Mesopotamia (EP)

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Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia - The B-52s.jpg
EP by
the B-52's
ReleasedJanuary 27, 1982 (1982-01-27)
RecordedSeptember 1981
StudioBlank Tape Studios, New York City
Genre
Length25:43
LabelWarner Bros. (US)
Island (UK)
ProducerDavid Byrne
The B-52's chronology
Party Mix!
(1981) 		Mesopotamia
(1982) 		Whammy!
(1983)
Singles from Mesopotamia
  1. "Deep Sleep"/"Nip It in the Bud"
    Released: January 27, 1982
  2. "Cake"/"Loveland"
    Released: January 27, 1982
  3. "Mesopotamia"
    Released: January 27, 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic3/5 stars[1]
Christgau's Record GuideA–[2]

Mesopotamia is an EP by American new wave band the B-52's. It was produced by David Byrne of Talking Heads and was originally planned to be the band's third studio album. Due to conflicts with Byrne and record label pressure, recording sessions were aborted prematurely and only six of ten songs to be completed were released. The record was distributed as a 12" EP by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and by Island Records on vinyl and cassette in the UK and other non-US markets.

Mesopotamia is considered a departure in style for the B-52's[by whom?], with Byrne and the band adding additional instruments, vocal overdubs, horns, synthesizers and layered percussion. A larger emphasis was placed on production after the raw sound of their debut album, The B-52's, and the slightly more produced sound of their second album, Wild Planet.

Background[]

Mesopotamia was initially conceived by the B-52's in October 1981, following the release of their previous album of remixes, Party Mix![3] The band's first two albums were largely made up of songs which they had been performing live for a number of years and, thus, Mesopotamia required new compositions. The band later stated that living together in a house in upstate New York did not aid the writing process at this time.[citation needed]

The band's management were of the opinion that they should try something new and change their sound, so the band and their manager, Gary Kurfirst, agreed that David Byrne of Talking Heads would be a good choice for the album's producer, due to his previous musical experience and history of touring with the B-52's.[3] Despite time constraints with recording The Catherine Wheel soundtrack, Byrne nevertheless agreed to produce Mesopotamia, producing the former during the day and the latter at night, with little sleep in between.[3]

Production[]

Originally, Mesopotamia was conceived as a full album. Due to extensive pressure on the band to release new material, the sessions were hurriedly brought to an end and the bulk of the material was released as an EP. This is also speculated[by whom?] to be because David Byrne had different ideas for the mixing of the album than the band had anticipated. Of the four abandoned tracks, three were re-recorded for the following album, Whammy!

There are four known outtakes:

  • "Queen of Las Vegas" – The original version of this song recorded for the intended full-length Mesopotamia album was released on the 2002 compilation album Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology and features vocal performances from Pierson and Wilson, with Yogi Horton on drums. The song was modified and re-recorded in 1983 for the Whammy! album.
  • "Big Bird" – Re-recorded for Whammy!, this original version has never been released. However, "Big Bird" was included in the band's live set on the Mesopotamia tour and was largely the same as the version made available on the Whammy! album. It has since emerged that the band had wanted "Big Bird" to be on the EP instead of "Deep Sleep" but the record company disagreed and omitted "Big Bird" in favor of "Deep Sleep". This explains why the band performed "Big Bird" at all the concerts on the 1982 tour but rarely, if ever, performed "Deep Sleep".[citation needed]
  • "Adios Desconocida" – A ballad with an uncharacteristically soft and romantic tone, this song was never remade by the band.
  • "Butterbean" – Re-recorded for Whammy!, this original version has never been released.

Mesopotamia was a major departure in style for the B-52's. The band's two previous albums had been more or less true to the live sound that made them favorites of the '70s New York scene, featuring basic organ, guitar, a keyboard bass and a strong backbeat. Mesopotamia, with Byrne at the helm, showcased a new sound that included multi-layered guitars, a horn section, atmospheric synths, complex percussion and various other instruments, including a bass guitar, marimba, piano and accordion.

Mesopotamia was also vocally unique for the band because many of the tracks do not feature the vocal interplay for which the band is known. With two Cindy Wilson solo performances, one solo from Kate Pierson, two duets between Pierson and Fred Schneider, and one Wilson/Pierson duet, the sound was more vocally varied than on previous recordings. The hiring of numerous session musicians was also a first for the B-52's, although this would be repeated on subsequent albums.

