Published on Feb 25, 1998
I always considered the B-52’s somewhat of a novelty act,
kitschy without real substance. Back in my college days, “Rock
Lobster” ruled the airwaves and everybody at every party you went
to was bopping around madly to a catchy, but rather empty tune that
just naturally propelled you to dance. Even those poor frat boys
with no rhythm could manage this little dance number. To me, the
B-52’s were sort of like shopping at a novelty store where the
baubles catch your eye temporarily but don’t necessarily force you
into a real investment of thought, time or money. I dismissed them
as just another post-punk, “new-wave” phenomenon that would fade
with time like A Flock of Seagulls or The The.
OK, they stuck around. They still sport God-awful thrift store
fashions and bee-hive hairdos that would topple the Empire State
Building. But
Cosmic Thing is actually pretty darn good. The duo
production team of Don Was, who is legendary behind the board, and
Nile Rogers, who is pretty damn great as well, really helped flesh
out this disc and prevent it from becoming just another fad thing
rather than cosmic.
That said, the title cut is easily the worst song on the disc
and the most reminiscent of “Rock Lobster.” The heavy dance beat
over monotonous vocals urging you to “shake your cosmic thing” just
seem forced and regurgitated. The thematic space mumbo-jumbo
throughout this record annoys me, but in between there’s actually
some decent tunes.
Two of the strongest numbers rely on what I call the outsider’s
perspective or the joy of being a loser. My favorite song is
“Deadbeat Club” which proudly demonstrates that being a member of
this club is something to aspire to in all its slacker pride.
Whether it be the next beer or caffeine buzz, the simple pleasures
of the poor and success-challenged merely want to “dance in the
garden/in torn sheets of the rain.” Here the vocal harmonies of
Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson work beautifully in the chorus. In
fact, their harmonies are one of the best components throughout the
record as their voices work sturdily and consistently within the
quirky and often silly premises of the songwriting.
Another celebration of the little things is the semi-hit, “Love
Shack,” which is one of Don Was’ productions and smacks of all his
sonic tricks. The celebration of life in dance and music is
demonstrated by the repetitive chorus “Everybody’s movin/everbody’s
groovin baby!” Well, when in doubt, dancing and drinking and having
a little fun always worked for me! The touch of horns flesh this
number out and give it another trademark Was touch.
The slower “Dry County” describes a typical small town lazy
summer day where the “heat of the day got me in a haze/got me in
daze”. While it illustrates how the girls feel the stagnation of
growing up in small-town Americana without even the relief of
alcohol, the guitars and organ work of Keith Strickland turn on a
sizzle with this and another Nile Rogers production, “Roam”.
“Roam” was probably the only other true radio hit from
Cosmic Thing and the exuberant rhythm section with Sara
Lee’s bass playing excel under Rogers’ tutelage. Unfortunately,
Rogers’ guest guitar appearance later on “Topaz” is rather wasted
and trivial. I like “Roam” better than the more often played “Love
Shack” only because its instrumentation is a bit deeper and
sophisticated and equally as catchy of a listen.
What puts me off throughout this record and especially on
“Channel Z” is the pseudo New-Age spiritualism and the
aforementioned space age posture. While I appreciate this song’s
youthful idealism and its desire for a better world as it predicts
“something good will happen/I feel light has got to come
through/And I need it/Something big and lovely”, I’m not sure this
sophomoric political stance really holds up under keen observation.
I certainly wish it was as easy as the song’s suggestion that love
will conquer all and allow us to escape the banality and corruption
of modern life.
But at the same time maybe that’s part of the refreshing posture
of most of the album. The themes of escaping through some kind of
spiritual beliefs, however misdirected or unreal, and the simple
acts of dancing, swinging in a swing or the company of your
deadbeat buddies seem to be the only solutions available. Perhaps
all the complications once removed make the solutions simple and
fast – at least for the B-52’s and their fans who enjoy a good brew
and a good beat.
The closing “Follow Your Bliss” is a pretty instrumental ditty
with more strong, funky organ and guitar work by Strickland. Oddly,
the band’s most recognizable member, Fred Schneider, does
absolutely nothing for me vocally or otherwise on this record. He
is merely a prop that accentuates that annoying kitsch image.
For fun factor,
Cosmic Thing is a good record with two excellent producers
doing double duty. I wouldn’t use it as a guide to save the world,
but the B-52’s might argue otherwise.