Tom Tom Club is the debut studio album by Tom Tom Club, released in 1981, containing the UK hit singles "Wordy Rappinghood", which reached No. 7 in June 1981 and "Genius of Love", which reached No. 65 in October of the same year. It was re-released in the UK in 1982 to include "Under the Boardwalk", which reached No. 22 in August 1982. When released in the United States, "Genius of Love" peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both "Wordy Rappinghood" and "Genius of Love" topped the US dance chart. The album was re-released on May 19, 2009, as a part of a two-CD deluxe package with the band's second album, Close to the Bone. The album was further reissued on Limited Edition white vinyl by Real Gone Music on March 1, 2019. Slant Magazine listed the album at No. 87 on its Best Albums of the 1980s list.
"Genius of Love" is bonkers in the best way. The whole album is a wild ride that goes all over the place, but maintains a fun and playful spirit throughout. David Byrne is a fascinating figure, but this really shows you how much Frantz and Weymouth brought to the Talking Heads sound. Absolutely bursting with creative energy but doesn't take itself too seriously. One of the best side projects of all time.
After listening i can only get hard while listening to the long version of Genius of Love. 2/5
With their band on top of their game, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz decided that sitting on their hands while their elastic, observant and forever curious frontman went out and explored new territories wasn't going to work for them and, in the process, set about standing out from the pack in more ways than one. For this debut album from the Tom Tom Club, with its hand-drawn aesthetic and endless nods to emerging hip-hop culture and post-disco reverie, evokes a interminable summer vibe where it is blissful to be young with no worries in the world and little need to be skeptical and suspicious about things. In Tom Tom Club's world, it's just them and scores more would come, on and on... there are more of them, more than anyone would realize.
One I have on vinyl. A very strong piece of evidence that Weymouth and Frantz were the genius of the Talking Heads, rather than David Byrne (the truth is it's all of them). Just 8 tracks of funk/reggae/hip-hop inflected weirdness. Joy. If you listen to Genius of Love and don't want to bop, you may be medically dead
I think "infectious" is the best word to describe this album. Just some great grooves. I've always thought that Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth were criminally overlooked and underrated as the key to the Talking Heads' sound. It's like people thought Talking Heads was all David Byrne and the rest were just session musicians. Anyway, this is a great album and showcase for Chris and Tina, with help from Adrian Belew and others. 4 stars.
This is wild. First track is like "wtf is going on, it's catchy though... this is like new wave Kraftwerk". Then I saw it was Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth from The Talking Heads and it all made sense. Ohhh shit Genius of Love, I've heard this. The synth and random chirps are so good. This is like a different take on "Once In a Lifetime" by Talking Heads. I will say overall some of the songs overstay their welcome a bit and I wish a few stopped 2 mins earlier, but overall a grand showcase of what others besides David Byrne add to Talking Heads. I'm in heaven With the maven of funk mutationa
I could hear the music that this album went on to influence. In its infancy, hip hop has something to pay homage to here with the style and daring Visio. From Tom Tom Club. Not perfect, but visionary.
Finally! I've been waiting for this album on the list. I used to think that Genius of Love and Wordy Rappinghood were two of the most ingenious songs of the 80s! Brilliant unique sound and I have wanted to hear the rest of the album. Standouts: Genius of Love, Wordy Rappinghood Others: L'éléphant Rating: 3.5
Good performances by the aforementioned great rhythm section of Talking Heads. This album reveals they would have most likely been stuck in their TH77 days if the songwriting had been more democratic. As a frontman and penman for their material, Chris and Tina needed David Byrne to take the next leap. I enjoyed this though.
Didn't expect to like this as much as I did. The beats are undeniable. This also has some "cool factor", if I put this on with company, i'd seem cool and obscure. All in all, a good time.
What a joy!
This is so fun! "Wordy Rappinghood" is just a blast. I recognize "Genius of Love" a little bit, but this is just a fun little album! I like how easy it is to, like, jam to it and it is just good vibes. While a lot ended up on my Ridiculous Music playlist, that is as a positive. Sometimes it's fun to get a little funky and silly and this album really embodies that!
The opening bars of "Genius of Love" has to be one of the most sampled riffs ever, 20+ times by well-known bands – and the lyrics pay tribute to many of the great funk bands of the prior decades. “WordyRappinghood” is a nice bookend to Blondie’s “Rapture”, which came out a year earlier. Those were the only two songs I could name from this album, which I owned, as did my co-judge. But listening to it 40 years later, I like most of the supporting tracks as well. The production would have been quite fresh in 1981: L Elephant sounds like a Talking Heads rhythm track, especially with the addition of Adrian Belew’s guitar. They mix up the mood nicely, with dark funk like “Booming and Zooming” and Go-Go’s worthy anthems like “On On On”. The lyrics are clever, disguised by the Weymouth sisters' vocals. A catchy, well-rounded album.
Caught Tom Tom Club at Glastonbury a few years ago and they were one of the most energetic and enthusiastic bands I saw, despite also being one of the oldest. This album transfers that feeling well; it's like you've been invited into their home and they're all giving you a big hug.
I love literally anything even tangentially related to Talking Heads, so I am all about this shit. Can I join the club???
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Wordy rappinghood, On on on on, Under the boardwalk
New wave, great!
Say what you will about Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, they really were firing on all cylinders on this album.
Groovy
Þetta er hressileg plata, skemmtilegur early 80s hljóðheimur og ein dansgólfsbomba.
A quality album, just always enjoy listening to Knopfler, even some of the more average stuff.
Nice funky album from the Golden age of Talking Heads/Byrne&Eno/Tom Tom Club. Great rhythms, poppy (1st two songs) or more African beats.
I am very amused but also confused. This sounds like something Ian would listen too. Overall it was fun background music, but I don't think I would play it with anyone around.
Hypnotic beats whose frequent samplings make perfect sense. "Genius of Love" is the hookiest of all, with Lorelei" a bit of a revelation here, largely for having been forgotten. Better than one remembers; it's likably light-hearted and what once took as silly feels a touch more substantive now.
A bizarre, funky, funny, catchy album filled with a French-style disco-esque charm. Really groovy! Also it's cool to see the origin of a sample, with Genius Of Love. Such a summery, catchy beat. Wordy Rappinghood, Genius Of Love and L'Elephant are the standout tracks for me here, and the others aren't quite as good or interesting to me, but this is still a very cool and groovy album that I think I'll look out for, to add to my record collection. Favourite: Wordy Rappinghood
I liked this one. Sure they borrowed from Talking Heads but you can't steal from yourself right? It has a good groove and I really liked the percussion - more specifically - the tom-toms. Who would've guessed that would be their strong suit?
Charming, joyfully odd, irresistibly fun. This is a funky, blippy and percussive musical adventure that invites us all to just embrace our inner weirdos and dance. Lots of little nuances that sound amazing coming through a pair of headphones. The album loses steam on the final few tracks, but it's an absolutely unique and delightful experience. Fave Songs: Genius of Love; Wordy Rappinghood; Lorelei; As Above, So Below; L'éléphant
This album really snuck up on me. It started out with a goofy ass rap song that was somewhat cringe but I didn’t dislike it and it just grew in quality for me song by song. I was hit with the shock that the iconic genius of love riff came before it’s nasty and after that I was totally won over by tracks like as above so below, Lorelai, and under the boardwalk. The energy, quirkiness, and richness of the production is what makes it good I think. We’re it not for tracks like Tom Tom theme it’d get a 5 Edit: this whole album makes so much more sense knowing that it’s a side project of talking heads members that aren’t David byrne. Completely explains the eccentricity throughout.
Really weird, but really great.
Enjoyed this a lot
Pretty much what I expected from a more poppy Talking Heads spin off. Pretty great honestly, Genius of Love is killer and there are definitely a few other songs here that I'll be putting on repeat. I always need more offbeat pop music in my life. Solid 4 with room to grow perhaps.
While Under the Boardwalk could have been eliminated from this album, I loved every other song. I'm loving 80s music way more now than then.
Surprising how much I enjoyed this album. It's not great, but it's good and I will listen to it again.
I've listened to Genius of Love a lot. The rest of the album was a pleasant surprise. Would listen again. The best of the Talking Heads spin offs?
B-52s vibes but the first couple songs are clearly the best part of the album. 7/10
8/10. This kept me on my toes, and I liked that after a series of albums that were kinda what I expected after the first song. I don't know that I'd give it such a high rating on a repeat listen, but I did have a good time on this first one.
Nice synthy poo
I have no fucking idea what I just listened to but I'm here for it.
4.0
Had never heard of this before, then clicked the wiki to see that it was a side project of half of Talking Heads (plus Adrian Belew who was on Remain in Light). So I was then pretty excited to hear it, and lo and behold, it's a fantastic album. Brings the eccentricity of the last Heads album and bumps up the danceability. Can't help but feel like this was a big influence on Belew as I hear a lot of similarities between this and the King Crimson album Discipline that he would record just months after this one. If you're a Talking Heads fan then this is almost like an extra album from their prime era to enjoy. Will be going back to this one for sure, especially Genius of Love, what a great song.
I love Genius of Love, one of my favorite songs. Great dance album with interesting tunes and rhythms.
very funky and original.
Wow, I didn't know this bad (project) by name, but there are so, SO many tracks I had heard before. Case in point: Genius of Love. And the cover of Under the Boardwalk is utter genius. So while this may not be as iconic as a handful of other albums, I thoroughly enjoyed this. 4/5
This makes me happy
This is some fun summer music
Heard before. Really wacky and I love it. Liked almost every song besides On On On On and Booming and Zooming. + Wordy Rappinghood + Lorelei + L Elephant
A fun train wreck! Maybe like a mad rollercoaster that goes wrong but no-one gets seriously hurt, so everyone just enjoyed the wild ride.
I hadn't heard this before. It was fun and interesting.
Unsurprisingly good grooves from Talking Heads’ rhythm section, surprisingly goofy and bizarre music. Genius of Love is a classic, Wordy Rappinghood is a hoot and if the rest doesn’t quite hit the same heights it’s an enjoyable, entertaining record.
Just reviewed More Songs About Buildings and Food yesterday. I liked this one better somehow. You can definitely tell where a lot of Talking Heads sound comes from. Not afraid to let the tracks breathe a little bit.
Really good
Learned someting today about this Talking Heads side project. Also album not in apple music. Found on yout tube
Did not know what this band was about, but recognized "Genius of Love." Did not know that they were a side project from Talking Heads, but it is easy to hear after being pointed out. I don't LOVE their sound but I appreciate their weirdness. Many of the songs are too repetitive and long for me. I could see myself growing to like this band more in time.
I was already very familiar with the opening track "Wordy Rappinghood", but the other tracks were new to me. More of the same: strange, quirky, avant garde - mixed feelings.
Pleasantly surprised. Some good tracks on here, but a special edition album that goes on too long, like most of them do.
Expected to hate this, but found myself pleasantly surprised by how varied this LP was. Definitely stays within its funky comfort zone for most of the runtime, though the Tom Tom Club manages to make each track feel distinct with its own vibe rather than a rehash of the same melodic/instrumental territory again and again.
Tämä on, ei hyperbolia, kaikkien aikojen paras albumi. Se on viimeinen, jonka Beatles tekivät kaikki yhdessä, ja he melkein repivät toisensa osiin. On kappaleita, joissa Lennon ei esiinny, kappaleita, joissa McCartney ei ole niin näkyvästi esillä kuin aiemmin, ja kappaleita, joissa voit melkein tuntea turhautumisen. Kaikesta huolimatta heidän yhdistämänsä oli uskomatonta ja, kuten aina, suurempi kuin osiensa summa. Here Comes the Sun on George Harrisonin paras teos. I Want You (She's So Heavy) on tyypillinen monimutkainen panos Johnilta. Paul otti "jotain paskaa, jonka John kirjoitti Intiassa" ja kutoi sen yhteen oman materiaalinsa kanssa tehdäkseen mestariteoksen, joka on Abbey Road -yhdistelmä. Ringo...no, Octopus's Garden on aika hyvä, mitä tulee Ringon juttuihin. Hän sai vihdoin soolon, mikä on mukavaa. Albumi on niin täynnä, etten ole edes maininnut useita muita mahtavia: Come Together, Something ja Koska ovat kaikki-aikaisia. Paras kappale: sekauinti pleasure of love
Funky album throughout
An eccentric album. Some of it’s good but some is just annoying
Basically this is all the sane people from Talking Heads. Interesting, experimental, fun. Ultimately this is an experiment in rhythms with loose melodies and lyrics tying everything together. I enjoyed it but probably will not revisit this often. Glad to have the opportunity to listen. 3.5 stars. Extra point for real guitar and drums.
Mira, no está mal. De hecho, es algo nuevo para mí, como si los 70 y lo más raro de los 80 se juntaran
Beetje eigenzinnige muziek, maar ik vind het wel leuk. Klinkt verder best leuk, melodieus en met een goede zangeres. ***
Good album, with songs i recognize after not hearing them since once before!
Listened to the LP version. Very noisy album. But at least I can hear something that would be considered new in 1981.
Begon funky, maar vond het wat veel van hetzelfde
Simultaneously the best & worst thing I've ever listened to.
Catchy, funk, new wave, reggae-vibes, elguitar
Enjoyable but the 2 big brilliant hits come 1-2 then you are left with quite a lot of ramblings which are not very satisfying. Interesting though.
Fun music but wore on me a bit by the end
Genius of Love & Lorelei slay, everything else is more hit or mess, but album stays fun throughout. 3.5/5
If you add a David Byrne to this fabulous rhythm section, you would get a decentTalking Heads album ... almost. Genius of love is a funky, quirky, world music dance masterpiece, Wordy Rappinghood and the man with the four way hips are also quite good. This album shows just how good Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth were. The album fades a bit near the end, but overall it's a great artifact from this era.
Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love are two of the greatest dance tracks of the 80’s. Genius of Love is probably one of the best song of the 80s period. It still sounds amazing today. Tom Tom Theme just fills in some time before L’Elephant. Which is another great dance track. As above, So Below is decent. Lorelei is catchy with a good beat. On On On On… has a fun beat. Under The Boardwalk….not a fan of this one…l very over covered song. Above average album. 3.5/5
Pretty nice new wave funky record, really danceable and quite enjoyable.
Dit werd op een gegeven moment echt vervelend, terwijl ik het eerst wel verfrissend vond.
Kind of good funky stuff. Nothing really shined for me though.
I reaalllyyyy didn't enjoy the A side, even with the ever-sampleable Genius of Love. But the B side had me straight boppin, so I guess it balances out?
Nice bit of funk but nothing too unique about it, fav track: under the broadwalk
Good
Album 85 of 1001 Tom Tom Club - Tom Tom Club Rating : 3 / 5 Favorite Tracks : Wordy Rappinghood & Genius of Love I had this back in the day and always found it to be a fun listen. That Talking Heads feel is certainly present. One to go back to. I had forgotten all about it.
Genius of Love is a great song. The rest is alright and nothing mind-blowing. It's nice background music.
It was a decent album. I would categorize it as electronic funk. I was familiar with Genius of Love because of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
Fun, a lot of light hearted, familiar sounding songs that don’t take themselves too seriously
I can see why it's on the list, backstory is interesting enough. Songs are good enough, and good album length. Didn't excite me, but didn't annoy me either, 50/50 with me.
Pretty good. I got into this more when I knew it was a Talking Heads spin off. Nice guitars and catchy tunes. Wordy Rappinghood reminds me of the kind of things that teachers do in a school assembly which seem like a good idea at the time.
Shame the momentum of the cracking opening tracks wasn't sustained, but fun nonetheless
Alright so it
Funky. Has a few great moments, and a few weaker ones.
I didn't know there was Talking Heads spinoff band! And it sounds even more prescient of 2000s indie-pop than TH, what with its heavily electronic inclinations. Fun music and amusing vocals/lyrics? Tick. Repetitive and irritating? Eh, almost. But it stayed on the right side of those things for me. I'd rather focus on the energy and creativity on show.
I would like to forget I ever listened to Wordy Rappinghood. The song, genius of love gets all the points. I’m not sure why I was surprised that this album came out in 1981, but I was. L’Elephant was fun.
Fun and relaxing. Good to know who sang Genius of Love. Word rap reminded me of Blondie.
Very 80's their version of under the broadwalk was a bit of fun
It was alright, I liked some songs more than others.
For whatever reason I was expecting an 80s band with a dude who has a Rick Astley voice of some kind or another, and that's not at all what this is and that made me happy. I liked it. The first half and the second. "Booming and Zooming" was fun and then it turned into some weird air traffic control or CB radio call and somehow I liked it even more. I'm not going 4 stars in case I wake up in the morning with a hangover and rethink my choice, but this is solid 3 for me.
Lots of sonic hijinks here and a bona fide disco classic in 'Genius of Love'. 'Wordy Rappinghood' suffers from the disadvantage of sucking hard, but there's enough to redeem elsewhere. 'L Elephant' is a hoot. The musicianship throughout is stellar. Adrian Belew is one of the most fun guitar players around.
Mostly groovy fun with great bass and keys. I just wish this didn’t end on such a cheesy note with that terrible Under the Boardwalk cover.
Tina Weymouth is awesome, she doesn't nearly get enough credit for the sound of the Talking Heads as she should. I've listen to this album multiple times and I want to love it so badly, but I just don't. It's good and times very good but I think it falls short of the potential this band had, you have Adrain Belew on guitar and you would't even know it.
C'est bien, juste un peu weird par endroit. Le francais fait monter la note un peu mais tout de meme c'est assez generique.. 3.25
I was excited for this album and was hoping to like it a bit more. The highs were pretty high, but some songs were just boring. Still, I'm glad I finally listened to it, given how iconic it is. I'm content with my time with it, and it's defintely worth a listen for the good stuff on here. My favourite songs were Genius of Love, Lorelei, and Wordy Rappinghood.
Genius of love is a pretty decent song, the rest of the album is a little less decent. Overall, that balance out to…. Decent! Cool electronic blend with the reggae sound.
- overall 6/10 decent record pretty unqiue pretty trippy and has some solid moments occasionally but not really my type of music -also the fact this is a talking heads side project is cool, easily prefer talking heads stuff tho