In the UK, the EP was marketed as a mini-album, due to three songs—"Loveland, "Cake" and "Throw That Beat in the Garbage Can"—mistakenly appearing as rough extended remixes derived from demo tapes. When the band learned of this, the error was quickly rectified and the original mixes were reinstated, although the extended "Loveland" remained on later UK pressings. Later CD releases also reverted to the original mixes at the band's request. The EP was remixed by Tom Durack in 1990 under the band's supervision and was packaged with Party Mix! as a single CD in 1991, this being the version considered by the band to be more polished and closer to their original intent.[citation needed]

This was the last B-52's release where every track could be obtained on the A- and B-side of a single (as had happened with The B-52's and Wild Planet).

Tour[]

In 1982, the B-52's returned to touring. Having been on the road for much of 1978, 1979 and 1980, the band had taken a break in 1981 and were struggling to create new material. With Mesopotamia, they had new material to showcase live. The dynamic of the live show changed slightly from previous tours. With the release of both Party Mix! and Mesopotamia, the band used the "Meso-America" tour to perform updated versions of some of the songs in their live set that they had been performing since 1977. Another change in 1982 was the keyboard setup, with Kate Pierson no longer standing behind a bass synth perched atop a Farfisa Compact Organ. To achieve the new sound of Party Mix! and Mesopotamia, she used a more sophisticated synthesizer, recreating the organ sounds of their debut, the synth sounds of Mesopotamia and simultaneously providing the undulating synth bass lines behind the band's signature new wave sound.

During the "Meso-America" tour, live versions of the songs were performed by: Cindy Wilson on guitar, bongos and vocals; Fred Schneider on vocals; Kate Pierson on keyboards, bass guitar and vocals; Ricky Wilson on guitars; and Keith Strickland on drums. Saxophones on tour were played by Ralph Carney and trumpet and duck calls were performed by David Buck.

Opening for over thirty dates on the 1982 Mesopotamia tour were the Bongos, who were supporting their debut album. A friendship was forged between the two bands which led to various collaborations, particularly between Fred Schneider and the Bongos' Richard Barone.

Reception[]

The EP was a moderate success and spawned three single releases: double A-sides "Deep Sleep"/"Nip it in the Bud", "Cake"/"Loveland" and "Mesopotamia"/"Throw That Beat in the Garbage Can."

Track listing[]

American version[]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Loveland"Keith Strickland, Ricky Wilson, Fred Schneider, Cindy WilsonC. Wilson5:00
2."Deep Sleep"Strickland, Kate Pierson, Robert WaldropPierson3:30
3."Mesopotamia"Strickland, R. Wilson, Pierson, SchneiderPierson, Schneider3:51
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Cake"Pierson, Strickland, C. Wilson, R. WilsonPierson, C. Wilson5:48
2."Throw That Beat in the Garbage Can"Schneider, Strickland, R. WilsonSchneider, Pierson4:30
3."Nip It in the Bud"Strickland, C. Wilson, R. WilsonC. Wilson3:32

Original European version[]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Loveland"Strickland, R. Wilson, Schneider, C. WilsonC. Wilson8:35
2."Deep Sleep"Strickland, Pierson, WaldropPierson3:30
3."Mesopotamia"Strickland, R. Wilson, Pierson, SchneiderPierson, Schneider3:51
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Cake"Pierson, Strickland, C. Wilson, R. WilsonPierson, C. Wilson7:46
2."Throw That Beat in the Garbage Can"Schneider, Strickland, R. WilsonSchneider, Pierson5:40
3."Nip It in the Bud"Strickland, C. Wilson, R. WilsonC. Wilson3:32

Personnel[]

The B-52's
Additional musicians
Technical
  • Butch Jones – engineer
  • Simon Levy – art direction, design
  • Desiree Rohr – illustration

Chart performance[]

Chart (1982) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 35
UK Albums Chart 18

Notes[]

  1. ^ Mesopotamia at AllMusic
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "B". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved August 17, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Sexton 2002, p. 57.

References[]

  • Sexton, Mats (2002). The B-52s Universe: The Essential Guide to the World's Greatest Party Band. Minneapolis: Plan-B Books. ISBN 978-0-9652745-9-3.
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