Remain In Light

El pop artístico y experimental que imprimió David Byrne a Talkin Heads culminó con este, su cuarto álbum, un giro espléndido, introduciendo sección de vientos, percusión africana, teclados funk y electrónica. Esto le permite explorar ritmos africanos cubriendo sus siempre aparentemente inconexas letras. Me gusta el single que extrajeron del disco, "One in a Lifetime", un fracaso en su momento pero que hoy forma parte de repertorio básico de Talking Heads. También disfruto mucho con el arranque, la ácida "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)", así como el ritmo imparable de "Houses in Motion".

LOVE

Incredible album, not only Talking Heads magnum opus, but maybe the best production work that Eno has done to date. The sample based songs, the infectious grooves it’s all so good. Plus, Once in a Lifetime! Too 10, maybe Top 5 for me. Endlessly replayable, playful and weird while still being listenable. A band at the height of their power coupled with a production wizard.

Favorite track: Listening Wind Not my favorite Talking Heads album but I can see why it is important.

Hermoso!

Third Talking Heads album arriving on my list and every time a Talking Heads arrival always seems to coincide with some real life catastrophe. If its not Leeds United losing at Wembley this album arrives when trying to purchase a new car the sale of which went so wrong I had to reverse the deal and then my old car then costing me an arm and a leg needlessly. The whole point of mentioning this is that even if I was minded to listen to the Talking Heads for pleasure, which I’m not, I seem to get little time to do so when the 1001 Gods present me with one of their albums. However in this case this is an album I am vaguely familiar with as it’s the only one I have ever bought. That was out of curiosity because of all the music press continually going on about them. No streaming then of course so the only way to hear an album and seriously listen was to buy it. So I did my time then trying to get into this so in all honesty don’t feel the need to repeat this trauma listening today. Nothing has changed. I consider it to be an awful album. It holds nothing of interest to me at all. The only improvement from my vinyl copy I bought is that I can easily skip tracks early when streaming. The one concession I will give it is that I am aware that the album is lauded by greater minds than mine as been of great musical value. For that reason it does perhaps deserve a place on this list. So with a doff of my cap to these musical geniuses I will move my finger right from hovering over the figure 1 and through clenched teeth bring it down on 2. I have just checked the 1001 book and seen there is yet a further Talking Heads album to endure. It would be nice to know when this will be so that I could stay in bed to prevent further bad luck befalling me. But alas that isn’t how this process works. I will keep my readership (ie me alone) posted. 2/5 28/9/24

Wow. Was war das denn? Afrobeat, Funk, Spoken Word, wirre Sounds und Abläufe, Melodiefetzen, Groove… Nichts zum Nebenbeihören. Once in a Lifetime ist Anspieltipp. Mir persönlich zu anstrengend und repetitiv. 2,5 von 5

Great band. Another true sound of the 80’s-90’s. Great singers/ songs.

Hypnotic rhythms, catchy riffs v danceable

Not bad but not great either

#353. It's exactly what you'd expect from a Talking Heads album. 1 or 2 good songs accompanied by a lot of weird. 2/5: meh Song added to playlist: Once In A Lifetime I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

Once in a Lifetime steals the show. The Overload was a surprisingly dark and droning end to the album.

Very enjoyable, with some strange use of odd instruments.

Talking Heads always bring such unique and different sound, it’s a cool change of pace. Great mix of electronic elements and mixing effects with traditonal pop punk sound. The singing on this and similar groups tends to be my least favorite part. Not something I’m going to listen to regularly, but probably one to add to the collection because it is so different.

houses move and houses speak

Once in a lifetime is a banger, the rest are all pretty good too

This was a great album, but a little out there -- as Talking Heads albums are. Three stars.

It's cool, not their best.

stiiiiillllllllllll waiting

Had a friend who adored Talking Heads. To me, "Remain In Light" was not a good listen (¬_¬") "Remain In Light" sounds like having your dry sock dipped in a cold puddle. Not exactly pleasant — eh? With mechanical beats and rheumy vocals, Talking Heads feels almost like a parody band.

pretty cool

Amazing mix of genres, moods and styles! It’s odd but not overwhelmingly strange and a lot of fun! All in a tight 40-minute package! Highlights: “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)”, “Once in a Lifetime”, “Listening Wind” & “The Overload”. 5 stars.

I like the music very much.

You can never go wrong with this one.

Bij het eerste nummer gingen m'n nekharen overeind staan van het lichtelijk valse gekrijs, maar daarna werd het allemaal een stuk interessanter. Een beetje dwarse jarentachtigpop, best goed gedaan met alle likjes en loopjes, zelfs het maffe stemgeluid van de zanger went. En dat voor een plaat uit 1980! Het klinkt alsof het nieuwer is. Ik kon het, ondanks dat Brian Eno het geproduceerd heeft, moeiteloos meerdere keren aanhoren.

Het album komt niet zo heel bijzonder over. Maar de repeterende basis pakt mij heel makkelijk. Ze krijgen het voor elkaar om dit niet saai te laten worden. Dat begint met de aanstekelijke ritmes. Vervolgens weten ze het met simpele sampeltjes/geluidjes toch interessant te houden. Het heeft iets weg van oude houseplaatjes waar de hoofden over heen praten. Zelfs dat praten past prima in het geheel. En dan valt alles samen en is dit plaatje eigenlijk toch wel bijzonder.

Bij een snobfavoriet als de Talking Heads is het altijd even afwachten wat voor muziek je voorgeschoteld krijgt. Het wil nogal eens de experimentele band uitspringen. Ik was voorbereid op het ergste. Maar het begint gelijk met lekkere funky bas en gitaar. Lekker uptempo, niet te veel gekke geluiden. Dit was goed uit te houden.

