32 years ago- The B-52's released ''mesopotamia''

Mesopotamia is an EP by new wave band The B-52s. It was produced by David Byrne of Talking Heads and was intended to be the band's third studio album. Due perhaps to conflicts with Byrne or record label pressure, recording sessions were aborted prematurely and only six of ten songs to be completed were released as an EP. The record was distributed as a vinyl record by Warner Bros. in the US and by Island Records on both CD and vinyl in the UK and other non-US markets.

The original Island Records vinyl release in the UK contained different mixes of all the songs, three of which ("Loveland," "Cake" and "Throw That Beat in the Garbage Can") were drastically different and substantially longer than the American release. However, the UK CD release was largely the same as the American version. In 1991, Mesopotamia was remixed and, combined with the Party Mix! album, was released on CD in the US. To the casual listener, the most noticeable change was extra vocal echo in the 1991 versions.

Mesopotamia is considered a departure in style for The B-52s; Byrne and the band inserted a large amount of additional instruments, vocal overdubs, horns, synthesizers, layered percussion and an altogether richer sound. A larger emphasis was placed on production after the raw sound of their debut album The B-52s and the slightly more polished sound of their sophomore album, Wild Planet.

---