Customer Reviews

Funplex

5 star:		(124)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is tough. When Loreena McKennitt emerged with her new album after a 10 year gap, half of the album was great, and the other was "ok". The B-52's are back with a full length studio album, their first in 16 years. Wow, 16 years is practically a generation! I am writing this as an ardent fan, I own all their albums, a smattering of singles, rarities, books, etc. But I am honest, too. So, the Funplex... Fred is still in good voice and everyone is in a party mood. But is this a Party Out of Bounds?

The first thing I noticed was the music, from note one it was great! Three songs later it still sounds like the same song. That's how you keep the party going. They all are in good voice! I can still distinguish Kate and Cindy, welcome back Cindy!! Two things struck me that were very different from the other albums. 1. Electronics are more on the foreground now. Beats, beeps and whistles and all. Good stuff (wink). 2. Sex. There are a lot of sexual innuendos going on in the lyrics! More than ever! Look no further than "Ultraviolet"! Fred belts "let's hit the G Spot!" and "tell your skirt to take a hike!". Over the top, funny and fun.

"Juliet of the Spirits" is a nice number from the girls and Cindy can still reach those high notes that have been showcased in songs like "Girl from Ipanema goes to Greenland" and "Deadbeat Club". The album's best moment comes with "Deviant Ingredient". Just perfect!!! Sounds like a lost song from BOUNCING OFF SATELITES!. Great lyrics, chemistry, energy, swingy and kitschy! "Funplex" the title track and first single is a great party tune, about a mall... or a state of mind, not sure.

All in all FUNPLEX is a great album and the future generations of the B-52's are gonna party like it's the year 3000! The Kings of the Zulus and Daughters of Dracula are still partymonsters and will provide you the vibes!! So sit back in that outer space chair, drink that Mojito, wear that shiny poly blend, and wear those sunglasses on top of your head!

FUNPLEX in five words:
Hypnotic, Harmonic, Sparkling, Dizzy and Futuristic!

This CD rocks and pops and dances along at a decent beat and it's so nice to have the Bs back.

The sound reminded me of their second album, WILD PLANET, because it's more "dance rock" than GOOD STUFF and it's not as "arranged" as COSMIC THING.

Think of "Dirty Back Road" transformed into 2008 and you'll know what to expect.


And I'm happy to say that I really liked the ENTIRE CD -- every song makes the iPod!

In these troubled times, thank you Bs for bringing some FUN back into music!

Finally, the long wait is over and the B-52s, my favorite party
band has put out an excellent new record. The Band sounds in top
form on this collection, Cindy Wilson is back in the line-up and
Keith Strickland has taken his time with the help of producer
Steve Osborne and come up with a futuristic, modern, spin on dance rock
with a new wavish touch that does not dissapoint. Kate & Cindy sound awesome harmonizing together
and Fred's vocal interplays stand right out in the mix, always something
off the wall to listen to. Sexual situations clash with their
best music since they first started making records, this one's for everyones
collection. Pump starts the party off right and other highlights,
Eyes wide open, Juliet of the Spirits, Funplex, Hot Corner, Deviant Ingredient,
Dancing Now, hold you in their spell to the closer Keep this party going
making this a B-52s classic. Its great to have these guys back with
some fresh new music.

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 (Mahalia Jackson comes in a pretty close second), 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...

It sounds just like sixteen years ago. I love it. It is very consistent with their original sound. If you are a die-hard B-52s fan, you won't be disappointed.

B-52s are a fun bunch whose sound reminds one of a raucous party. I first came across them when I heard and fell in love with their 1989 hit "Love shack" which prompted me to get the album it came from, "Cosmic thing". That was a brilliant album which featured some production by Nile Rogers (of Chic fame). After that, I heard a pair of songs they did for movies; "The chosen one" from "Pokémon 2000" and "Meet the Flintstones".

"Funplex" is their first album in some 16 years and is much more of what we've come to expect from the band, and despite the heavy use of synthesizers and heavy beats, the album still manages to transport one back to a time when bouffant hairdos and miniskirts ruled. Musicianship is top notch, and the inspiration for the more electronic sound was apparently New Order.

The sound is dancey, with loads of jangly surf guitars, shout-and-reply refrains, and copious use of silly words like "shimmy". Opening cut "Pump" is a prime example. Others along this line are "Hot corner", the jangly "Ultraviolet", title track "Funplex" (jagged guitars against a bubby synth bassline - my favourite), "Too much to think about", the extremely catchy "Dancing now" (with a fuzzy bassline) and the sunny "Keep this party going".

Slowing the tempo down but not by too much are the buzzing "Juliet of the spirits" (lovely harmonies making them sound like a sixties girl group), the plodding eighties sounding "Eyes wide open", the groovy "Love in the year 3000" (another favourite of mine), and "Deviant ingredient" (which finds Fred Schneider yelling silly words like "Bootybots" and "Erotobots" at intervals). There are no real ballads to dampen the fun party mood.

"Funplex" is a real fun album which more than lives up to its name.

The limited 2-disk version is a Target exclusive and only available in-store. I purchased mine today($11.99) and it contains a bonus disk recorded live at the Roxy in L.A. It contains the following tracks:
1. Party out of bounds
2. Channel Z
3. Roam
4. Strobe Light
5. Rock Lobster

There are no rainchecks on this version so if you want it, you better get it soon.

Well, after a 16 year wait, they're BAAACCKK! From PUMP to Juliet of the Spirits, to Funplex and Hot Corner, the "Deviant Ingredient" here is Keith Strickland's commitment to the band, and his commitment to the evolution of their sound.
Cindy and Kate sound TERRIFIC, and their vocal harmonies are instantly recognizable. I had a smile on my face as wide as the Grand Canyon whilst listening to the tracks. Fred Schneider, in rare form, completes this grand quartet.
I'm a huge fan since the beginning, and it feels SO GOOD to have them back. Grab it, and listen to it. I'll bet you're up on your feet, shaking your honeybuns, before the first trak is over.
I say all of the B Fans out there, UNITE and petition the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME to get this band in. They are true survivors, pioneers and .... THE WORLD'S GREATEST PARTY BAND.

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.

At no other time in our nation's history have we needed the B-52's as badly as we need them now. In a time when the whole world seems intent on bleeding the average Joe white while stuffing the pockets of the few; war, recession, politicians and all the rest, we NEED the B-52's to remind us how to party.