First listen Saved 4/8 Top track: Once in a Lifetime

Remain In Light - Talking Heads (1980) Tentando demais algo que não são. O álbum em questão é interessante, e tem músicas que criam curiosidade, mas ao mesmo tempo parece que estão tentando demais, e isso acaba tirando um pouco do interesse pelo álbum. A caminhada toda é uma tentativa de incorporar a música africana, principalmente pela sonoridade de Fela Kuti, mas o tema parece alheio à essência dos integrantes, fato que também se repete nas composições, onde pela história do disco há relatos de terem sido influenciadas pela literatura africana. Portanto, é um disco interessante de se ouvir, mas difícil de entender os porquês, e acaba perdendo muito da sua força por esse motivo, parece algo deslocado do criador, vale comentar que a audição do álbum se deu após um disco do Jorge Ben, que parece que faz tudo que o Talking Heads gostaria de fazer, mas com a propriedade existente só para quem de fato é. Melhores Músicas: The Overload Piores Músicas: N/A 2.5/5

Not the iconic Talking Heads.

Really enjoyed this album. Funky, noisy, strange, but fun. I liked a lot of what was offered here. I will say, that I thought the songs were too long. Repeatedly I would look at my phone when I thought the song would be over and it was always only half way. Standouts: Born Under Punches, The Great Curve, Once in a Lifetime, and Listening Wind.

Great record. My first experience listening to Talking Heads.

Talking Heads is the greatest band of all time. I could write a lot about this album but it speaks completely for itself

This is my third Talking Heads album from this list and seems I've not been ready to commit and just been handing out 4s. This album is like a 4.5 for me so I'll finally commit and give it a 5. Faves: Once in a Lifetime is just epic, Listening Wind, and Right Start are also faves.

Oh yeah, Talking Heads firing on all cylinders - magic! Fave tracks - "Once in a Lifetime" is obviously a cultural juggernaut and absolutely deserves all praise heaped upon it. I love the opening three track run leading up to it, "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" -> "Crosseyed and Painless" -> "The Great Curve" - they kinda carve out their own world and set up the rest of the album...

Once in a Lifetime is good

Apart from In a Lifetime and Road to Nowhere, only one of which is on this album, I guess I still don’t care for Talking Heads.

Heard this album many times love this band

9/10. I love nerdy new wave with a whole lotta bass! :)

Great album

Love this. I just stuck it on repeat and let it go for hours.

5th one and I’m only 242 into this. I didnt they had this many albums. It’s a decent record but enough with the Talking Heads already there’s a lot of good music out there.

It was fine.

Art punk. Fully experimental, pinnacle of the 80's. I tried to love it, but something didn't click. Sad.

Noteworthy songs - 808080808 Magical Dream - Kinda catchy synth, but the rest is bland. Ancodia - Good background noise. Cobra Bora - Actually kind of cool, reminds me of Bomberman Hero. Pacific 202 - N64 vibes, but melody isn't great. Donkey Doctor - Nothing too special, weird ending. 808080808 - Really cool beginning. A little slow in the middle but stays interesting enough. Sunrise - Nothing remarkable. The Fat Shadow - Eerie. Very short.

Good

Intrinsic wildness Dance worthy blend of genres homage to Fela

So good

luv

How serendipitous that I just watched Stop Making Sense last night. Just about everyone I know that likes Talking Heads cite this as their best and most influential and innovative album, and I don't completely disagree. I always find myself flip flopping between this or Speaking In Tongues for their best album. Meanwhile, Remain in Light is a fantastic blend of styles with new wave, funky bass grooves, afro-beat percussion, hypnotic rhythms, spacey synths and abstract guitars. The first half of the album far more exciting and energetic while the last few songs kinda drone on with David Byrne more or less monologuing over very Brian Eno influenced backing tracks. It's a great album, highly recommend, even if it's not their most successful and single laden album. 4/5

Ground-breaking, funky, but slightly over-rated. 4.5/5

My absolute favorite Talking Heads album 10 ★★★★★

A good album, but not my favourite genre, and nt my favourite Talking Heads album

Really cool blend of funk, afrobeat, electronic music, sampling, punk, and new wave. Super groundbreaking and ahead of it's time. 5 stars

3.5

Not really a big fan of Talking Heads or David Byrne and I find his yelpy delivery on Born Under Punches to be particularly annoying. Crosseyed And Painless doesn’t do much for me either but The Great Curve jumps out more- I quite like the extra frantic cartoon car-chase vibe and some of the dentist drill guitar tones that pop up here and elsewhere. Once In A Lifetime is a pretty wondrous, iconic highlight where everything clicks impeccably into place and I can admit is pretty great. The second half beyond that is a bit barren and it is just the dark, doomy stillness and despondency of closer The Overload standing out as the next most notable track even if it is a copy of Joy Division I Remember Nothing.

Not my absolute favorite Talking Heads but a great album. I prefer Fear of Music and Buildings and Food more. Low 4.5 stars 8.9 out of 10

I like it. Perhaps one day I’ll love it. 4/5

Good

Byrne, Eno, Belew, Weymouth... an absolute powerhouse

One of the first albums I bought with my own money because my big sister had Talking Heads 77 and I really got into that but it felt silly even to a 10-year-old to buy another copy of a record we already had under our roof. Absolutely adore this album and it completely blew my mind it was profoundly influential for me as a musician. So I was a little surprised not all that long ago as I was really getting into African pop music of the 70s to notice that a lot of the ideas and sounds here are directly lifted from those tunes. I mean directly. I don't mean that as any sort of criticism because every musician is inspired by the sounds around them, and it certainly something Talking Heads have discussed openly. The lyrics are of course sui generis, like all Talking Heads. I particularly love the lyrics to "Seen and Not Seen." As a tween I used to ponder them endlessly and wonder if that's what lay ahead for me. For many years I regarded it as fantasy but now I've reached a point where I see it's more true than not. There's not enough talk in this world about the musicianship of this band. Tina Weymouth on bass particularly stands out as one of the most interesting and, at least to this bassist, influential electric bass players. I heard David Byrne was a total dick to her and constantly wanted to replace her which is really unfortunate and misguided if you consider that her playing and singing on Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" (side project made a little after Remain in Light) might be the most sampled and ripped off bass line in the history of music. I'm kind of at the point where I can't listen to this record anymore I played it so many times so instead what I like to do is go on YouTube and search out this one particular show they played in Rome in 1980 promoting this album. it's about an hour long will absolutely shred your mind. What an incredible band!

