Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation
Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation is a greatest hits album by American new wave band the B-52s, released in 1998. The album presents sixteen of their single releases and fan-favorite album tracks in chronological order, with the addition of two new songs recorded exclusively for this collection.
| Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | May 26, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1978–1998 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 79:22 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The B-52s chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Time Capsule | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | A[2] |
Background
editThe album includes sixteen previously released as well as two new songs, "Hallucinating Pluto" and "Debbie".[3] The latter is a tribute to Debbie Harry of Blondie.[3] Also exclusive to this release is the "Original Unreleased Mix" of their 1986 song "Summer of Love".
The album cover features the five founding band members standing in front of the Unisphere.
Singer Cindy Wilson, who had been absent for several years, made her return to recording with the group on this album, and shared songwriting credits on the two new tracks.[3] As noted in the book The B-52's Universe, the band intended this to be a larger box set consisting of singles, demos, outtakes, and new tracks, but Warner made the band condense the tracklist to a single disc.
Release
editThe US release was encoded as an HDCD.
Editions released in Europe, Japan and Brazil had a different track listing to the US release. In Europe and Japan the album was shortened to 15 tracks, "Quiche Lorraine" being substituted with a live version, which previously appeared on the charity record Tame Yourself, and adding "(Meet) The Flintstones". The Brazilian edition was based on the European one: it omitted track two "52 Girls" and added "Legal Tender" as track eight instead.
"Debbie" was released as a single, and several remix-focused discs were put out as well: Time Capsule: The Remixes in Japan, and "Summer of Love '98" and "Hallucinating Pluto" in the US branded as Time Capsule: The Mixes discs.
A video compilation consisting of twelve of the band's music videos, titled Time Capsule: Videos for a Future Generation 1979–1998, was also released on VHS.
In 2009 the album was reissued in Australia based on the international edition CD, but with new changes, and packed with a DVD reissue of Time Capsule: Videos for a Future Generation 1979–1998. The CD replaced "Debbie" with "Give Me Back My Man".
Reception
editThe album spent 11 weeks on the U.S. Billboard album charts and reached its peak position of #93 in June 1998.[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Planet Claire" | The B-52's, 1979 | 4:36 | |
| 2. | "52 Girls" | The B-52's | 3:35 | |
| 3. | "Rock Lobster" (single edit) |
| The B-52's | 4:54 |
| 4. | "Party Out of Bounds" |
| Wild Planet, 1980 | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Strobe Light" |
| Wild Planet | 4:00 |
| 6. | "Private Idaho" |
| Wild Planet | 3:34 |
| 7. | "Quiche Lorraine" |
| Wild Planet | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Mesopotamia" (1990 remix) |
| Mesopotamia, 1982 | 3:50 |
| 9. | "Song for a Future Generation" |
| Whammy!, 1983 | 3:59 |
| 10. | "Summer of Love" (original unreleased mix) |
| Bouncing Off the Satellites, 1986 | 4:35 |
| 11. | "Channel Z" |
| Cosmic Thing, 1989 | 4:50 |
| 12. | "Deadbeat Club" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:54 |
| 13. | "Love Shack" |
| Cosmic Thing | 5:22 |
| 14. | "Roam" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:52 |
| 15. | "Good Stuff" |
| Good Stuff, 1992 | 5:55 |
| 16. | "Is That You Mo-Dean?" (edit) |
| Good Stuff | 5:07 |
| 17. | "Debbie" |
| Previously unreleased, 1998 | 3:34 |
| 18. | "Hallucinating Pluto" |
| Previously unreleased, 1998 | 4:19 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Planet Claire" |
| The B-52's | 4:36 |
| 2. | "Rock Lobster" (single edit) |
| The B-52's | 4:54 |
| 3. | "Party Out of Bounds" |
| Wild Planet | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Strobe Light" |
| Wild Planet | 4:00 |
| 5. | "Private Idaho" |
| Wild Planet | 3:34 |
| 6. | "Quiche Lorraine" |
| Wild Planet | 3:58 |
| 7. | "Mesopotamia" (1990 remix) |
| Mesopotamia | 3:50 |
| 8. | "Legal Tender" |
| Whammy! | 3:41 |
| 9. | "Song for a Future Generation" |
| Whammy! | 3:59 |
| 10. | "Summer of Love" (original unreleased mix) |
| Bouncing Off the Satellites | 4:35 |
| 11. | "Channel Z" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:50 |
| 12. | "Deadbeat Club" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:54 |
| 13. | "Love Shack" |
| Cosmic Thing | 5:22 |
| 14. | "Roam" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:52 |
| 15. | "Good Stuff" |
| Good Stuff | 5:55 |
| 16. | "Is That You Mo-Dean?" (edit) |
| Good Stuff | 5:07 |
| 17. | "Debbie" |
