Editing Whammy!

{{About|the 1983 album by The B-52's|other uses of the word|Whammy (disambiguation){{!}}Whammy||||}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Whammy!
| type         = [[Studio album]]
| artist       = [[the B-52's]]
| cover        = The_B-52's_-_Whammy!.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = April 27, 1983<ref name="NudeLiners">{{cite AV media notes |author=The B-52's |author-link=The B-52s |title=Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology |type=CD liner notes |publisher=[[Rhino Entertainment]] |year=2002 |id=R2 78357}}</ref>
| recorded     = December 1982
| studio       = [[Compass Point Studios|Compass Point]] ([[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], Bahamas)
| genre        = * [[New wave music|New wave]]
* [[synth-pop]]
| length       = {{duration|m=37|s=17}} (first pressing)<br />{{duration|m=37|s=29}} (second pressing)
| label        = 
*[[Warner Records|Warner Bros.]]
*[[Island Records|Island]]
| producer     = [[Steven Stanley]]
| prev_title   = [[Mesopotamia (EP)|Mesopotamia]]
| prev_year    = 1982
| next_title   = [[Bouncing Off the Satellites]]
| next_year    = 1986
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Whammy!
 | type        = [[Studio album]]
 | single1     = [[Legal Tender (song)|Legal Tender]] / Moon 83
 | single1date = 1983
 | single2     = [[Whammy Kiss]]
 | single2date = 1983 (Germany)
 | single3     = [[Song for a Future Generation]] / Trism
 | single3date = 1983
}}
}}
'''''Whammy!''''' is the third [[studio album]] by American [[New wave music|new wave]] band [[the B-52's]], released on April 27, 1983, by [[Warner Records|Warner Bros.]] (US) and [[Island Records]] (Europe, Japan). It was recorded at [[Compass Point Studios]] in [[Nassau, Bahamas]], in December 1982 and produced by [[Steven Stanley]]. The album spawned three singles: "[[Legal Tender (song)|Legal Tender]]", "[[Whammy Kiss]]", and "[[Song for a Future Generation]]". 

The album entered the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] twice in 1983, reaching both number 29 and 171 throughout the year, while "Legal Tender" reached the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart, as well as the [[Dance Club Songs|''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play Singles]] chart alongside its two respective singles.

The band's goal with ''Whammy!'' was to update their signature sound with [[drum machine]]s and [[synthesizer]]s. The album was also the first to feature vocal performances by all five members of the band, as exemplified in "Song for a Future Generation". This was the final album the B-52s released before guitarist and founding member [[Ricky Wilson (guitarist)|Ricky Wilson]] died of [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]] in 1985, although he appears posthumously on their next studio album, ''[[Bouncing Off the Satellites]]'' (1986).

==Recording==
The B-52's initially conceived ''Whammy!'' in early 1982, during a visit to [[Compass Point Studios]], where the band commenced re-recordings of three unreleased songs: "Butterbean", "Big Bird", and "Queen of Las Vegas".{{sfn|Sexton|2002|p=61}} All three tracks were originally intended to be included on their previous release, ''[[Mesopotamia (album)|Mesopotamia]]'' (1982), but none were completed, due to pressure and time constraints from [[Warner Records|Warner Bros.]] and their manager [[Gary Kurfirst]].{{sfn|Sexton|2002|p=59}} The album's remaining six songs ("[[Legal Tender (song)|Legal Tender]]", "[[Whammy Kiss]]", "[[Song for a Future Generation]]", "Trism", "Don't Worry", and "Work That Skirt") were recorded in December 1982, again at Compass Point Studios.{{sfn|Sexton|2002|p=61}}

Unlike their previous studio albums, all instruments on ''Whammy!'' were played exclusively by [[Keith Strickland]] and [[Ricky Wilson (guitarist)|Ricky Wilson]].{{sfn|Sexton|2002|p=61}} Both played the guitar and keyboards, while Strickland played the drums and Wilson played the bass.{{sfn|Sexton|2002|p=67}} Remarking on the band's new focus on electronic instrumentation, singer/instrumentalist [[Kate Pierson]] later called the recording "a transitional album."<ref name="avclub">{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/kate-pierson-of-the-b-52s-1798228355 |title=Kate Pierson of The B-52s |last1=Harris |first1=Will |date=November 1, 2011 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |access-date=February 24, 2022}}</ref> Additionally, Pierson stated that drummer Strickland "didn't want to play drums anymore, so ''Whammy!'' featured drum machines and some synthesizers. It was kind of a big change in sound, which I wasn't really for very much. I didn't really like the drum machine. It was a different sound, but ''Whammy!'' was very much based around that".<ref name="avclub"/> However, she added that, during the subsequent concert tour, the band would alternate between using drum machines and live drums played by Strickland.<ref name="avclub"/>

Producer [[Steven Stanley]] supported Wilson and Strickland's initial concept of mixing the album into one continuous track, in a manner similar to the band's remix album, ''[[Party Mix!]]'' (1981).{{sfn|Sexton|2002|p=64}} However, both Kurfirst and Warner Brothers vetoed this decision in favor of a more traditional method of track sequencing.{{sfn|Sexton|2002|p=67}}

==Release==
The album was released on April 27, 1983.<ref name="NudeLiners"/> On initial pressings of the LP, the seventh track was "Don't Worry", a [[cover version]] of the [[Yoko Ono]] song "[[Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)|Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)]]". However, the song was removed on later pressings due to legal issues and replaced with "Moon 83".<ref name="Erlewine"/> The song is a remake of their earlier track "There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)" from the band's 1979 [[The B-52's (album)|eponymous debut studio album]], released as the [[B-side]] of the "Legal Tender" single.

==Reception==
===Commercial===
''Whammy!'' was a commercial success, spawning the hit singles "Legal Tender", "Whammy Kiss", and "Song for a Future Generation". The album entered the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] twice in 1983, reaching both number 29 and 171 throughout the year,<ref name=BillboardAlbum>{{AllMusic |class=album |tab=charts-awards/billboard-album |id=r1077 |label=''Whammy''! - B-52's > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums |publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] accessdate=10 May 2010 }}</ref> while "Legal Tender" reached the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart, as well as the [[Hot Dance Club Songs|''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play Singles]] chart alongside "Whammy Kiss" and "Song for a Future Generation".<ref>{{AllMusic |class=album |tab=charts-awards/billboard-single |id=r1077 |label=''Whammy!'' - The B-52's > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles |publisher=Billboard |accessdate=10 May 2010 }}</ref>

===Critical===
{{Album ratings
| rev1      = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Erlewine">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/whammy%21-mw0000198509 |title=Whammy! – The B-52s |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=October 17, 2004 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref>
| rev2      = ''[[PopMatters]]''
| rev2Score = 8/10<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.popmatters.com/ranking-the-b-52s-albums |title=Ranking the B-52s Albums |website=[[PopMatters]] |date=May 3, 2022 |access-date=July 22, 2022 |last=Wilhelm |first=Rich}}</ref>
| rev3      = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Connelly">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theb52s/albums/album/212615/review/5946677/whammy |title=The B-52's: Whammy! |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=397 |date=June 9, 1983 |access-date=July 26, 2007 |last=Connelly |first=Christopher |author-link=Chris Connelly (journalist) |pages=55, 57 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001211137/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theb52s/albums/album/212615/review/5946677/whammy |archive-date=October 1, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev4      = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=The B-52's |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA67 |access-date=November 2, 2011 |last=Considine |first=J. D. |author-link=J. D. Considine |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/67 67–68]}}</ref>
| rev5      = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev5Score = 3/5<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Flip Your Wig|last=Cavanagh|first=David|date=July 1990|page=121|magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]]}}</ref>
| rev6      = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev6Score = 7/10<ref>{{cite book |chapter=B-52's |last=Huston |first=Johnny |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide |editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-link=Eric Weisbard |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |publisher=[[Vintage Books]] |year=1995 |isbn=0-679-75574-8 |pages=38–39 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/spinalternativer0000unse/page/38/mode/1up}}</ref>
| rev7      = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev7Score = A−<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv6-83.php |title=Christgau's Consumer Guide |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |date=June 28, 1983 |access-date=November 22, 2011 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref>
}}
Critical reception for ''Whammy!'' was positive at the time of its release.{{sfn|Sexton|2002|p=67}} Most critics regarded the album as a return to form after the band's previous release, ''Mesopotamia'', which they felt strayed too far from the band's signature sound. Praise was given to the drum machines and synthesizers, which created upbeat and highly danceable songs,{{sfn|Sexton|2002|p=271}} as well as the tight lyrics and over the top vocals.{{sfn|Sexton|2002|p=67}} 

''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s [[Chris Connelly (journalist)|Christopher Connelly]], while referring to ''Mesopotamia'' as "underrated", was pleased with the band's return to their trademark style, and felt that even with the addition of [[Devo]]-style keyboards, producer Steven Stanley had "kept the band's basic strengths intact: breakneck tempos, deliciously uninhibited singing and an earnest enthusiasm for some of the universe's less-celebrated pleasures". He particularly praised Pierson, [[Cindy Wilson]], and [[Fred Schneider]]'s vocals. While remarking that the entirety of side two is "a waste", he concluded, "What is important is that this band is having fun again - and in this age of dopey [[novelty song]]s and cheesy dance tracks, nobody does it better."<ref name="Connelly"/> [[Robert Christgau]] of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' continued his support, making it a "Pick Hit" and stating that while the band "still pick up some great ideas at interplanetary garage sales, their celebration of the pop mess-around is getting earthier."<ref name="Christgau"/>