Just the other day I was wondering why I hadn't gotten any Talking Heads yet, so thankfully that question is now answered. I don't know their discography very well, so it's hard to say whether this is one of their better albums or not, but it *definitely* sounds like the Talking Heads I'm familiar with, and I really enjoyed listening to it, despite the relative paucity of radio hits (although "Once in a lifetime" more than makes up for that lack--what a great song). My favorite previously-unheard songs are probably "The great curve" and "Houses in motion". (And though it wasn't one of my favorites, "Listening wind" makes me wonder if it was inspiration for the Peter Gabriel/Laurie Anderson 1984 collaboration "This is the picture (excellent birds)".) And although I'm sure my memory is quite garbled at this point, I feel like a surprising number of songs on this album was played in that great concert film "Stop Making Sense". I also like the backstory of how the album came to be, a strange blend of reactions to Byrne's controlling nature, Fela Kuti influences, Haitian Voudou, the insights from hip-hop's growing ascendance, and Brian Eno's semi-reluctant return as producer, all apparently reviving the band's energy and a more collaborative spirit. (And, of course, reinforcing that Brian Eno is everywhere.) It kind of feels like this is more of a meta-album for this collection, given how conveniently and easily it meshes with so many other themes in the "1001 Albums" collection. A bummer, though, that the creative process for making this album strained the band members even more than they were already. Same as it ever was....

This album blew my mind when it first came out--I was in high school and the complexity of the rhythms and the nod to more experimental music like that of Philip Glass and Brian Eno rocked my world, though now, thanks to this project, I realize I missed all the African beat adoption. I've probably listened to this more than any other Talking Heads albums and it might be one of my top 10 albums of all time, though "The Overload" is downer. Still sounds great after nearly 50 years!

I enjoyed this waaaay more than I thought I was going to. Restrained 80s electronica. Loopy, minimal and generally doing a lot of things I enjoy from music.

The Talking Heads are the perfect blend of pop and weird. They bring a chaotic energy to the 80s along with a ton of different sounds used in ways you won't find anywhere else. My favorites here are Born Under Punches, The Great Curve, and Once In a Lifetime. The rest of the album doesn't hold those highs, but it's still a great album.

Coll

Je l'ai bien aimé, probablement celui que j'ai le plus aimé après More Songs About Buildings And Food. 7.5/10

Once in a lifetime, one of my all time favourite tracks. Overall great album

It's ok, nothing great except for one song

Great album. The Great Curve is 6/5.

Love Talking Heads. Love this album. One of my favs. 5/5

3.5 - once in a lifetime one of the greats

It's supposed to be an alternative classic, and sure you can feel it's greatness, but after all that technical brilliance and razor sharp production, if the music doesn't touches your soul, then what to feel about it? I don't know. The opening track's grooves are irresistible. Brian Eno's production makes sure that you hear each and every instrument with crystal clear clarity. Loved the song Great Curve. It's one running beast of a song behind which you can only half run/dance and try to catch up. Once In A Lifetime is okayish. Rest I didn't care much, not even the brooding closer The Overload. And yes I'm not a big fan of African music. It's fun, but not 'nuf.

One of my favorites. This is required listening

The best!!!

Repetitive yet not boring. Original and inventive 4.3

This is where the inventive and clever collection collapses in on itself only surfacing for the one gem we all know. Not helped by the dense production.

The very first notes on the first song is so funky. The bassline hits so hard. They really have got it. Got 2 of their albums on the list beforehand, but this one is the best of them. 4.5/5.

I understand what they are trying to do. I appreciate what they are trying to do. But it’s just not my style I don’t think. A few good ones on here. It definitely is an ALBUM rather than a collection of singles.

Brilliant.

I like it, i didn't save any songs but i like the vibes of the album

Excellent album. Talking Heads put together an incredibly interesting pop/new wave album that somehow sounds like everything else and nothing else. It's artsy as expected but also accessible and familiar. *****

Very cool album. Standout songs: Crosseyed and painless The Overload

Honestly more meh than I expected. However, I definitely have a much more holistic view of albums than a lot of people. It takes good musicians, good vocalists, good lyrics, and good songwriting for me to be totally in to something. This album had about 1.5/4 of those things

art school pop punk

The Talking Heads were a weird band but man, were they good.

If I heard a description of this band I wouldn't know what to think. "It's a new wave jam band, kind of! With electronic music and spoken word!" But Byrne is so confident that he sells even the weaker tracks. "Once in a lifetime" gets the most attention but "the great curve" is just as good.

Absolutely awesome album. I'd give it a 6/5 if I could.

This is a great album, and I think is clearly the best Talking Heads album. It's consistently exciting and rhythmically interesting for 40 minutes. It's great to listen to. It's fun and feels distinctly Talking Heads. That being said, I find the vocals always sound like a carnival barker and it's just kind of silly to me. It feels like an act, not in a phony way, more like in a drama. He's hamming it up and I appreciate that. I tend to like more vulnerable music, and this doesn't feel particularly vulnerable. Once in a lifetime is unique and it feels almost like a radio opera or a twilight zone episode. It's just cool. This feels groundbreaking and exciting and influential. Hard to say whether I should give it a 5 because I think it's that good or give it a 4 because it's not the type of thing I usually listen to. I'll give it a listen in the right set and setting and I'm sure I'll enjoy it even more.

I wanted to like this more than I did. The percussion and rhythms throughout the whole album are awesome; and you can feel the influence they all took from Fela Kuti and his contemporaries. In the wiki article it’s mentioned that the band didn’t want to make this another David Byrne and friends album, which I feel they accomplished, other than the massive “once in a lifetime”, which is one of the most iconic Byrne songs ever. The second half of the album is the letdown for me and ultimately makes me not really want to revisit this more. “Listening Wind” and “The Overload” are such a drag compared to the first 4 or 5 songs. I get that you want to vary the tempo over an album but maybe the track ordering got lost in the grander plan. I actually wonder if I would’ve liked it more in a different order. Anyway it’s still a good album, it’s just not great for me.

A scant year after the release of Fear of music and a full tour the Talking Heads put this together. I like this even more than the previous entry. Crosseyed and Painless starts us off strong with the almost chaotic drum kit, The Overload is why we have Type O Negative, and Once in a Lifetime is a banger The only miss is the first track. I just can't find the groove. Talking Heads is so far my "big find" of this journey.

It was ok, after reading more about the lyrics and the meaning behind the songs i was able to get into the album more.

This album was a certified slapper

Two talking heads albums in a row :0 hm I liked this one a little less though. Fine, but not as good as some of their other stuff.

❤️ no misses

when the belew solos hit,,,they hit so hard so incredibly good, jumped with joy when this was revealed as my next album

Liked more than previous listens. Great buildups, clearly talented band. More groovy than most rock

This album sounds like the 80s. Don't love the random talking in the middle of songs.

7/10

first time i gave this record a listen i was terrified how appalingly involving ad catchy it was. Some of the songs gave me ind of chills but in a good way of course. Thew i went in all that deep lyrics, not that easy to get them right from first attempt but they do have a lot of sense. technically wise this album is significantly better than other records by this group. definetely worth a listen.

Abstract and zany with a good groove in most of the tracks. Nothing bad to say other than some songs weren't for me.

Best album ever

Good album. I always thought Talking Heads was pretentious, and they are a little, but it's sincere & heartfelt. I like the looping rhythm echoed by the looping words. It's an experience to sit with.

Favourite Song: Listening Wind

I appreciate this album a lot. Incredibly interesting in its diversity of sound and style. Thought it was great!

really catchy and creative percussion and relatively repetitive sounds that form almost a bit of an addictive drone

3.5 stars rounded up

This was (surprisingly for me) pretty good! I’m not going to rush out and buy it or anything but I enjoyed having it on!

Classic once in a lifetime but have better other albums

Seriously just some of the most fun music to listen to, every single song here is meticulously crafted into the very most funky, dancey and impressive New Wave music to ever be released. This isn't even my favorite album from Talking Heads but somehow manages to be one of the greatest albums ever created, that shows the insane level of creativity and musical talent shown by every single member. A must listen for anyone into any kind of music just because of how much of today's music has been inspired by it. One of the greatest of all time.

Was this music designed to annoy me? I couldn't intentionally make something as random or obnoxious. The singer sucks so bad.

I typically enjoy the Talking Heads, but this… this was not it. I feel like the music here may have been trying to program me to commit murders. It was like jungle robots clanging in my brain. I really don’t understand.

Love Talking Heads and never owned this album, and never listened to it all. Love the poly rhythm but some songs drag. But it's a good one.

ja leuuuk

8,00

Okay album, there’s better by the Talking Heads.

# 286 : They've done a pretty decent job. I think Its OK, I could listen to it, a couple of things stood out, But there were more songs I wasn’t really a fan of. But most songs are cool and weird. Fave Track : Once In A Lifetime

A legendary album, and it deserves that title. The way it melds Afrobeat and funk influences with art rock and post-punk music is masterful. Byrne is a visionary, and his lyrics are simultaneously thought-provoking and occasionally funny. The rest of the Heads are great in their own right; Jerry Harrison might be my favorite. I'll be honest in saying that it took many years for the back half of this album to grow on me, but grow it certainly has. I can probably mine more from those songs these days, due to not having played them out the way the hits have been. But even though this album might have a stronger A-side, I cannot fathom granting it less than a full 5 stars.

Nice album to play along while you're doing stuff on a daily basis

Great album but I prefer fear of music.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM SO SO MUCH Favs: born under pressure, cross eyed and painless, once in a lifetime , houses in motion

AMAZING

It's their best one

David Byrne is delightfully quirky. His music is always bold and brash and I love it.

This had some incredible songs on it. It also had some songs I probably wouldn’t listen to again. So this is tough, the good songs are amazing, just truly great music. The other stuff has some interesting things going on, but as songs just don’t quite do it for me.

1 point for once in a lifetime but i just found this noisy

Wonderful. Every time I retuned my ear I could hear another layer of bizarre instrumentation, or something else interesting going on. This record is layered and complex, but so accessible and not at all pretentious. Bravo!

Sehr gutes Album. Talking Heads kann man immer noch gut hören

5/5 This classic album is often deservedly listed among the greatest ever made. The rich, catchy instrumentals slap over and over again, with brilliant percussion. The production is out-of-this-world good to achieve a unique recognisable sound, over which David Byrne alternately whispers, preaches, screeches and serenades to us with manic energy. The African influence, incorporating complex polyrhythms, just takes these songs to the stratosphere. By the time the dark and intense The Overload kicks in, I feel enriched. I don't know if 40 minutes of music have ever sounded so good before, or if they will again. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) 5/5 (FAV) Crosseyed and Painless 5/5 The Great Curve 5/5 Once in a Lifetime 5/5 Houses in Motion 5/5 (LEAST FAV) Seen and Not Seen 5/5 Listening Wind 5/5 The Overload 5/5

Talking heads are classic, and I've pretty much heard them enough.

Another Talking Heads album. I didn’t like the last one, and I didn’t like this one either. I usually like stuff that’s a little different, but I think this band is just too oddball for me.

Great! lol

This album is consistently amazing. Every track brings the same, rich feeling of the last in a totally new way. Obviously Once in a Lifetime is great, but compared to the rest of the tracks, it’s a wonder how THIS was the one to hit it big. In addition, the mixing of genres and overall feelings is a true marvel. The lyrics are weird yet relatable. The melodies are modern yet classic. This record is a true joy to listen to for any occasion.

Really odd, in a good way, with bizarre lyrics and massive variation in rhythm and instrumentation. The 'Deluxe' version is not entirely necessary, although "Fela's Riff" is a nice nod to a superior artist.

For the most part this album lacks structure in it's tracks. I feel as though a lot of the tracks are jam sessions with a few lyrics sprinkled in here and there or at least that's the sense I get listening to Remain in the Light. There are a few tracks that I enjoyed in Crosseyed and Painless, Once in a Lifetime, and Unison. Would I purchase this album if I were to run across it at some garage sale for a low price? No. Would I go out of my way to listen to this album in full again? No. Did I waste my time listening to it? No.

Excellent early album with lots of their huge, wildly popular songs alongside a few lesser known tracks (the first three tracks aren't at all well known to me). I think in the last few years, the genius of the Talking Heads will continue to unfold similar to the path of Bowie who had a somewhat similar trajectory to eternal star.

"Talking Heads 77's" appearance on the random generator caused a bit of deja vu. “How many Talking Heads albums have we listened to?” “Did I listen to all of them?” “Did I actually write reviews for the ones I listened to?” In fact, it would seem I had the same discussion with myself when we got our second Talking Heads album. I went and listened to both and actually wrote the reviews at that time. This time, I was listening to our fourth (and final) Talking Heads album and thinking about how I like the Talking Heads more than I thought I did. And do you know what I wrote a year ago when I reviewed number one and two? Yep. So I guess I dig Talking Heads. Sometimes David Byrne’s voice is annoying. But sometimes it works great with the jangly and buoyant guitars. But “Once in a Lifetime” is a bit overrated. That chorus is tremendous, but the other parts are not my favorite.

Really a 2.5 but the most tolerable TH album on the list so bumping this up to a 3.

A 2.5 really

Once in a Lifetime is a foundational song to my understanding of what is good in music. The rest of this is very listenable.

'Once In A Lifetime' and 'Houses In Motion' feel like cresting the peak of a mountain - sure, the climb was a gas, but take a look at the view! Superior music. And the rest? Good music, for sure! Itchy afro-funk filtered through the peculiar sensibilities of the Talking Heads. For half the time I thought to myself "gee, some of this sure sounds like Adrian Belew" and whaddya know? Wikipedia informs me that guitar rascal Belew is on a clutch of tracks here. My ears still work.

"Once in a lifetime" is the hit track off this album, great song. The rest of the album has some good songs. Talking heads were always pushing the boundaries, at the time this was pretty experimental. Definitely a good example of the early new wave genre in the early 80s

It's good

this is really putting work in. innovation in weirdness a vibe for sure but only to a point could i write poetry to this? n

Talking Heads' very best album. An easy classic. Artsy-fartsy, but still (mostly) danceable.

Gets a bit too repetitive. Far from my favorite talking heads album. 🤷

Good

funkay

Solid - 7/10

Had an oh it’s that song moment which was nice. Not as new wave experimental as the last Talking Heads album but still not for me.

feel like the last few songs were not super exciting to me but overall I liked it.

Pretty enjoyable. 8/10

6/10 - It was quite literally all over the place. They really took a lot of creative liberties. Some of them worked and some of them did not. Same as it ever was

These guys might be onto something

Punkish futuristic sounds for 1980 album.

Also in the vinyl collection. Cool to come back to the studio versions since I mostly listen to their live albums to get pumped up to.

Awesome classic album

66/100

Not as good as I had hoped. Two songs on this album are familiar to most of us, and those songs are good. But the remaining songs just don't hold up.

Top 25 album of all time, it's perfect. Not one bad track.

Good listen.

Hm, I haven't been too thrilled about this album for the first 3 tracks. Once in a Lifetime is on here and of course everyone has heard that one. This was alright. Not crazy about it though. 3 stars

One of the best albums of the 80s, and ever made. It’s an amazing album. I’d highly recommend it. Very cool!

מושלם

Sensational

Too experimental. 1/5

Solid listen

What a blast!

4.5/5

After years of forced rejection, finally giving this a listen and doing the research shows how amazing this album is (sorry mom). The references of polyrhythms and early hip-hop combined with Eno's ambient guidance with anxiousness and tension in the band really generated something special that would effect music forever. 4.5/5

All-time classic

fans of this album dont get invited to parties (not like they needed them in the first place)

So good. So influential on indie. Talking heads have some bangers and some songs that legit piss me off haha. But overall I respect 🫡

There were some misses here but also more than a few great songs. Low 3 overall.

