Talking Heads

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=951621" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=180 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03164643.jpg"> <div> <B>The Fyfeopedia has been superseded by the NEW AND IMPROVED FYFEOPEDIA!!!</b></div> <div> <B>Please visit the new site at http://</b><A HREF="http://fyfe.fusion.net.nz/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://fyfe.fusion.net.nz/"><U><B>fyfe.fusion.net.nz/</b></U></A></div> <div> <B>This site will no longer be updated.</b></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=300 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="03164643.jpg"> <div> <B>Talking Heads</b></div> <div> <A HREF="directory.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Directory"><U>Directory</U></A>    <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fyfeopedia Music Reviews "><U>Home</U></A>    <A HREF="feedback.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feedback Page"><U>Feedback</U></A>    <A HREF="recent.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Recent Reviews"><U>Recent Reviews</U></A>    <A HREF="aplus.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The A List"><U>The A+ List</U></A>    <A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <I>Talking Heads '77 </I>(1977, Sire)</div> <div> While New York art-rockers Talking Heads crafted a string of inaccessible albums, I found <I>'77 </I>the most difficult of all to gain an appreciation for. <I>'77 </I>isn't as multilayered as <I>Remain in Light </I>or as insistently dark as <I>Fear of Music</I>. Bizarrely, much of <I>'77 </I>is inaccesible because it is excessively nauseating. While the group have largely developed their sound, vocalist David Byrne has not quite fine-tuned his stage persona. Having prior familiarity with their later work, I found the lyrics on <I>'77 </I>quite jarring. The Byrne I know and love from <I>Fear of Music </I>and <I>Remain in Light </I>would not be caught dead singing lines like "Watch out now baby/Because I am in love with you," or "I'm embarrassed to admit, it hit the soft spot in my heart." The only track the saccharine approach works is the opener <I>Uh Oh Love Comes To Town</I>,<I> </I>which is so sickly sweet that the group appear to be mocking themselves. The darker songs <I>Psycho Killer </I>and <I>No Compassion </I>sound most like the Talking Heads, but even then they don't usually make a habit of playing soaring guitar hero solos as in <I>No Compassion</I>.  </div> <div> <I>'77 </I>does have strong points, most notably melody. While I think the sophomore album <I>More Songs About Buildings and Food </I>is a far stronger album, <I>'77</I> is unquestionably more tuneful. <I>The Book I Read </I>is a particular standout from a melodic perspective. Another feature is the splendid performance from keyboardist Jerry Harrison. While most new wave era albums (with the notable exception of Pere Ubu) have horrid keyboards, Harrison is impeccably tasteful in sticking to subtle sounds. This means that <I>'77 </I>sounds far less dated than many of its contemporaries. Harrison also provides suitably cheesy lead breaks on the keyboard to enliven <I>Uh Oh Love Comes To Town </I>and <I>First Week/Last Week...Carefree</I>.</div> <div> <I>'77</I> is bracing in small doses, but a whole 38 minutes of it is difficult to take, and it is far surpassed by the Heads' next four studio albums. Lots of reviewers seem to like <I>'77</I>, however, so maybe you shouldn't take my opinion too seriously. Curiously while <I>'77 </I>and <I>More Songs About Buildings and Food </I>are consecutive albums, and similar in many respects, most reviewers exhibit a strong preference for one or the other.</div> <div> <B>B-</b></div> <div> The worst thing about <I>Psycho Killer </I>is the title, while <I>No Compassion </I>is obviously condemning the attitude of having <I>No Compassion</I>. Elsewhere, everything is saccharine sweet and happy; it wouldn't take much effort to turn <I>Pulled Up </I>into a Christian song.</div> <div> <B>8</b></div> <bR> <div> <I>More Songs About Buildings and Food </I>(1978, Sire)</div> <div> Their debut album has its moments but was kind of vacuous; the Talking Heads responded by hiring producer <A HREF="epage_brian_eno.