Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Pretty cute, and very much in the same vein as a lot of Tom Tom Club's father band, Talking Heads' '80s new-wave music ('Speaking in Tongues' especially), though maybe a bit simpler and synth-centric, with some early hip-hop influence clearly woven in there, especially in the opener 'Wordy Rappinghood'. 'Genius of Love' is the iconic hit of this album, just such an undeniable synth hook here. And I love how the song gyrates - just super smooth, tight and groovy. Everything following the first two opening tracks, though, isn't as engaging or memorable. Not bad by any means, and pretty visionary at times with the synth work (especially the closer), but they feel like extended drafts of ideas that could've used some more fleshing out. 'On On...' for example was a pretty funky cut with some good vocals, but it could've benefited from a more dynamic song structure. Still, a decent record.
Not for me. Genius of love at least has a good hook and it’s obvious why others have lifted it for other songs but that aside its just too kooky and not in an enjoyable way
I generally have quite a lot of time for Talking Heads - that does not extend to Tom Tom Club, I’m afraid. I genuinely expected to like this more because of the Talking Heads connection, but it just wasn’t for me. “Wordy Rappinghood” is, frankly, abysmal. “Genius of Love” is marginally better, but much preferable when used as a sample. The rest of the album isn’t worth talking about, so similar (bad) it is. I even stayed around long enough to listen to their version of “Under the Boardwalk”, but nope - I’d rather Bruce Willis’ version any day of the week. It was all just too long and too weird.
Well that was odd. I didn't totally hate it, but also wouldn't ever really want to sit down and listen to it again. Hearing Genius Of Love was a weird experience, given all the much more famous songs that sampled it (Fantasy by Mariah Carey being the most obvious, but it's been pulled apart and used in so many songs). Everything is pretty repetitive and most feels too long despite being 4-6 minute songs as a result. It is quite funky in places (the beats used are often pretty fun). But I'm happy sticking at my one full listen, one skip through to write the review. It's not getting the lowest score because I don't find it that bad, but it's not far off... 2/5
would be okay if they'd shut up
Love this!! Genius of Love is just such a crazy good song and has been so influential to music. I like that this album has the vibes of Talking Heads but also totally does its own thing and has a feminine energy to it. It's creative and funky and fun! Top Songs: Wordy Rappinghood, Genius of Love, Lorelei, Under the Boardwalk
I was skeptical — the first track sounds both like they’re attempting to do a David Byrne thing on their own (especially in the lyrics) and like they’re supremely fuckin’ around. The second track is Genius of Love, which needs no introduction. What’s next? Turns out the rest of the album indulges in some very forward-thinking art pop with excellent grooves and an extremely cool vibe. I was completely won over, despite a few ups and downs. Must-listen #387.
Never heard of this, thus didn't know what to expect. Loved the vocals. Not a bad album at all. It's not on Spotify so thankfully somebody put it on YouTube. 3/5
Funky and not for me
Here for the original sample from "Fantasy"! The disco-funk vibes are zany and fun, keeping the Talking Heads spirit I guess. I only learned about that on my latest Wikipedia rabbit hole dive. Without this cool butterfly effect, we wouldn't have one of Mariah's most well known hits (3.5-4).
No
Very surprised I had heard a song off of this but the whole thing is such an offbeat funky affair. Felt like lots of love was spent on this. Probably could talk myself into a 5
Had some cool toe-tapping dance club bops.
Thoroughly weird. Highs are high but lows are meh so it’s prob a 3.5 leaning 3
WEH WEH weh weh weh weh weh
fun. but way too long (might be user error finding the deluxe version)
This was definitely a fun and playful new wave and post-disco album, and little did I know, Tom Tom Club was actually a side project from members of Talking Heads. I never would have guessed it, but now it makes sense because both bands are built on a foundation of funk. Talking Heads takes that foundation in more of an art-rock direction, whereas Tom Tom Club pushes it more toward post-disco, funk rock, and dance-rock, with dub and early hip-hop influences mixed throughout.
Tom Tom Club was founded by the Talking Heads husband and wife team of Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth while on hiatus between albums. Named after the dance hall they frequented in The Bahamas, the self-titled album reflects a continued Talking Heads inspired sound, albeit a little more accessible for pop radio at the time. Though quirky and fun, the album is held up by the tent poles of Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love. Without those two songs the record would be an interesting blip in the overarching Talking Heads history
This was tacky as hell. Favourite Track(s): Genius of Love Least Favourite Track(s): Wordy Rappinghood
Talking Heads rhythm and grooves without David’s singing just doesn’t hit the same.
