''Party Mix!'' is a

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

album by American new wave band

the B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

, released in 1981 by Warner Bros. Records.

Background

The album was released between the band's second album, '' Wild Planet'' (1980), and their ''

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

'' EP (1982). It was devised as a stop-gap release by the band's manager, Gary Kurfirst, while the band were working on the ''Mesopotamia'' sessions. On the original vinyl, this six-song collection contained songs from their first two albums remixed and sequenced to form two long tracks, one on each side. On the CD version, however, all the songs feature their own tracks. In 1991, ''Party Mix!'' and a 1990 remix version of ''Mesopotamia'' were combined and released as one CD in the US. In Europe, both albums were made available on separate CDs, with ''Mesopotamia'' retaining the original US mix.

Reception

Commercial

''Party Mix!'' spent 11 weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at No. 55.

Critical

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' observed that the album's "implicit equation of party and disco offends old new-wavers, but at EP list for half an hour's music the extravagance is recommended." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' opined that the album was "functional for discos but antithetical to the B-52's' minimalist precepts." In a retrospective review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

, William Ruhlmann stated, "Since the group's bouncy songs are already dance-ready, this makes for alternatives rather than real improvements, even from a dancefloor perspective."

Track listing

Side one #" Party Out of Bounds" (

Fred Schneider Frederick William Schneider III (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, and musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band The B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well known for his '' sprechg ...

, Keith Strickland, Ricky Wilson, Cindy Wilson,

Kate Pierson Catherine Elizabeth Pierson (born April 27, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52's. She plays guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the B-52s, she has performed alongside Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneide ...

) – 5:12 #" Private Idaho" (Schneider, Strickland, R. Wilson, C. Wilson, Pierson) – 4:04 #" Give Me Back My Man" (Schneider, Strickland, R. Wilson, C. Wilson) – 7:02 Side two #"Lava" (

The B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

) – 6:08 #"

Dance This Mess Around "Dance This Mess Around" is a song by American new wave band The B-52's. It was released in 1979, as the third and final single from their self-titled debut album. The song features Cindy Wilson on lead vocals, as well as Fred Schneider and Kate ...

" (The B-52's) – 2:59 #"52 Girls" (

Jeremy Ayers Jeremy Ayers (1948 – October 24, 2016) was an American artist, writer, photographer, and musician. Ayers was a member of the Athens, Georgia, creative community, published three books of photography, and co-wrote songs for The B-52's and R.E.M ...

, R. Wilson) – 2:58 * Side one: original versions from '' Wild Planet'' (1980) * Side two: original versions from ''

'' (1979)

Personnel

Credits adapted from ''Party Mix / Mesopotamia'' CD liner notes. * Rhett Davies – producer (1–3) *

– producers (1–3) * Daniel Coulombe – remixing *

Steven Stanley Steven J. C. Stanley (born July 11, 1958), is a Jamaican audio engineer, record producer and keyboardist who has worked in the reggae, dub and rock music genres since 1975, most notably with Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and Black Uhuru. Stan ...

– remixing * Paul Wexler – remixing *

Chris Blackwell Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell (born 22 June 1937) is an English businessman and former record producer, and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels". According to the Rock and Roll H ...

– producer (4–6) * Robert Ash – associate producer (4–6) * Tony Wright – cover * Lynn Goldsmith – photograph

Chart performance

References

{{Authority control The B-52's EPs Albums produced by Rhett Davies Albums produced by Chris Blackwell 1981 EPs 1981 remix albums Remix EPs Warner Records remix albums Warner Records EPs The B-52's remix albums