Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 10/25/1990
Run Time: 37:17
Following the botched collaboration with
David Byrne on
Mesopotamia,
the B-52's decided to craft their fourth album as a return to the pop-culture
funk explosion of their debut. Smartly, they decided to not simply replicate the skewed Southern
funk of that album, choosing to update their signature sound with drum machines and
new wave synths. As a result, it now sounds a little forced and dated, but the best moments --
"Legal Tender," "Whammy Kiss," "Butterbean," "Song for a Future Generation" -- rank as
B-52's classics, and the entire record is certainly entertaining, even with its faults. [
Whammy! was originally released with a cover of
Yoko Ono's
"Don't Worry." When the time came to reissue the CD in 1989, the group ran into copyright troubles with
Ono and the song was pulled, replaced by
"Moon 83."]
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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