Customer Reviews

Nude On The Moon: The Anthology

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was suspicious that yet another collection of B-52's material was coming out so soon after the "TimeCapsule:Best of B-52's" release just over a year ago.
"Nude on the Moon" is a more expanded edition of B-52's songs.

If you own all their albums...there is little on here you do not already have. This band deserves a boxset...3 or 4 discs of classics, rare tracks, mixes and live numbers. But for now this 2-disc collection is what is out! So I bought it...

The booklet alone deserves 5 stars...a wealth of info, insight and photos!! The selection is great too...picking out some real gems left off "TimeCapsule". Those including "Lava", "Quiche Lorraine-live", "Queen of Las Vegas-out take version", "Whammy Kiss-live", and a Moby remix of "Is That You Mo-Dean"!

Surprisingly 6 gems from "Bouncing off Satelites" (my favorite album) made it in this set including the dizzy
"Girl from Ipanema Goes To Greenland", the
sparkly "Summer of Love" and the
achysweet "She Brakes for Rainbows".

And of course the hits that propelled the band onto college radio like "Rock Lobster" ,"Planet Clare" "Private Idaho", "Song for a Future Generation", etc. Plus the hits that proppelled the band out of college radio onto the pop charts with songs like "Channel Z", "Love Shack", "Roam", "Good Stuff" and such.

Beautiful design, nice booklet, great selection but could have been larger a box for me. Don't have any albums by the band but already know you like them...
give "Nude on the Moon" a spin...turn on the strobe light...put on your wig... and shake your cosmic thing!

"Nude on the Moon - The B-52s Anthology" is simply put - a 2 CD set that really has all of the makings of a mini boxed set. Yes, this is a greatest hits collection, but it contains so much more that really makes this much more than a greatest hits album. It covers a near 20 year period that the band covered from 1979 through 1998. After purchasing this collection, you will learn quite a lot about the B-52s. The title on "Nude on the Moon" is a play on the song "Nude on the Beach" and the Moon reference comes from several songs (most noteably, I think Girl From Ipanema Goes to Greenland says 'moon in her mirror')

First the band themselves. If you aren't familiar with the B-52s, they probably are one of the most original bands of the rock era. They were originally a quintet - until the death of founding member Ricky Wilson of AIDS complications in 1985. They remain a quartet consisting of 3 lead singers - Cindy Wilson (Ricky's sister), Kate Pierson, and Fred Schneider. Keith Strickland is the fourth member and contributes on vocals at times. Cindy and Kate have two voices that harmonize just as well as any two will harmonize. Then there is the unique vocals of Mr. Fred Schneider. Schneider brings one of the most quirky voices in the music industry that goes with the unorthodox style of the B-52s music. In the vocals of the B-52s, you'll hear plenty of shouts and shreks, producing a very 'alternative' rock sound with a touch of psychedelica and a touch of punk. The lyrics of the B-52s aren't the most complex. You'll hear them sing about lobsters, wigs, lava, dancing, a place in Brazil called Ipanema, and even a history lesson on Mesopotamia. The band will often reference themselves in songs - most noteably in "Song From a Future Generation" and "Wigs". In these songs you will hear personal references about each of the band members that will help you get a good feel for who they are all about. As for their attire, the B-52's will dress in a cross between 50s and 70s retro. All of these things contribute to this band's uniqueness.

Combine the unique with everything that this collection brings home and you have a real winner. This truly is a "Boxed Set" for the price and packaging of a 2 CD Disc Set. There is a wonderful 56 page booklet that will truly give you everything you ever wanted to know about the band. For starters, there are personal intros written by the four band members - Fred, Kate, Cindy, and Keith. What is nice about the intros is you will really get a feel for the band members at a personal level and can relate it back to the music. Then there are 20+ pages that cover the history of the band - and that's loaded with pictures. This history will give you everything you wanted to know about the B-52's and help you understand where much of the music is coming from. There is a terrific discography that lists all of the songs contained on the collection as well as mapping them back to the albums. You'll also see credits in the discography for production and songwriting - and oh yes, plenty of pictures included.

The collection features some live cuts of the hits - "Whammy" and "Quiche Lorraine". There are some new edits (mixes) of existing songs "Ain't it a Shame", "Is that You Mo-Dean", and "Theme From a Nude Beach". They also include a 1990 remix of an older song "Mesopotamia". There also is an unreleased song included called "Queen of Las Vegas". When your collection starts including live cuts, remixes, and unreleased material - it suddenly takes on a life of its own and makes the collection truly special.

I feel the body of work is well represented for the B-52's fan. I might have liked a third CD with some more live cuts. I also felt that I would have liked to see stuff such as the B-52's Flintstones song they did for the "Flintstones" movie. Plus if it's called "Nude on the Moon" why not include their most famous 'moon' song - "There's a Moon in the Sky"? From a personal standpoint, I was only familiar with the "Cosmic Thing" CD that had the most successful pop hits ("Love Shack", "Roam"). I managed to really expand my horizons and learn quite a bit about the band between the music and the booklet included. This is a fine piece of work and one to consider adding to your collection.

Rhino should get an award for improving the quality of life for its customers. This collection is a blast. In addition to all their "good stuff", it includes a couple of re-mixes and live versions of "Whammy Kiss" & "Quiche Lorraine". The booklet alone gets five stars. There are tons of cool photos of this photogenic band and lots of memorabilia to look at. 50 pages of info including an essay by each band member and a very informative, well written history of the band written by Rolling Stone writer Michael Azerrad.

Think back to 1979. Toto was the biggest band happening. The B-52's sounded like no one else then or since. Unlike most other artists I can't pick out any influences. Everything is totally original. When I first heard Rock Lobster I loved it, but I figured it to be just a novelty song. Then they became the greatest party band in college dorm history.

It was interesting listening to these 35 songs chronologically because it's like living through their ups and downs. From their rise out of college radio to how they dealt with Ricky Wilson's death to their amazing comeback with Cosmic Thing which went quadruple platinum.

Their best albums were the ones that they co-wrote as a band due to their great chemistry and there weakest moments were when they tried to be serious like when they worked with David Byrne. It's amazing to me that what was once new & exciting music is now 26 years old. Where has the time gone?

Given that their single disc best-of, "Time Capsule", showcased all their hits and was released only 3 years earlier, this new anthology should feature rarities and stuff previously unavailable. Unfortunately, we get only one really new track ("Queen of Las Vegas" in a completely different arrangement) and more of the same album "highlights". I agree with the previous reviewers about the nonsensical decision to include so many tracks otherwise readily available in cheaper releases - especially the failure to include the 12" mix of "Girl from Ipanema..."! And the "new edits" are simply truncated album tracks, presumably created to make room for more, previously released album tracks! The compilers can't even stay true to the original album tracks - despite a statement to the contrary - in the case of "Mesopotamia", which is featured in its crappy 1990 remix; it's also the only track from that album reproduced here, which really shortchanges the band's diverse creativity.
What else can one decry? The stupid title? The inadequate annotation? The flimsy cardboard cover? The ridiculously busy design and visual overload? "Nude on the Moon" provides simply too much music for the casual listener and not enough collectable material for the serious fan.

Don't think this is only the best of the B-52's backcatalog on this 2-CD collection. It includes all the obvious "hits" from the band, "Love Shack", "Roam", "Rock Lobster", "Private Idaho", etc. and many great cuts from each studio release, but as with most compilations one can debate the obmission of some tracks and the inclusions of others.

For example: the GOOD STUFF album is severely under-represented with only two tracks from this fine album, plus a dull remix of "Is That You Mo-Dean?" which is much inferior to its lp version. The irresitibly catchy "Hot Pants Explosion" or "Tell It Like It Is" could've filled this void.

Also under-represented is the WHAMMY album. "The Queen of Las Vegas" mix here lacks the pulse that the WHAMMY version gives. Produced by David Byrne, this previously unreleased mix just sounds like Cindy Wilson guest vocaling on a Talking Heads record. Otherwise, WHAMMY's "Butterbean" and "Big Bird" are overlooked for this compilation.

