Funplex
Funplex is the seventh studio album by the B-52s, recorded during 2006 and 2007. The album was released on March 25, 2008, by Astralwerks Records. It was the first album of new material 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.
| Funplex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 25, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | September 2006 – November 2007 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:17 | |||
| Label | Astralwerks | |||
| Producer | Steve Osborne | |||
| The B-52s chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Funplex | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 64/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| BBC Music | (favorable)[1] |
| Billboard | (favorable)[5] |
| Blender | [6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[7] |
| Pitchfork | 6.6/10[2] |
| PopMatters | [8] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[9] |
| Slant | [10] |
| Spin |  [11] |
Funplex is the seventh studio album by the B-52s, recorded during 2006 and 2007. The album was released on March 25, 2008, by Astralwerks Records.[12] It was the first album of new material 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.
Single releases
[edit]The first single from the album was released 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".[13]
Funplex debuted at number 11 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 30,000 copies in its first week.[14]
The second single from the album was "Juliet of the Spirits".
Alternate versions
[edit]The CD, packed in the Digipak format, was released in three, front cover color variants of the lettering in 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 covers the band's instruments while the band members themselves, along with the band's logotype, retain their original rendering throughout all versions.[15]
Exclusive, limited-edition autographed copies were offered by Newbury Comics and FYE, as well during the Funplex 2008 tour,[citation needed] 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. Two additional live tracks from that same concert were available exclusively on iTunes.[16]
Track listing
[edit]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.[17]
- "Pump" – 4:53
- "Hot Corner" – 3:24
- "Ultraviolet" – 4:25
- "Juliet of the Spirits" – 4:22
- "Funplex" – 4:07
- "Eyes Wide Open" – 5:35
- "Love in the Year 3000" – 4:14
- "Deviant Ingredient" – 4:50
- "Too Much to Think About" – 3:47
- "Dancing Now" – 4:02
- "Keep This Party Going" – 4:31
iTunes-exclusive deluxe version bonus tracks
- "Private Idaho" (Live at the Roxy) – 4:00
- "Planet Claire" (Live at the Roxy) – 5:28
Target-exclusive bonus CD: Live at the Roxy in L.A.
- "Party Out of Bounds" – 3:45
- "Channel Z" – 5:26
- "Roam" – 5:13
- "Strobe Light" – 4:38
- "Rock Lobster" – 5:33
Personnel
[edit]
The B-52s
- Fred Schneider – vocals, cowbell (track 6)
- Kate Pierson – vocals
- Cindy Wilson – vocals
- Keith Strickland – guitars, keyboards, programming, bass (tracks 1–2 & 11)
Additional musicians
- Tracy Wormworth – bass (tracks 1, 3, 8 & 11)
- Zachary Alford – drums (tracks 1, 3, 5, & 8–9)
- Sterling Campbell – drums (tracks 2, 6–7 & 10–11)
- 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 and design: Jeri Heiden & John Heiden
- Photography: Joseph Cultice
- Music: Gerard Kelly, Kristofer Buckle
- Stylist: Robert Molnar
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] | 93 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] | 67 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[20] | 104 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] | 38 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[22] | 77 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] | 71 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[24] | 73 |
| US Billboard 200[25] | 11 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b White, Chris. "BBC - Music - Review of The B-52's - Funplex". BBC Music. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "The B-52's: Funplex: Pitchfork Record Review". Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ^ a b Funplex at AllMusic
- ^ "Funplex by B-52s". Metacritic. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ "Funplex". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 24, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
- ^ "Funplex – Blender". Blender. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ "Funplex - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ "Music Reviews, Features, Essays, News, Columns, Blogs, MP3s and Videos - PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: B-52's". Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ "Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ "The B-52's, 'Funplex' (Astralwerks) - SPIN". Spin. March 25, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ Release Date Archived November 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 1 Archived March 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Katie Hasty, "Day26 Upends Danity Kane To Debut At No. 1", Billboard.com, April 2, 2008.
- ^ "Last.fm - Listen to free music with internet radio and the largest music catalogue online". www.last.fm. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "The B-52s - Funplex". www.astralwerks.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008.
- ^ Album liner notes
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – The B-52's – Funplex" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – The B-52's – Funplex". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The B-52's – Funplex" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 20/4/2008 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – The B-52's – Funplex". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart on 20/4/2008 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ "The B-52s 2 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
