Remain In Light - Talking Heads

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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 ...
...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 ... more

The Talking Heads early period, with Eno as producer are for me the most interesting of their career and yet most of their albums have only one of two really good songs and then the rest are good but nothing really new and fresh. When I was a student I started getting into them a bit and HMV was selling their albums in the sale for a fiver each, so then armed with my student discount I was paying about £4.50 each and so I bought most of their back catalogue, most of which I enjoyed but if I had to throw them all away and keep one the choice would not be a difficult 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 make all the difference; to Eno for a start, as previously he produced and nothing more, here he is making a song-writing and musical input as well as producing; secondly Adrian Belew is brought into the act, who is for me the most powerful artist on the album, he has the kind of musical virtuosity that the rest of the bad (bar Eno) lack and gives the sound a real strength, a body that the Talking Heads so often lack. Also he gives his inventive, occasional psychotic input into the song-writing, as does Eno, to create a greater variety of sounds, a greater reliance on the actual music itself rather than their other albums which are arguably powered by Byrne’s vocals more than anything else.

The sudden creative input, the sheer unpredictability of the album hits you immediately with Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On), which is inspired; plain and simple. On the surface it is very Talking Heads, but Belew’s guitar riff and Eno’s synthesizers power the song. More over there are those Eno flourishes, the strange distorted sounds, his glorious dead-pan backing vocals that ground Byrne’s vocals. Eno’s vocals run behind Byrne’s, who sings odd stuttering remarks as if in answer to Eno’s singing. The lyrics are absolutely nutty, I’m sure that they’re meant to mean something, but whatever that is, is beyond me; I accept them as a surreal parody of meaningfulness. The layering of sound, Byrne’s unusual, digital guitar in the middle, clicking and whirring like the music to an old computer game is inspired and remarkably not played by Belew as most people assume. I find myself listening to every sound and nuance of the music, the floating Eno vocals in the background, Byrne’s controlled lunacy; the pleasure of the creative mixture of sound is never less than a delight and a song I return to time and again, as it is the paragon of a Talking Heads song. It is the music that they threatened to make if they could just get away from themselves; Eno and Belew seem to give them that distance and provide the medium for them to excel.

Cross-eyed and Painless is a similar song to Born Under Punches. Byrne’s vocals are strident, grounded by Eno dead-pan backing vocals once again. There are two rhythms playing off against each cyclically, until we find ourselves treated to a typically Belew sliding, shrill guitar that cuts the song in half. This doesn’t have the sheer inventiveness of Born Under Punches yet it still has a fullness to it, the sound still grabs you and keeps you listening. In terms of the album it is level song, a standard track but in terms of the Talking Heads oeuvre it is certainly superior. Musically, there is more going on than you expect from the band; the percussion is given greater, more interesting parts, bass and drumming playing off one like a watered down version of King Crimson. Probably much of the depth comes from the fact that musical roles changed on this album, Byrne, Eno also found themselves playing basses and keyboards as well as their usual instruments, which adds richness to the sound, creating a kind of gentle tapestry.

Similar again is The Great Curve, the play-off between guitars and basses, Byrne’s unusually enunciated vocals, Eno layering vocals beneath Byrne’s. Again there is a kind of tapestry sound. This is perhaps the one song that is really vocal lead and yet not at the same time, perhaps because the music is never allowed free reign, with the exception of one very typical Belew strident assault on the senses that screams over the other instrumentation. I rather like this song though it is perhaps the most formulaic on the album, especially when considered again Born Under Punches, or The Listening Wind or The Overload. It is more typical Talking Heads fare. Ok, in many ways so is Born Under Punches, but that triumphs because it becomes almost a paradigm of what their music should be. Still, an interesting listen nevertheless.

The fourth track is the one everyone knows: Once in a Lifetime. Twinkling keyboards; Byrne uncomfortable vocals; Eno’s layered backing vocals. The simple bass riff; everything is familiar, yet comfortably so; 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 rather than sings; then when he sings, he does so with Eno, one responding to another. The music is never intrusive, but perfect for the song; the inclusion of Jon Hassel’s trumpet at the beginning heralds the beginning of something different. This is exemplified by Belew’s distorted guitar that sounds like a snake charmer’s music; again this is never intrusive either, it complements the vocals perfectly. I always think that I don’t actually like this song but when I listen to it I realise how much I do; its quiet inventiveness, it’s subtlety is quite beguiling and yet so refined that it’s difficult to think of it as a Talking Heads song. A real gem.