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The E Page"><U>Brian Eno</U></A> and consciously becoming more mature. <I>More Songs About Buildings and Food </I>signals the onset of the funk beats that would dominate Talking Heads by the time of <I>Remain in Light</I> and <I>Speaking in Tongues</I>. It also marks the start of a wonderful four studio album sequence. The title refers to David Byrne's avoidance of writing love songs, so that there are no insipid lyrics like <I>Who Is It? </I>from <I>Talking Heads '77</I>. Far more intringuingly, Byrne believess that one day he will live in a world without love in <I>I'm Not In Love</I>. </div> <div> Each of the first six Talking Heads albums get off to a great start, and <I>More Songs About Buildings and Food </I>is no exception. <I>Thank You For Sending Me an Angel </I>works brilliantly for no definable reason, combining simplistic lyrics, simple riffs and powerful drumming from Chris Frantz. My other favourite songs from <I>More Songs </I>are <I>Artists Only</I>, which has amusing lyrics, and the cover of <I>Take Me To The River</I>. The studio version, with its geeky minimalism, is far superior to the overly lush effort on the live album <I>Stop Making Sense</I>. <I>The Big Country</I> needed to be played slower so that Jerry Harrison could play pedal steel. </div> <div> <I>More Songs About Buildings and Food</I> has received mixed reviews, but for no definable reason. It is more complex and less nauseating than the debut, and it is closest to my preconception of the Talking Heads' classic sound. Like most Talking Heads albums, it is inaccessible, apart from the cover of Al Green's <I>Take Me To The River</I>, and some of the songs in the first half lack melody. But Byrne has lots of interesting thoughts to share, and there is lots of energy, so that the occasional lack of melody is quite forgivable.</div> <div> <B>A-</b></div> <div> The controversial song here is <I>Take Me To The River</I> which apparently remains the ultimate struggle between carnality and spiritual purity. In the end Al Green became an ordained minister, so the spiritual purity won out. Even more controversial are Byrne's liner notes in the compilation <I>Sand in the Vaseline</I>, but that doesn't affect the mark for this album.</div> <div> <B>7</b></div> <bR> <div> <I>Fear of Music </I>(1979, Sire)</div> <div> <I>Fear of Music </I>continues an excellent sequence of work from the Talking Heads. Again the music is simplified and stripped down; the basic tracks were recorded in Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth's loft. Brian Eno is back in the producer's chair, and this time smothers the album in a dark sound which suits the material. The album also features little keyboard, and is dominated by primitive guitar riffs, which are pretty effective. Personally, I think it is possible to draw a direct line between <I>Fear of Music </I>and <A HREF="rpage.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The R Page"><U>Radiohead</U></A>'s early work; with a similar mood running through the music. Like Thom Yorke, Byrne is totally paranoid, and many of the songs are about fear of a particular thing: <I>Drugs</I>, <I>Heaven</I>, <I>Animals</I>, <I>Life During Wartime</I>, <I>Air</I>....  Radiohead are named after a Talking Heads' song, giving the Heads additional posthumous credibility. </div> <div> The opening song is again stunning with avante-garde guitarist <A HREF="kpage.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The K Page"><U>Robert Fripp</U></A> adding muscular deftness to <I>I Zimbra</I>, which is based on a poem by Hugo Ball. <I>Mind</I>, <I>Paper </I>and <I>Electric Guitar </I>all mine the successful formula of simple repetitive guitar riffs. <I>Memories Can't Wait </I>is simultaneously haunitng and stomping, while <I>Life During Wartime </I>is one of Byrne's best lyrics about living with fear and without material goods. Some of the other songs aren't quite as effective, and while some critics nominate <I>Fear of Music </I>as the Head's high water mark, I enjoy the two following funkier albums more. </div> <div> <B>A-</b></div> <div> In the most controversial song in the Talking Head's canon Byrne describes <I>Heaven</I> as a boring place. Drummer Chris Frantz states that when you are a busy musician, a state of boredom is a utopian dream. And in the movie <I>Philadelphia</I>, a cover of the song changes the lyrics to "Heaven is a place where nothing can go wrong." But neither of these factors influence what Byrne was trying to achieve with the song. The rest of <I>Fear of Music</I> is also bleak, although <I>Drugs' </I>bleak picture doesn't encourage drug use.