All Time Top 1100 Albums

[OB1]

Right, listened to it straight away to get it out of the way. I said after Remain in Light that I wouldn't be bothered if I never heard another Talking Heads album and listening to this has only backed up that hunch.

I'll start with some positives - even though this is a live album, the sound is light years ahead of Remain in Light. You can actually feel the spaces in between the instruments, you can hear the guitar strummed and the individual thump of the drums. "Pyscho Killer" is a great start, a good live version of a studio track that I enjoy. In fact the first few songs looked set to prove me wrong, but I didn't have to wait long to be disappointed all over again.

To borrow a line from Foggy's review of Joe Jackson (because it was so damn funny) and adapt it slightly, even though this is a live album, about 3 or 4 tracks in, somebody decided to push the fader marked "quirky keyboards" up to 85. As if that wasn't enough, a giggling schoolboy managed to sneak through the door during the post-production and added a load of weird random beeps and noises (oh, this is so funny, I feel like my sides are about to split). It makes you want to scream FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST PLAY THE DAMN MUSIC!!!!

And did I mention that David Byrne is another "singer" (and I use that in the loosest possible sense) who you can add to the list of annoying vocalists? No? Well he's not the worst but he ain't great either.

6/10 (and only because I made the mistake of giving Remain in Light the same score when it probably should have been 4).

I'm off to listen to some Aimee Mann to restore my faith in music.

Funnily enough, I thought the beginging of the album was awful.

I thought they butchered “Psycho Killer”. Byrne’s vocal is awful.

“Heaven” is more hell. Duller than a butter knife. Anything could be more fun.

‘Thank you…” at least has a beat but not much else.

Found a Job is another strained vocal.

Things finally pick up with Slippery People and thereafter it is for the most part a decent set of funky new wave songs, aside from the execrable Genius of Love. The songs though are largely nothing special and it feels like some people have been dumped by the rock critics.

For sure this is not my idea of a great live album and as mentioned on another thread, I have a lot of live albums and have seen well over a 1,000 live performances so, if nothing else, I have plenty to compare to.

This album is good enough for me to won it but not to score more than 6 /10, which equals how I scored the Kate Bush live album, the best of which is to my mind better than anything on Stop Making Sense.

I only have a best of Talking Heads CD, which I'm sure I rated higher than this album, and I might investigate more of their catalogue at some point but Byrne's vocals are not my favourite, they work on "Psycho" and "Once in a Lifetime" but you can have too much of a not great thing.


BTW “Swamp” rips off Chicory Tip, who'd have thought it.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Funnily enough, I thought the beginging of the album was awful.

I thought they butchered “Psycho Killer”. Byrne’s vocal is awful.

“Heaven” is more hell. Duller than a butter knife. Anything could be more fun.

‘Thank you…” at least has a beat but not much else.

Found a Job is another strained vocal.

Things finally pick up with Slippery People and thereafter it is for the most part a decent set of funky new wave songs, aside from the execrable Genius of Love. The songs though are largely nothing special and it feels like some people have been dumped by the rock critics.

For sure this is not my idea of a great live album and as mentioned on another thread, I have a lot of live albums and have seen well over a 1,000 live performances so, if nothing else, I have plenty to compare to.

This album is good enough for me to won it but not to score more than 6 /10, which equals how I scored the Kate Bush live album, the best of which is to my mind better than anything on Stop Making Sense.

I only have a best of Talking Heads CD, which I'm sure I rated higher than this album, and I might investigate more of their catalogue at some point but Byrne's vocals are not my favourite, they work on "Psycho" and "Once in a Lifetime" but you can have too much of a not great thing.


BTW “Swamp” rips off Chicory Tip, who'd have thought it.

Ha ha — The contrarians won’t quit without a fight!

I love it. That’s what makes a thread!

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Right, listened to it straight away to get it out of the way. I said after Remain in Light that I wouldn't be bothered if I never heard another Talking Heads album and listening to this has only backed up that hunch.

I'll start with some positives - even though this is a live album, the sound is light years ahead of Remain in Light. You can actually feel the spaces in between the instruments, you can hear the guitar strummed and the individual thump of the drums. "Pyscho Killer" is a great start, a good live version of a studio track that I enjoy. In fact the first few songs looked set to prove me wrong, but I didn't have to wait long to be disappointed all over again.

To borrow a line from Foggy's review of Joe Jackson (because it was so damn funny) and adapt it slightly, even though this is a live album, about 3 or 4 tracks in, somebody decided to push the fader marked "quirky keyboards" up to 85. As if that wasn't enough, a giggling schoolboy managed to sneak through the door during the post-production and added a load of weird random beeps and noises (oh, this is so funny, I feel like my sides are about to split). It makes you want to scream FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST PLAY THE DAMN MUSIC!!!!

And did I mention that David Byrne is another "singer" (and I use that in the loosest possible sense) who you can add to the list of annoying vocalists? No? Well he's not the worst but he ain't great either.

6/10 (and only because I made the mistake of giving Remain in Light the same score when it probably should have been 4).

I'm off to listen to some Aimee Mann to restore my faith in music.

Speaking of Aimee, feel free to PM me the stuff you like by her. I kind of missed her solo career but I really liked Til Tuesday.

 

[mancity1]

Very little doubt this band is one that my great grand children will be enjoying and picking apart all great musicians and masters of their craft in their own right and while this is a music set that needs to be listened to and I would have indulged had one or two of their lesser known tracks were on this masterpiece it will continue to and has stood the test of time.

this is the test of any music especially in an age of soundbite and 24/7 diversion that most music has become if you could even call it music and more of the children of tomorrow will return to once much of the debris of today is forgotten.

As Fog has mentioned so succinctly and pertinently drawing in the members highlights how good the individual members of this band are ( Jerry Harrison is one cool dude whose work with the Violent Femmes for example cannot be underestimated ) giving the Heads music that edge and depth that takes it to another level.

I focus on the music and by any measure the music stacks up both in quality and quantity , variation and theme.

Their rhythm is nutted superbly and while I don't like many covers as a rule because it detracts from what they wish to do with the original and it will always be compared to previous versions their Al Green cover is a master stroke certainly IMO right up there with the best cover of any song in the modern genre.

A 9/10 for me.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Very little doubt this band is one that my great grand children will be enjoying and picking apart all great musicians and masters of their craft in their own right and while this is a music set that needs to be listened to and I would have indulged had one or two of their lesser known tracks were on this masterpiece it will continue to and has stood the test of time.

this is the test of any music especially in an age of soundbite and 24/7 diversion that most music has become if you could even call it music and more of the children of tomorrow will return to once much of the debris of today is forgotten.

As Fog has mentioned so succinctly and pertinently drawing in the members highlights how good the individual members of this band are ( Jerry Harrison is one cool dude whose work with the Violent Femmes for example cannot be underestimated ) giving the Heads music that edge and depth that takes it to another level.

I focus on the music and by any measure the music stacks up both in quality and quantity , variation and theme.

Their rhythm is nutted superbly and while I don't like many covers as a rule because it detracts from what they wish to do with the original and it will always be compared to previous versions their Al Green cover is a master stroke certainly IMO right up there with the best cover of any song in the modern genre.

A 9/10 for me.

That’s a good shout on “Take Me To The River” as one of the great modern covers. And Green’s original is fantastic too. Also agree Harrison adds a lot of depth to their music. Tina Weymouth is an underrated bassist too.

Speaking of great covers, right now with an entire Manchester year’s worth of rain dropping on the Bay Area in 24 hours, I’m thinking of another one: Led Zep’s “When The Levee Breaks”!

 

[mancity1]

That’s a good shout on “Take Me To The River” as one of the great modern covers. And Green’s original is fantastic too. Also agree Harrison adds a lot of depth to their music. Tina Weymouth is an underrated bassist too.

Speaking of great covers, right now with an entire Manchester year’s worth of rain dropping on the Bay Area in 24 hours, I’m thinking of another one: Led Zep’s “When The Levee Breaks”!

LOL Fog totally agree about Tina you took the words from me again and I am grateful for you to do so.

One of my nephews is a bassist and he rates her in his top ten of all time and given he is fortunate to live and breath this great gift so he would be far more credible than a duffer of music like me to comment on such matters which as again I agree with you wholeheartedly has given me far more enjoyment and far more insight into the depth of your wonderful knowledge and commentary and great humbleness I might add in sharing that knowledge with others than other threads.

Your insights are a joy to read and informative to boot.

The first album I bought was the untitled No 4 in 1972 and I was so naive back then I didn't bother about Kansas Joe and Memphis Minnie nor the Mississippi Delta until years later.

Only blues students like you would even know it was musically and largely lyrically with a few tweeks from RP born in the 20's prior to the internet.

you won't believe this but I was listening to John Phillips yesterday (lol).

 

[RobMCFC]

Funnily enough, I thought the beginging of the album was awful.

I thought they butchered “Psycho Killer”. Byrne’s vocal is awful.

“Heaven” is more hell. Duller than a butter knife. Anything could be more fun.

‘Thank you…” at least has a beat but not much else.

Found a Job is another strained vocal.

Things finally pick up with Slippery People and thereafter it is for the most part a decent set of funky new wave songs, aside from the execrable Genius of Love. The songs though are largely nothing special and it feels like some people have been dumped by the rock critics.

For sure this is not my idea of a great live album and as mentioned on another thread, I have a lot of live albums and have seen well over a 1,000 live performances so, if nothing else, I have plenty to compare to.

This album is good enough for me to won it but not to score more than 6 /10, which equals how I scored the Kate Bush live album, the best of which is to my mind better than anything on Stop Making Sense.

I only have a best of Talking Heads CD, which I'm sure I rated higher than this album, and I might investigate more of their catalogue at some point but Byrne's vocals are not my favourite, they work on "Psycho" and "Once in a Lifetime" but you can have too much of a not great thing.


BTW “Swamp” rips off Chicory Tip, who'd have thought it.

If I can cherry pick some of your comments, for me, you've hit the nail on the head several times:-

"Byrne’s vocal is awful" - Whilst I actually like the song you are referring to, I hate the way his voice wobbles up and down all the time like some cheap Elvis impersonator. Once or twice would be fine. All through the album? No thanks.
"...for the most part a decent set of funky new wave songs" - well I don't like funk or new wave. Probably explains why this is not my thing.
" The songs though are largely nothing special" - definitely right there.
"it feels like some people have been duped by the rock critics." - yep.

We all like different stuff, I get that. But the fawning praise that this band is getting is genuinely beyond me.
I can't understand why everybody who likes it is happy to put up with all the weird keyboard noises that sounds like a five year-old was let loose with some new toys. I know it's probably hard to express in words, but I wouldn't mind some of the people who love this album explaining: is this part of the charm? Do you enjoy listening to those parts or is it just something you put up with because you love other parts of the music? Would you prefer the songs without all this dicking about?

 

[crublue1]

Cracking album and a great set of songs.
Enjoyed it, a lot.
I don't mind his voice, yes it's not perfect, but it doesn't have to be really, the music more than makes up for that. It's distinctive, but I wouldn't say it was bad. It's not like he's singing off key, mumbling or failing to hit notes is it.
All that running around I'm surprised he can sing at all really.

Mind you I get out of breath unpacking my shopping so what do I know.

To try and answer Robs question, I genuinely don't notice all these noises you speak of. I'm not saying they're not there, but to me they're just part of the music.

I love the funkyness and energy, a great listen, and I'm not particularly a TH fan really, but this is a good performance, no doubt about it.
Looking forward to seeing it on you tube later.
8/10

 

[BlueHammer85]

Cracking reviews as always

 

[OB1]

If I can cherry pick some of your comments, for me, you've hit the nail on the head several times:-

"Byrne’s vocal is awful" - Whilst I actually like the song you are referring to, I hate the way his voice wobbles up and down all the time like some cheap Elvis impersonator. Once or twice would be fine. All through the album? No thanks.
"...for the most part a decent set of funky new wave songs" - well I don't like funk or new wave. Probably explains why this is not my thing.
" The songs though are largely nothing special" - definitely right there.
"it feels like some people have been duped by the rock critics." - yep.

We all like different stuff, I get that. But the fawning praise that this band is getting is genuinely beyond me.
I can't understand why everybody who likes it is happy to put up with all the weird keyboard noises that sounds like a five year-old was let loose with some new toys. I know it's probably hard to express in words, but I wouldn't mind some of the people who love this album explaining: is this part of the charm? Do you enjoy listening to those parts or is it just something you put up with because you love other parts of the music? Would you prefer the songs without all this dicking about?

I like some Funk and I'm afraid you will find the F word appears more than once in my forthcoming review although it is most definitely a rock album.

I like some New Wave too but I don't love it. I do have stuff in my album collection that is there to give it breadth but I won't keep anything that I wouldn't play again.

Therefore, I quite like Talking Heads but I have yet to hear anyhting that makes me think they are anything other than massively overrated. They remain me of Radiohead in that regard but I actually have several Radiohead albums.