Remain In Light - Talking Heads

Advantages: Fantastically inventive 80s art-pop
Disadvantages: A couple of weak tracks

...one. I would keep Remain in Light. Now why is this? Why does it stand out so far from the rest, surely all their albums are the same: homogeneity of art-pop. I say not and I can also say why. Remain in Light is an unusual Talking Heads album because unlike most, which are almost entirely written by front man David Byrne, the words and music are (almost) entirely credited not only the core band itself but to two other special people which to me ...
...somehow this song is very Remain in Light and yet at the same time it is also very different. It feels progressive and at the same time a little retrospective. But what need have I to speak further of this, surely you know it well enough. The latter half of the album is for me an entirely different prospect to the first half; this is to me more Eno inspired, varied and curiously beguiling. Houses in Motion is incredibly simple; Byrne often talks ... Read review

Advantages: Amazing, excellent tracks
Disadvantages: Nothing

...on Talking Heads 1980 album Remain In Light. Using the latest digital recording equipment, the band built up rhythm patters from tape loops made from studio jam sessions. Gradually, layer after layer of intricate cross rhythms were added to these basic, one chord jams. Other musicians were brought in to fill out the sound: Adrian Belew, David Bowie’s tour guitarist; former LaBelle vocalist Nona Hendryx; a horn section, arranged by Jon Hassell. To ...
...appearance by singer Robert palmer on percussion. The rich, orchestral funk that resulted was far removed from the frail, brittle textures of Talking Heads: 77. Byrne then added lyrics, many of them adapted from the radio evangelists he and Eno had recorded for My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts: !And you may ask yourself, am I right? Am I wrong? And you may say to yourself, MY GOD! ... WHAT HAVE I DONE?” That particular track, Once In A Lifetime brought ... Read review

Advantages: truly ground breaking
Disadvantages: nothing comes to mind

This 1980 release from one of my favourite bands of the time was the last in a trilogy of albums released with Brian Eno producing the previous 2 being “More songs about buildings and food” and “Fear of Music”, this album took further the “African” influences first used on the previous album “Fear of Music” For this incarnation of the band they added to the normal line-up of personal Byrne, Harrison, ...
...Adrian Belew who had played for Frank Zappa and David Bowie in the past. Another change was the use of several vocal tracks, where before the songs were monologues with only David Byrne voice, now they used several vocal tracks that featured other people’s voices apart from Mr Byrne. In the mix was Eno’s voice along with Nona Hendrix from the trio “Labelle”. Along with extra vocal tracks the band were using a large amount ... Read review

Advantages: Superb remastering of a seminal album
Disadvantages: None worth quibbling about

...The very dictionary definition of an "art school" band, Talking Heads fell together at the Rhode Island School of Design in the mid 70s. Emerging at the time of punk they, like many others, were lazily thrown under that same banner. But in truth, apart from the stark minimalism of their early material, they had little in common with the Ramones (despite often opening for them), and as time went on, the full breadth of their capabilities became thrillingly evident. Hooking up with Brian Eno after their marginally unsatisfactory debut "'77", the Heads went on one of the great runs of albums in the history of recorded sound. "Remain In Light" (1980) is the final entry in the Eno-produced trilogy and is almost certainly their most influential record (a lot of the 80s interest in World Music starts here, which might surprise Paul Simon... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: It's Bowie
Disadvantages: The Awful cover artwork.

...courtesy of Eno with the "prepared piano" and "cricket menace" and the treated vocals and guitars played along with the drums and bass with a chorus of Bowie, Eno and Visconti. During the middle 8 section the "asanti habari habari habari, asanti nabana nabana nabana" chorus is given more punch and greater delivery with a treated vamping piano played at the back. Interviews at the time by Bowie said, "That this song is about German fighter pilots I met in a Mombassa bar who felt so culturally alienated that they couldn't return home" After his work on this album Eno went on to record the African influenced albums "My Life in The Bush of Ghosts" with David Byrne and "Remain in light" with "The Talking Heads" (from little acorns). Move On (3.21) if you listen closely to this track you will hear the song "All the young Dudes" all... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: the funky pop of Talking Heads combined with some killer tunes
Disadvantages: why isn't this album better known?

...If you love mid period Talking Heads then you'll love this 1981 solo album from Heads keyboard player Jerry Harrison. Keeping the multilayered polyrhythms of Remain In Light and adding an outright funky sheen Jerry created the best Talking Heads album that the band never made. Assisted by keyboard wizard Bernie Worrell, guitarist Adrian Belew and singer Nona Hendryx (all of whom had graced the expanded touring line up of the Heads during 1980) Jerry's style of music is pure funky pop. The album was originally going to be broadly instrumental with Hendryx and Dolette Macdonald adding wordless singing. But Jerry was persuaded by the others that he could sing so the tunes became songs. Jerry's lyrics are curious, often offering gentle advice about life the universe and everything in oddly simplistic verses. But the tunes are mighty... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful