Funplex

Funplex is the seventh and final studio album (eighth overall) by The B-52s, recorded during 2006 and 2007. The album was released on March 25, 2008, by Astralwerks Records[13] It was the first album of new material that the group had released since Good Stuff in 1992, although the band did record two new songs for their 1998 compilation album Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation.

For other uses, see Funplex (disambiguation).

Funplex
Studio album by
The B-52s
ReleasedMarch 25, 2008
RecordedSeptember 2006–November 2007
GenrePop rock
Length48:17
LabelAstralwerks
ProducerSteve Osborne
The B-52s chronology
Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology
(2002)		 Funplex
(2008)		 With the Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, GA
(2011)
Singles from Funplex
  1. "Funplex"
    Released: January 29, 2008
  2. "Juliet of the Spirits"
    Released: September 9, 2008
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic64/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
BBC Music(favorable)[3]
Billboard(favorable)[4]
Blender[5]
Crawdaddy!(favorable)[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[7]
Pitchfork Media(6.6/10)[8]
PopMatters[9]
Robert Christgau(A-)[10]
Slant[11]
Spin[12]

The album came as a result of the band's renewed touring, and a feeling that they needed something new to perform. Guitarist Keith Strickland was inspired to create an updated sound for the band when listening to the New Order album Get Ready and hired producer Steve Osborne. Osborne's production incorporates more modern elements of electronica.

Single releases

The first single from the album was released digitally on January 29, 2008, and is the title track, "Funplex". A music video was filmed in West Hollywood on March 1, 2008 and featured a cameo appearance by RuPaul, who had previously appeared in the video for "Love Shack".[14]

Funplex debuted at number 11 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 30,000 copies in its first week.[15]

The second single from the album was "Juliet of the Spirits".

Alternate versions

The CD, packed in the Digipak format, was released in three front cover color variants in the lettering for the album title and the band's shadows: the original (shown above) in gray, multi-colored, and hot pink. In the colored versions, the coloring also extends to the band's instruments. The band members themselves, along with the band's logotype, retain their original rendering throughout all versions.[16]

Exclusive, limited-edition autographed copies were offered by Newbury Comics and FYE, as well during the Funplex 2008 tour, and a special limited-edition double-disc set of Funplex was available only at Target stores in the US. The bonus disc features five live tracks recorded at the band's November 16, 2007 concert at the Roxy in Los Angeles.[17] Two additional live tracks from that same concert were available exclusively on iTunes.

Track listing

All songs written and arranged by the B-52s; music by Keith Strickland; and lyrics and vocal melodies by Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, and Cindy Wilson.[18]

  1. "Pump" – 4:53
  2. "Hot Corner" – 3:24
  3. "Ultraviolet" – 4:25
  4. "Juliet of the Spirits" – 4:22
  5. "Funplex" – 4:07
  6. "Eyes Wide Open" – 5:35
  7. "Love in the Year 3000" – 4:14
  8. "Deviant Ingredient" – 4:50
  9. "Too Much to Think About" – 3:47
  10. "Dancing Now" – 4:02
  11. "Keep This Party Going" – 4:31
iTunes-exclusive deluxe version bonus tracks
  1. "Private Idaho" (Live at the Roxy) – 4:00
  2. "Planet Claire" (Live at the Roxy) – 5:28
  • Target-exclusive bonus CD: Live at the Roxy in L.A.
  1. "Party Out of Bounds" – 3:45
  2. "Channel Z" – 5:26
  3. "Roam" – 5:13
  4. "Strobe Light" – 4:38
  5. "Rock Lobster" – 5:33

Personnel
The B-52s onstage, 2008

The B-52's

Additional musicians

  • Zachary Alford – drums (tracks 1, 3, 5, & 8-9)
  • Steve Osbourne – organ (tracks 1 & 3), bass & timpani (track 9)
  • Pete Davis – keyboards, synth programming (tracks 2, 4, 6-8 & 10-11) drum programming (tracks 4 & 7)
  • Dave McCracken – programming (tracks 5 & 9)
  • Damian Taylor – effects programming (tracks 1, 3, 5, & 8-9)
  • Sharon Adl-Doost – intro vocal (track 1)

Production

  • Producer: Steve Osborne
  • Engineers: Dan Austin, Rick Morris, Pete Davis, Keith Strickland, Kris Sampson
  • Mixing: Steve Osborne
  • Mastering: Bob Ludwig

Artwork

  • Art Direction & Design: Jeri Heiden & John Heiden
  • Photography: Joseph Cultice
  • Hair: Gerard Kelly
  • Make-up: Kristofer Buckle
  • Stylist: Robert Molnar

Chart performance

Album
Chart (2008) Peak
Position
Australian Albums Chart 93
French Albums Chart 104
Swiss Albums Chart 71
UK Albums Chart 73
U.S. Billboard 200 11[19]
U.S. Billboard Year-End 200 188[20]

Singles
Year Single Chart[21] Peak
Position
2008 "Funplex" Billboard Hot Dance Club Play (U.S.) 14
2008 "Juliet of the Spirits" Billboard Hot Dance Club Play (U.S.) 8

Notes
  1. "Funplex by B-52s". Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  2. Funplex at AllMusic
  3. White, Chris. "BBC - Music - Review of The B-52's - Funplex". Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20080324222230/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3ie4bd24ee9875ae56df36e113c4f8c319. Archived from the original on March 24, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2008. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=5006. Retrieved October 3, 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 12, 2009. Retrieved 2008-03-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Funplex - EW.com". Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Music Reviews, Features, Essays, News, Columns, Blogs, MP3s and Videos - PopMatters". Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  10. "Robert Christgau: CG: B-52's". Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  11. "Slant Magazine". Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  12. "The B-52's, 'Funplex' (Astralwerks) - SPIN". March 25, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  13. Release Date Archived November 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  14. 1 Archived March 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  15. Katie Hasty, "Day26 Upends Danity Kane To Debut At No. 1", Billboard.com, April 2, 2008.
  17. The B-52s - Funplex Archived April 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  18. Album liner notes
  19. "Billboard 200: The B-52s". Billboard. 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  20. http://tsort.info/music/kjt6zz.htm
  21. Archived December 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
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