Good Stuff | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 23, 1992 [1] | |||
Recorded | November 1991–March 1992 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 56:01 | |||
Label | Reprise | |||
Producer |
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The B-52's chronology | ||||
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Singles from Good Stuff | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Calgary Herald | B− [3] |
Robert Christgau | [4] |
Entertainment Weekly | C [5] |
Orlando Sentinel | [6] |
Rolling Stone | [7] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10 [8] |
Good Stuff is the sixth studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1992 by Reprise Records. It was conceived after the band's manager urged them to quickly issue a follow-up to their highly successful album Cosmic Thing (1989) and was created without founding member Cindy Wilson, who was on a temporary hiatus. The album peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 and its title track peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. Good Stuff was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards.
Good Stuff was created in the wake of the departure of B-52's singer and founding member Cindy Wilson, who left the band after an Earth Day performance in Central Park in 1990. [9] The band were just finishing up 18 months of touring, following the massive success of their 1989 album, Cosmic Thing . [10] Wilson would ultimately be absent from the band from 1990 to 1994, taking a hiatus to raise children, and later stated, "My clock was ticking, so I chose to take some time off." [11] Wilson said that another reason for her departure was that she still missed her brother Ricky Wilson, the band's former guitarist who died in 1985, and that she "needed to step back and chill." [11] Fred Schneider recalled, "All of a sudden she just decided she was quitting ... so it was real stressful. It was a real shock." [10] However, the band continued with Wilson's blessing and eventually hired Julee Cruise to tour as a vocalist with the band. [10]
Guitarist Keith Strickland later stated that Good Stuff came about when the band's manager pushed them to quickly come up with a new album to follow up the success of Cosmic Thing, despite them being "burnt out" and "exhausted" from touring. [12] Like Cosmic Thing, Good Stuff was produced jointly by Nile Rodgers and Don Was. [5]
The title track, "Good Stuff", was issued as the lead single and peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, charting for 13 weeks. [13] The album charted for 15 weeks, peaking at No. 16 on the Billboard 200, [13] and went on to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards, losing to Tom Waits's Bone Machine . [14]
David Browne of Entertainment Weekly felt the album "reduces their sound to a dull formula", and that "their attempts to keep the party going ... sound more forced than ever", although he cited "Revolution Earth" as the highlight. [5] Elysa Gardner of Rolling Stone found the work of the two producers "impressively seamless", citing "Dreamland" and "Bad Influence" as highlights, and added that "Pierson's richly textured vocals hold up just fine on their own" in light of the absence of Cindy Wilson. [7]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine thought the title track "was a transparent attempt to recapture the good vibes of 'Love Shack'" that "didn't succeed" but "did have the distinction of being the best single pulled from Good Stuff." [2]
All tracks written by the B-52's, except where noted.
The B-52's
Additional musicians
Technical
Region | Certification |
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United States (RIAA) [15] | Gold |
The album spent 15 weeks on the U.S. Billboard album charts and reached its peak position of No. 16 in July 1992. [16]
Chart (1992) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard 200 | 16 |
UK Albums Chart | 8 |
The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson (guitar), and Keith Strickland. Ricky Wilson died of AIDS-related illness in 1985, and Strickland switched from drums to lead guitar. The band has also added various members for albums and live performances.
The B-52's is the debut album by American New wave band the B-52's. The kitschy lyrics and mood, and the hook-laden harmonies helped establish a fanbase for the band, who went on to release several chart-topping singles. The album cover was designed by Tony Wright.
Catherine Elizabeth Pierson is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52's. She plays guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the early years, as well as being a vocalist, Pierson was the main keyboard player and performed on a keyboard bass during live shows and on many of the band's recordings, taking on a role usually filled by a bass guitar player, which differentiated the band from their contemporaries. This, along with Pierson's distinctive wide-ranging singing voice, remains a trademark of the B-52's' unique sound. Pierson has also collaborated with many other artists including the Ramones, Iggy Pop and R.E.M. Pierson possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range.
Wild Planet is the second studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1980 by Warner Bros. Records.
Cosmic Thing is the fifth studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1989 by Reprise Records. It contains the singles "Love Shack", "Roam" and "Deadbeat Club", which reached the Top 10, 20 and 30 of the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, respectively. The music video for "Love Shack" won the award for Best Group Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. Six of the album's songs were produced by Nile Rodgers in New York City, and the remaining four by Don Was in upstate New York.
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Cynthia Leigh Wilson is an American musician and one of the vocalists, songwriters and founding members of new wave rock band the B-52's. She is noted for her distinctive contralto voice and also plays percussion during live shows. She is the younger sister of the late guitarist Ricky Wilson (1953–1985), who was also a founding member of the band.
Ricky Helton Wilson was an American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of rock band the B-52s. Born in Athens, Georgia, Wilson was the brother of fellow member Cindy Wilson. The B-52s were founded in 1976, when Ricky, Cindy, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland and Fred Schneider shared a tropical flaming volcano drink at a Chinese restaurant and, after an impromptu music session at the home of their friend Owen Scott III, played for the first time at a Valentine's Day party for friends. Wilson's unusual guitar tunings were a large contribution to the band's quirky sound.
"Rock Lobster" is a song written by Fred Schneider and Ricky Wilson, two members of the B-52's. It was twice recorded and released as a single, first by DB Records as their debut release in April 1978, and again the following year for the band's self-titled debut album on Warner Bros. Records.
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Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology is a two-CD compilation album containing 35 songs recorded by American new wave band the B-52's between the years 1979 and 1998. This compilation includes live recordings of "Quiche Lorraine" and "Whammy Kiss", and a previously unreleased outtake version of "Queen of Las Vegas". The title is a reference to the 1961 film of the same title.
"Roam" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's released as the fourth single from their fifth studio album, Cosmic Thing (1989). The vocals are sung by Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson, making it the only vocal track on the album without any vocal involvement from Fred Schneider. It is also the only track from the album in which the B-52's worked with a co-writer, Robert Waldrop, who penned the lyrics. Released as a single in 1989, "Roam" peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and entered the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.
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Never Let Me Go is the eighth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on May 26, 1993, in the US by Epic. It was his first studio album not to debut at #1 on the R&B Albums chart.
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"Love Shack" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's from their fifth studio album, Cosmic Thing (1989). It was released on June 20, 1989, and was produced by Don Was. The song was a comeback for the band, following their decline in popularity in the mid-1980s and the death of guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985.
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