068: Cosmic Thing, by the B-52's

The B-52’s (USA)
Cosmic Thing (1989)
10 tracks, 47 minutes
Spotify • iTunes

You know the B-52s, and Cosmic Thing has two of their most well-known songs on it in ‘Roam’ and ‘Love Shack.’ The rest of the tracks on the album deserve attention too, especially ‘Junebug’ and ‘Cosmic Thing.’ It’s mad that the album is only from 1989, as their sound is so retro. I’m not sure what sort of retro because there’s bits that could have been pulled directly out of the 60s, 70s, and 80s in there, but their sound is that of a sort of timeless, intergalactic go-go. The group never take any of it too seriously. It’s just a big laugh with a bunch of freaky people and everyone’s welcome to join in and dance.

Importantly, everything about the album – from Fred Schneider’s over-the-top carnival-caller’s patter and partytime lyrics to the groovy technicolor artwork and the cheeky winks that I’m sure everyone involved was giving 80% of the time – it’s all so wonderfully camp. In fact, in my notes I just wrote ‘Camp!’ and I think the exclamation point is important in making that statement.

But for me, this album isn’t about the music (although it is, of course, Good Album quality). It is so indelibly linked to a place and an emotion for me. When I was little, we often used to go on camping holidays at a place called Shell Island on the west coast of Wales. I absolutely loved the times at Shell Island, playing in the sand dunes, going crabbing and rock pooling, skipping stones on the River Artro, bonfires, the whole lot. But to get there, there was first the long (for a little boy) car ride from our house in Cheshire that needed to be endured. For most of the journey, we’d listen to the radio, but there was a certain point on the drive, among the hills of Snowdonia, that FM radio couldn’t reach – that’s where the B-52s come in.

It feels like we only had a small handful of tapes in the car, always the same ones, and it was always the B-52’s Cosmic Thing that was reached for as soon as the radio drifted off into white noise. And because that was always about the same sort of place, the tracks always came at the part of the journey every time. It means that every time I hear the song ‘Love Shack,’ not only do I get filled with the memories of the excitement and restlessness for holidays and the smell of the sea and the feel of the sand on my feet, it also transports me back to a very specific place, on a winding road with a cliff rising up to the right of us. It’s so vivid to me. It means we’re almost there.

So, this is holiday music for me. You should listen to this album and enjoy it – it’s good! – but just know that you won’t be enjoying it as much as a seven-year-old on the way to Shell Island.