Contemplating this a bit more

Some interesting sounds here for sure, sounds so quintessentially 80s. Not sure I’d revisit it though.

had me moving and grooving

4 stars

Not bad!

this album was my favorite for a long time and is currently my second favorite. it is seriously incredible to me that this album exists, its so drastically different from anything else ive ever heard. byrne is one of the most interesting musicians ive ever seen and its unfortunate he was never able to make anything else like this. having eno produce this record was huge imo as hes my favorite producer. i often see people criticize the tracks that come after once in a lifetime for being boring which i find absolutely absurd. i believe this album represents a downfall going from the chaotic energy in the start down to the depressing collapse seen in the overload. i view it in a similar way as i do bowie's low (also produced by eno) where the art rock first side and the ambient second side are great by themselves but together create something much greater. also, this album has some of my favorite lyrics ever. to be frank half the time i have no clue what hes talking about but thats whats so cool about it. i can tell hes saying something important but its so cryptic it gives a similar charm to bob dylan's most complex writings. i love repetition in my music and this is the album i credit for creating my love for it. when i first heard this record it felt like a repetitive slob but once i was able to pay attention to the minute details changing throughout the songs you can see what makes this so distinct. this is done in a similar way to aphex twin's debut but imo this album is much more dense than that one could ever be. i would like to note at the end of these ramblings that no one is going to read that i find once in a lifetime to be the worst song here (still great ofc). i see a lot of people dismiss the album outside of that track but i want to highlight how much more there is to try to understand here. try to get lost into the slow grooves following that track and try to follow what the lyrics are attempting to say. otherwise you are missing out on an incredible experience. 10/10

Com esse album deu muito pra sentir a vibe da banda, mas não gostei.

Interesting, but mesmerizing.

The album didn't bother me. However, I didn't particularly like it either. I don't think I'll listen to it again. 3/5

Not the album I would have expected from Talking Heads but still a pleasant listen on a Friday!

I of course love Once ina Lifetime, but the rest of the album was just kind of okay to me.

Album sounded like one big long song

Yeah I dig it.

I'm a tumbler. I'm a government man.

Packed with ideas and wittiness, and oh it just makes me tired to listen.

Not a big fan of this album think it tries too hard and ends up everywhere

Art Pop featuring mostly repetitive bad lyrics and poor singing.

good blend of vocals and instruments, last talking heads album was kinda weak so i was happy with this one :)

I had only ever heard Once in a Lifetime and who hasn't heard that? But the rest of this album is just if not more amazing than that song. I never realized I would enjoy every song by the Talking Heads and I'm not sure why I have never listened to their entire catalog. I do think sometimes David Byrne's voice and flow can get repetitive. But as evidenced by this album, the other members actually put in a lot of work to keep the music moving in interesting directions. And in reading about this album that seemed to be the case. They were fed up with Byrne running the show and wanted to have more of a full collaborative feeling. I believe they achieved that here. The manual looping of sounds, the African influence, and the foresight that rap was going to hit it big so they should embrace the style to some extent make this album amazing.

Loved this. Hadn’t heard the full album before.

Reading about writers block, experimentation, random African influence, PR issues, Eno's exit -- this is what this album sounds like. Some NY art school kids mimicking Fela Kuti.

interesting, quirky album. Overall, liked it a lot.

Already listened.

So this album is amazing but you knew that already 👍

It was alright though I like other talking heads songs better. This album seemed like a very fast jazzy feel. "Disconnected" st points but that's just how music is

This must have sound alien when it came out in 1980. Quite experimental. I did enjoy it!

One really good catchy song with a lot of experimental trying too hard to be interesting songs that go nowhere. Boring album but not bad. Just not great.

LOVED THIS

I love Talking Heads.

Brian Eno MVP

not my cup of tea

Þetta var fínasta plata en ég varð samt ekki mikið hrifnari af Talking Heads eftir að hafa hlustað. Fyrir fannst mér hún bara fínasta hljómsveit sem ég hafði ekki mikinn áhuga á að hlusta á nema í útvarpi. Held mig við útvarpshlustun

This is my 2nd Talking Heads album to listen to on this list and it is nowhere near as good as the 1st!

Where is that large automobile??

You'll be tapping your feet as the dread sinks in.

Great album - not my favourite of theirs but solid throughout

Talking Heads wurde bei mir durch das Lied "Once in a life Time" bekannt. Natürlich hörte man das dazugehörige Album gleich mit an in den großen Elektromärkte. Aber diese CD hat bei mir nie richtig gezündet. Auch heute nicht.

Classic

En trevlig lyssning. Gillar ljudet och stämningen. Borde ha lyssnat mer på Talking Heads i yngre dagar då jag förmodligen hade älskat det. Wind In My Heart är bra. Fick inge sån där wow känsla nu dock. Synd för det är bra det är det.

Börjar fan bra. Skön stämning. Tre första låtarna är riktigt bra. Bara hört deras psycho killer (som jag vet sen tidigare) som är mycket bra. Glatt överraskad! Listening wind är mycket bra (önskar att den hade lite mindre "ljud", melodin i grund och botten är mycket behaglig) Skivan tar egentligen slut efter the overlord. Men Felas riff är otroligt skön (trots instrumentellt) man märker att det är lattjo musiker.

Riktigt härlig platta som man blir glad av att lyssna på och som växer med varje lyssning. Hade bara hört Once in a lifetime tidigare men tycker hela skivan håller samma höga klass. Gillar verkligen de afrikanska och funkiga influenserna. Kommer definitivt lyssna mer på denna. Stark fyra.

One long groove

One of the best rock albums ever.

There’s a consistent formula at play here. Intricate rhythmic foundation, spoken word or vocal melodies being introduced on top, followed by layered vocal harmonies to take you out. I’m here for it! This is about as mathy as my musical tastes go, but there is so much delight delivered here, it’s like a spoonful of sugar to make the math go down. 4.0

I didn't realize I knew some of these songs. I like Fela and caught some of the influence a few times. I'm not a Byrne/Talking Heads fan, but this was pretty hot. Crazy innovative for the time and the production sounds great. 4.5

Good songs

Not nearly as good as 77

I mean .... this is just a work of art. I love it, I listened to it to confirm it gets a 5. I've been singing The Great Curve since and I'm happy about it.

