Remain In Light
Talking Heads
1980
Album Summary
Remain in Light is the fourth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on October 8, 1980 by Sire Records. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas and Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia between July and August 1980. It was the last Talking Heads album Brian Eno produced. After the release of Fear of Music in 1979, Talking Heads and Eno sought to dispel notions of the band as a mere vehicle for frontman and songwriter David Byrne. Drawing influence from Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, they experimented with African polyrhythms, funk, and electronics, recording instrumental tracks as a series of looping grooves. The sessions incorporated a variety of side musicians, including guitarist Adrian Belew, singer Nona Hendryx, and trumpet player Jon Hassell. Byrne struggled with writer's block, but adopted a scattered, stream-of-consciousness lyrical style inspired by early rap and academic literature on Africa. The artwork was conceived by bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz, and crafted with the help of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's computers and design company M&Co. The band hired additional members for a promotional tour, and following its completion, they went on a year-long hiatus to pursue side projects. Remain in Light was acclaimed by critics, who praised its sonic experimentation, rhythmic innovations, and cohesive merging of disparate genres. The album peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard 200 and number 21 on the UK Albums Chart, and spawned the singles "Once in a Lifetime" and "Houses in Motion". It has been featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of the 1980s and of all time, and is often considered Talking Heads' magnum opus. In 2017, the Library of Congress deemed the album "culturally, historically, or artistically significant", and selected it for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
WikipediaTalking about head. Do you know how long it's been since I last had a blowjob? 34 days. Totally unacceptable. If you know of anyone who wants to sort me out, give me a call on 07797098556
Kind of makes me see why some people call Talking Heads a "punk" band, though this feels like it has more in debt to reggae and world music. Fast, crazy fun, weird music to dance to. Talking Heads are awesome. Favorite tracks: "Crosseyed and Painless", "The Great Curve", "Once in a Lifetime"
If Sisyphus had this in his headphones there would be no fable to tell. Unrelenting and irreversible forward motion. The Great Curve's hypnotic cyclical rythhm draws you into a state of fevered delerium, with the only hints of sanity appearing in the form of the sporadic lead breaks. Seen and Not Seen follows a narrative that's beautifully relatable yet totally abstract. Listening Wind is deceptively heavy in its story and Overload feels very ominous and Floyd.
Always remember - that is a woman playing that bass. Girl F@ckin Power!
"Remain in Light" is the fourth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on October 8, 1980. This album is considered to be their magnum opus, and as someone who has never listened to the band, I feel I better strap in! Talking Heads fall under the following genres, per Wikipedia: New wave, post-punk, world beat, funk, dance-rock, and art pop and I am colored with intrigue! Remain in Light opens with "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)," opens with funky bass rifs and a catchy guitar rhythm. There's some crazy David Byrne vocals and a cool guitary solo and that catchy guitar rhythm that never goes away! This is a fun song. The next song on this album is "Crosseyed and Painless," which is catchy and has lyrics about "facts are twisting the truth around" which seems relevant in today's hellscape of disinformation. It's fun! "The Great Curve," is track #3 on this album. It has a really fun surfer-ish guitar with bongo-ish drums. It's groooovy. And it has a dope guitar solo. "Once in a Lifetime" is the next track, and it's a song I've heard many times in pop culture. It's a fun song, it's catchy. I've never actually listened to the song in full, and the lyrics are crazy. The lyrics seem improvised... "there is water at the bottom of the ocean," and so on! "Houses in Motion," is track number 5 and features more funky guitar work and vocal harmonizing. It's very catchy and it has a haunting solo of an instrument I cannot identify! The next song, "Seen and Not Seen," has fun stream-of-conscience lyrics about a perfect face, which really blew my mind as I listened to this song while struggling to draw a face on a drawing I recently started. Anyway, this song has fun claps and a solid beat, and I like it! "Listening Wind" is the penultimate track on "Remain in Light". It has African-inspired percussion and eerie jungle noises. The guitar work sounds like animals! This song is very cool. "The Overload," is the final track on this album, and is it a doozy. Per Wikipedia: "Some have taken the final track on the album, "The Overload," to be Talking Heads' attempt to emulate the sound of British post-punk band Joy Division. It has been widely speculated - but never confirmed - that the song was made despite no band member having heard the music of Joy Division; rather, it may have been based on an idea of what the British quartet might sound like based on descriptions in the music press." I have never listened to Joy Division, so I don't have a frame of reference for this song, but it's spooky and brooding and dank, and I like it! This album is funky and fun and weird, and for that I really love it. I'm glad I finally gave this album a spin. I actually really liked their spooky attempt to be Joy Division. And Once in a Lifetime is simply iconic. Favorite track: Listening Wind Honorable mention: The Overload
