This compilation can usually be found for $12 or less in bargain bins, mainly because it holds the reputation of being a set that satisfies neither the new fan nor the completist.

I'm one of those people who feels that completism and listening enjoyment are two separate things. So it doesn't bother me that there are almost no "rarities" (the only previously unissued recording is an alternate version of Queen of Las Vegas) or b-sides on this compilation. Frankly, most of the b-sides I've heard, from any band, are incomplete sketches or vault-scraping self indulgence. There are exceptions, of course, but on the whole, I have no problem with not having a wealth of b-sides and rarities in this set.

And yes, I'll admit, at first the stark contrast between the B-52's punk-inspired early works, their confusion and meandering in their middle efforts, and their ascension to a new level of wistful beauty and world awareness in their final two recordings is a bit off-putting. But if you enjoy the freakishness, sexiness and melancholy of the B-52's firing on all cylinders, then stick with this set. You're going to find it in your CD player constantly, once you're able to process it.

One of the treats of this lovingly packaged set is the history given out in detail, with personal insights, copies of set lists, photography galore and interview snippets. I have to give Rhino credit, here. Sometimes their liner notes can be overbearing in trying to play up the cheesiness and cheekiness of the music (somtimes you need look no further than the title -- "Like OhMyGawd: The '80s Box"?). In this set, the band is treated as groundbreakers, as musicians, and, above all, as friends. This set isn't a clever joke. It's a wonderful reminder to the joy (and joy tinged with sorrow) that the B's could conjure up together.

So to give the sparest of sketches, the B's were Ricky Wilson, guitar; Cindy Wilson, vocals; Kate Pierson, vocals and piano; Fred Schneider, vocals; and Keith Strickland, drums. They played music obsessed with the beach, sci-fi strangeness, tacky fashion, sex and a strange melancholy. When Ricky Wilson died of AIDS in 1985, the group went into mourning. Keith Strickland took over guitar duties, and the result was the B's most popular recording, 1989's Cosmic Thing, which spawned three hit singles. The band followed up with Good Stuff (1992), which lacked Cindy Wilson, as she left the group to start a family. Cindy reunited with the band to tour on the back of 1998's best of, Time Capsule: Songs For a Future Generation. They've been pretty quiet since then as a band, though the members have gone off to do their own projects.

Between the two sets, Time Capsule and this one, Hallucinating Pluto is the only track available on Time Capsule that's not also on here. No great loss. If it were a toss-up between this set and Time Capsule, I'd pick this one every time. Time Capsule to me always felt cursory and incomplete, with a mere 18 songs trying to catalogue every phase of the B's career. This one spans out, and gives the band some room to breathe.

Here's how it breaks down, for comparison purposes:

Nude on the Moon: Six songs from the debut. Six songs from Wild Planet. One song and one outtake from Mesopotamia. Five songs from Whammy! Five songs from Bouncing off the Satellites. Seven songs from Cosmic Thing. Three songs from Good Stuff. One song from Time Capsule.

Time Capsule: Three songs from the debut. Four songs from Wild Planet. One song from Mesopotamia. One song from Whammy! One song from Bouncing off the Satellites. Four songs from Cosmic Thing. Two songs from Good Stuff. Two bonus songs, one of which is available only on this CD.

Now, I realize that quantity and quality are two different things, but there's something about this comp that, for me anyway, makes Time Capsule spin in the dust. I can't quite articulate it. I guess it's being able to really see how the B-52's have grown and evolved, like watching the color come into the leaves at autumn, rather than having 18 songs smashed together in a consumer's format. This one's for the fans.

Okay, I'm not about to talk about 35 individual tracks here. So, let's hit some highlights.

Dance This Mess Around -- Using the most minimal of elements, including Kate on the Wurlitzer organ, Cindy crying her heart out with the plea "Why won't you dance with me? I'm not no Limburger!", Ricky on bare-bones guitar, a constant beat via Keith, and Fred coming in every once in a while to command "Dance This Mess Around." I find this track not only minimal, but dark. Maybe it's the tone of the organ. It was one of those songs I hated when I first heard it, having only found the B-52's in their Cosmic Thing years. Now I can't get enough of its dark, strange pull.

Rock Lobster -- The song that everyone knows. Well, this and Love Shack. The B's calling card. Strange, oblique poetry, mentions of the beach, and a call of "Let's rock!" that sends the band into overdrive, right to the point where Cindy and Kate mimic the sounds of imaginary sea animals. Classic.

Lava -- Absolutely sex-obsessed. The point when Kate says "Oh volcano....over you" still makes my breath catch. And when Fred says "I'm gonna jump in a crater" to have the girls respond in full ennui "See ya later," makes me laugh. I don't know how this band makes such disparate elements work so well. Another one pitched dark and low, from the debut.