Wasn't aware of this band. But I recognized "Genius of Love", or at least the main beat. This album was just ok. Can't really say more than that of this. Low 3/5
The music is really solid. Tina Weymouth has a nice voice. Not blowing me away, but a solid new wave record - as expected from half of Talking Heads.
first track is a little cringe, but “Genius of Love” is incredible
Now this was fun. Just plain ol' fun, bouncy music that verges on silliness but never quite puts the toes into twee and stupidity. I remember an old roommate had this disc, but I never listened to it. Good stuff.
I was fully expecting some god-awful 60s pop band with the name and album cover, then I read that half of Talking Heads is in this band and got seriously confused, then I actually listened to the album and got doubly seriously confused, which led to me recognizing Genius of Love from a series of On-Demand commercials from when I was like seven years old and got triple confused, which led to me realizing that this album probably isn't for me. It was cool to see Tina Weymouth on lead vocals, though.
I really enjoyed this weird album
Mycket mycket stark trea! Hade blivit 4 om de trimmat lite...
Härlig och festlig energi, men för långt från något som jag faktiskt skulle välja att lyssna på för ett högre betyg.
Vilken härlig energi! Kul och glädjefyllt.
🎧No thank you
Seems like the samples taken from here may be better that the actual album
This is completely new music to me but after reading who were in this group the music really makes sense. Its mostly catchy synth pop. They do a lot of fun things mixing in unexpected synth parts. No song stood out enough that I want to go back straight away but I feel like I might come back in the future when I get the urge for som synth wave.
not a clue but immediately obsessed with album cover. OH of course these are talking heads people! Wild timing having just had an album two days ago. Wordy Rappington warrants a 4 star alone I imagine them giggling wildly writing this. Genius of Love is on repeat. “Who needs to think when your feet just go?” // Went back to bump up to five stars because I haven’t stopped listening to this album over a month later, what a gift!
So much funk and cool music, an album that starts off really strong but gets a bit repetitive the longer it goes on. Wordy Rappinghood is a gem, such a cool song and one that's been stuck in my head all day. Genius of Love has an iconic beat that has been sampled multiple times over the years. Besides these two songs, theres not much to mention. A quirky one!
didn't love it. silly techno. two stars
Not quite the Breeders to the Pixies, but it’s hard not to see similarities in the dismissiveness of Byrne towards Weymouth and Frantz, likewise Charles preferring his sci-fi space rock over Kim’s work. Which is a very surface level take, who knows what personality stuff was going on, let alone how much drug use contributed to the dysfunction in both groups. It’s hard to hear TTC alone and not think of how this fit into the songwriting process of both Remain In Light and Speaking in Tongues. You’ve got Weymouth and Frantz of course, but also the very key touring members of the Remain in Light band, including Belew. The verse vocal melody to As Above, So Below recalls (or predicts) Crosseyed and Painless, just an octave down, the playing throughout the entire record has constant overlap with the RiL live band, etc. I don’t know how you help that, especially if the genesis of these songs stems from jam sessions. But it’s looser and more open than RiL the record and sets up the poppier elements of Speaking in Tongues and beyond, and in some respects, especially the Stop Making Sense live band. But while these album cuts are interesting in relation to the Talking Heads and do eventually stand on their own - heck, the dub treatment and affect of the “Under the Boardwalk” cover is a delight - everything here feels secondary to Genius of Love, which, is simply some kind of sublime door getting kicked open for these cokeheads. Not saying you don’t get “Naive Melody” and such without it but... Alas, some of this really does feel like a lark and/or tourists messing around with sounds that weren’t exactly theirs. It probably sounded kinda funny and innocent to me in the 1980s but I cannot imagine how cringeworthy this would be if a white couple pulled this shit today. Reminds me extremely of Kim Cattrall scatting over upright bass played by her ex-husband sometime between 1998-2004. Absolutely tone deaf. I'd go 2.5 if I could do half star ratings.