After spending the previous three years being afraid of everything from the countryside and work to painting and music itself, David Byrne gets a goddamn grip and learns to let the days (and water, whatever that means) pass him by, tapping into a global groove that widens his outlook and softens his responses. If More Songs About Buildings and Food was the first Talking Heads album made with access to fresh air, this one is positively oceanic. Letters of thanks should be mailed to Brian Eno. His whacked-out guitar tunings are rock futurism built and demolished in the same instant. On Houses in Motion, he plays what can only be described as an elephant with its trunk up its arse. Throughout, he counsels Byrne (never a world beating songwriter) to pick his lyrics out of a hat, which elevates the pretty good ones to semi-parodic quite good ones (“Facts don't do what I want them to,” “Can’t stop, I might end up in hospital”), and leads to him stumbling on some genuinely great ones. Once In A Lifetime, obviously, but also the one about a kid who reads too many magazine and tries to change his face by sheer force of will. (Don't try it--doesn't work). While the one about Mojique doesn't hit the bull's eye, it does demonstrate just how far Byrne has stepped outside of himself. All the way into Africa.
Hot take time: The best Talking Heads album is Stop Making Sense. The album and movie especially showcase exactly what makes the band an all-timer (of course, I'm speaking of the latter edition of the album, the one with all 16 songs - apparently the original version of the soundtrack album only had 9 of the songs, which may explain why it's not on the list). And the live versions for the most part have even more appeal than the recorded originals. Crosseyed and Painless, the second song on this album, is more energetic on Stop Making Sense and becomes an absolute banger. This album's centerpiece includes the remarkable "The Great Curve" followed by one of the band's more famous songs, "Once In A Lifetime". The first five songs are close to perfect and really put you right in producer Brian Eno's world. The last three tracks didn't grab me at all on first listen, but improved quite a bit on repeat plays. This is the most complete Talking Heads studio album. An essential 40-minute listen. Spotify gave me the Deluxe Edition, which includes 4 unfinished outtakes to provide further proof the band was at the peak of their powers. And if you've never seen "Stop Making Sense", fix that mistake immediately. It's on the short list of the greatest rock music films.
In discussions of this album, the primacy of African polyrhythms is often mentioned, but that not quite correct. Strictly speaking, the polyrhythms are African-American because they derive from Afrobeat, which originated as a response to the music of James Brown. Fela Kuti and others took the funk rhythms of James Brown and added the polyrhythms and layering of traditional African music. With Remain in Light, Talking Heads returned the favor, emphasizing layering and interlocking rhythmic patterns even more, and not only rhythms but also sounds. Anticipating hip hop, Eno built up the tunes out of loops cut out from two live jam sessions from the full band. In producer Brian Eno's hands, the complexity of this layering dwarfs anything Fela Kuti ever did. Which brings up another point, which is rarely discussed. Remain in Light is one of the most sonically rich and gorgeous albums ever made--Eno takes his unique and patented electronic processing to new heights. But as much credit as Eno deserves for the success of Remain in Light, it's hardly a one-man show. Tina Weymouth's bass lines are deeply funky, as is Jerry Harrison's chickenscratch guitar. Chris Frantz' drumming seems less distinctive to me, which is perhaps why Eno and David Byrne decided to bring in percussionist Jose Rossy, who later played with Weather Report. And I suspect that the interweaving vocal parts are largely the work of Byrne, enriched by contributions from soul singer Nona Hendryx. Another thing: it's wrong to say that there are no solos on this record--they're just deeply untraditional. Adrian Belew's avant guarde outbursts on guitar are refreshingly non linear, thrilling and absolutely brilliant. And world music pioneer Jon Hassel's processed trumpet solo on Seen and Not Seen gives the track a suitably eerie edge. As if all that weren't enough, Talking Heads even include one track that miraculously manages to weave Afrobeat, pop, and the Velvet Underground into one of the most indelible singles of the 80s, Once In A Lifetime. Remain in Light is damned near flawless.