COSMIC THING hogs the most space with seven tracks. Sure it was the band's biggest seller, and the big hits from this record are all essential, but room could've been left for other material instead of "Follow Your Bliss".

BOUNCING OFF THE SATELLITES is perhaps the most wisely selected of the studio albums represented on this compilation. Every track that you'll ever need to hear from that album is included."Ain't It A Shame" is perhaps one of the most heart-breakingly touching songs ever from a band whose rep was built on goofiness and fun.

As far as the early albums go, B-52's and WILD PLANET, simply must be heard in their entirety. I won't squabble over their representations. It's all good. ("6060-842" would've been nice.)

Otherwise I have no other complaints. The booklet is jam-packed with great photos with a history of the group and essays from the band members. The day-glo red outer spine makes it hard to miss on the store shelf.

The B-52's are simply one of the greatest pop bands of the last quarter century. Their ability to be totally irreverent and off the wall with their lyrics and music was a breath of fresh air in an industry often marred by seriousness.

They started their party in 1979 with their self-titled album that contained such gems as the rollicking "Rock Lobster," the punk-pop of "52 Girls," and the weirdness of the spacy "Planet Claire." Continuing in 1980 with "Wild Planet," The B-52's experimented with dance and rock sounds, producing such oddities as the riffy "Private Idaho" and the choral "Strobe Light."

Working with Talking Head David Byrne for the 1982 album "Mesopotamia," they came up with a much wilder sound. The hilarity of the title track and the addition of a previously unreleased track, "Queen of Las Vegas" are great bridges between songs from their final album of "Phase 1" (this 2 disc set is separated in Phases 1 and 2), "Whammy." While that album didn't produce as many memorable songs as its predecessor, it did contain "Song for a Future Generation," the first song to feature all five voices of the group, as well as the catchy "Trism."

Having suffered the loss of their guitarist and bandmate Ricky Wilson in 1985, their album "Bouncing off the Satellites" was virtually ignored, but was a welcome comeback. "Summer of Love" is pure pop at its best and "Girl from Ipanema goes to Greenland" is a further exploration into the irreverent.

Taking a 3-year hiatus, the band came back in 1989 with their biggest hit to date, the smash "Cosmic Thing." Most of that album is featured on this collection, starting with the awesome title track. Also featured are the hits "Love Shack," "Roam," and "Deadbeat Club," most of which people know. The album was an amazing breakthrough for this band and still sounds great today.

In 1992, the band returned with their best album, in my opinion, "Good Stuff." Extremely political, it contained some of the band's best songwriting and instrumentation. The title track is extremely coy and sexual and highly fun. "Revolution Earth" is a great track dedicated to the protection of our planet. "Is That You Mo-Dean?" revisits some of the aural weirdness indicative of a B-52's recording.

Also included is their song "Debbie" featured on their 1998 hits album "Time Capsule." Another great guitar driven song with Cindy and Kate on vocals.

Overall, this is a great collection of the best of the B-52's, although it would be best to experience each studio album.

Nude On The Moon-The B-52's Anthology is the most definitive B-52's collection released to date. The two disc set was released by Rhino in 2002. The set includes 35 songs recorded between the late 70's and mid 90's.

The B-52's experienced their most commercial success with their 1989 album Cosmic Thing. A lot of fans discovered this group from Athens, Georgia at that time. The B-52's had been bubbling under mainstream success for some time and the group had a large cult fan following thanks to catchy songs like "Rock Lobster," "Private Idaho" and "Give Me Back My Man." The group created the greatest happy pop music of the early 80's. Their album Whammy included the hits "Legal Tender," "Queen of Las Vegas," and "Song For A Future Generation. Those songs are included in the set as well as the song "Trism." The set is broken into two sections "Phase 1," and "Phase 2."

