Even in the weird, quirky world of
new wave
and
post-punk
in the late '70s,
the B-52's
' eponymous debut stood out as an original. Unabashed kitsch mavens at a time when their peers were either vulgar or stylish, the Athens quintet celebrated all the silliest aspects of pre-
Beatles
pop culture -- bad hairdos, sci-fi nightmares, dance crazes, pastels, and anything else that sprung into their minds -- to a skewed fusion of
pop
,
surf
avant-garde
, amateurish
punk
, and white
funk
. On paper, it sounds like a cerebral exercise, but it played like a party. The jerky, angular
was irresistibly danceable, winning over listeners dubious of
Kate Pierson
Cindy Wilson
's high-pitched, shrill close harmonies and
Fred Schneider
's campy, flamboyant vocalizing, pitched halfway between singing and speaking. It's all great fun, but it wouldn't have resonated throughout the years if the group hadn't written such incredibly infectious, memorable tunes as
"Planet Claire,"
"Dance This Mess Around,"
and, of course, their signature tune,
"Rock Lobster."
These songs illustrated that
' adoration of camp culture wasn't simply affectation -- it was a world view capable of turning out brilliant
singles and, in turn, influencing mainstream pop culture. It's difficult to imagine the endless kitschy retro fads of the '80s and '90s without
pointing the way, but
The B-52's
isn't simply an historic artifact -- it's a hell of a good time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine