| Track by Track Review
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Pump
This rocks out extremely well. It’s still got a lot of that B-52s magic, but is one of their hardest rocking tunes. |
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Private Idaho
Always one of my favorites from the group, this has all the power, but some of the magic seems lost in the live version. Still, even with a little less of that B-52s magic, it still rocks. The later sections work better than the opening movements, too. |
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Mesopotamia
While “Mesopotamia” isn’t one of my favorite songs from the band, the expansive jam section on this one works really well and if it’s the B-52s it has to be fun. |
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Ultraviolet
I wasn’t familiar with this song until I heard it here. It’s a good cut that has all the trademark B-52 elements. It’s a great live jam. |
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Give Me Back My Man
I’ve never been overly crazy about this tune. The live version, though, seems stronger than the studio rendition. |
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Funplex
Here’s another with which I’m not familiar. It’s very much classic B-52s in style, though. |
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Whammy Kiss
If there’s one album from the B-52s I never liked, it’s the one that produced this tune, Whammy. It works OK here in this live rendition, but it’s still not a favorite of mine. |
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Roam
One of the group’s biggest hits gets the live treatment here. There’s a real rocking motif here. While it loses a little something from the studio rendition in terms of magical atmosphere, it more than makes up for it with the rocking sounds. |
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52 Girls
Here’s a very old B-52s song. It’s got that retro rock texture and works quite well. This feels very much like the studio version. In fact, they really nailed the arrangement on this. |
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Party Out Of Bounds
Here’s another classic older B-52s number. They manage to expand on this, while still nailing it. It’s so much fun. |
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Love In The Year 3000
Another tune that’s new to me, this one has a real retro rock sound to it. The vocal arrangement is intriguing, but I’m not blown away by this one. |
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Cosmic Thing
A title track, this rocker works exceptionally well in the live take. It’s never been one of my favorites from the group, but I like this one better than the studio version. |
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Hot Corner
I don’t remember hearing this one before. It rocks out pretty hard in a lot of ways. It’s got a classic B-52s feeling to it. It’s a cool tune. |
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Band Intros
This is literally just a short introduction of the band. |
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Love Shack
The band’s best known tune, it’s a party tune. The arrangement seems a bit stripped back with a real focus on the funky guitar-line. I’m not sure I like this rendition as much as the studio version. It’s fun either way, though. |
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Wig
Starting with keyboards, I don’t remember this song. It’s kind of a weird one. Of course, that label takes on some real significance when you remember this is The B-52s. It’s fun, though and gets better as it continues. |
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Planet Claire
This classic B-52s tune was always one of my favorites from the group. They put in a killer performance here that rivals the original. |
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Rock Lobster
The first track I (and probably a lot of people) ever heard from The B-52s, I’ve always loved this one, too. It’s got such a great retro sound and is so much fun. This live recording works extremely well. |
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