Wild Planet is the ultimate in new-wave party albums, starting with the opening "Party Out of Bounds." The song sums up everything that's great about the B-52s, the kitschy, minimalist dance band that somehow managed to overcome its primitive musicianship and crank out a big pile of hit records. The B-52s keep the dance beats coming while amusing any party people who take care to pay attention to the group's witty, oddball lyrics. "Runnin' Around," "Private Idaho," and "Strobe Light" are the other standout tracks here.
After the likes of "Rock Lobster" and "606-0842," a lot of new wavers were curious about what Athens, Georgia's fun-loving B-52s were going to do for an encore. The answer came with this rollicking second album in 1980, which found flat-toned Fred Schneider and twin bouffant-topped, gogoing chanteuses Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson nearly equaling the giddy highs of their debut. From the riotous "Party Out of Bounds" and "Devil in My Car" to the ahead-of-the curve couch potato classic, "Private Idaho" to the ever-kitschy "Strobe Light" and the other-worldly "53 Miles West of Venus," this collection proved the B-52s were no flash in the lava lamp. --Billy Altman