Now Byrne sounds slightly deranged singing Seen and Not Seen. Simplistic percussion, hand-claps ands and synthesized pads run behind the words of a man desiring to change his appearance though thought and will alone. Hmm, this is an entirely different song to what has gone before – though in a strange way it reminds me in part of Once in a Lifetime – and yet I’ll confess this is my least favourite song on the album. Though different I find it misfires, it never quite takes off. It’s not a bad song, it just doesn’t do enough, I feel no reason to be passionate about the song; I’m ambivalent about it, not even disinterested in it enough to skip it. I let it play because I’m waiting for the excellent:

The Listening Wind. Fantastic song. In many ways it presages their latter, African inspired period (what was it with African music, it seemed to grab Peter Gabriel too). The story of (I assume a) Native Indian taking revenge upon the intruding modern world that is destroying his people and culture. Belew’s wispy, melancholic guitar is sublime and plays behind Byrne’s surprisingly emotive, yet simple vocals. He has never been better, singing: “The wind in my heart; the wind in my heart; drive them away; drive them away.” But Belew is the hero of the day. He is just so magnificent it is almost impossible to describe: the throbbing emotion of his music is so stunning that so you can almost feel tears welling in your eyes, the way it so complete mirrors the story told in Byrne’s lyrics is staggering; and behind this the simplest percussion, nothing extravagant, subtly complementing what Byrne and Belew are doing. The utter sense of feeling, of emotion, the way the music fits the lyrics is gorgeous. This is a really amazing piece of music and behind it I can feel Eno’s delicate sensibilities, his innovation and ability to build some thing so remarkable out of something so simple. Really, this is near genius and I can’t explain why, dammit!

I always thought that if the author William Gibson hadn’t written novels but music than he would have made music like The Overload. It comes as no surprise that in one of his novels (Virtual Light, I think) he thanks Eno for as Gibson wrote in his basement he surrounded himself with Eno’s music. And so I suspect that Eno is the mastermind behind The Overload. This is another remarkable change in tone from the Talking Heads and like The Listening Wind another absolute victory, showing that when they want to that they can be remarkably varied. The Overload is slightly ambient; there are swirling guitar-loops ala Robert Fripp in ambient mood. A pulsing synthesizer that sounds like the buzz of electricity; Byrne’s vocals are slow, measured, mechanical. There is a sense of futurity. There is a definite correlation here between Eno/Talking Heads and King Crimson’s industrial instrumentals. The music mirrors technological, electrical, cyberpunkish themes and sounds. I find this difficult to describe as the music hums and throbs behind the words, almost like early electronica with vocals; sounds buzz, whirl and swirl. Imagine the internet has a sound and it would be the music to The Overload. There is something so wonderfully evocative here, so magnificently subtle, hypnotic and minimal that it has to be heard to be recognised. It is even more intelligent then The Listening Wind and yet not in the least bit pretentious; it is music to become lost in.

The Overload finishes the album; a quiet ending and somehow fitting. To me this is just the definite Talking Heads album; the apotheosis of everything they ever did. All their music condensed and given, often, perfect form thanks to messrs Eno and Belew who empower the Talking Heads. Certainly the album is very much of the time. You would guess that this was made in 1980, you can hardly miss it, but it brings all that was good about the late 70s/early 80s and never the worst; as a cultural text it is varied, the epitome of popular music attempting to stretch itself and become artistic in its own right; to move from the fringes and into the mainstream. Sadly the Talking Heads never hit the same high again, all that comes after though often quite good, becomes more formulaic. You can feel the lack of ideas, which is all the more saddening for the wealth of ideas, innovation, inventiveness and talent on display here; the sheer effortlessness of it all.

I find I have no more to say; if this period of music interests you in any way then I would suggest buying Remain in Light because it is both accessible and progressive (though not pretentiously so). Then, if you find yourself finding this easy listening, I suggest acquiring King Crimson’s 80s work (Discipline, Beat, Three of a Perfect Pair) as Belew’s in there too! Amazon will kindly sell you a copy of Remain in Light for a generous £7.99 though often HMV have it in sale for a fiver.

Enjoy!
 

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