This is a "spin off" of the Talking Heads. It features two of their members. I love this and yet it's so hard to categorize. By the release date and the fact that it's pop you could guess that this is a new wave band. But at the same time, the song structures and progressions are quite unusual for a new wave band. I guess Tom Tom Club music style is Tom Tom Club. A mix of new wave, world music, electronic, proto-rap and a bit of post punk. Amazing. It can be silly and sometimes it sounds like children are singing but it is also extremely creative with layers upon layers of instrumentation and influences.
hmmm pourquoi j'ai l'impression que comprendre les paroles rend l'album encore plus chelou.. on dirait les musiques pour enfant type "l'araignée gypsie" ou "une souris verte" mais avec de la funk qui joue derrière et des paroles encore plus délirantes. Les lignes de basse sont parfois géniales, mais il y a aussi des trucs giga louches. J'ai failli devenir fou avec certains sons mais en vrai c'est pas mal. Plus j'avance et plus je rentre dedans. Je prend un max de plaisir à écouter. Merde, j'aime vraiment bien en fait.. C'est un petit plaisir coupable. Le problème est que c'est pas dispo sur les plateformes malheureusement (Je me suis épargné les remix à la fin)
C'était très sympa mais je n'ai pas trouvé de fulgurances
1016 - "Here's your juice box and orange slice. Thanks for coming." (Sure, it's a Talking Heads spin-off but, holy fuck, I had to listen to 1015 other albums before they gave me this one?!?)
Favorite songs: Genius of Love, Tom Tom Theme, As Above, So Below, Lorelei, On, On, On, Under the Boardwalk Surprisingly really good. 3.5
Brainy beats without David Byrne’s energy becomes too nerdy
Again, i couldnt find the album meuther in spotify or soundcloud so i went to youtube. But is a great album and has genius of love, the song that everyone knows!
I'm very familiar with the Talking Heads, but my experience with Tom Tom Club is mostly limited to their performance of "Genius of Love" in the "Stop Making Sense" concert film. It is... not my favorite part of that film/album. In context, it is kind of fun, but Chris Frantz's exclamations during the performance are more than a little over-the-top (I'll probably share more of my thoughts about this track on my review of "Stop Making Sense" when I reach it on the user album list). Unfortunately, I think this performance detracts from my enjoyment of the album version as well. The first few tracks on this album gave me a sinking feeling, I really thought this was going to be quite the low rating. Even though Weymouth and Frantz are very skilled musicians and songwriters, the big hits here leave me more appreciative of David Byrne, chief genius among the geniuses of Talking Heads. Then we reach the second half of the album, which really turned my opinion of this around. These tracks really impressed me, preserving the creativity of the front side and distilling it into something that feels a little less gimmicky. "Booming and Zooming" is great, but something I really only want to listen to in small doses. The other three tracks on this side are pretty phenomenal, though. I don't really get why the other tracks are the bigger hits, but they are a lot more bombastic than the more reserved second half of the album. In the end, this is a good but uneven album, and I would enjoy giving it the occasional listen. Favorite track(s): "As Above So Below," "On, On, On, On..."
8/10
Me gustó mucho, pero me pasó algo particular. Yo no tengo problema en escuchar canciones de 10 minutos que se escuchen igual siempre y cuando me gusten, y aquí me gustaban pero llegaba un momento en que se me hacían eternas. No sabía que era un grupo fundado por dos miembros de Talking Heads y pues tiene todo el sentido.
This is a weird little album. I've always liked Genius of Love but it feel like a bit of a novelty song rather than anything serious. Not sure how a full album of this is going to hold up. Wordy Rappinghood may be the whitest song I've ever heard. I dunno, this album is okay but not great. It's got some super talented people with some weird songs but not sure it really hits for me. I want to like it but I just am not feeling it.
Album wasn't available on Spotify so couldn't listen
I couldn't finish the album — not my thing. However, I did like one song, and that's only because it was used in a funny scene in 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia', which has since become a meme.
Had to turn it off 30 minutes in. There's this certain genre of music that boils down to "we found this 5 second long bit that we really like. We like it so much that we think you should listen to it for 6 minutes." I sat through one daft punk album on this site and I won't be doing anything even remotely similar again. Not for me.
People who call heavy metal primitive must hear this album and rethink their opinion. Very simple, weak, poor music.
My tolerance for twee, unserious music is paper thin, so I was dreading heading into this. Happy to report Tom Tom Club is Real Real Awesome! Loved every minute of it. Reminded me of creating songs with my childhood friends using those built-in beats on a casio keyboard. Put this in my regular rotation!
I kind of get it. But mostly not.
So much fun but never surface level. So much to chew on, so interesting! Beyond Genius of Love, on which I believe Chris and Tina almost scientifically produced the most universally enjoyable riff ever written, there is so much creativity, weirdness, and catchiness in these tracks!
This has some pretty good vibes. Loved my time I had with it, probably will not revisit besides Genius of Love. Strong 3 though
There are some standout tracks here. New Wave can be hit or miss for me. Enjoy the Talking Heads but I’m not into everything on this album.
I don’t appreciate that this list always links to the double length deluxe album. This was good for an hour, but two hours was too much.
2nd song jumpscare. Epic. The rest mid af
I borrowed this review from another user because it nails my thoughts on this album: "This entire album 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."
A bit repetitive, but there's something interesting and silly about this album. Glad I gave it a listen.
Pretty fun! This album was in my own library before, and it continues to earn its keep
Has so many tracks that are sampled by 2manydjs. Awesome!
Listened to both discs (Tom Tom Club and Close To The Bone). Tom Tom Club is a 3.5 and Close To The Bone is a 3.
Quite interesting in parts and does include Wordy Rappinghood which is great
This one's actually a pretty cool mix of influences. Electronic, new wave, there's some country sounding piano bits, island sounds, catchy hooks. I really dig it. I recognized quite a few of these songs but I'd never heard the name of the band.
Reminds me of early Talking Heads, but more funky.
2.5
Thoughts before listening: Tina Weymouth and (I think) Chris Frantz from the Talking Heads playing world music inspired pop. Something like that. "Genius of Love" should be on here and that's a banger. Review: This is one of those albums that walks the thin line between sounding like throw away songs made while screwing around in the studio and pure pop genius. Or maybe it's both...extremely talented musicians tend to create magic even when just screwing around. There are a lot of really cool grooves here which are then surrounded by silly lyrics, sometimes in different languages, and all sorts of random sounds and instruments. I can't say that this is a masterpiece, but it's definitely fun. 3-stars
2/3 talking heads. I feel like they brought the part of talking heads I just don’t get.
Couldn’t get this album on apple so had to endure Spotify and its ads but a quirky side project of talking heads, some nice tracks, some down right weird but that’s David Byrne for you!
"Genius of Love" gets 5 stars, easily. The rest of this is 2 stars at best... So I guess this gets a 3?
A funky album for sure, some songs made me jam along the way Fav song - Under The Boardwalk 3/5
I’m really not sure what to think about this album. A bizarre set of songs, even for the early 80s. I didn’t hate it, but I definitely didn’t love it. Probably not one I’ll re-listen to ever again. 2/5.
Funky strange and fun in all the right ways. Genius of Love is an absolute all timer that makes you wanna dance 4.5
Have heard the first 2 tracks before and they are great! Has a cool propelling sound, what you'd expect from a drum and bass couple. Hypnotic, only version I could hear was on youtube and its doesn't sound great. Would like to hear it properly 4 Heard before? Some Owned: No, 92/347 (26%) Will I get: Maybe
Нормальний фанк-альбом, є хіт. Але загалом враження дуже середнє від альбому, хоч і жанр я люблю.
Непоганий альбом, але чесно кажучи не моє. Особливо і не маю що сказати тут.
Not available on my Spotify (UK). I won't look for it. Here's a default three stars.
Light, happy, and childlike, yet also weirdly funky. Almost like the Talking Heads as children, in a good way. Some of the songs are a little too half-baked for me to rate this too high, though.
Being only familiar with Genius of Love, I was not looking forward to listening to this one. I dislike Genius of Love, mainly due to it being overplayed on the radio and being tired of hearing it. But this is a fine album. As Above, So Below was my favorite.
Correcto
wut? is this music?
All together now, JAAAAAMES BROOOOOWNNNNN. Was hoping for more of the quirky allure of Genius of Love and I got just that, Lorelei was my favorite unfamiliar track
Enjoyed it but it was very long
Me parecio interesantre lo dificil ke es catagorizar este album en un genero, not rili my thing per funciona muy bien
80's Dance Party Time! I'd listen to it again.
One hit wonders of the 80's, and to be fair I can see why. Wordyrappinghood is a great track and the couple that followed had me expecting a good album, but then the slow fade to mundanity began. The foreign language tracks brought a brief spark of interest but that was all. It was worth a high 2, but I'm going to be (over?) generous and round it up to 3.
