The B-52s Celebrate Cosmic Thing 30th Anniversary with Expanded Edition and Tour

The tour will feature longtime bassist Tracy Wormworth

The B-52s Celebrate Cosmic Thing 30th Anniversary with Expanded Edition and Tour

The tour will feature longtime bassist Tracy Wormworth

The B-52s soared in 1989, propelled by the band’s first Top 10 hits “Love Shack” and “Roam.” They were breakthrough singles from the Athens, Georgia-based group’s fifth studio release, Cosmic Thing. That record reached #3 on the Billboard Album Chart, sold more than four million copies in the U.S., and burnished the B-52’s reputation as the World’s Greatest Party Band.

It will be the 30th anniversary of Cosmic Thing this summer and the B-52s are taking the party on the road with an extensive tour of Europe and the U.S. (see below for dates). Also, Rhino will introduce an anniversary edition of the album that features newly remastered sound, B-sides, remixes and unreleased concert recordings from 1990’s Cosmic Tour.

On June 28 – one day after the album’s official 30th anniversary – Rhino will release COSMIC THING: 30th ANNIVERSARY EXPANDED EDITION. Available for $24.98, the two-disc set is accompanied by a booklet that includes liner notes from journalist and author T. Cole Rachel, song lyrics, and unseen photos of the band from that time period. The music will be available on the same day through digital download and streaming services.

The COSMIC THING anniversary edition opens with a newly remastered version of the original album, which was recorded by Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson and Keith Strickland, and co-produced by Nile Rodgers and Don Was. Along with the original album, the two-disc set also includes five newly remastered bonus tracks that spotlight B-sides and remixes like “B-52’s Megamix” and “Roam” (Extended Remix).

The collection’s second disc is an unreleased live album that captures the B-52s performing live in Texas in August 1990 during the band’s Cosmic Tour. The performance includes seven songs from Cosmic Thing along with several other B-52’s classics such as “Rock Lobster” and “Dance This Mess Around” from the group’s 1979 self-titled debut; and “Private Idaho” and “Give Me Back My Man” from 1980’s Wild Planet.

All songs were recorded during the band’s August 4 show at The Pavillion in The Woodlands, Texas except for “Whammy Kiss,” which was recorded the previous night during the band’s show in Dallas.

COSMIC THING: 30th ANNIVERSARY EXPANDED EDITION

2-CD Track Listing

Disc One: Newly Remastered Original Album

1. “Cosmic Thing”

2. “Dry County”

3. “Deadbeat Club”

4. “Love Shack”

5. “Junebug”

6. “Roam”

7. “Bushfire”

8. “Channel Z”

9. “Topaz”

10. “Follow Your Bliss”

Assorted B-Sides And Remixes – Newly Remastered.

11. “B-52’s Megamix”

12. “Love Shack” (Edit)

13. “Channel Z” (Rock Mix)

14. “Roam” (Extended Remix)

15. “Roam” (12” Remix)

Disc Two:Cosmic Tour: Live In Texas, 1990

1. “Cosmic Thing”

2. “Bushfire”

3. “Quiche Lorraine”

4. “Dance This Mess Around”

5. “Dry County”

6. “Private Idaho”

7. “Give Me Back My Man”

8. “Deadbeat Club”

9. “Mesopotamia”

10. “Strobe Light”

11. “Roam”

12. “52 Girls”

13. “Love Shack”

14. “Rock Lobster”

15. “Whammy Kiss”

16. “Channel Z”

The B-52’s Summer Tour Dates

May

12 Arlington, TX KAABOO Texas

26 Nashville, TN Nashville Boogie Vintage Weekender

June

21 Vitoria, ES Azkena Rock Festival

23 Amsterdam, NL Paradiso

24 Brussels, BE Ancienne Belgique

26 Cologne, DE E-Werk

27 Berlin, DE Columbiahalle

29 Gateshead Sage, UK Gateshead Sage

30 London, UK Eventim Apollo

July

2 Nottingham, UK Royal Concert Hall

3 Manchester, UK O2 Apollo

5 Paris, FR Olympia

7 Argeles Sur Me, FR Festival les Deferlantes

26 Asheville, NC Biltmore Estate – South Terrace Stage

August

1 Costa Mesa, CA Pacific Amphitheatre

3 San Diego, CA Bayside Summer Nights @ Embarcadero Marina Park

4 Los Angeles, CA Microsoft Theater

6 Portland, OR Oregon Zoo Amphitheater

7 Seattle, WA BECU ZooTunes Concert Series

8 Missoula, MT Kettlehouse Amphitheater

10 Bend, OR Les Schwab Amphitheater

11 Murphys, CA Ironstone Amphitheatre

12 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery

14 Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theatre

16 Salt Lake City, UT Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

17 Dillon, CO Dillon Amphitheater

18 Greenwood Village, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre

21 San Antonio, TX The Majestic Theater

22 Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall

24 Sugarland, TX Smart Financial Centre

25 New Orleans, LA Saenger Theatre

28 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall

29 Ft Lauderdale, FL Broward Center Au-Rene Theater

September

6 Greensboro, NC White Oak Amphitheatre at Greensboro Coliseum Complex

7 Atlanta, GA Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park

8 Huber Heights, OH Rose Music Center at the Heights

11 Grand Rapids, MI Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens

13 Toronto, ONT, CA Sony Centre for the Performing Arts

14 Detroit, MI Meadow Brook Amphitheatre

17 Washington, DC The Anthem

19 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center for the Performing Arts

20 Mashantucket, CT Foxwoods Resort Casino – Grand Theater

22 Asbury Park, NJ Sea.Hear.Now Festival

24 New York, NY Summerstage – Central Park

Already a subscriber? Log in here.

This story is free for you

Create a free account and get more of the Bass Magazine's top stories directly to your inbox.

Or, subscribe for unlimited access
Bass Magazine   By: Bass Magazine