Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation

by The B-52s

Overview

Released in 1998, Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation is the essential B-52's greatest-hits collection. A chronologically assembled highlight reel of the group's first two decades, it contains all of their singles and a number of album favorites, along with two exclusive then-newly written tracks. When they first arrived on the scene in 1979, their kitschy thrift-store image and weirdly spartan sound immediately set them apart from others in the new wave scene to which they were loosely attached. Three guys, two girls, arcane hairdos, no bassist, and a sound that was equal parts spy music and good-time dance party, the B-52's were always fascinatingly loveable outsiders and remained so throughout their years of success. Beginning with "Planet Claire," "52 Girls," and the immortal "Rock Lobster," Time Capsule winds its way through their early and mid-'80s hits like "Quiche Lorraine" and the charming "Song for a Future Generation." As they continued to grow and evolve, their sound expanded, becoming both more nostalgic and more light-hearted, leading into their commercial peak in the early '90s with the excellent "Channel Z," "Roam," and of course "Love Shack." A highlight of this collection is the previously unreleased original mix of "Summer of Love," which feels far more natural than the version which ended up being released on 1986's Bouncing Off the Satellites. The two newly recorded cuts, "Debbie" and "Hallucinating Pluto," are decent enough and will interest collectors, though they can hardly be considered among the band's best material. Still, tacked as they are to the end, they serve as worthy bookends to this excellent 18-track set, which reveals the full career arc of one of rock's most fun and most distinctive acts. ~ Timothy Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	05/28/2004
Label:	Reprise / Rhino
UPC:	0081227646325

Tracks

1. Planet Claire
2. 52 Girls
3. Rock Lobster
4. Party Out of Bounds
5. Strobe Light
6. Private Idaho
7. Quiche Lorraine
8. Mesopotamia
9. Song for a Future Generation
10. Summer of Love
11. Channel Z
12. Deadbeat Club
13. Love Shack
14. Roam
15. Good Stuff
16. Is That You Mo-Dean?
17. Debbie
18. Hallucinating Pluto

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The B-52s   Primary Artist
Keith Strickland   Drums,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Charles Drayton   Drums,Drums
Cindy Wilson   Vocals,Tambourine
Dave McMurray   Saxophone
Sonny Emory   Drums
Pat Irwin   Guitar,Keyboards
Jamie Muhoberac   Keyboards
Sara Lee   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Leroy Clouden   Drums
Zachary Alford   Drums
Fred Schneider   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Charlie Drayton   Drums
Lenny Castro   Percussion
Kate Pierson   Organ,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizer Bass
Richard Hilton   Keyboards
Philippe Saisse   Keyboards
Ricky Wilson   Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Mike Reither   Assistant Engineer
Kelly Bugden   Photography
Ron Delaney   Photography
David Robbins   Engineer
Paul Argelli   Second Engineer
Chris Blackwell   Producer,Executive Producer,Producer
Steven Stanley   Engineer,Producer
The B-52s   Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Art Direction
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Keith Strickland   Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Additional Music
J. Ayers   Composer
Cindy Wilson   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Catherine Pierson   Composer
Henry Mancini   Lyricist
Dave Cook   Engineer
Benji Armbrister   Assistant Engineer
Don Was   Producer
Rhett Davies   Engineer,Producer
Lynn Goldsmith   Photography
Josef Astor   Photography
George DuBose   Photography
Janette Beckman   Photography
Keith Stickland   Composer
John Martin Taylor   Photography
Matt Gold   Engineer,Second Engineer
Cynthia Wilson   Composer
Keith Freedman   Second Engineer
Tony Mansfield   Producer
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Terry Allen   Photography
Patrick Dillett   Mixing,Engineer,Second Engineer
Ed Cherney   Engineer
Ed Brooks   Second Engineer
Fred Schneider   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Rik Pekkonen   Engineer
David Byrne   Producer
Robert Ash   Engineer,Associate Producer
Robert Waldrop   Composer
Kate Pierson   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Dave Robbins   Second Engineer
Nile Rodgers   Mixing,Producer
Tom Durack   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Remixing,Remix Engineer
Butch Jones   Engineer
Dan Bosworth   Assistant Engineer
Curtis Knapp   Photography
Johannes Kepler   Composer
Cathy Crawford   Photography
Jeremy Ayers   Composer,Lyricist
Martin Kunitz   Assistant Engineer
Stephen Walker   Art Direction
Cass Rigby   Assistant Engineer
Bob Gruen   Photography
Brian Pollack   Assistant Engineer
Ricky Wilson   Composer,Lyricist,Additional Music
Janette Sheridan   Project Coordinator,Production Coordination
Mark Hayda   Art Direction
Fred Bennett   Photography
Dennis Halliburton   Assistant Engineer
Sue Kappa   Engineer,Second Engineer
Joe Ayers   Composer