This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (September 2023) |
Party Mix! is a remix album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1981 by Warner Bros. Records.
| Party Mix! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Remix album by | ||||
| Released | July 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Studio | Compass Point (Nassau)[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 28:29 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Rhett Davies, the B-52's, Chris Blackwell | |||
| The B-52's chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Party Mix! | ||||
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Background
editThe album was released between the band's second album, Wild Planet (1980), and their Mesopotamia EP (1982).[2] It was devised as a stop-gap release by the band's manager, Gary Kurfirst, while the band was working on the Mesopotamia sessions.[3]
On the original vinyl, the six-song collection featured songs from their first two albums remixed and sequenced to form two long tracks, one on each side.[4] On the CD version, however, the six songs were their own individual tracks.
In 1991, Party Mix! and a 1990 remix version of Mesopotamia were combined and released as one CD in the US.[5] In Europe, both albums were made available on separate CDs, with Mesopotamia retaining the original U.S. mix.
Reception
editCommercial
editParty Mix! spent 11 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 55.[6]
Critical
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A−[8] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [9] |
| The New Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
| Select | 3/5[11] |
Robert Christgau of The Village Voice observed that the album's "implicit equation of party and disco offends old new-wavers, but at EP list for half an hour's music the extravagance is recommended."[8] Trouser Press opined that the album was "functional for discos but antithetical to the B-52's' minimalist precepts."[2]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann stated, "Since the group's bouncy songs are already dance-ready, this makes for alternatives rather than real improvements, even from a dancefloor perspective."[7] In 2022, Treble magazine named Party Mix! one of the ten essential remix albums.[12]
Track listing
editSide one
- "Party Out of Bounds" (Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Ricky Wilson, Cindy Wilson, Kate Pierson) – 5:12
- "Private Idaho" (Schneider, Strickland, R. Wilson, C. Wilson, Pierson) – 4:04
- "Give Me Back My Man" (Schneider, Strickland, R. Wilson, C. Wilson) – 7:02
Side two
- "Lava" (The B-52's) – 6:08
- "Dance This Mess Around" (The B-52's) – 2:59
- "52 Girls" (Jeremy Ayers, R. Wilson) – 2:58
- Side one: original versions from Wild Planet (1980)[1]
- Side two: original versions from The B-52's (1979)[1]
Personnel
editCredits adapted from Party Mix / Mesopotamia CD liner notes.[1]
- Rhett Davies – producer (1–3)
- The B-52's – producers (1–3)
- Daniel Coulombe – remixing
- Steven Stanley – remixing
- Paul Wexler – remixing
- Chris Blackwell – producer (4–6)
- Robert Ash – associate producer (4–6)
- Tony Wright – cover
- Lynn Goldsmith – photograph
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Albums Chart[citation needed] | 79 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 36 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 55[6] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d The B-52's (1991). Party Mix / Mesopotamia (CD liner notes). Reprise Records. 9 26401-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Isler, Scott; Robbins, Ira; Neugebauer, Delvin. "B-52's". Trouser Press.
- ^ Wawzenek, Bryan (30 January 2017). "35 Years Ago: B-52's, David Byrne Team Up on 'Mesopotamia'". Diffuser. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Zaleski, Annie (14 July 2017). "No novelty, the B-52s may be the most subversive band America ever gave us". Salon.com.
- ^ "Party Mix!/Mesopotamia - The B-52s". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ a b "The B-52s". Billboard.
- ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "The B-52's - Party Mix! Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1990). "B". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 17 August 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (27 May 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698 – via Google Books.
- ^ Cavanagh, David (July 1990). "Flip Your Wig". Select. p. 121.
- ^ "10 Essential Remix Albums". Treble. 19 May 2022.
- ^ "B-52s | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 28 October 2020.