The B-52's

The B-52's是一支5人組合，來自美國喬治亞州一個名叫Athens的城鎮(zhèn)，成立于70年代的中期。他們的歌聲歡快活潑，歌詞也平易近人，因此在當?shù)氐木銟凡亢痛髮W(xué)院校內(nèi)吸引了不少年輕人。樂隊的名字來源于他們的兩位女歌手Kate Pierson和Cindy Wilson，因為她們在表演中經(jīng)常打扮以巨大蓬松的發(fā)型，這是南方的俚語。樂隊的其他成員還包括歌手Fred Schneider，也是樂隊的創(chuàng)始人之一。吉他手Ricky Wilson，也是Cindy的哥哥，還有鼓手Keith Strickland。關(guān)于樂隊最初成立時候的情形，還有個故事。那是一天晚上，在一家中國餐館，當時幾個人都喝醉了，那時樂隊成員中除了Fred、Kate、Keith有些許的表演經(jīng)驗，Wilson兄妹還是一無所知。就這樣，他們在事先錄好的磁帶伴奏下，進行了他們的首次表演。
 
1978年初，The B-52's首次推出單曲唱片“Rock Lobster”和“52 Gils”（8年后再版時局英國排行榜前20名），馬上就被搶購一空。樂隊的首次正式的演出是在著名的Max's KansasCity俱樂部。兩位女歌手的裝束為樂隊帶來了好運氣：迷你裙、長筒靴……很快就吸引了一批固定的觀眾。樂隊的伴奏由輕快的重鼓節(jié)奏和深沉的低音合成器組成，襯托出低音貝司不同凡響的諧音。一組堂堂的鑼聲，無線接受器和玩具式打擊樂器的敲擊聲互相交織，使Fred那令人激奮的唱腔得以自由發(fā)揮。
 
1979年樂隊與華納公司簽約并發(fā)行了首張同名大碟《The B-52's》，怪異、另類的曲風(fēng)為他們贏得了不少好評。隨后在美國及歐洲的巡回演唱會，更使得唱片的銷量節(jié)節(jié)攀升，樂隊的知名度也逐漸擴大。第2張專輯《Wild Planet》于1980年發(fā)行，這次更加成功，專輯的銷量進入了排行榜的前20位。1982年的EP專輯《Mesopotamia》請來了著名的TalkingHead樂隊的DavidByrne作為制作人，更拓寬了樂隊的演唱風(fēng)格。到第3張專輯《Whammy！》1983年發(fā)行的時候，已經(jīng)明顯有了些電子風(fēng)格在里面。其中的熱門單曲包括“Legal Tender”、“Song For A Future Generation”等。
 
就在樂隊的發(fā)展一帆風(fēng)順的時候，不幸也離他們不遠了。1985年，就在樂隊錄制他們的下一張專輯《Bouncing Off The Satellites》的期間，吉他手Ricky Wilson死了，盡管當時宣布為自然死亡，然后后來證明他是死于可怕的愛滋病。這張專輯發(fā)行以后的幾年里，整個兒樂隊都沉寂在失去Ricky的悲痛之中，Rick的死對樂隊是一個沉重的打擊。然而The B-52's并未就此結(jié)束，鼓手Keith改行接替了Ricky吉他手的位置。
 
1989年樂隊重整旗鼓后卷土重來，帶來了全新的專輯《Cosmic Thing》，在保持了原有的獨特氣質(zhì)的基礎(chǔ)上，又增添了些許的舞曲活力，這使得這張專輯成為他們最為成功的一張。其中的單曲“Love Shack”和“Roam”都進入了排行榜的前3名。1990年，在自己的事業(yè)達到了頂峰后，Cindy決定退出樂隊。只剩下3個人的The B-52's繼續(xù)著他們的音樂歷程。1992年仍然發(fā)行了專輯，然而已是力不從心了。雖然Cindy曾經(jīng)一度回到樂隊并在巡回演出中亮相，但是樂隊再沒有新的專輯發(fā)行。The B-52's終究不是屬于90年代的。
 
The first of many acts to cement the college town of Athens, GA, as a hotbed of alternative music, the B-52s took their name from the Southern slang for the mile-high bouffant wigs sported by singers Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson, a look emblematic of the bands campy, thrift-store aesthetic. The five-piece group, which also included founding members Fred Schneider, guitarist Ricky Wilson (Cindys older brother), and drummer Keith Strickland, formed in the mid-70s after a drunken evening at a Chinese restaurant; the bandmembers had little or no previous musical experience, and performed most of their earliest shows with taped guitar and percussion accompaniment.
 
After pressing up a few thousand copies of the single Rock Lobster, the B-52s traveled to the famed Maxs Kansas City club for their first paying gig. Subsequent appearances at CBGBs brought the group to the attention of the New York press, and in 1979, they issued their self-titled debut album, a collection of manic, bizarre, and eminently danceable songs which scored an underground club hit with a reworked version of Rock Lobster. The following year, they issued Wild Planet, which reached the Top 20 on the U.S. album charts; Party Mix!, an EPs worth of reworked material from the bands first two proper outings, appeared in 1981.
 
1982s Mesopotamia arose out of a series of aborted sessions with producer David Byrne which saw the B-52s largely abandon their trademark sense of humor, a situation rectified by the next years Whammy!, a move into electronic territory. After a Schneider solo LP, 1984s Fred Schneider & the Shake Society, the group returned to the studio to record 1986s Bouncing Off the Satellites. On October 12, 1985, however, Ricky Wilson died; though originally his death was attributed to natural causes, it was later revealed that he had succumbed to AIDS. In light of Wilsons death, the group found it impossible to promote the new album, and they spent the next several years in seclusion.
 
In 1989, the B-52s finally returned with Cosmic Thing, their most commercially successful effort to date. Marked by Stricklands move from drums to guitar and club-friendly production from Don Was and Nile Rodgers, the album launched several hit singles, including the party smash Love Shack, Roam, and Deadbeat Club. In 1990, Cindy Wilson retired from active duty, leaving the remaining trio to soldier on for 1992s Good Stuff. A year later, dubbed the BC-52s, they performed the theme song for Steven Spielbergs live-action feature The Flintsones. Wilson returned to the group for a tour supporting the release of 1998s hits collection Time Capsule.