Funky and fun
This was writtenbperformed by Talking Heads' rhythm section? It definitely had a repetitive metronomic feel to it. It felt like out takes from the Remain In Light sessions, plenty of African rhythms and influence. This needs a few more listens to really decide where this sits in the ratings, but I'll give it a 3 for first impressions
Took me a few days to get through this. It’s got a shrill electronic sound I found painfully dated.
A little quirky, quite fun. I's listen again.
I love this album. This is one of the best ever examples of a "rhythm section band," bands like ESG, Liquid Liquid, Pigbag, Defunkt, Konk, Maximum Joy, A Certain Ratio, Material, etc. which seem not to exist at all anymore but were prolific in the post-funk era around the turn of the 80s. I adore every groove on this record and I really wish people still made music like this.
Solid electro work. Nothing more.
Похоже на talking heads, но с большей смелостью, не хватает какой-то целостности
*This was a cool discovery...I had heard Genius of Love tons of times but didn't ever really think about where it came from. *Also didn't realize the Talking Heads connections *This got a little too experimental at times but I loved the beat and originality of its time
What a party album
Something I believe really strongly is that artists have to be given space to create, including space to fail. If you want growth and innovation in any art then you have to be able to accept the unsuccessful experiments that come along with it. So I'm trying to be measured in my criticism of "Wordy Rappinghood," which opens this album - and which just does not work. I can see what they were going for - something playful and funky and fun - but the cringe factor is way too high, to the point it sounds like mockery. There are a few other moments like that here (albeit none as bad as on that track): attempts at something akin to Seventies funk that come across as so square as to be appropriative rather than merely appreciative. But that doesn't mean there's nothing worthy here; "Genius of Love" is of course the main attraction, and it hits all the targets "Wordy Rappinghood" misses, with a genuine weightless bounce in the rhythm section and a primitivist lyrical approach that works really well. And the real surprise for me was the Sapphic, seductive "Lorelei," on which Tina Weymouth's perpetually blown-away vocal stylings mesh perfectly with the message of someone left speechless by their crush's beauty. "Intuition's leading us where I don't know yet," Weymouth sings, hitting the perfect emotional note of intrigue and danger. The rest of the album vacillates between those two poles of quality, with notable appearances by that ubiquitous wobbly synth sound that came prepackaged on every Casio keyboard made during this era ("Booming and Zooming") and an assortment of other eccentricities - a song in French, a meditation song, an "Under the Boardwalk" cover that actually works pretty well. This isn't better than the Talking Heads albums Weymouth and Chris Frantz worked on during this era but it's less burdened than those, and that counts for something.
Talking heads adjacent tastic. You really got lost in the groove.
Epitamy of an 80s quirky band exploring new sounds with the emerging technology of the time. I can totally see how the group members started and influenced Talking Heads. Even though they didn't continue with Talking Heads, they are definitely parallels, but David Byrne certain makes Talking Heads stand out on its own. "Word Play" is an absolute favorite. Granted to totally feels like a song you'd find in an early episode of Sesame Street or would be a KidzBop type song. Infusing synthesizer magic, rap/prose, bongos, guitar, and more I'm sure, just works together. "Genesis of Love" certainly is a groove based in funk. Seems to be an ohmage to funk origins with lyrics about Bootsy Collins and James Brown. The timelessness of the song is evident in its use in songs across time, specifically Mariah Carey's "Fantasy." The song "Tom Tom Club" illustrates the bands experimentation with unique and technologic contemporary sounds. Along the wildly unique is "Booming and Zoom." Essentially this would be if a pilot and ground control's radio broadcast was set to new age music creative somewhat of a one act play. Maybe trying to come up with a funk-reggae version of "Under the Boardwalk" wasn't the best way to recreate this timeless piece. Totally the musical seeds planted that may have resulted in KidzBop. While the Tom Tom Club may have been hip and trendy for the early 80s, it doesn't seem to have aged well.
lol, nah.
This was quirky fun with a couple of real bangers. It's sadly not on Spotify in the UK so I probably won't listen to it much, but it shows the amount of talent that was in Talking Heads.
non, juste non. j'ai écouté 2 pistes, j'ai arrêté
Good
basses with a bounce ideas abound get moving summer is in flux
Tom tom Tom tom
Interesting, never generic
Some fun dub pop. The first two tracks are the best but the rest is decent enough as well. Rating: 2.7
Don’t like Talking Heads and this just sounds to be an extreme version of all I dislike about them. 2/5 17/6/26
It was fine, but not really that into it.