Rating (1/10): 6-9. DOYM (depends on your mood) Is there already a genre called TranceFunk? Prince without the sex, but that just means dancing can exist without lust; bigger frontiers for physical expression of the mind and soul. I'd forgotten what a great bass player Tina Weymouth is; totally underappreciated. Tom-Tom Club: https://youtu.be/aCWCF19nUhA Adrien Belew (via King Crimson): https://youtu.be/zqhhZRcFlws Remain In Light was on heavy rotation in the restaurant kitchen where I worked; this is great music to cook to. (Eno might find that quite the compliment.)
thought I would like it more than I did. Once in a Lifetime is still a great song
I'd heard Once in a Lifetime before, that was definitely a stand out track. Some of the tracks were better than others, a few felt a bit chaotic and didn't do anything for me. This album felt fine, but it was anything special.
One cool song. Style is mostly a repetitive loop. Bad lyrics, poor singing.
Truly bangin’ album. Band in top form, kickstarting the 80s and art rock of the decade.
And you may ask yourself, what is this beautiful house? It’s this album!
This album starts off with a bang with the frenetic African polyrhythms of Born Under Punches. Fela Kuti’s influence is unmistakeable. The chemistry of the band and guests is also magic in a bottle: Eno, Belew, Hendryx and Hassell’s trumpet! The intensity is maintained with the next few songs: Crosseyed, The Great Curve and Once in a lifetime. In particular Adrian Belew’s guitar is astonishing on the Great Curve. The pace slowly gets turned down with each successive song but the incredible quality of the songs is maintained throughout right to the end. Seen and not Seen is the perfect bridge between the more upbeat African polyrhythmic songs to the two sonic masterpieces The Listening Wind and The Overload. Talking Heads put out many really great albums but this is their very best, and that is saying a lot. One of my favourite albums of all time.
5.0 - Incredible. The first few tracks sound like Fela Kuti through a neon filter with instrumental solos that sound wildly futuristic even by today's standards. "One in a Lifetime" is a masterpiece of songwriting, imagery and sound production. The tone and tempo mellow for the second half, ending with a Joy Division-esque dirge with "The Overload." This is a nuanced, heady, kinetic and bafflingly awesome listen.
No skips I love the basslines and African elements Crosseyed and Painless/Once in a Lifetime were my favourites I would easily listen to this again
This album is undefeated. I love this album, I love Talking Heads, this is one of my top 15 albums of all time.
'Once in a lifetime' is one of the all time greats. Really enjoyed 'Seen and not seen'. A Challenging listen at times, but overall it's somewhat brilliant.
Innovative? Yes. Influential? Eh, maybe. Throw it on the heap of albums that are notable, but not necessarily a great listen. Also, it reminds me of that terrible Matt Damon movie about tiny people. Bet track: Seen and Not Seen
Decent album that, 40 years later, lost its groundbreaking appeal for me
Pretty underwhelming just kinda forget I’m even listening to music typa album... not bad just ehh whatever sure ig.... it’s got some good tunes okay lol
I honestly couldn't tell you why but Once in a Lifetime is bit of a banger. Other than that it's okay - Not sure I'd buy the album just for the one track
Is every TH album a must listen? Sonically, this is an interesting album, but nothing to write home about. Once in a Lifetime does the heavy lifting here.
I am bored listening to this album; most songs aren't doing anything particularly interesting, and strike me as repetitive. It's fine background music but not a keeper for me.
I recognize that this album is unique and experimental and has some bangers however it's not really my thing, wouldn't catch me listening to the whole album again
Didn't know most of these songs apart from "Once in a lifetime". That track is still the stand out. The rest of the songs didn't really grab me on a first listen. might need to come back for another listen.
Not a lot of surprises here. It's fine but none of it really seems like mine. Feels like being at a party where I don't know anyone but I don't really feel like getting to know anyone either. And the feeling's mutual.
It had some pretty good songs. But there were more songs I wasn’t really a fan of.
Once in a lifetime is by far the best song. The rest of the album is a bit weird but fine to listen to I guess
Great start, but got a little muddled towards the end. So much talent. A little too much at the end.
This album is anxiety inducing. I hated everything. I can’t believe this was allowed to be released much less hailed to be an incredible album.
Love the energy of the looping grooves and stream of consciousness lyrics. Listened to Deluxe Edition.
So good. I’ve never listened to the whole album. And now I have, and feel richer for it.
Now this is the new wave thag I want to listen to. Classic, love it, all around amazing
My only real negative note is how repetitive the songs are, but at the same time, they kind of use that to add effect. Incredible album. Favorite Track(s): “Born Under Punches,” “The Great Curve,” “Once In A Lifetime,” and “Houses In Motion”
One of my favorite bands of the last decade (for me, not them. They haven't been together in a while). This album is not my favorite Talking Heads album. It's pretty middle of the road for me. However, I gave Modern Lovers and Fun Loving Criminals 4 stars, and Remain in Light is WAY better than either of those. Once in a Lifetime is a song that gets better and hits harder every single time I hear it. That track alone also makes this a 5 star album. But Born Under Punches, Crosseyed and Painless, and Fela's Riff are also all top notch
Might not be everyone’s cup of team but you can definitely see how it was influential for the new wave genre specially by mixing a bunch sounds that you wouldn’t expect
Love love love this album. "Crosseyed and Painless" & "The Great Curve" are 2 of my top 3 or 4 Talking Heads songs. This album is so funky and not as stiff as their earlier work. Classic
Talking Heads + Eno always yields amazing results. Dark and weird. One of my favorites album of all time.
El empleo de la guitarra me resulta refrescante en este disco, aporta sonidos interesantes. La primera canción fue la que más me gustó, me pareció un gran inicio y Felas's riff tiene una ondita padre. Tiene también variedad de moods. No es mucho mi estilo, pero está chido de todas formas. Mood: no sé, esta vez no se me ocurre un buen mood cagado.
Loved it, the range of instruments made the songs catchy and upbeat without being overly cheesy
i think i prefer fear of music as far as heads/eno collabs, but its still a classic
40 años después sigue sonando moderno, como recién grabado. Mathpop, repetitivo y africano, con arreglos indescriptibles y computarizados. Eno y Byrne contra el mundo. Agotador y obsesivo. Muy grande.
No había escuchado nunca un álbum completo de los Talking Heads, pero este lo disfruté mucho. Te lleva por una mezcla de ritmos muy divertida, con distintos moods que funcionan bien juntos.
Polished enough to justify the quirky nature of their lyrics and rhythm, The Talking Heads fall for me outside the realm of music and closer to painting in that they appear to be a manifestation of subconscious thought materialized by art, creativity, and discipline.
Talking Heads almost always take chances with their music, trying out odd songwriting and instrumentation that doesn't always work out. The second half of this record, for example, is only okay. The last two songs in particular I take the needle off the record and move on. So it says something about how good the first four songs are that this album is still a 5. "Once in a Lifetime" has a legit claim to being one of the best songs ever, elevated by fantastic, innovative production. A record that rewards repeated listenings.
Great album. Already knew it, but nice to have a reminder to listen to it again.
Top 3 album of all time. An absolute masterpiece. 10/10 1. The Great Curve 2. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) 3. Once in a Lifetime
First record with a computerized image on the album cover! And what a record it is!