| Previously unreleased | 3:34 |
| 18. | "Hallucinating Pluto" |
| Previously unreleased | 4:19 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Planet Claire" |
| The B-52's | 4:36 |
| 2. | "Rock Lobster" (single edit) |
| The B-52's | 4:54 |
| 3. | "Private Idaho" |
| Wild Planet | 3:34 |
| 4. | "Quiche Lorraine" (live in Mountain View, California, August 1990) |
| Wild Planet | 4:29 |
| 5. | "Mesopotamia" (1990 remix) |
| Mesopotamia | 3:50 |
| 6. | "Summer of Love" (original unreleased mix) |
| Bouncing Off the Satellites | 4:35 |
| 7. | "Channel Z" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:50 |
| 8. | "Deadbeat Club" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:54 |
| 9. | "Love Shack" |
| Cosmic Thing | 5:22 |
| 10. | "Roam" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:52 |
| 11. | "Good Stuff" |
| Good Stuff | 5:55 |
| 12. | "Is That You Mo-Dean?" (edit) |
| Good Stuff | 5:07 |
| 13. | "(Meet) The Flintstones" | The Flintstones: Music from Bedrock, 1994 | 2:24 | |
| 14. | "Debbie" |
| Previously unreleased | 3:34 |
| 15. | "Hallucinating Pluto" |
| Previously unreleased | 4:19 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Planet Claire" |
| The B-52's | 4:36 |
| 2. | "Rock Lobster" (single edit) |
| The B-52's | 4:54 |
| 3. | "Private Idaho" |
| Wild Planet | 3:34 |
| 4. | "Quiche Lorraine" (live in Mountain View, California, August 1990) |
| Wild Planet | 4:29 |
| 5. | "Mesopotamia" (1990 remix) |
| Mesopotamia | 3:50 |
| 6. | "Summer of Love" (original unreleased mix) |
| Bouncing Off the Satellites | 4:35 |
| 7. | "Channel Z" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:50 |
| 8. | "Deadbeat Club" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:54 |
| 9. | "Love Shack" |
| Cosmic Thing | 5:22 |
| 10. | "Roam" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:52 |
| 11. | "Good Stuff" |
| Good Stuff | 5:55 |
| 12. | "Is That You Mo-Dean?" (edit) |
| Good Stuff | 5:07 |
| 13. | "(Meet) The Flintstones" | The Flintstones: Music from Bedrock | 2:24 | |
| 14. | "Give Me Back My Man" |
| Wild Planet | 4:00 |
| 15. | "Hallucinating Pluto" |
| Previously unreleased | 4:19 |
Time Capsule: Videos for a Future Generation 1979–1998
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock Lobster" (live in New York City, March 1979) |
| The B-52's | 7:07 |
| 2. | "Legal Tender" |
| Whammy! | 3:41 |
| 3. | "Song for a Future Generation" |
| Whammy! | 3:59 |
| 4. | "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland" (single edit) |
| Bouncing Off the Satellites | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Channel Z" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:50 |
| 6. | "Love Shack" (single edit) |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:19 |
| 7. | "Roam" (single edit) |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:05 |
| 8. | "Deadbeat Club" |
| Cosmic Thing | 4:54 |
| 9. | "(Shake That) Cosmic Thing" (live in Mountain View, California, August 1990) |
| Cosmic Thing | 3:51 |
| 10. | "Good Stuff" (single edit) |
| Good Stuff | 4:25 |
| 11. | "Is That You Mo-Dean?" (single edit) |
| Good Stuff | 4:25 |
| 12. | "Debbie" |
| Previously unreleased | 3:34 |
- Time Capsule—The Remixes (Japan)
- "Summer of Love" (single edit) - 3:59
- "Summer of Love" (Summer Party Mix) - 6:03
- "Love Shack" (DJ Tonka Remix) - 6:28
- "Roam" (Miami Phunky Break Mix) - 7:26
- "Roam" (Indamix Tekno Mix) - 10:13
- "Hallucinating Pluto" (Jason's "Ride On" Remix) - 8:10
- "Hallucinating Pluto" (The "Ride On" Beats) - 4:51 (erroneously identified on case as François K. Remix)
- "Planet Claire" (François K. Remix) - 9:08
- "Good Stuff" (Schottische Mix) - 3:38
- Summer of Love '98 (Time Capsule—The Mixes) maxi-single
- "Summer of Love" (David Kahne Remix) - 3:40
- "Planet Claire" (François Kevorkian Remix) - 9:10
- "Roam" (Miami Phunky Break Mix) - 7:26 (erroneously labeled as 7:35)
- "Roam" (Indamix Tekno Mix) - 10:10
- "Summer of Love" (Summer Party Mix) - 6:04
- Hallucinating Pluto (Time Capsule—The Mixes) maxi-single
- "Hallucinating Pluto" (album version) - 4:19
- "Hallucinating Pluto" (Jason's "Ride On" Remix) - 8:10
- "Good Stuff" (Schottische Mix) - 3:41
- "Love Shack" (DJ Tonka Remix) - 6:28
- "Debbie" (Edge Factor Club Mix) - 7:55
- "Hallucinating Pluto" (The "Ride On" Beats) - 4:50
- "Love Shack" (12" Mix) - 7:58
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 40 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 93 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[6] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ The B-52's – Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation : Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation". Robert Christgau.
- ^ a b c Stubbs, David (August 1998). "The B-52s: Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation". Uncut. UK.
- ^ "Billboard 200: The B-52s". Billboard. 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
- ^ "The B-52s – Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.