Whammy! is the third studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on April 27, 1983 by Warner Bros. Records. 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", "Whammy Kiss", and "Song for a Future Generation". The album entered the Billboard 200 twice in 1983, reaching both number 29 and 171 throughout the year, while "Legal Tender" reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as the 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 machines and synthesizers. 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-52's released before guitarist and founding member Ricky Wilson died of 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". All three tracks were originally intended to be included on their previous release, Mesopotamia (1982), but none were completed, due to pressure and time constraints from Warner Bros. and their manager Gary Kurfirst. The album's remaining six songs ("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. Unlike their previous studio albums, all instruments on Whammy! were played exclusively by Keith Strickland and Ricky Wilson. Both played the guitar and keyboards, while Strickland played the drums and Wilson played the bass. Remarking on the band's new focus on electronic instrumentation, singer/instrumentalist Kate Pierson later called the recording "a transitional album." 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". However, she added that, during the subsequent concert tour, the band would alternate between using drum machines and live drums played