUNCING OFF THE SATELLITES" and this collection is what caused me to take a
second look at this wonderful band since last year and all the creative output
they made. I was totally surprise by just how many excellent
songs they'd made over the years. Bouncing off the Satellites
is by far their most underrated collection of tunes and it has
such quirky, zany, off the wall lyrics and attitude to match and its so danceable
and creative, it fit right in with all the stuff coming out
during the 80's but it had its sad shortcomings with Ricky's
untimely death and the confusing after math. Just watching the
video to "Girl from Ipanema" from this collection and you can
just watch the explosion of creative ideas this group had evolved into over just a few shorts years. This group could not stay
the same, doing the same song over and over, they had all that talent
and who knows what would have happened if Ricky was spared? Even though Ricky was their lifeblood, they were just to talented as a whole and had the will to go on when their grieving passed
and were able to pick up the pieces.
The B'52's are by far the best party, dance band around with 3 vocalist that
know how to make some of the best music to come out over the past 30 years. They can harmonize so well together. Keith Strickland has picked up where Ricky left off and has become
a great guitarist, writer and inspiration, THEY ARE NOT DONE YET!!

The B-52's were definitely at a crossroads during the making of this album. One of their founding members died, and their brand of down-home new wave dance music with a sense of humor had pretty much run its course with the public in general. The outcome - "Bouncing Off The Satellites" became their worst selling album by far. And it deserved better.

The album was highly criticized at the time for it's use of the Fairlight and its glossy, synthetic production by Tony Mansfield. The band also suffered the loss of multi-instrumentalist and key songwriter Ricky Wilson (brother of vocalist Cindy), which sent the recording sessions into complete disarray. Because of this, "Bouncing Off The Satellites" has a bittersweet, melancholy sound....but that's not to say there isn't fun to be had! The wacky "Wig," the exotic "Theme for a Nude Beach" and "Detour Thru Your Mind" are upbeat and fun, "Summer of Love" was a top-ten dance hit, and the album's highlight, "Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland," contains an impressive arrangement and an insanely catchy melody. But the B's began to explore their serious side on this release; Cindy Wilson does her best Patsy Cline impression on "Ain't it a Shame," and "She Brakes for Rainbows" is absolutely gorgeous. The only real dud is "Juicy Jungle," an overwrought ecology-themed Fred solo. But the rest of this album goes down nice and easy, and is a must for any B's fan.

Because of the devastating loss of Ricky Wilson, touring for this album was virtually impossible, and the changing musical climate at the time didn't help the album's prospects. "Summer of Love" was a huge hit on U.S. dance floors, but failed to cross over. The band tried to save the album by promoting "Ipanema" with a video, but it barely got airplay....and it was pretty much too late anyway. It would be another three years before the band would release "Cosmic Thing," which became one of the biggest hits of the year.

I have more than 1500 CDs in my collection. I have them arranged alphabetically, but I also have a special column for those CDs that are among the most listened to CDs I own. Bouncing Off the Satellites is always near the top, and it actually sits as the number one CD I own quite frequently. I find myself in the mood to listen to this particular CD more than any other CD I own. It has been in my car for nearly 6 months now. While some songs are catchier than others, I find every song to be priceless. If you are a B's fan, you should give this album a fair chance. Ignore the critics. Any review of this album as middle of the road is just wrong. If you are a sports fan, you may recognize parts of "Ain't I A Shame" that was played in part for ABC Sports during the late 80s or early 90s. This is just plain good music.

The money you spend on this CD is well worth it, and I firmly believe you will find some true gems among the titles.

I find it really hard to understand why such a marvelous collection of songs has undeservedly collected so many negative reviews... 'Bouncing off the Satellites' is a wonderful record, glowing with superb melodies and a fascinating, strange and captivating atmosphere of wonder and delight. From the powerful and catchy opener 'Summer of Love', to the exotic and beautiful ending track 'She brakes for Rainbows', this is an album of sheer enchantment, with plenty of fun and beautiful melodies; every single song is a killer, and no filler at all. Because of the dramatic things happening at the time, it doesn't have the crazy and wild antics from other records, but as an album coming from a terrible loss, it's a wonderful opus. Listen again without prejudice...

Bouncing off the satellites - I was introduced to the bees in the 1970's when Rock Lobster was televised on "Saturday Night Live" - "quirky" was my only thought. 7 or 8 years later I'm in L.A. and KROQ is playing songs from Bouncing off the Satellites, WOW! One of the best CD's to make it to air. I've owned this on tape, CD and MP3 for 25 odd years, it wears well. If you like the Bees, you like these. Much can be said of the personnel, the tragedies and the lack of touring, but one thing stands clear - These are witty, smart and melodic tunes full of energy and pretty much unlike anything anybody else has ever done. These are quintessential B52 songs, more polished, but still holding the heart of the band from its origins as a house party band. Simple songs, told well, they entertain and leave the listener wanting more.

This music will outlive us all as well it should, songs from an imaginary future still waiting to be lived.

Buy it, everyone should own this album, it should be a law!!! chill out and enjoy it with cocktails, close friends and family pets.