There are good talking heads songs but there are no good talking heads albums. This one wasn’t quite as annoying as the others we’ve had and it has one of the ones everyone knows

Honestly, disappointing. I expected more from the Talking Heads. It was fine, but not really exciting.

my mom used to play this album all the time when i was growing up and i am supremely fond of it

I think I'm in a slump

I've have grown to love this band exponentially over the years. A former coworker recommend Stop Making Sense about 20 years ago, and I've been intrigued ever since. I saw Stop Making Sense on the big screen last year & it made me weep. This band is multi-talented, funky, and weird - pretty spot on for a group that formed in art school. Crosseyed and Painless is my favorite on this album & Tina Weymouth is a phenomenal bass player. Girlfriend is a bad ass. Let's not forget all that percussion & David Byrne's oddball vocal stylings. 4.5 stars.

Fine classic rock album. Once in a Lifetime but not much else that I loved.

This is definitely my favorite Talking Heads album. The production is stellar (no surprise), and it’s just pretentious enough to make me happy without overdoing it.

From the description I had high hopes. Definitely unique and funky, but even after listening to it on background for the whole afternoon I couldn't make it stick!

In truth, I would give this like, a 9.3/10, because I think Seen and Not Seen is a little weak in comparison to everything before and after it, but in the absence of that level of granularity, what am I gonna do, not give it 5 stars? Yeah right.

8 distillations of a band firing on all creative cylinders that result in some of the most freaked-out, funky nonsense you've ever heard. And yet, it's perfect.

how were they so good?

yum

Once in a Lifetime +++ The Overload ++ Original malgré le peu de variation dans certains morceaux. Les interventions guitare de Belew sont un vrai plus. 3.5/5

New wave, post-punk. There's a lot that can be said about this album. And I don't have the energy to say it, and I certainly don't have the vocabulary. I love this album, that's what I know. It's weird, it's funny, it kind of makes me anxious. It's over before you know it, I really value albums that can pull you in that well. I have not listened to this album enough but the few times that I have always leave a lasting impression on me. And my god is Once in a Lifetime catchy. Will revisit, no doubt. 5/5

Great, classic album

Last time we had Talking Heads I said this: "Talking Heads 77 is too new wave for me. Some of the music hits a nice groove, there are decent elements of funk in there, but the vocals aren't my thing, never have been across the genre, and bring it down wholly. Just a style that's somewhere between nonchalant and whimsically ironic, no thanks." Remain In Light is the same, I don't need to say any more. Still a 2, still not something I want to listen to.

I find myself thinking that Talking Heads somehow manage to sound like a parody of themselves. Once in a Lifetime kinda works, but I struggle with the rest of it. Like you guys have said, it's just too on the nose new wave for me to be able to take it seriously. I think it scrapes a 3.

Really liked this. Love the distinctive vocals. Good band.

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this album. Of their 3 albums I've heard on this list so far, this is the best.

African polyrhythms, rambling vocals and Haitian voudou - nice

I love TH but this one never clicked with me. Some of the songs are cool but they’re drawn out and don’t seem to go anywhere.

Even though I’ve never really been won over by Talking Heads, I truly tried to give this a sincere listen and walked in with an open mind. But this album? Not for me at all. Even with the saving grace of “Once in a Lifetime,” one good pop song can’t save the rest of the album from being a rambling, muddy, pseudo-intellectual recontextualization of ~world~ rhythms that aren’t even enjoyable grooves to listen to. Truly a painful listen for me throughout, and I was trying my best not to skip it completely. While I see the vision, I find the execution downright exhausting and incompressible, which is how I imagine I’d feel if I had to hold a conversation with David Byrne. And that’s me being kind.

Superexperimental. Una variedad de sonidos increible que encajan a la perfección. Quizás no sean las melodías más llamativas ni complejas que haya escuchado, pero explora mucho y el resultado es muy chulo. Suena muy diferente gracias a toda esta diversidad, sin embargo por lo general suena un tanto repetitivo en ocasiones el disco al completo

didn’t listen the whole thing, but sounded goodd

This album was interesting. It contains really interesting elements, though generally not being my cup of tea.

A good album I liked The Great Curve the best.

Idk why but I found myself physically incapable of finishing this album, nothing bad though

Yeah kinda liked it, sometimes a little repetitive but not in an annoying way. 3/5

First existential crisis on the list. Four or five? The back half does kinda fade out, but the songs on the first half are something else. Amazing that they managed to blueprint this with big Fela Kuti, and come up with this, which really only gives away the african influence to my ears on the great curve. Great call and response. There might actually be real polyrhythms on this (usually just music journalist's take on more than one percussionist), though I don't have enough of an ear to tell. Belew solos! Not my beautiful wife! The world moves on a womans hips/The world moves and it swivels and bops!

Forgettable

Interesting album with cool experimental sounds incorporating nature and African beats. Glad I listened to it but wouldn't listen again.

ive been rating some things too high recently, like fours where there should have maybe been threes, but this actually deserves a four

I mean it’s incredible. It merges a kind of African sound with the new wave of the early 80s and with eno’s electronic sound and it comes together so well and sounds so fucking cool. Houses in motion, once in a lifetime, listening wind and born under punches are all highlights for me

These heads sure can talk I really love this album, the talking heads were one of the first bands I properly listened to and this album is great although I slightly prefer speaking In toungues

i honestly wish i liked it more than i do. it's such a cool album but idk it's not clicking!!

Such a strange, interesting album. I never knew what the next track was going to bring. Great lyricism, creepy and funky tones. There's really not much like it.