Phase 2 opens with several songs from the groups album Bouncing Off The Satellites. This album was really awesome but failed to really break the group into that top 40 success. The songs from that album included on Nude On The Moon are "Summer of Love" (which was a moderate radio hit and later featured in the movie "Earth Girls are Easy," "Theme For a Nude Beach" (which is a really awesome song,) "Ain't It A Shame," "Wig," "She Brakes For Rainbows," and "Girl From Ipanema Goes to Greenland." There was a video released for "Girl From Ipanema Goest To Greenland," not sure of which other songs from Satellites were released as videos.

Next up are the songs from the popular Cosmic Thing album. Nude on the Moon includes 7 singles from Cosmic Thing, pretty much the entire album with the exception of "Bushfire," "Dry County," and "Topaz." The big hits like "Love Shack" and "Roam" are all here.

It's a really great CD if you enjoy the B-52's. The color booklet is really awesome and I learned so much about the group from reading the booklet. There are just so many great songs on this CD you will really be pleased with this purchase.

As a longtime fan of this group, I wondered, Why on earth is this compilation necessary? All it took was one listen to answer the question. Never mind the contents for a moment; it's the sound quality here that is the draw. The engineers at Rhino have done wonders to these recordings (and they weren't all that bad to begin with).

Just listen to "Planet Claire," with its otherworldly but decidedly low-tech effects, and marvel at how much clearer the sound mix is. Keith Strickland's guitar has never sounded better, and Fred's vocalizing has a really remarkable presence. On "52 Girls" and "Strobe Light," Cindy and Kate sound more focused and fun than ever.

To be fair, there *is* some new material here, including some live performances of "Quiche Lorraine" and "Whammy Kiss," as well as some re-mixes of others. An insidiously entertaining version of "Mesopotamia" has been played over and over again in my household.

The packaging here is terrific, with a beautifully done booklet filled with rare photos of the group, from all periods, and some engaging text. Frankly, I bought this with some skepticism, but Rhino convinced me otherwise. It's great to have these tracks given new life with such gorgeous sound.

Overall, this is a great retrospective of the B-52's work to date. One complaint, this was the perfect opportunity to release the legendary DB-52 single "Rock Lobster" / "52 Girls" on cd for those who have never heard it! I happened upon a copy of the 45 in a record store in London and snapped it up for $15 without hesitation. The earlier versions of these songs are amazing. What we get on this compilation are the first album versions...which every B-52's fan has heard a zillion times before. It would have been nice to have included them on this compilation. Other than than that, it is really good, BUY IT!

The B-52s are one of the best party bands to come out of the new wave movement. Rubbing shoulders with Blondie and The Talking Heads, these guys did weird right. Infectious beats, retro keyboards, ridiculous costumes, and tunes that were self-described as a "drug-free mind altering experience." If you don't know this band too well, this is a great place to start. You can honestly say that it has all of their greatest hits, but the problem with this band is that they have so many great tunes, there'll be a couple missing.

If you're a fan of the band, this set has some nice rareties. The live version of "Whammy" is neat and "Quiche Lorraine" is about 10 times better than the studio one (which always sounded spare to me, like it was recorded as an afterthought). But it also has some misses. The 1990 remix of "Mesopotamia" is fine, but I really like the original version, which you can't get on CD. And the less said about the remix of "Mo Dean?" the better. And did we need *eight* tracks from their 1990 album "Cosmic Thing"?

These are all minor quips, though. There's really only one serious flaw to this release (and it won't effect casual fans):

WHERE'S MY BOX SET???? There happens to already be an excellent Greatest Hits collection of the B-52s called "Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation". And there's nothing wrong with it, except that "Nude on the Moon" makes "Time Capsule" redundant. Did we REALLY need such a huge sampling of the hits here? There are lots of tracks released by the band on wax that never made it to CD. Since there's already a "Best Of", there should have been a "Rest Of". Better yet, go all out and reward the fans with a BOX SET a la The Police.

There is space right now in my collection for a six disc set of all the albums, b-sides, remixes, demos, EPs, live stuff, and movie tracks. Where is it? I'm not getting any younger!

Ok. Sorry about that.

Anyhow, if you're looking for a greatest hits collection of a great party band, here it is. Drop these tunes into your iPod and have a party experience walking around!