Taking Sides : The Sugarcubes vs. The B-52s

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Quirky, arty, college rock bands. Off kilter female vocals. Pop sensibility. Annoying male who talks over otherwise awesome songs.

I choose the Sugarcubes. Life's Too Good >>>> All B-52's albums combined.

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Friday, 25 March 2005 02:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd take Bouncing Off the Sattelites or even Cosmic Thing over Life's Too Good. This one isn't close.

― Aaron A., Friday, 25 March 2005 03:02 (twenty-one years ago)

b-52's by nine million miles

― j blount (papa la bas), Friday, 25 March 2005 03:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow, this is a good one.

Life's Too Good had some great moments on it, but they couldn't maintain it (though I quite liked "Hit" on their third album...whose title i can't remember). The B-52's DROWN the Sugarcubes in great tracks, though.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 25 March 2005 03:04 (twenty-one years ago)

(my tacit implication above is that the B-52's s/t >>>>> than all Sugarcubes combined. And you can throw in all Bjork!)

― Aaron A., Friday, 25 March 2005 03:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Sugarcubes. None of who were involved in "Shiny Happy People".

― Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Friday, 25 March 2005 03:07 (twenty-one years ago)

B-52s make me puke my guts out, so I'd have to go with Sugarcubes.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Friday, 25 March 2005 03:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Every crappy 80's cover band I have done sound for covers "Love Shack"

None of them cover "Birthday".

Therefore, on a purely experiential level, I must vote for the Sugarcubes.

On actual overall merit, I'll take "Life's too good" over all the B-52's stuff, and all the B-52's stuff over any of the other crapola albums the sugarcubes put out.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Friday, 25 March 2005 03:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Einar got a raw deal.

― Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Friday, 25 March 2005 03:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I alluded to the Einar Schneider parallel on an prior unnecessary Einar hate thread. IMO both bands are equally loveable (deeply) and equally flawed (deeply). Or near as dammit. Also, Life's Too Good is great but I vote for the sustained sugar hit of Today, Tomorrow, Next Week. The twelve-inches off this (Regina, Planet, ?) sound lovely at 33 1/3 too.

― jcartledge (jcartledge), Friday, 25 March 2005 03:27 (twenty-one years ago)

COSMIC THINGS PWNS ALL.

My copy has the initials T.M. on it, as I was called Tony through elementary school and I've had my copy since I was 9 or 10. I am not sure if this qualifies as bias or not.

― miccio (miccio), Friday, 25 March 2005 04:58 (twenty-one years ago)

"Birthday" is good, but it's no "Deadbeat Club"

― miccio (miccio), Friday, 25 March 2005 04:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I got strained wrists from chicken-dancing to "Planet Claire" as a teenager. That's why I'm biased.

― Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Friday, 25 March 2005 05:01 (twenty-one years ago)

The B 52s.

The B 52s, Another Planet, Mesopatamia (both mixes!), Whammy!, "Summer Of Love", "Roam", and "Channel Z"
vs.
Life's Too Good, most of Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week! (an album that I thought got overcriticized... sure, it's lighter and goofier, but it's still fun. I think they were getting drunk with Reptile during the sessions for this, which is always a good thing), and maybe one song from Stick Around For Joy.

Not a tough battle, but not total attrition either.

If you were to include K.U.K.L. or Bless (with guest appearances by Björk and Einar) as well, the battle would be tougher.

― donut debonair (donut), Friday, 25 March 2005 05:06 (twenty-one years ago)

The `Cubes never came up with anything as great as "Private Idaho".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 25 March 2005 05:08 (twenty-one years ago)

or Dance This Mess Around.

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Friday, 25 March 2005 05:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Life's Too Good had some great moments on it, but they couldn't maintain it (though I quite liked "Hit" on their third album...whose title i can't remember). The B-52's DROWN the Sugarcubes in great tracks, though.

OTM

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Friday, 25 March 2005 05:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Bimble, as the APB disc arrived yet?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 25 March 2005 05:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Schnieder can't be annoying he's my hero!

― jmeister (jmeister), Friday, 25 March 2005 08:18 (twenty-one years ago)

No it hasn't, Alex, but I'm not concerned yet.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Friday, 25 March 2005 08:27 (twenty-one years ago)

It will come.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Friday, 25 March 2005 08:28 (twenty-one years ago)

hmmm. Should get there soon. It went out Monday afternoon.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 25 March 2005 08:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I have no doubt. I thought it might come today which was why I was putting off what I had to say about Spandau Ballet thinking I would email you saying "I received it and...about SB..." but it doesn't bother me that it didn't happen that way because I know it will come. I've got some mind-blowing brand new yummy Factory records related CD's on LTM just in the last two days that I've somehow stupidly, narrow mindedly avoided until now, so you can bet I'll be okay in the meantime! The best music is to be found under the rocks you never guessed it'd be found under, etc.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Friday, 25 March 2005 08:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry, this thread is about Sugarcubes vs. B-52's.

The important thing is to put the first side of the first B-52's album on. Dance This Mess Around for one thing.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Friday, 25 March 2005 08:56 (twenty-one years ago)

How's "Mesopotamia"?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 25 March 2005 12:54 (twenty-one years ago)

It's good, not great. Toned down, but the songs stick. Anyway, the B-52's over the Sugarcubes by a long long shot.

― dan. (dan.), Friday, 25 March 2005 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

The Sugarcubes = great band, at least for a while.
The B-52s = one of the 30 best bands ever.

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Friday, 25 March 2005 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

The B-52's first album was released in 1979, Sugarcubes not until 1988. While I can certainly hear some comparisons, the B's INVENTED this sound nearly a decade before Bjork and Einar. B-52's by a mile; their debut is on my alltime top 10.

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Friday, 25 March 2005 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Each is such a different kind of fun for me.

But probably I'll root for the home team and say B-52s.

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Friday, 25 March 2005 16:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I think both of them are best appreciated in small doses, but I'm going to go with the Sugarcubes simply because they transcend being a novelty band more often.

― Lyra Jane (Lyra Jane), Friday, 25 March 2005 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

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