aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser
#002 – THE B-52’s – ‚Planet Claire’ (Island Records, ’79)
Hello friends,
Let me start with another applause to JC for being so kind to feature my insufficient attempts on TVV. The truth of the matter is: I told him that I was afraid no-one would read them anyway if they were to appear on sexyloser. The audience here is much bigger, of course, which in theory should increase my chances. Well, so I thought.
But now I’m not so sure any longer. The thing is, my interest in music could easily be described as ‘old-fashioned’: people who know me and/or have read sexyloser in the past will be able to confirm this. And now we are talking about my favourite 111 singles … I mean it’s obvious that there will be a few choices which will only knock the socks off those who are very young indeed or have lived on a remote island somewhere in the Pacific since WW II!
In conclusion, there isn’t pretty much to say about today’s single, you will know it by heart. But I thought it had to be bought, because it’s one of those songs that never fail to put a smile on my face since I first heard it in the very early 80’s.
The band was founded in Athens, Georgia in 1976 and if memory serves, ‘Planet Claire’ was their third single. The beehive haircuts of the ladies (Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson) gave the band their name, because in the Southern US-states those haircuts were often compared to the front part of the Boeing B-52 bomber.
And if you, like I have always been, ever were confused why they sometimes are being referred to as ‘B-52’s’ and sometimes as ‘B-52s’: they lost their apostrophe in 2008, don’t ask me why.
Apostrophe or not, this is a neat record, and excellent for dancing in fact (not that I find myself on the dance floor all too often, basically this only happens when I’m crossing it on me way to the bar).
So here you are, an oldie but goodie if you like, some crackles here and there, but hey, the single is 43 years old!
mp3: The B-52’s – Planet Claire
All the best, enjoy,
Dirk
PS: and no. It’s not, as I thought for several decades, “She drove a Plymouth Satellite / and masturbated at the speed of light” …