In 1982, the B-52's teamed up with David Byrne for an album and ended up putting out the Mesopotamia EP instead. Rumors swirled that the band didn't like working with the Talking Heads frontman, but Kate Pierson told us a few years ago that their manager had been "pushing us, pushing us, to get the next record out" and they "felt rushed." Now, a reissue with previously unreleased outtakes and alternate mixes is on the way.
The deluxe edition arranges the tracklist as originally intended, pairing newly remastered versions of the original six songs with three outtakes: unreleased recordings of "Big Bird" and "Adios Desconocida," plus "Queen Of Las Vegas," which appeared on 2002's Anthology. It also contains previously unreleased recording of their April 19, 1982, concert at New York City's Roseland Ballroom.
The newly remastered version of "Mesopotamia" is out now. Check it out below along with the full tracklist.
TRACKLIST:
Disc One: Mesopotamia (Full-Length Version)
01 "Mesopotamia"
02 "Deep Sleep"
03 "Adios Desconocida" *
04 "Queen Of Las Vegas"
05 "Nip It In The Bud"
06 "Loveland"
07 "Cake"
08 "Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can"
09 "Big Bird" *
Disc Two: Mixes
01 "Loveland" (International Mix)
02 "Cake" (International Mix)
03 "Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can" (International Mix)
04 "Loveland" (Tom Durack Remix)
05 "Deep Sleep" (Tom Durack Remix)
06 "Mesopotamia" (Tom Durack Remix)
07 "Cake" (Tom Durack Remix)
08 "Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can" (Tom Durack Remix)
09 "Nip It In The Bud" (Tom Durack Remix)
Disc Three: Meso-America: Live At The Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY, April 19, 1982
01 "Party Out Of Bounds" *
02 "Give Me Back My Man" *
03 "Big Bird" *
04 "Cake" *
05 "Lava" *
06 "Loveland" *
07 "Mesopotamia"
08 "Planet Claire" *
09 "606-0842" *
10 "Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can" *
11 "Dance This Mess Around" *
12 "52 Girls" *
13 "Nip It In The Bud" *
14 "Rock Lobster" *
15 "Private Idaho" *
* Previously unreleased
Ancient Culture: Mesopotamia Revisited is out 8/21 via Rhino. Pre-order it here.
