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Holistic Guidance - Funplex
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List Price: $18.98
Our Price: $13.99
Your Save: $ 4.99 ( 26% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Astralwerks
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0094922873071
Label: Astralwerks
Manufacturer: Astralwerks
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Astralwerks
Release Date: 2008-03-25
Studio: Astralwerks
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Editorial Reviews:
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Along with producer Steve Osborne (New Order, Happy Mondays, Doves) the band have created an album as cutting edge, distinctive & danceable as their debut album in 1979. The B-52's influence cuts a wide path through much of so-called Modern Rock-- from the low-fi efforts of nouveau garage bands and the Retro-Hip of Ultra-Lounge to the very ascendance of Dance music itself. Twenty years and 20 million albums into a career that began as a low-rent lark in Athens, Georgia, the B-52's remain the most unlikely Pop superstars ever. The first band to glorify Pop culture with an almost Warholian sense of purpose, their absurd B-movie style and off-kilter sound celebrated the weirdness lurking just beneath the surface of Americana. EMI. 2008.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: "I'm at the mall on a diet pill"
Comment: I first saw this group at the PNC Arts Center in New Jersey and "Fun" was had by all. That was about six years ago. Thought that they might have had a contemporaneous new album out; I was aware that it was a "Comeback" of sorts - although not a comeback in the sense that when they regularly issued albums/CDs (?), they were known as big charters.
Whether or not you also saw their "comeback"/resurgence in New Jersey, or bought their first album in '79, this CD has alot going for it.
Maybe too much: The CD could have kicked off with "Juliet Of The Spirits", one of the greatest (new) recordings I've heard in years. Many years. With some lyrics that T. S. Eliot would re-read and some sounds that Abba would envy. Vocalist-narrator Schneider lays out on this one, exquisitly rendered by Pierson and Wilson. Multi-Musician Strickland should be recognized for strong support here; in good taste, too.
"Eyes Wide Open" has less sonic density but is another standout. "Deviant Ingredient" is a nice mid-'80s throwback (okay, "retro" opus), MTV in mind? (That still on?...).
"Keep This Party Going" is a faster uptempo, good for the stage or the car speakers.
This uninitiated listener hears a somewhat monochromatic sound throughout, though the "comic strip" backdrop allows. Guess I can't expect a "Let's change the pace...here's a great ballad by Jimmy Webb".
Artwork and design very nice, though the all-important lyrics are difficult to read in low-light.
Much credit should be given to Producer Steve Osborne. A Grammy-Award nomination should be extended to him. Also to the person who mixed the CD. But I can't read his name!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Back on track
Comment: It hardly seems as though they've been away. The B-52's in "Funplex" have reproduced their happy, almost neo-hippie sound of the early '80's. Improved production makes it sound a little less chaotic (for them, not entirely good), and the degenerate come-ons of the past seem less attractive after the breakout of HIV-AIDS. Still, while not quite as zany as their past raves, some of the new ones, like "Juliet of the Spirits" (named for the lead character/title of a great Fellini movie of the '50's), show some real flair.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The party keeps on going, on and on and on
Comment: I was always a moderate fan of B-52's in terms that the only album I actually owned was the Time Capsule compilation. But they could always lift me up and put a smile on my face.
Great news is, Funplex has the same effect. I can listen to it in one go and you know it's quality stuff when you have certain songs from the album playing in your head EVERY DAY, for over two months. Fun, catchy, energetic and well executed with nice mix of innovation and signature sound. Get it by all means.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great news people of Planet Earth (& Claire)
Comment: Great news people of planet earth (and Claire!)- B-52's have come up with another winning combination of fun and funky! Saw them perform in Denver at the True Colors tour in July! Purchased the CD beforehand to allow my 16 yr old daughter, who joined me at the concert, to hear the latest. We were not disappointed. Music is as fresh and fabulous as past efforts. Also purchased Time Capsule for daughter, even though I have all the rest of the CD's. She is already a fan, but the concert cemented her love of all things Fred, Kate, Cindy and Keith!! Buy this album. Everyone needs to remember what fun is, especially now. This group is the epitome of frolicking fantastic fun and musical greatness.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Classic B-52's Sound
Comment: It has been a decade or more since we had new B-52's, and it was long overdue! This CD is wonderful fun, frivolous and care free. It is a breath of fresh air for the summertime blues!
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