Talking Heads at their peak. Their evolution from full-on weird punk to masters of New Wave reaches its climax before they would go on tours for a few years. There are only 8 tracks, but they're absolutely perfect. There is quite literally not a single forgettable track. I feel like everyone who's listened to this album at least a few times can say something about each of them. Everyone has a different favorite. You'll notice that a lot of people rank their favorite tracks nearly exact to the track listing. That's because the album starts out loud and bombastic. "Under Punches" kicks off with a yell and goes straight into the action with weird lyrics and incredible synths that define everything great about Talking Heads. It's no wonder some consider them to be the epitome of the New Wave movement. The entire first side could easily be smash hits if placed on different albums, and it's incredible hearing them back to back. Very hard to pick favorites. Second side is also full of top tier tracks, but they're not dance based... it gets incredibly eery and involved. This makes for a thematic experience overall, but could push people away from finishing the album. My first few times listening to the album, my brain would always space out the last few tracks. But then I started listening to the lyrics. "Seen and Not Seen" is a lesson to be learned about the whims of appealing to how you wish to appear, and the consequences that may follow. "Listening Wind" is about a terrorist sick of intruding globalization. "The Overload" is a gothic atmospheric track which ambiguous, haunting lyrics that I still have no idea what to make of. They're not hits by any mean, but I love their sounds. Oh and the chorus of "Listening Wind" catches on. So many things I find perfect about this album. I was assigned Fela Kuti a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved his work, but didn't know why. Turns out it sounds just like Talking Heads. Talking Heads takes a lot from funk and afrobeat, most notable Parliament-Funkadelic and Fela Kuti respectively. Such developments came to fruition in Fear of Music, but I feel the sound is at its peak here. Not to mention Eno is back here again with the flawless production. It just sounds fantastic, and it's insane how they combined all these channels without divine guidance. Of course, Byrne's vocals is also a central strong aspect, not only with his peculiar yet accessible lyrics, but his speech pattern, and his delivery between melodic singings and proto-rap-like verses. I'm a sucker for synths and for weird music and complexity. This has all of that. Parts like when all voice channels sing different lines in "The Great Curve," or the speech about facts in "Crosseyed and Painless," or the part about water at the bottom of the ocean in "Once in a Lifetime," I look forward to it all as highlights. Sometimes I rewind just to hear them again. Truly, this album checks off everything I look for in an album, and delivers much much more I couldn't possibly expect other albums to have. You are guaranteed I will be listening to this album many times a year for as long as I live.
4.5 | Una vez más de lo mejor que hubo del New Wave/Post Punk/en realidad son difíciles de clasificar o centrar a un solo modo... en este disco se ve mucho ese sonido de los que les gusta llamarlos una banda punk. No se si lo mencione a fondo en la anterior, pero a pesar de todo lo que me gustan los Talking Heads nunca he sido un fanático fuerte de manera particular hacia alguno de sus discos. “Once in a Lifetime” ha sido una canción que me ha gustado mucho casi desde que tengo memoria. Es realmente extraña, en música y letras, pero es harto pegajosa. Siempre me preguntaba si esa canción era una muestra de lo que era envejecer. Ahora que soy mayor, veo que para algunas personas lo es. Siento que con el tiempo se va haciendo uno más reflexico y se oye raro pero quizás tener esta canción conmigo ha ayudado con eso. Así que, queriendo encontrar más música como "Once in a Lifetime", puse este álbum, cuya portada es también de mis primeros recuerdos de ver en discos de vinil. No es un álbum que te agarra instantáneamente y toma tiempo asimilarlo. Siento que en estos días lo he absorbido canción por canción, y más o menos en el orden de las pistas. Realmente me terminaron gustando bastante alrededor de 7/8 cancines en este punto (la pista final que no me agrada y queintentan sonar como Joy Division) . Me encanta el rollo en el que continúa, esos loops repetidos son increíbles y aportan una vibra muy correcta. El lado a es básicamente una forma realmente difícil de hacer un álbum de Funk. El segundo lado suena oscuro, pero al escuchar atentamente habla acerca de la belleza de la vida. Cada paso del proceso en la creación de este álbum se siente extremadamente calculado y eso debería dejarlo rígido y seco. En cambio, trae esta emoción y ritmo, es algo hipnótico. Brian Eno tiene cosas que me encantan y cosas que simplemente no me cuadran, esta es una especie de culminación de toda su experimentación. Reúne todo lo que había estado haciendo durante una década. Sugiero concentrarse en el primer lado ... el más rítmico y luego dejar que todo llegue a su debido tiempo en la segunda mitad.
I always enjoy listening to the Talking Heads, I just kind of don't do it enough
A stunning album, full of depth, ambition, sonic innovation and the extraordinary Once In A Lifetime, Talking Heads take their musical experimentation to a new level and create a new wave poly rhythmic art rock fusion masterpiece. Even more surprising for such a complex studio production is how good these songs would sound live on the Stop Making Sense tour. An album born out of creative frustration, recording limitations and antagonism between the band members - from such challenges is born a work of art.
This album is a groove and a half! The music moves and you have to, too. There is so much going on in these songs, lots of layers and a great mix of sonic textures. One of my all-time favorites. 5/5 stars
Classic album. Great rhythms, loved the mix of instruments. Bass is fantastic, really drives the band along. So many things to listen to at once, there's a lot going on.
One of my favorites from this decade. Such a strange and angular band, and this is one of their weirdest and most interesting.