The B-52s were trendy when I was a teenager, with "Rock Lobster", "Planet Claire", "Private Idaho", and "52 Girls" in particular, being popular. However, they had disappered from my, and most people's consciousness until the release of "Love Shack" at the end of 1989. The follow-up early in the following year was "Roam", which I had initially thought was a song about the Italian city ! As I liked both of these songs I bought the album when it came out.
I remember liking the album and thinking nearly all the songs were good, but I can't honestly remember any of them except the two hits, apart from it was less zany and more melodic than their earlier work.
Indeed, after playing Cosmic Thing there are a few tracks I can't remember hearing before, and am already struggling to remember how they go. The opener "Shake That ( Cosmic Thing )" and "Junebug" have a jerky beat expected of a B-52's song but now sound dated and awful, whilst "Dry Country" has quite a nice vibe but an unmemorable tune and sounds like one of Prince's rejects.
On the other hand, on replay there are certainly some fabulous songs. Both "Deadbeat Club" and "Topaz" have beautiful tunes and the two girls deliver gorgeous, infectious vocal harmonies. "Deadbeat Club is all the better for having a slower tempo than is typical for the B-52s and for me is the stand out track in the album, whilst Topaz also has a nice finish.
"Love Shack" was a global hit and has some unforgetable lines - "Hop in my Chrysler it's as big as a whale" and " I got me a car, it seats about twenty" and well as Cindy Wilson's shouted "Tin roof rusted !", but let's not analyse the story of the song too closely !
"Roam" remains a great song, again with great harmonies and catchy hand-claps in the chorus.
"Channel Z" has a good beat, more great vocals from the ladies and also has a great ending where you thing the song has finished, before one final repeat. Fred also delivers a good line in "Where's my umbrella ?"
The closing number "Follow Your Bliss" is an lightweight instrumental although the guitar riff would not be out of place as a theme tune in a 1960's spy caper.
As a general rule of thumb though, apart from "Love Shack", the better material is those where Fred Schneider's vocal are backing rather than to the fore. Similarly, attempts to revive the original B52's eccentric style fare less well than more conventional tunes.
Overall, Cosmic Thing is a good come back album, but is a bit patchy. But when it is good, it is very good.
Track Listing :
1. Shake That ( Cosmic Thing )
2. Dry County
3. Deadbeat Club
4. Love Shack
5. Junebug
6. Roam
7. Bushfire
8. Channel Z
9. Topaz
10. Follow Your Bliss
Released 1990
UK Chart Position : 8
Singles :
Love Shack ( No 2 - 1989 )
Roam ( No 17 - 1990 )
Channel Z ( No 61 - 1990 )
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