Planet Claire -- Opens with Morse code and a guitar riff basically stolen from Peter Gunn. A song that follows its own interior logic, until Fred explains "Some say she's from Mars, or one of the seven stars that shines after 3:30 in the morning. WELL SHE ISN'T!" Thanks for clearing that up, Fred. Kate sounds gorgeous and otherworldly backing him up with outer-space melody.

Give Me Back My Man -- Another song where Cindy, in her earthy and soul-shattering vocals, is on the verge of tears. She's about to lose her man. Her desperate plea to get him away from the new woman? "I'll give you fish. I'll give you candy. I'll give you everything I have in my hand." The surreality of the lyrics makes it all the more heartbreaking. At least for me.

Private Idaho -- A song that holds several meanings for me, not least of all because Fred keeps commanding "Get out of the state! Get out of the state you're in!" The girls are absolutely beautiful in their harmonies. Ricky and Keith rock out. A keyboard riff is lifted intact from the Twilight Zone. And somehow, this all boils down into a song about forcing yourself out of a rut. One of their most positive tracks.

Party Out of Bounds -- Another B-52's classic. So minimal and chugging and spare, it might take a moment for the track to sink in. Once it does, it's never going to leave you. Or, as Fred says behind the sound of breaking glass -- "SURPRIIIISE!"

Strobe Light -- Another sex-obsessed classic. The chorus is "Wanna make love to you under the strobelight." Late in the song, Fred tells Kate what he's going to do to her. "I'm gonna kiss your eyes." (ooh) "I'm gonna kiss your neck." (mm) "I'm gonna kiss your tummy." (gasp) "I"m gonna kiss your PINEAPPLE!" (shriek)

Quiche Lorraine (live) -- Not as essential as the version where Fred carries on and on about his missing poodle off of Wild Planet, but it's fun to hear the audience's reactions nonetheless. Still, seek out the original version. Fred sounds like he's on a different sphere entirely in that one.

Mesopotamia -- A song from the much maligned Mesopotamia album the B's did with David Byrne. Airy, spacious, beautiful ... and also quite unlike the B-52's. Experimental and arty, but missing that band spark.

Song for a Future Generation -- A beautiful song, and also a heartbreaking one. The most childish and optimistic in its lyrics. The band sings about being able to be whatever it wants to be. From "Wanna be the empress of fashion" to "Wanna be the king of the Zulus." Each member gets a moment to introduce themselves in the song, and you really see how human these people are. I love Ricky's. "Hi, my name is Ricky and I'm a Pisces. I love computers and hot tamales."

Ain't it a Shame -- The most heartbroken and adult of any B-52's composition. Spare, melancholy, with lyrics completely free of silliness. "Oh, our love is like a fuse that's burned out. Oh, I've been unkind, not like you. Ain't I ashamed. Being misused." Revelatory.

Theme for a Nude Beach -- With a title like this, you'd think silly and sex-obsessed. Instead, you get another melancholy gem, where the group longs to find "that sandbar in your mind" and ends up "throwing our suits into the sea." It seems like a place too far-off to reach, the way they sing about it.

Love Shack -- One of the B-52's most well-known songs. Poetic, joyful and charged with life. It also tries to break out of and into its own world via the "Bang bang bang on the door baby" bridge. The triumph the B-52's needed after the death of Ricky.

Roam -- A song sung by Kate and Cindy. Kate let's the song veer into beautiful, spiritual, and sexy territory. Cindy does the same, while singing the lyrics with a crack and a tear that makes you realize this is a song for her brother.

Good Stuff -- In a way, another sex obsessed song. In quite another, a song about the celebration of music, of community, and of remaining a band through all the hardships and tribulations of years.

Is that You Mo-Dean? -- The B-52's came full circle on their final studio album, Good Stuff, with this track. Obsessed with interspace travel and UFOs all over again, but with a sense of silliness tinged with world awareness. Something that can be said for most of the songs on that album.

Debbie -- The final track on this compilation. Both a nod and a tribute to Debbie Harry, their friend from back in the CBGB days. Also a tribute to those days themselves. It reminds you that the B-52's were a punk band as much as Blondie and the Talking Heads were at the beginning, with stranger outfits and haircuts than their contemporaries.

So that's it. If you're a new fan, I'd go for this set, and let it sink in over time, rather than having it mashed into a mealy paste on Time Capsule. If you're an old fan, I'd go for this set, for the simple beauty of being able to play these songs and watching the group go from a hard-scrabble Athens, Ga. art band to become a platinum-selling unit.

And if you're a completist, leave me alone.

Recommended: Yes