Discography: Talking Heads
In the hopes of reinvigorationg my blogging efforts, I'm going to try something new. I'm going to do a review of a band's entire (studio) discography. I recently spent a few days listening to the Talking Heads albums from first to last, so I'm going to start with them.
Perhaps no other band from that mid-70s NYC/CBGB scene had a bigger impact on music than the Talking Heads. That's saying a lot considering that they exploded out of the same underground that gave us Blondie and the Ramones as well as lesser-known, but equally influential, acts like Richard hell and the Voidoids, the Heartbreakers and Television. Not even Blondie's foray into rap had the impact of the Talking Heads' mix of edgey punk, dancable funk and unheard world music. On top of that, David Byrne's quirky voice and persona would be the envy of even the most self-consciously bizarre indie rocker today. Suffice it say, at least in retrospect, the Talking Heads are a big deal.
Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
This record has probably been given overly generous reviews over the years by those who would like to belive they saw the writing on the wall this early. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic record for its time, but it's principaally just a very good punk/new wave album. it lacks a lot of the really expansive sound that put the Talking Heads stamp on pop music as a whole, not just new wave. David Byrne's peculiarity is evident here, but also clearly still developing.
Rating: 7/10
More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)
The songwriting and the production are both improved over Talking Heads: 77, but they still haven't really broken out of the new wave mold. The album is edgey and agitated and very compelling, but only if you like new wave to begin with.
Rating: 8/10
Fear of Music (1979)
This is the album where the Talking Heads go from an one-dimensional, arty club sound to an eclectic, avante-garde rock sound. This is the first album where the material really derives a lot more from complex funk and world rhythms. You can really hear how good the rhythm section (Chris Franz in particular) is. David Byrne's quirky persona seems to have reached fruition at this point as well.
Rating: 9/10
Remain in Light (1980)
Remain in Light follows the same formula as Fear of Music, but despite having one of the bands best songs ("Once in a Lifetime"), it falls a hair short of Fear of Music. Perhaps it's just a little less fresh. To be fair, I listened to these two albums on consecutive days, so Remain in Light might have sounded a good bit fresher if I'd been anticipating it for a year after being blown away by Fear of Music. While I gave it the same rating as More Songs..., It's really closer in quality to Fear of Music.
Rating: 8/10
Speaking in Tongues (1983)
Even on their big hit, "Buring Down the House," the Talking Heads get a little less accessible here. The thing that made the two preceding albums so amazing is how they pushed the boundaries without pushing the listener away. Speaking in Tongues doesn't quite succeed in the same way. Had it not been for the heavy MTV rotation for "Burning...," this album might have been largely dismissed and that would be a shame, because it really has some great moments that are worth the extra effort to appreciate.
Rating: 7/10
Little Creatures (1985)
In contrast to Speaking in Tongues, the Talking Heads made their most accessible record with Little Creatures. best of all, they don't sacrifice all weirdo stuff that made their past afforts so amazing. This record is culmination of all their work. It pushes the limits of what pop music can be with being pushy about it. Listening to Little Creatures, you can be exposed to a whole world of music and not even know it, because it's such a simple pleasure at the same time.
Rating: 10/10
True Stories (1986)
While True Stories has its moments, it's a little less exciting. It has the feel of a more traditional rock record. In all fairness, it does manage to stand on its own without the movie. As a matter of fact, the movie, as hard to watch as it is, doesn't hurt the album.
Rating: 6/10
Naked (1988)
By 1988, it seems that the Talking Heads were past their prime. But don't be fooled by that impression, because it's only somewhat true. While they don't manage to make a great pop record here, they do manage to push what a pop record can be. BY this time other artists (Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel) had further incorporated world music into Western pop, but the Talking Heads can still hold their own in a field that they helped pioneer.
Rating: 6/10
Perhaps no other band from that mid-70s NYC/CBGB scene had a bigger impact on music than the Talking Heads. That's saying a lot considering that they exploded out of the same underground that gave us Blondie and the Ramones as well as lesser-known, but equally influential, acts like Richard hell and the Voidoids, the Heartbreakers and Television. Not even Blondie's foray into rap had the impact of the Talking Heads' mix of edgey punk, dancable funk and unheard world music. On top of that, David Byrne's quirky voice and persona would be the envy of even the most self-consciously bizarre indie rocker today. Suffice it say, at least in retrospect, the Talking Heads are a big deal.
Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
This record has probably been given overly generous reviews over the years by those who would like to belive they saw the writing on the wall this early. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic record for its time, but it's principaally just a very good punk/new wave album. it lacks a lot of the really expansive sound that put the Talking Heads stamp on pop music as a whole, not just new wave. David Byrne's peculiarity is evident here, but also clearly still developing.
Rating: 7/10
More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)
The songwriting and the production are both improved over Talking Heads: 77, but they still haven't really broken out of the new wave mold. The album is edgey and agitated and very compelling, but only if you like new wave to begin with.
Rating: 8/10
Fear of Music (1979)
This is the album where the Talking Heads go from an one-dimensional, arty club sound to an eclectic, avante-garde rock sound. This is the first album where the material really derives a lot more from complex funk and world rhythms. You can really hear how good the rhythm section (Chris Franz in particular) is. David Byrne's quirky persona seems to have reached fruition at this point as well.
Rating: 9/10
Remain in Light (1980)
Remain in Light follows the same formula as Fear of Music, but despite having one of the bands best songs ("Once in a Lifetime"), it falls a hair short of Fear of Music. Perhaps it's just a little less fresh. To be fair, I listened to these two albums on consecutive days, so Remain in Light might have sounded a good bit fresher if I'd been anticipating it for a year after being blown away by Fear of Music. While I gave it the same rating as More Songs..., It's really closer in quality to Fear of Music.
Rating: 8/10
Speaking in Tongues (1983)
Even on their big hit, "Buring Down the House," the Talking Heads get a little less accessible here. The thing that made the two preceding albums so amazing is how they pushed the boundaries without pushing the listener away. Speaking in Tongues doesn't quite succeed in the same way. Had it not been for the heavy MTV rotation for "Burning...," this album might have been largely dismissed and that would be a shame, because it really has some great moments that are worth the extra effort to appreciate.
Rating: 7/10
Little Creatures (1985)
In contrast to Speaking in Tongues, the Talking Heads made their most accessible record with Little Creatures. best of all, they don't sacrifice all weirdo stuff that made their past afforts so amazing. This record is culmination of all their work. It pushes the limits of what pop music can be with being pushy about it. Listening to Little Creatures, you can be exposed to a whole world of music and not even know it, because it's such a simple pleasure at the same time.
Rating: 10/10
True Stories (1986)
While True Stories has its moments, it's a little less exciting. It has the feel of a more traditional rock record. In all fairness, it does manage to stand on its own without the movie. As a matter of fact, the movie, as hard to watch as it is, doesn't hurt the album.
Rating: 6/10
Naked (1988)
By 1988, it seems that the Talking Heads were past their prime. But don't be fooled by that impression, because it's only somewhat true. While they don't manage to make a great pop record here, they do manage to push what a pop record can be. BY this time other artists (Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel) had further incorporated world music into Western pop, but the Talking Heads can still hold their own in a field that they helped pioneer.
Rating: 6/10
posted by bob_vinyl at 8:50 PM
1 Comments:
I think that I may have heard a song or two by them, but I am not sure. I guess that I always feared they would be a run of the mill pop band so I never went out my way to give them a chance. I listen to them if someone played them for me now.
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