My God why?
Pa nije loš album, onako za pozadinu. 3/5, 5/10
So much fun.
I love this album. I challenge anyone to listen to it and not feel happy. It’s funky happy nerdy joy. Also, Chris and Tina are apparently super nice people.
Great fondness for this album and this band, who made a lot of good music over the years and were a very fun live show. In their initial form, on this album and the next, they were so distinctive -- goofy, silly, seriously funky, offbeat and creative, with a huge cast of characters, half of whom were singers. Great vibe. I always forget how good the other songs are -- it's not true, as I tend to think, that this album is Wordy Rappinghood, Genius of Love, and a bunch of silly, fun filler. Side Two (As Above through Booming Zoomin) is actually really good. Even Under the Boardwalk, which was a bonus track that would show up in various places before there were deluxe edition cd resissues, is actually pretty good. Not to overstate its merirs, but it's better than I remembered. No one bought Close to the Bone, their second album, because it had no single to get people interested in it. But it's really good, in many ways better than this album. If you like this album, you really should -- quick, before you die! -- listen to Close to the Bone.
Electronic innovations created so much musical upheaval in 1980-81! Kraftwerk's "Computer World," Gary Numan's "Telekon," Roxy Music's "Avalon," Japan's "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" and "Tin Drum..." and on. And Tom Tom Club was there as well! And calling out Hermes Trismegistus, no less! I'm enjoying this lightweight bit of postmodern play much more now than I did at the time.
Very fun - listened while weeding the garden. Good energy.
A lot of uneven fun. I was about 50-50 with the songs on here: half felt delightful, goofy, intriguing, catchy, and half seemed unfocused, overly long, and annoying. Clearly another type of entry for the three-star category.
É um álbum meio New wave bem legal. Foi divertido. CVJ Neko.
feels like an hallucination
at first I thought WTF. But I went through it again, and it kinda got me. It's way different from what I would listen to, but I may have to come back to this. maybe.
Strong start that tailed off. Which is probably why the first ones are so known.
This was a breath of fresh air, interesting, pleasant, fun.
The rhythm section of Talking Heads can make an interestingly strange yet incredibly groovy funk album. Good album to take drugs too. Aside from the classic Genius of Love, I really liked the haunting vocals Tina does on Lorelei. Fun weird funk record
Funky and weird, but in an endearing way. Obviously the rhythm section of Talking Heads would make a danceable record. 8/10
A little too funky i think overall but that could be a vibes misalignment.
This was a little too zany for my drive to work mood this morning but still enjoyed. Only found out through this listen that Latto’s Big Energy is a heavy sample of Genius of Love so props to all for that
Me: this is very Talking Heads in vibes Me: (reads wiki) Me: I love being correct Great time, if too long. 4 stars for giving us one of the best sampled songs in the world, Genius of Love.
the sounds and inventive ideas on this were often more interesting and enjoyable than the songs they were working in service of. very cool but probably wouldn’t be rushing back to listen again apart from on on on on…
genius of love origin story! i loved this, great jams
This is really fun but I don’t think they’re as good as what they were as Talking Heads
What the funk?
This is weird and funky. I like it. Love the cover of Under the Boardwalk. I think I'm obsessed with Wordy Rappinghood.
Ofta förekommande i 20kronorsbackarna, har nog stått och hållit i den ett dussintal gånger men den har aldrig fått åka med hem. Det är inte särskilt bra men det har nåt ganska eget som gör det lite kul.
Det här är ju riktigt funky. Särskilt de två inledande spåren Wordy Rappinghood och Genius of love. L'Elephant och On, on, on, on... är också värda att nämna. Några betygssänkande spår på andra halvan av skivan dock. En trea i den övre regionen.
Hade aldrig hört talas om TTC tidigare. Alltså en spin off från Talking heads. Hur som helst gillar jag vad jag hör. Lekfullt med skön rytmer. Får mig att tänka en del på Black devil disco club. De två inledande spåren är riktigt bra. Tycker inte heller att kvalitén sjunker nämnvärt längre in i albumet. Tänk om allt klassificerat som new wave låtit så här.
