| Mesopotamia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP by The B-52s | ||||
| Released | January 27, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | September 1981 at Blank Tape Studios, New York City | |||
| Genre | New Wave | |||
| Length | 25:43 (US, UK (CD)) 32:54 (UK (EP)) |
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| Label | Warner Bros. (US) Island (UK) |
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| Producer | David Byrne | |||
| The B-52s chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Mesopotamia | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Robert Christgau | (A-)[2] |
| This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information. | |
Mesopotamia is the first and thus far only EP by New Wave band The B-52s. It was produced by David Byrne of Talking Heads and was intended to be the band's third studio album; due to conflicts with Byrne, recording sessions were aborted prematurely and only six of ten songs to be completed were released as an EP. The album was distributed by as a vinyl record by Warner Bros. in the US and by Island Records on both CD and vinyl in the UK and other non-US markets; the UK Island Records vinyl contained extended versions and different takes of four songs, while the CD release was largely the same as the American version. In 1991, Mesopotamia was remixed and, combined with the Party Mix! album, was released on CD in the US.
Mesopotamia is considered a departure in style for The B-52s; Byrne inserted a large amount of additional instruments, vocal overdubs, horns, layered percussion, and an altogether richer sound. Live versions of the songs were performed by the then five members of the band alongside two additional musicians David Buck and Roberto Arron, who played the trumpet and saxophone, respectively. The EP was a moderate success, and spawned three single releases, double A-sides "Deep Sleep"/"Nip it in the Bud" and "Cake"/"Loveland" and titular track "Mesopotamia"/"Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can". This was the last B-52s album where every track from an album could be obtained on the a and b side of a single (the same had happened with The B-52s and Wild Planet).
Contents |
Mesopotamia was initially conceived by The B-52s October 1981 following the release of their previous album Party Mix!.[3] David Byrne of Talking Heads was selected as the album's producer by choice of the band and their manager Gary Kurfirst, who agreed that Byrne would be a good choice for the producer due to his previous musical experience.[3] Despite 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]
Originally, Mesopotamia was conceived as a full album. Due to production disagreements between the band and Byrne, the sessions were aborted prematurely and the bulk of the album was released as an EP. This is speculated to be because David Byrne had different ideas for the mixing of the album than the band had anticipated. Three of his mixes were released on the UK Island pressing of the album with no indication that they were different versions.
There are four known outtakes:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Loveland" | Keith Strickland, Ricky Wilson, Fred Schneider, Cindy Wilson | C. Wilson | 5:05 / 8:35 |
| 2. | "Deep Sleep" | Strickland, Kate Pierson, Robert Waldrop | Pierson | 3:30 |
| 3. | "Mesopotamia" | Robert Waldrop, R. Wilson | Pierson, Schneider | 3:51 |
| 4. | "Cake" | Pierson, Strickland, C. Wilson, R. Wilson | Pierson, C. Wilson | 5:36 / 7:46 |
| 5. | "Throw That Beat In the Garbage Can" | Schneider, Strickland, R. Wilson | Pierson, Schneider, C. Wilson | 4:09 / 5.40 |
| 6. | "Nip It In the Bud" | Strickland, C. Wilson, R. Wilson | C. Wilson | 3:32 |
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Total length:
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25:43 / 32:54 | |||
Notes
Band
Additional musicians
During the "Meso-America" tour to support Mesopotamia, 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 by David Buck.
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 35 |
| UK Albums Chart | 18 |
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