Wild Planet
1980 studio album by the B-52's
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wild Planet is the second studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in August 1980 by Warner Bros. (US) and Island Records (Europe, Japan).[1][2]
| Wild Planet | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 27, 1980 | |||
| Recorded | April 1980 | |||
| Studio | Compass Point (Nassau, Bahamas) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:44 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| The B-52's chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Wild Planet | ||||
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As with their first album, the B-52's traveled to Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas to record Wild Planet.[3] Several of the songs from the album had been concert staples since 1978. The band did not record them for their first album, as they had more songs than could fit in a quality LP record.[4][5]
Reception
Critical
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[7] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [8] |
| MusicHound Rock | [9] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[10] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [11] |
| Select | 3/5[12] |
| Smash Hits | 8/10[13] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10[14] |
Billboard gave Wild Planet a positive review, calling it an improvement over the band's debut album and "a cinch for hot rotation in rock-oriented discos".[15] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice observed, "'Party Out of Bounds' and 'Quiche Lorraine' are expert entertainments at best and the wacko parochialism of 'Private Idaho' is a positive annoyance. Only on 'Devil in My Car' and 'Give Me Back My Man' do they exploit the potential for meaning—cosmic and emotional, respectively—that accrues to the world's greatest new-wave kiddie-novelty disco-punk band."[16]
Frank Rose of Rolling Stone felt that it "plainly lacks the relentless exuberance of the group's debut disc", which he considered "partly a result of the production: flatter and duller sounding than its predecessor".[17] Conversely, New York Rocker wrote that Wild Planet "does a better job [than the first LP] of capturing Ricky Wilson's strangely-tuned riffing and the snap of Keith Strickland's drums."[18] While Trouser Press thought the album had its "inspired moments", it concluded that "too much of the album, with its short length and recycled ideas, comes across as a pale imitation of its predecessor."[19]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, David Cleary thought the songs were "faster, tighter, and punchier than previously, though production values are not as wonderfully quirky and detailed", and highlighted the "cunning mix of girl group, garage band, surf, and television theme song influences, all propelled along by an itchy dance beat."[6] In 2018, Pitchfork ranked Wild Planet number 183 on its critics' list of the 200 greatest albums of the 1980s.[20]
Commercial
Wild Planet charted for 27 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 18.[21] Wild Planet was certified Gold by the RIAA.[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Party Out of Bounds" | 3:21 | |
| 2. | "Dirty Back Road" |
| 3:21 |
| 3. | "Runnin' Around" |
| 3:09 |
| 4. | "Give Me Back My Man" |
| 4:00 |
| 5. | "Private Idaho" |
| 3:35 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Devil in My Car" |
| 4:28 |
| 2. | "Quiche Lorraine" |
| 3:58 |
| 3. | "Strobe Light" |
| 3:59 |
| 4. | "53 Miles West of Venus" |
| 4:53 |
| Total length: | 34:44 | ||
Personnel
The B-52's
Technical
- Rhett Davies – producer, engineer
- The B-52's – producers
- Chris Blackwell – executive producer
- Benjamin Armbrister – assistant engineer
- Robert Waldrop – art direction
- Lynn Goldsmith – cover photography
- La Verne & Phyllis – hairdos
- Paul Bricker – makeup
Chart performance
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[28] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
In popular culture
Film director Gus Van Sant referred to the song "Private Idaho" in the title of his 1991 film My Own Private Idaho and thanked the band in the film's credits, although he did not seek approval from the band to use it.[29]