Talking heads utan David Byrne låter betydligt mer sympatiskt i teorin. I praktiken är det lite mer lutat åt Karibien. Helt ok sväng, särskilt i de inledande låtarna. Är inte jätteförtjust i skolgårdsrimmen. Som album håller det ihop och det blir en svag trea från mig. Lee Perry var tydligen kontrakterad som producent men dök aldrig upp. Hade varit intressant att höra hur det låtit efter att tejperna grävts ned och fått mogna några månader.
Subjectively, this album is awful. Objectively, it may also not be great. Took me a good bit of the day to gaslight myself into actually somewhat enjoying it, but man did it take a while. When I saw this was a Talking Heads side project I was more than a little excited. I love the Talking Heads, and more David Byrne is always going to make me happy. Then I saw it didn’t have him in it and the first bit of skepticism and panic quickly swept in. I saw that this album had a low review and an additional layer of skepticism was added. Finally, I listened to the album myself. There’s a literal nursery rhyme in the first song, “Wordy Rappinghood”. Not only does the name of the song elicit anger out of me, but so does the fact that it’s so repetitive, as well as the additional fact that it’s over 6 minutes of a bassist sing-rapping about words. Every song here lasts just a little longer than you’d want it to, some overstaying their welcome by a good couple of minutes even. If I had a nickel for every album I enjoyed the background elements and beats of, but the vocals didn’t do much for me, I’d be a millionaire at this point. This would have worked better as an instrumental heavy, maybe even instrumental entirely album. The singing is just… weird, and not in the ironically cool way. It’s just weird for weird sake. The funny thing about this album is that it gives ripoff Talking Heads vibes heavily. It’s proof that you need a front man to fully assemble a cohesive band. This is repetitive, disjointed, and just kind of a musical monstrosity for a good majority of the runtime. Songs like “Genius of Love” and “Under the Boardwalk” are fine, but they just do not end. The remix (at the end of the over hour long album) to the previously mentioned “Wordy Rappinghood” was my favorite song on the album simply because I thought it was not only a more interesting version, but both versions actually made me laugh and if I want to remember anything from this weird album, it’s the “banger” intro, in the most literal sense of the word it is “ironically” a banger. If they just let the cool Electronica play out without interrupting it with weird vocals, I’d likely enjoy this album more. But as it stands now, this is definitive proof that the assistance of one David Byrne was more than needed here. Did I enjoy this album?? Clearly not, did you read the review?? But, it was stuck in my head, it kind of draws you in with the hypnotic beats, and I didn’t outright even dislike it all that much. As much as I want to give it a 2, to take this review full cycle, I was able to focus on the beats, and did enjoy this filler laden bizarre album more because of it. Let’s get some more actual Talking Heads soon please. This was an interesting album, but not one I would likely return to. It’s just too weird and off putting for its own good. On to the weekend album.
Fun and funky pop rock. Genius of Love is an obvious standout but also enjoyed l’elephant and As Above, So Below. Shame it’s not on Spotify
Starts off feeling quirky and silly but then I notice elements of disco, funk which makes it feel more engaging. Very much of the time with its rhythms and grooves.
More noise. Boomers make fun of modern music for the brain rot style but this is just as bad. There were a couple songs I recognized from samples used in electronic and hip hop music but pretty underwhelming album.
Quite ok for a funk.
1/5 A nothing album really. It had some ok beats but alot of the songs went on for too long and were repetitive.
Pretty good.
Quirky and whimsical. You just know there was a white boy involved in the making of this album
Ram Sam Sam, Ram Sam Sam, something about words, Words Words Words! Something in another language! Who needs to think? I'm going to lie, my favourite type of song is when someone just repeats the same three phrases over and over again over the top of a clunky, gallumphing hellscape of noise. I especially enjoy when the vocals are recorded on a microwave on the opposite end of the room!!! The album sounds exactly like how the album cover looks. Do with that what you will.
Two-leaning-three. Half a star because of the Talking Heads connection.
For me, pretty hard listen
Free of Byrne’s quirk, the rhythm section is kinda great
It's clear from listening to this album who had all the swag in Talking Heads. It really feels like for every song, even the most popular one "Genius of Love", they ran out of ideas halfway through and just started riffing on bleep-bloops. Just stick to Talking Heads for weird new wave stuff.
