Rock Lobster - B52's

[KYYX4ever]

Wooowww!

Of course we all know this classic NW tune. Some of us may even be sick of it, as it's been overplayed many times. I myself fall into that category. In fact, other than being THE SONG which would get us all out on the dancefloor, busting out our killer NW moves, I never really listened to this song before.

I mean, REALLY listened.
HOWEVER, last night, driving along in the Duster, the song came up on one of my CDs, and OH. MY. GOD. I got it! What great music! I never paid attention to the way cool, garage-y, surfy guitars and tune before. It was like a whole other dimension. No wonder this song is a classic. Rightly so.

Just wanted to share my latent discovery. That is all. Thoughts? Classic tune? or Overplayed, average song?

[Moparmark]

I saw them live in 1980.Their musicianship was excellent,but overall I don,t care for them and own none of their lp,s.As for Rock Lobster,no thanks.I like a more punk/powerpop sound.Just being honest.

[birdmadgirl]

[quote]Originally posted by KYYX4ever
[br]Wooowww!

Of course we all know this classic NW tune. Some of us may even be sick of it, as it's been overplayed many times. I myself fall into that category. In fact, other than being THE SONG which would get us all out on the dancefloor, busting out our killer NW moves, I never really listened to this song before.

I mean, REALLY listened.
HOWEVER, last night, driving along in the Duster, the song came up on one of my CDs, and OH. MY. GOD. I got it! What great music! I never paid attention to the way cool, garage-y, surfy guitars and tune before. It was like a whole other dimension. No wonder this song is a classic. Rightly so.

Just wanted to share my latent discovery. That is all. Thoughts? Classic tune? or Overplayed, average song?
[/quote]

I think it's a great song. Most of the time, I just listen and laugh myself senseless (it cracks my up every times I hear it), but there are moments when I put aside the hysterics and note what a cool song it is.

I have loved The B-52's for a long time. I think they often are ignored because it's easy to look at them and see the silliness and write them off. (That, and they seem to be one of those bands that people either really like or intensely dislike). But, get past the image, and they have a lot of wonderful, well crafted, well-written songs.

Two of my favorites are "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland" and "Revolution Earth."

[WolverineSyr]

I didn't listen to them for quite a while & recently came back to checking out some of those old songs I loved. Rock Lobster is truly a gem. What I like about it is that it works on 3 levels - a funny song, an interesting song, and finally an awesome dance song. It's rare that you find such a tune!

I also love, love, love Dance This Mess Around!

[bpdp3]

Maybe it's hard for people to go back and remember the innovative thrill of the debut, in light of 'Love Shack' and 'Roam', etc....
but it is incredible.

KYYX is right, Rock Lobster is a treasure - - there wasn't much else like it at the time. The weird backing vocals the girls do, Fred's oddball observations ('everybody had...matching towels). You just can't deny its new wave beauty.

If I had to throw an example of American new wave into a time capsule, that would probably be it.

[manekineko]

I love Rock Lobster! I've always been a big B-52's fan. Granted, I am kind of sick of Rock Lobster from 25 years of oversaturation, but it is still one of my favorite songs. I agree with all of you that it is brilliant on so many different levels--lyrics, inventive sounds, and danceability.

The B-52's were, and still are, so freaking original and quirky. They had a style like no other band. I love all of their early albums.

Favorite songs: Planet Claire, Party Out of Bounds, Private Idaho, Lava, Dance This Mess Around (yes, Wolvy), Loveland, Mesopotamia, man, I could go on and on...

On a related note, a couple of months ago I got turned on to The Revillos, from Scotland. Wow! They are like Scottish B-52's, with the quirky music and space-age outfits like The Jetsons! I have a CD of their BBC recordings. Definitely happy music!

[marie3]

I love the B-52's also. I saw them at the Jones Beach theater in 1988 or 1989. They really were great live.

My favorites are Dance this Mess Around, Summer of Love, Legal Tender, Party out of Bounds (WLIR used to play the beginning of this song as a introduction to various commercials at one time) Dirty Back Road, there really are so many good songs by them.

Did everyone get the 7 inch Rock Lobster version on "Obscure80's/MFV, CD-R's & MP3 trading" post from Fritzb?
It is a great. Check it out if you haven't already.

[skinnytie]

hey, KYYX4ever, did you ever hear the independent release of the song before they recorded it again for the album? It's a bit different, and almost strange to hear, if you're accustomed to the album version.

[Panorama]

Channel Z is my favorite B-52's song

---------------------------
"Photography with a Vision"
http://www.cooganphoto.com

[DayGloJo]

"Rock Lobster" is inextricably tied with my memories of Wolverine in the 1980s. He even had a plush toy lobster in his car.

DOWN! DOWN! DOWN! DOWN!

I'd rank "52 Girls" as my favorite B-52s song. Even now everytime I hear that it gets me up & going!

DayGloJo

[scramjet]

It's a great song. Lots of great dancing memories. I never get sick of it. I love the live video. It's such a silly song and they're all so dead serious. It just adds to the strangeness.

[Ollie Stench]

the first 2 albums are hands-down classics, and have been 2 of my favorite records for 25 years now.

A few years ago I got the chance to see them live at the MN State Fair. The first 5 songs were great old numbers. Then they broke into Roam and I sat down. The frat boys next to me, drunk on 3.2 beer, started yelling at me to get up and dance, and how now the band was finally starting to play their good stuff. THese frat boys would have shat themselves had they found out Fred is gay, and probably would have questioned tehir own sexualtiy for liking a band with a "fag" as a singer. I walked out.

My band is doing a B-52's cover set this halloween, I'm really excited about it.

[WolverineSyr]

[quote][i]Originally posted by scramjet[/i]
It's such a silly song and they're all so dead serious. It just adds to the strangeness.
[/quote]

That's what I loved so much about the B52s and their first two albums - they always looked so serious about what they were singing - it was part of the silliness, and it was so much fun. They were ultimate losers, and all the more cool because of it! After Wild Planet they got much more tongue in cheek and seemed to give up their original delivery.

I often wonder if the serious faces were just concentration trying to remember how to play the instruments...[8D]

[KYYX4ever]

Thanks everybody for the props to this tune. I was just amazed that I never really paid attention to the musicianship and surf/garage sound before! You know, cuz of those silly lyrics and all.

I was not able to download Fritz's 7" offering, but Marie sent it to me, and I can't wait to hear it.

Big definate on the early B52's material. Love "Legal Tender" and "Whammy Kiss" lots and lots. "Mesopotamia" is tops, too.

[schwenko]

[quote][i]Originally posted by manekineko[/i]
<br>I love Rock Lobster! I've always been a big B-52's fan. Granted, I am kind of sick of Rock Lobster from 25 years of oversaturation, but it is still one of my favorite songs. I agree with all of you that it is brilliant on so many different levels--lyrics, inventive sounds, and danceability.

The B-52's were, and still are, so freaking original and quirky. They had a style like no other band. I love all of their early albums.

On a related note, a couple of months ago I got turned on to The Revillos, from Scotland. Wow! They are like Scottish B-52's, with the quirky music and space-age outfits like The Jetsons! I have a CD of their BBC recordings. Definitely happy music!


[/quote]

And then there is The Plastics... when Talking Heads were in Japan, the Plastics slipped David Byrne a demo tape; he promptly sent it to the B52s since he thought they were so similar.
BTW, I'll be posting my review of The Plastics latest incarnation/CD;

PlasticSex-Here Comes Sex Education