</div> <div> <B>1</b></div> <bR> <div> <I>Remain in Light </I>(1980, Sire)</div> <div> The Talking Head's indisputable masterpiece, <I>Remain in Light </I>marked the peak of development for a group that had changed markedly over the course of three years. The funk that had been welling up for the previous two albums took the central stage for <I>Remain in Light</I>. Eno and the group created dense soundscapes, bringing in guest musicians including ace guitarist Adrian Belew (about to join <A HREF="kpage_king_crimson.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The K Page"><U>King Crimson</U></A>) who plays some stunning solos, notably in <I>The Great Curve</I>. The focus is on rhythm; the rhythm tracks were written first before vocals, guitars and keyboards were overlaid. The resulting product is a pot pourri of lushness, funk, creepiness, and originality. </div> <div> <I>Remain in Light </I>is a sonic journey; there is a progression from the hyper opener <I>Born Under Punches </I>where Byrne rambles inanely "I'm a tumbler," "I'm so thin," "I'm a government man." Each song is quieter than the one that came before; the upbeat funky single <I>Once in a Lifetime </I>is only fast enough to make it in at track four. Although there are a veritable library of seemingly random lyrics floating by, sometimes they hit an amazingly incisive truth. <I>Once in a Lifetime</I> warns of the dangers of floating through life; "and you may find yourself living in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife. And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?" while <I>Crosseyed and Painless </I>informs the listener about facts: "facts all come with points of view/facts don't do what I want them to." By the end of <I>Remain in Light</I>, <I>Listening Wind </I>and <I>The Overload </I>are pared down and contemplative.</div> <div> If the search is for feel-good party funk, you've come to the wrong house. But if you want funk that is complex, bizarre and intelligent welcome in to the wonderful world of <I>Remain in Light </I>where every song is fascinating. Like almost every Talking Heads' album it takes a bit of listening to appreciate, but is well worth the effort.</div> <div> <B>A+</b></div> <div> Violence is encouraged against American colonialism in <I>The Listening Wind</I>. There is a postmodernist perspective in many of the songs with multiple and opposing voices running through them.</div> <div> <B>6</b></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="tom_tom_club"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><B>(Tom Tom Club) </b><I>Tom Tom Club </I>(1982, Island)</div> <div> After four moderately successful albums with the Talking Heads, Frantz and Weymouth examined their bank balance and were underwhelmed. Their funk ensemble the Tom Tom Club, also featuring Adrian Belew and Weymouth's sisters, was a shameless attempt to make money. While <I>Tom Tom Club </I>sold comparably to contemporary Heads albums, it isn't a particularly good record. There are a couple of classic singles which are gleefully inane and catchy, but the rest of <I>Tom Tom Club </I>is horribly slight. Except <I>Lorelei</I>, which also manages to be irritating. The two good songs are placed as an opening one-two punch, meaning that the remainder of the album is a giant snorefest. </div> <div> The worth of <I>Tom Tom Club </I>is further diminished by the inclusion of a superior and punchier version of <I>Genius of Love </I>on Heads' live album <I>Stop Making Sense</I>. Therefore if you already own the expanded version of <I>Stop Making Sense</I>, the only song of interest on <I>Tom Tom Club </I>is <I>Wordy Rappinghood</I>. Luckily <I>Wordy Rappinghood </I>is an inspired combination of funky retro keyboard sounds and <I>Old McDonald Had A Farm</I>. Belew also helps the record with some innovative performances, including his trademark elephant in <I>L'Elephant</I>. Apparently Tom Tom Club neglected to pay Belew for this album, destroying the beautiful artistic relationship between Belew and the Heads. I hate inane lyrics; if you don't mind them you might really enjoy <I>Tom Tom Club</I>, otherwise stick with the Heads.