[[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] of [[AllMusic]] later said the album was "certainly entertaining, even with its faults," praising the songs "Legal Tender", "Whammy Kiss", "Butterbean", and "Song for a Future Generation", and overall regarding the album as a strong follow-up to ''Mesopotamia'', though he criticized the album's overuse of drum machines and synthesizers.<ref name="Erlewine"/>  Ben Wener of ''[[The Spectator]]'' commented favorably on ''Whammy!'', describing it as an "overlooked gem".<ref name="Spectator">{{cite news|author=Wener, Ben|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/509127881.html?dids=509127881:509127881&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+11%2C+1998&author=Ben+Wener&pub=The+Spectator&desc=The+B-52s+party+on!%3A+Nearly+20+years+after+turning+the+pop+world+on+its+ear%2C+the+group+is+gaining+in+popularity.&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026092211/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/509127881.html?dids=509127881:509127881&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+11,+1998&author=Ben+Wener&pub=The+Spectator&desc=The+B-52s+party+on!:+Nearly+20+years+after+turning+the+pop+world+on+its+ear,+the+group+is+gaining+in+popularity.&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 26, 2012|title=The B-52s party on!: Nearly 20 years after turning the pop world on its ear, the group is gaining in popularity|work=[[The Spectator]]|page=D-10|date=1998-08-11}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| headline     = Side one
| all_writing  = the B-52's, except where noted
| title1       = [[Legal Tender (song)|Legal Tender]]
| note1        = Lyrics: Robert Waldrop
| length1      = 3:40
| title2       = [[Whammy Kiss]]
| length2      = 5:20
| title3       = [[Song for a Future Generation]]
| length3      = 4:00
| title4       = Butterbean
| length4      = 4:14
}}

{{Track listing
| headline     = Side two
| total_length = 37:17
| title1       = Trism
| length1      = 3:23
| title2       = Queen of Las Vegas
| length2      = 4:40
| title3       = [[Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)|Don't Worry]]
| note3        = [[Yoko Ono]]
| length3      = 3:50
| title4       = Big Bird
| length4      = 4:14
| title5       = Work That Skirt
| length5      = 3:48
}}

On later pressings of the album, "Don't Worry" was replaced with "Moon 83" (length: 3:58).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Creney |first1=Scott |last2=Herron |first2=Brigette A. |title=The Story of the B-52s: Neon Side of Town |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |date=2023 |isbn=978-3031225697 |page=154}}</ref>

==Personnel==
'''The B-52's'''
* [[Cindy Wilson]] – vocals 
* [[Kate Pierson]] – vocals 
* [[Fred Schneider]] – vocals
* [[Ricky Wilson (guitarist)|Ricky Wilson]] – keyboards, guitars, bass, vocals on "Song for a Future Generation"
* [[Keith Strickland]] – keyboards, guitars, drums, vocals on "Song for a Future Generation"

'''Additional musicians'''
* [[Ralph Carney]] – saxophone on "Big Bird"
* David Buck – trumpet on "Big Bird"

'''Technical'''
* [[Steven Stanley]] – producer, engineer
* Benjamin Armbrister – assistant engineer
* Dennis Halliburton – assistant engineer
* [[Ted Jensen]] – mastering
* Gene Greif – art direction
* Phyllis of Tiffany Wigs – "wig-do's"
* Vikki Warren – dresses
* [[William Wegman (photographer)|William Wegman]] – cover photography<ref name="avclub"/>

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable"
!Chart (1983)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|U.S. [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<ref name=BillboardAlbum/>
|align="center"|29 
|-
|[[UK Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Whammy! by B-52's |website=[[Official Charts]] |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/b-52s-whammy/}}</ref>
|align="center"|33
|-
|}

==Certifications==
{{certification Table Top|format=2col}}
{{certification Table Entry|format=2col|region=United States|type=album|award=Gold|title=Whammy!|artist=B-52}}
{{certification Table Bottom|format=2col}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite book |last=Sexton |first=Mats |title=The B-52's Universe: The Essential Guide to the World's Greatest Party Band |year=2002 |publisher=Plan-B Books |location=[[Minneapolis]] |isbn=978-0-9652745-9-3 }}

==External links==
* {{discogs master|52198}}

{{The B-52's}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1983 albums]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Compass Point Studios]]
[[Category:The B-52's albums]]
[[Category:Island Records albums]]
[[Category:Warner Records albums]]