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CD - B-52s - Funplex

Reviews, By onyadonna, 14th April, 2008

Funplex is described as ‘loud sexy rock with the beat pumped up to hot pink’ – on the album’s cover. Can you believe it’s been sixteen years since ‘the worlds greatest party band’ released the timeless classic, sing-a-long, party song Love Shack?

Well the B-52s – now in their fifties – are back, still with the sixties fashion, big hair and wild party sound. They have spent the last five years writing, recording and mastering this album. It’s busting with all of the old flavour of zany/pop/60’s-surf-rock/party/fun and of course those bizarre lyrics. Fred Schneider still speaks his lyrics in time with the music while Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson still harmonise outrageously. The lyrics have become more suggestive and sexed-up than their earlier recordings and the sound is more electrified. Funplex swiftly raced up the US charts and is bound to do the same here.

The album kicks off with a great track Pump, well the name says it all, followed by Hot Corner, this has got to be the only band that can pull off the word ‘shimmy’ in their lyrics. They nudge the censorship boundaries with lyrics like ‘there’s the G spot, pull the car over’ in Ultraviolet. Juliet Of The Spirits is a more subtle track sung by the girls. I’m not too keen on the futuristic love song Love In The Year 3000, it’s a little too spaced out for me. Then there’s Deviant Ingredient – who comes up with these song titles? The B-52s, that’s who!

I predict Dancing Now to be the hit track of the album but the title track Funplex is growing on me. And I think that’s what this album will do – it will grow on you. It’ll take a few listens to get over how bizarre it is, then you can relax and enjoy it as the B-52s intended.