</div> <div> <B>C</b></div> <div> The lyrics on <I>Tom Tom Club </I>are so inane that I can't be bothered listening to them properly. <I>Under the Boardwalk </I>(which we used to sing in school assembly with slightly sanitised lyrics) is a touch kinky.</div> <div> <B>6</b></div> <bR> <div> <B>(</b><A HREF="epage_brian_enodavid_byrne.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The E Page"><U><B>Brian Eno-David Byrne</b></U></A><B>)</b></div> <div> <I>My Life in the Bush of Ghosts </I>(1981, E'G)</div> <div> See review on the E page.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Speaking in Tongues </I>(1983, Sire)</div> <div> <I>Speaking in Tongues </I>is the last of an excellent four album sequence. After <I>Remain in Light</I>, the Heads underwent a three year hiatus during which they all released solo albums (except Frantz and Weymouth formed their side project the Tom Tom Club). Brian Eno, who had produced the previous three albums, was not rehired, resulting in a catchier and more poppy album although retaining the funkiness of <I>Remain in Light</I>. You will probably be familiar with Tom Jones' heinous slaughter of opening track<I> Burning Down the House</I>, which was inspired by religious-like ecstasy observed at a Parliament concert. The title refers to the randomness of the lyrics of the songs which often consist of incoherent imagery sometimes based around a coherent theme (<I>Burning Down the House</I>, <I>Swamp</I>). Excellent musical hooks are scattered liberally through <I>Speaking in Tongues</I>: the gospel chorus of <I>Slippery People</I>, the blues riff of <I>Swamp</I> and the ridiculous lyrics of <I>Girlfriend is Better</I>. Best of all is the closing ballad <I>This Must Be The Place</I>, a guarded statement of commitment from Byrne with a lovely melody. </div> <div> <I>Speaking in Tongues </I>is not perfect though: there is little happening in some of the tracks, and some of the tracks go on a bit longer than they should. While <I>More Songs About Buildings and Food</I>, <I>Fear of Music</I> and <I>Speaking in Tongues </I>all get the same grade, <I>Speaking in Tongues </I>is my second favourite Talking Head's album.</div> <div> <B>A-</b></div> <div> Some Christians will, justifiably, find the title <I>Speaking in Tongues </I>and the lyrics to <I>Slippery People</I> offensive, although personally I have no idea what the latter is about. ("Turn like a wheel inside a wheel.") Christian band <A HREF="epage_earthsuit_1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The E Page"><U>Earthsuit</U></A> reuses the wheel inside a wheel imagery. <I>Swamp </I>correctly informs us that the devil has a plan.</div> <div> <B>7</b></div> <bR> <div> <I>Little Creatures </I>(1985, Sire)</div> <div> Sadly, <I>Little Creatures </I>documents a band past its prime. After the democratic Heads of the two previous albums , David Byrne took artistic control of the band and relegated Frantz, Harrison and Weymouth to the status of backing musicians. Musically, the Heads downscaled from multilayered funk to relatively straightforward acoustic pop. Some of the lyrics are amusing as Byrne examines an obsession with sex and birth, triggered by the birth of Weymouth and Frantz' son. <I>Little Creatures</I>, however,<I> </I>is a less interesting record than its predecessors, with nothing much to write home about apart from a few decent singles. It's a bit easier for a beginner to get their teeth into than the Heads' earlier work, but only because the <I>Little Creatures </I>sandwich doesn't contain a healthy enough portion of meat.