Álbum creativo muy piola. Es como un electro raro, muy experimental y cautivante

Second consecutive day of Talking Heads. Still not a fan. Didn't finish listening. Yes, this album has 'Once in a Lifetime' which I know (but is not a favourite) but the rest was just... No. Not my thing.

My ears were tired after the third song. I desperately needed relief, so I went and scratched my nails on a chalkboard. Problem solved.

Iconic and revolutionary. There's no one like David Byrne.

Solid but not memorable 5/10

Utterly brilliant. I first heard this properly in about 1990, and I've never got tired of it. As others have said, the sense of drive is incredible. So many interesting cross-rhythms and melodies in the instruments and vocals. It shouldn't be possible to create fascinating songs around a single chord, but TH manage the brilliance of Crosseyed and Painless, then immediately eclipse themselves with The Great Curve: just two of the "one chord" songs on the album. I didn't know until today that Brian Eno was involved, oops, but the production is certainly masterful. I agree with David Byrne, who apparently said it was "joyous and ecstatic and yet it's serious." It's genre-less, fabulous and even better, makes me want to dance, at least until the (still wonderful) darkness of the final track. 11 out of 10.

Loved it. Nothing can beat Fear Of Music, for me, but it’s still a definite 5 stars. Genius.

Love this album. Don’t know it very well but looking forward to getting to know it better

A lot of my 4 star albums are ones that I really like but they aren’t inventive/influential enough to be true 5 star albums (this is it by the strokes for example). This album is kind of the opposite. I think I like the idea of the Talking Heads more than I actually like the music. I can see why this would be someone’s favourite album but even though I like it, I’m not sure how many times I’d actually put this on to listen to. Highs are still really high though, I’m gonna go 3.6 and round up.

3.4 Probably needs more than 1 listen, lots going on in the production.

5/16/2024

Weird rock.

Quite samey - not for me.

This album reminds me of a night out with my friend. Pretty sure she has ADHD. The night of drinking starts out okay, but all sorts of stories and not everything makes sense. Then a few hours into it it all makes sense (Once in a lifetime) and towards the end you are just feel exhausted listening to her stories, and just keeping up with her. Its not bad but i wouldn't go out with her every weekend. Thats how i feel about this album too

Zo funky, lekker weird, bijna geen matige nummers. Gewoon echt lekker!

7/10

Yeah, some jams are good, but the rest was pretty Eno-riffic. When the bonus outtakes started I turned it off. That shit got annoying.

Maybe the coolest band.

10/10. 100%. One of, if not the best album of all time. Talking Heads created something so timeless that it will be adored for decades to come. Even decades later this album still sounds fresh and new. The lyrical genius at play here, leaves room for discussion in terms of meaning of the songs, such as on "Seen And Not Seen". And "Once in a Lifetime" is definitely one of my all time favourite songs.

Creative genius. 6/5

I like talking heads

Love the talking heads

- funky sounds the Talking Heads are iconic - good vibes, this is one I'll definitely have to go back to - The Great Curve was super fun - 3.5

- these guys aren’t it for me - almost funky but not

not really my cup of tea :/

Trash Too much keyboard

This album is proof that different doesn’t always mean good. The looping thing got old to me halfway through the first song, it’s one of the things what drives me nuts about modern music. I’m sure it was a big deal at the time and had all these cool innovations, but it just didn’t do it for me. The one thing that was cool is hearing a song that weird al parodied (once in a lifetime). It’s 2 stars because it did have some cool parts. I liked the second half better there were some more interesting sections and more variety in each loop. I can see the Fela kuti influence, except his music had good instrumental soloists. This just has incoherent ramblings. Like fela kuli and Pink Floyd combined. I can see how people would like it, but not me.

Party on the A-side, brooding on B, every single song brings it

A truly gem

This one hasn’t been far from the turntable since the day it was released. Never tired of it.

Kept me awake while driving late at night so that’s pretty good.

Struggled to get through this one.

Gamechanger - a couple of good songs, but then crazy experimental

Feels like I'm listening to the same song for the entire album. It's not a bad song, but not super compelling either.

This is a pretty cool record. Love the abundant use of slap bass. Some of it might require repeated listens to fully appreciate. Favourite tracks: Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On), Crosseyed and Painless, One in a Lifetime.

Can I just get speaking in tongues already? Like this album is funky, fun, endlessly creative, and great in its own right but hearing this just makes me want to listen to naive melody again. Yes the back half of this album starting with once in a lifetime is excellent and I really loved houses in motion but it doesn’t have naive melody and I’m starting to worry that that album won’t show up on here. I’d also take the stop making sense soundtrack but I doubt that’s on this list.

Intermission music. I'd expect something like this to play in the background for people to talk over before an event started

Sad funky futuristic retro beats. Class.

I mean, how can this be anything but a 5? I love everything about this album.

Other than the two singles (Once in a Lifetime and Crosseyed and Painless) there are only so many one-chord songs that I can handle.

Great riffs and sound

Worth it alone for ‘Once In A Lifetime’, one of the greatest songs ever written, full of layers and subtext, and the soundtrack to my midlife crisis. Elsewhere, ‘Born Under Punches’ is a nervous, edgy, anxious opener, ‘Cross Eyed And Painless’ is full of paranoia and doubt, ‘Listening Wind’ is the story of a foreign terrorist who carries out a bombing of American colonialists, ‘Seen And Not Seen’ is about insecurity and identity, ‘Houses In Motion’ is about capitalism and corruption, and ‘The Great Curve’…well I’m not quite sure what that one is about. Regardless, ‘Remain In Light’ is a beautiful, complex record that manages to fuse art rock, post-punk, New Wave and Afrobeat dance rhythms into something thought provoking, otherworldly and wonderfully transcendent. Talking Heads made a lot of good albums, but this one was their best.