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THE B-52s
One of the rst rock bands to emerge from the
growing hotbed of music in Athens, GA,
e
B- s formed in
with a quirky dance-pop
take on the popular new-wave sound. e group
took its name a er the Southern slang for equal-
ly quirky “bou ant” hairdos, which founding
members Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson sport-
ed as wigs in the group’s early days. Together
with Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, and Ricky
Wilson, the quintet made regular appearances
in New York City at Max’s Kansas City, CBGB
and several other venues, quickly working their
way into a record deal in
.
at same year
e B- s released their eponymous debut
album, produced by Island Records founder
Chris Blackwell.
e album featured “Dance
is Mess Around” and their earlier under-
ground hit “Rock Lobster,” which charted up to
number on the
Billboard
Hot
. e B- s
compounded on this success with the following
year’s
Wild Planet
, a top- hit on the strength
of lead single “Private Idaho” as well as “Give Me
Back My Man” and “Strobe Light.” Following the
subdued collaboration with David Byrne,
Meso-
potamia
( ), the group returned to previous
form on
Whammy!
( ), with “Legal Tender”
and “Whammy Kiss” continuing their trend of
Billboard
Hot Dance Club hits. Tragedy struck
following the sessions for
Bouncing O the Satel-
lites
(
) with the death of Ricky Wilson, and
e B- s went on hiatus until
Cosmic
ing
(
), their international breakthrough featur-
ing “Love Shack” and “Roam”; all three became
top- ve hits in the US. In
the band released
its rst album of entirely new material since
Good Stu
(
). Titled
Funplex
, it debuted at
number , immediately becoming the group’s
second-highest charting album. e B- s made
their rst appearance at Ravinia in
and to-
night return for their sixth season at the festival.
TOM BAILEY
Tom Bailey founded the
ompson Twins—a
reference to characters in the comic
e Ad-
ventures of Tintin
—in the late
s as the new
wave movement began crashing on the shores of
his native England.
e group released its rst
album,
A Product of
…, independently in
,
growing to a seven-piece ensemble for its
follow-up on Arista Records,
Set
.
at album
featured the ompson Twins’ rst major single,
“In the Name of Love,” which became a num-
ber-one dance club hit in the United States and
spawned an album under that name speci cally
for US audiences, featuring a mix of tracks from
the group’s two UK releases. e group reduced
to a trio of songwriter and multi-instrumental-
ist Bailey and percussionists Alannah Currie
and Joe Leeway for
’s
Quick Step and Side
Kick
, its UK breakthrough featuring “Love on
Your Side” and “We Are Detective,” both top-
hits, as well as “Lies,” another number-one
dance hit in the United States.
e
ompson
Twins found international success with the sin-
gle “Hold Me Now,” which became both a US
and UK top- ve hit, setting up
’s
Into the
Gap
to make
Billboard
’s top as well as top the
charts at home.
e album also contained the
hit singles “Doctor! Doctor!” and “You Take Me
Up” and was soon followed by
Here’s to Future
Days
( ), adding further US hits in “Lay Your
Hands on Me” and “King for a Day.” Leeway de-
parted in
, and Bailey and Currie continued
as the
ompson Twins through
Close to the
Bone
( ),
Big Trash
(
), and
Queer
( ),
also recording
e Stone
(
) and
Ether
(
)
together as Babble. In
Bailey won “Produc-
er of the Year” honors in New Zealand for his
work on Stellar*’s
Mix
album, and in
he
created the lm
Sidereal Motion
with astrono-
mer and visual artist José Francisco Salgado. His
debut solo album,
Science Fiction
, was released
last month. Tonight Tom Bailey makes his rst
return to Ravinia following his
debut.
COMING UP
AT RAVINIA
7:30 PM MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
PAVILION
th Anniversary Tour
JETHRO TULL BY IAN ANDERSON
8:00 PM THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
PAVILION
Ravinia debut!
50 CENT
8:00 PM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
PAVILION
th Anniversary Tour
YES ft. ANDERSON, RABIN & WAKEMAN
8:00 PM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
PAVILION
GIPSY KINGS
PARK88
50 Cent
AUGUST 27 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2018 | RAVINIA MAGAZINE
107