A belated appreciation of the B-52s band

Album celebrates USA shopping malls!

The B-52s were not my cup of tea back in the day. I was in early adulthood in the 1980s. My idea of "hip" music was still the Beatles. How could music possibly evolve after that? Well, music does evolve, I guess by necessity.
People in the business of music are probably schooled on this: talent is important, yes, but it's a mere building block for what sells. No performer can ignore the public's limited attention span for a particular form of music or a favorite group. The thing is, people demand change even if they are not conscious of it. It's like TV shows back in the "Big 3" network days: they'd get canceled like it was a serial type of thing. Gee, all those shows could not have been lacking a high level of talent and commitment. They most surely were well-crafted, even the shows that never made it past their "pilot."
The raw insiders of TV would tell you that people are easily bored when consuming media, that in fact TV is a "boredom killing machine." We'd feel ashamed admitting that, for sure. We ought to feel ashamed watching any level of football now, based on what most of us accept as surely true: the unreasonable physical punishment experienced by the players. We shrug. In the privacy of our homes, we readily switch on whatever entertainment product satisfies us in the moment.
I tie all this in with music. It's quite parallel as we review the history of its pop form and how quickly talented acts rise and fall. Psychologists will tell us that we enjoy tearing down our celebrities. Yes, our darker side, and I remember the most wonderful Paul Revere and the Raiders at their peak. The Raiders succumbed to pressure to become more serious and even "dark." Why? Well, anyone who was my age in 1970 would easily understand.
Remember how Elvin Presley practically went into contortions saying "I'm just an entertainer" when pressed with questions about the Vietnam war? Crazy: such was our desperation to elevate anti-war sentiment, we wanted our celebrity/heroes to join in. And if they didn't, we might start withdrawing from them. Such a blunt proposition, and yet anyone involved in the business side of entertainment understands fully.

What to make of the B-52s
The B-52s were somewhat of a turn-off for me at first. They seemed rather loose and undisciplined. Indeed, "overdubbing" was eschewed on some of their recordings in order to accent what was seen as their organic, genuine quality. To which I'd respond: whatever works, fine. New stuff comes along in music all the time.
The gay pride angle: The '80s were a time when many of us felt uncomfortable with the overt expression of the gay lifestyle. LGBTQ? Did I get the initials right? Our society countenanced certain attitudes then - still some tolerance of misogyny - that are no-go today. I'm fine with gay rights today, certainly as a purely legal matter. I'm not sure the glorification of any sexual orientation is to be encouraged, frankly. My two blogs have boosted the ELCA of the Lutheran Christian Church for its acceptance of the gay orientation.
Today I review the B-52s and have a much more enthused attitude re. them. They get an A-plus for longevity and avoiding conflicts. They went on a 40th anniversary tour in 2019, an anniversary of their first album. And wouldn't you know, they followed the guaranteed instinct among these music folks of saying "we can still put out fresh material." The thought of which, makes me want to gnash my teeth over ABBA. That group has promised new music for a long time and keeps delaying.
An article late in 2019 quoted Fred Schneider of the B-52s saying they have "two new songs" slated as part of a new "deluxe" package. Expect the package to be out in 2020, Schneider says, although you know how these music people can lie! Just kidding. But, just show some healthy skepticism.

Keith Strickland

Have you had the same thought?
We hear that the new songs will be written by Keith Strickland. Typing his name here makes me smile. That's because whenever I see a B-52s music video, I see Strickland and I think "he's the normal one." The others seem at least mildly quirky in various ways.
I see Strickland and I'm reminded of actress Pat Priest who played "Marilyn Munster" on the Munsters TV sitcom of the mid-1960s. She was funny because she was normal and yet an oddity within the ghoulish family. It was a sitcom of course. Strickland was sort of the "placebo."
I guess it's natural for retro acts that are long of tooth to always insist "we can still do it." Or is it just an unavoidable part of the human condition?
Reflecting on Paul Revere and the Raiders, they went through a catharsis that I guess was inevitable for a group appealing to the youth. The group felt it had to harden its image and become more serious, in contrast to what might have been called "bubblegum." Oh, that seems like a mean-spirited term. People in the music business will never shy away from blunt language - they know the realities. "Bubblegum" was entertaining just like Elvis Presley was an entertainer. Pretty good musicians were needed to put out "bubblegum"

Fandom: not static
Paul Revere and the Raiders delivered the goods in the most pleasing way possible in about 1967 - their peak for doing this. It wasn't going to be good enough. Their fans got older and more focused on the serious cultural and political issues of the day.

(image from "discogs")

When the group posed for the cover photo of "Collage," Paul Revere himself wasn't even smiling, he looked sober. Maybe that was the kiss of death right there. The blond Paul Revere was always supposed to flash his most agreeable, toothy smile. At the same time, he was an enterprising and bona fide musician. Fans of the group late in their run got confused. They didn't quite understand the new, less happy image. Meanwhile, the long-time purveyors of serious or progressive rock were never going to accept "Paul Revere and the Raiders."
It didn't even help that the group became known as just the "Raiders." In fact that added to the confusion. "Indian Reservation," the group's only No. 1 hit, was put out under the "Raiders" name. Who were these guys?
Mark Lindsay did what so many young men then felt they had to do: grow out hair all over one's head and face - strange. Cultural vicissitudes are strange.
Old-time pop stars always act like they can stay fresh. There is one fundamental problem: Pop music is generally the domain of the young. When a performer ages, there is a serious problem of trying to connect with a young and exuberant fan base. Can the youth of today really understand Bob Dylan?
I understand the B-52s better than I used to. "Party band?" That's window dressing. I'm amused by the girls' beehive wigs and the thrift-store chic. Dig the fake eyelashes! They carved out a unique niche with Schneider's talking/singing approach called "sprechgesang." It all might seem rather trailer-parkish but this is a group that is welcomed in Las Vegas as much as anyone. "Hey, we're just entertainers."
It would have been great to see Paul Revere and the Raiders put out one more album from their "bubblegum" phase. Please shave, Mr. Lindsay. Smile, Paul.
 
Addendum: The B-52s are made up of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson and Keith Strickland. Original member Ricky Wilson died of AIDs. Pierson has kept her singing voice very well, Cindy Wilson not so much. I see Pierson as the force that really propels the group today. She has aged overall very well. The group sprang from Athens, Georgia. They have been called "new wave" which reminds me of some George Harrison lyrics: ". . .and not new wave, they don't play that crap."
When you get right down to it, the B-52s' best songs are simply great music, not to be pigeon-holed. I consider the "Roam" song and video to be at the very top of the heap, priceless! Congrats to this foursome of "survivors." They're quite the "deadbeat club."
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com