</div> <div> The highlight is <I>Road to Nowhere</I>, an innovative combination of acapella nihilistic lyrics, washboards and accordions, while the harmonised <I>And She Was </I>is almost as memorable. <I>Stay Up Late </I>is arguably the funniest song in my entire CD collection, with hilarious lyrics featuring a deviant baby sitter that make me laugh every time I hear them. The catchy <I>The Lady Don't Mind </I>features faux-naive lyrics about the fringe benefits of being a pop star, while <I>Television Man </I>is likable enough. Otherwise, <I>Little Creatures </I>is a surprisingly dull effort from a group who could previously be relied upon to be interesting. The Talking Heads released a couple more albums after <I>Little Creatures</I>, 1986's <I>True Stories </I>and 1988's <I>Naked</I>, but assuming that they mark further artistic regression from <I>Little Creatures </I>I'm not prepared to buy them.</div> <div> <B>B-</b></div> <div> <I>Little Creatures'</I> lyrics are lighthearted and whimsical but still offensive. <I>Creatures of Love </I>and <I>The Lady Don't Mind</I> feature naive but subversive sexual lyrics, humourless parents of small children will be shocked by <I>Stay Up Late</I>, while <I>And She Was </I>is a story of a hallucinogenic experience. I can envisage <A HREF="http://www.family.org/pplace/pi/music/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.family.org/pplace/pi/music/"><U>Focus on the Family</U></A> criticising <I>Road to Nowhere </I>as an anthem to directionless living. The redeeming feature of the package is the cover art by Reverend Howard Finster, which incorporates traces of Christian doctrine. If anybody understands the cover, please e-mail me and I will be pleased to post your comment.</div> <div> <B>5</b></div> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="jerry_harrison"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></b><B>(Jerry Harrison)</b><I> Casual Gods </I>(1988, Fontana)</div> <div> Jerry Harrison has had a long and varied career: firstly as keyboard player for proto-punk Jonathan Richman in the Modern Lovers, then as keyboardist/guitarist in Talking Heads. He has also completed an architectural degree at Harvard University, while he is currently gaining credibility with his www.garageband.com site, which allows unsigned bands the chance to win $250 000 recording contracts.</div> <div> In between all of this activity Harrison has also released three solo albums, of which <I>Casual Gods </I>is the middle one. Harrison is not as compelling a front person as David Byrne, but has a pleasant voice, and is able to contribute about half an albums worth of good material to <I>Casual Gods</I>. All the good songs on <I>Casual Gods </I>is stacked in the first half of the album, which is thoroughly enjoyable. <I>Rev It Up </I>and <I>Cherokee Chief </I>are riff driven rock songs, while <I>Song of Angels</I>, <I>Let it Come Down </I>and <I>Man With A Gun</I> are atmospheric and kind of spooky.</div> <div> After the early highlights, <I>Casual Gods </I>descends into overly sentimental '80s pop, but there is still enough funk to keep the boat afloat. The funk groove of <I>Are You Running? </I>is particularly catchy.</div> <div> Interestingly, the last song <I>Bobby </I>is reminiscent of <A HREF="id84_new_order.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Joy Division/New Order"><U>New Order</U></A>'s <I>1963</I>, which is about JFK and was released at about the same time as <I>Casual Gods</I>. The late Bobby Kennedy was the late JFK's younger brother. Both songs have similar "don't do it" type choruses. In another connection <A HREF="rpage_the_rolling_stones.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The R Page"><U>The Rolling Stones</U></A> recorded <I>Sympathy for the Devil </I>with the line "who killed Kennedy/after all it was you and me," the night before Bobby was assassinated. They had to re-record the song with the line "who killed the Kennedys." </div> <div> <B>B</b></div> <div> <I>Casual Gods</I> is vacuous pop music which does not require examination of lyrics. Although many of the songs are about secular relationships, there is nothing particularly explicit. The title is easily the most offensive aspect of the album.</div> <div> <B>6</b></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Fyfeopedia Music Reviews</div> </td> </tr></table></body>