Bouncing off the Satellites
| Bouncing off the Satellites | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Kenny Scharf | ||||
| Studio album by The B-52's | ||||
| Released | September 8, 1986 | |||
| Recorded | July 1985 – ? | |||
| Genre | New wave | |||
| Length | 45:55 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Tony Mansfield | |||
| The B-52's chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Bouncing off the Satellites | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[2] |
Bouncing off the Satellites is the fourth studio album by new wave band The B-52's, released on September 8, 1986. It was recorded in July 1985 and was produced by Tony Mansfield. Guitarist Ricky Wilson died of AIDS after the album was completed, but several months prior to the album's release. With the band too distraught to tour, the album received minimal promotion and failed to yield any hits despite some stations initially giving good airplay to "Summer of Love". Summer Of Love had created a buzz, but the band's record company did not promote the album properly due to the band's lack of TV or promotional appearances.
The album was seen as darker and more melancholy than the band's previous work, having more ballads.[3] In terms of magazine coverage, It was a critical and commercial failure. However, said magazines were always unfairly critical of the band at the time, and many fans (and the band) love the album. [4]
Studio sessions
Recording sessions for Bouncing off the Satellites began in July 1985. A backwards message was deliberately inserted into the album by The B-52's. The message occurs in the song "Detour Thru Your Mind", towards the end of the passage. If Fred Schneider's psychedelic talking is played backwards, he can be heard saying "I buried my parakeet in the backyard. Oh no, you're playing the record backwards. Watch out, you might ruin your needle."[5][6][7]
During the recording, guitarist Ricky Wilson had been suffering from AIDS.[8] None of the other band members other than Strickland were aware of his illness. Strickland later stated that Wilson "was very protective of Cindy and his family." [9][10] In an interview, fellow band member Kate Pierson stated that Wilson had kept his illness secret from his fellow band members because he "did not want anyone to worry about him or fuss about him."[10] On October 12, 1985, Wilson finally succumbed to the illness, at the age of 32.[8][11] Devastated, the band went into seclusion and did not tour to promote the album.[12] Nevertheless, Bouncing Off the Satellites eventually reached 85 on the Billboard 200.[13] Cindy went into a deep depression after her brother's death, while Keith retreated to Woodstock, New York, and Kate and Fred stayed in New York City. The band felt that it would be impossible to continue without Ricky.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by The B-52's, except where noted.
| Side one | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocal | Length |
| 1. | "Summer of Love" | Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson | Pierson, C. Wilson | 4:02 |
| 2. | "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland" | Strickland, C. Wilson, R. Wilson | C. Wilson | 4:22 |
| 3. | "Housework" | Pierson, Tim Rollins | Pierson | 4:04 |
| 4. | "Detour Thru Your Mind" | Pierson, Schneider | 5:06 | |
| 5. | "Wig" | Pierson, Schneider, C. Wilson | 4:22 | |
| Side two | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocal | Length |
| 1. | "Theme for a Nude Beach" | Pierson, Schneider, Strickland, C. Wilson | 4:50 | |
| 2. | "Ain't It a Shame" | Strickland, C. Wilson, R. Wilson | C. Wilson | 5:30 |
| 3. | "Juicy Jungle" | Fred Schneider, John Coté | Schneider | 4:50 |
| 4. | "Communicate" | Pierson, Schneider, C. Wilson | 4:08 | |
| 5. | "She Brakes for Rainbows" | Strickland, C. Wilson | C. Wilson | 4:41 |
Total length: |
45:55 | |||
Personnel
|
Band
Additional musicians
on "Juicy Jungle"
on "Juicy Jungle"
on "Housework"
on "Housework"
|
Production
Artwork
|
Chart performance
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 85 |
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Robert Christgau review
- ↑ Wener, Ben (August 11, 1998). "The B-52s party on!: Nearly 20 years after turning the pop world on its ear, the group is gaining in popularity". The Spectator. p. D-10.
- ↑ Roberts, Jo (November 27, 2009). "Bouffant bombshell". The Age. p. 2.
- ↑ Patterson, R. Gary (2004). Take a Walk on the Dark Side: Rock and Roll Myths, Legends, and Curses. Fireside. p. 174. ISBN 0-7432-4423-0.
- ↑ Poundstone, William (1994). "Backward Messages on Records". Biggest Secrets. Harper Perennial. p. 229. ISBN 0-688-13792-X. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
- ↑ "Hard Rock/Metal/Punk". Backmask Online. Retrieved July 25, 2006.
- 1 2 AIDS and the Arts: A Lost Generation - Newsweek Health - MSNBC.com
- ↑ https://billmichalski.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/bounce-it-off-your-satellite
- 1 2 EMP: Experience Music Project: Kate Pierson talking about Ricky Wilson
- ↑ Edmondson, Jacqueline, Ph.D., ed. (2013). Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories that Shaped our Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-313-39348-8.
While the band was recording Bouncing off the Satelites (1986), tragedy struck. Ricky Wilson died from HIV/AIDs-related illness. The remaining band members, who were too distraught to tour and promote the album, decided to take a hiatus from their musical careers.
- ↑ Allmusic Guide Bio for The B-52s
- ↑ Allmusic Guide Chart Information for Bouncing Off the Satellites