This was... not very good. I can't imagine wanting to torture myself with the entire 2+ hour deluxe edition.
Talking Heads' brand of funk comes through even without David Byrne, and I'm a sucker for it. Tina Weymouth has her own charm when taking the lead on most of this, on top of her already killer bass. The instrumentals themselves are meaty enough that they're allowed to ride for a couple of extra bars at the end of songs without ever really feeling repetitive or too long. I enjoyed it a lot! Standouts: Wordy Rappinghood • Genius Of Love • As Above So Below • Booming And Zooming • Under the Boardwalk
This is definitely not as good as anything by Talking Heads, but it is still a really fun and upbeat summer listen that had some cool parts to offer.
As a Talking Heads 'side project'? it's even weirder? Genius of Love is one of my favorite all time songs since it came out. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs Wordy Rappinghood Genius Of Love Lorelei
Very weird
This album is funky, like a really old gorillaz album lmao
bit odd. One song I recognised who I thought was someone else.very 80s
About 10 seconds into the first song my brain went, “I’m going to stop you right there and leave.” I understand why this album is on the list but my god. “Genius of Love” and the cover of “Under the Boardwalk” are at least fun and catchy, but the rest of the album is a mess. And every song is too long. I might have been tempted to give this another star if half the songs were shorter. I didn’t completely hate this, but I was also so glad when it was over.
fun and silly in a good way :)
Funny, different and sometimes quite nice.
I don't get it, but at least it's interesting 2/5
Didn't hate it, didn't particularly like it.
Not available on Spotify. Heard another one and thats ok
This is a fun time. Trailed off a bit toward the end but I'd listen again.
finally some good shit
Yeah, not bad
i had low expectations but this was super funky and fun. it really went all over the place. i liked it!
this album is like going to karaoke night and just hearing rapture by blondie on a loop for two straight hours and also david byrne is there favorites: rapture--i mean wordy rappinghood, genius of love, under the boardwalk
Didn’t really set my world on fire. Not terrible but I’m unlikely to listen again
It was groovy but weird and a bit too silly. I didn't really like it that much. I didn't mind it either but I can't say I liked it.
75
Deeply silly. “Genius of Love” is a banger.
Genius of love, obviously carries, but overall this is still a really fun album
I went down a fun rabbithole of mixing the songs that sampled of Genius of Love together. It really is one of the most iconic, catchy beats of all time. But other than that, I wasn't super enthused by this album overall. A bit silly, plenty experimental, and mostly not anything I would put on again.
Definitely funky. I would say outside of Genius of Love and Under the Boardwalk I was not too impressed.
Tina Weymouth is an underrated bass genius. This does not particularly suggest she is a genius at other things (love included?). Or maybe this is all just Chris Frantz fault. I believe that more. First, the good, which there isn't a lot of. The expected highlight is Genius of Love, which honestly was one of very few samples which feel more iconic as the sample. It is enjoyable as a hodgepodge of unserious nonsense. The high pitched and pinched guitar riff (especially the little flourishes during the verse). “What do you consider fun? Fun! NATURAL fun!” “James BROOOWWWWWN”. It's not actually great, but it is experimental and unique. I can at least embrace that. Honestly, though, I probably like On, On, On, On most. It's simple, but sort of ominous, it's tempo somewhere between too slow and too fast, the vocals, which have always been a bit like theyre coming from a can, working with the song here. And there is also the clamor and buzz saw guitars of L'Elephant, which goes heavy into a parable, using French lyrics and African themes. The Talking Heads have often been the subject of questions of appropriation vs influence. This feels like both at once, but it's at least good. But there is a lot of bad. Wordy Rappinghood is probably the absolute peak of terrible early white rap. It might be the worst rap song of the first 20 to 25 years of the genre's prominence. It makes a pretty good case for “words are stupid,” though, and it is so Talking Heads c-side coded musically. As Above, So Below doubles down and feels like a second rate Rapture. It's not as purely bad… it's just boring and bored-sounding. Lorelei sounds like a particularly low budget spy movie theme, a little mystery and psychedelia but mostly just rambling for long enough to fit all the credits in. And Booming and Zooming? By this point when I first heard this some years ago, I was joking to myself that it would just be “booming and zooming”. And it pretty much lived up to the parody in my head. This might come across better as an experimental thing if it wasn't so tightly connected to a band who was always experimental, and so much better at it. As it stands, it's highly uneven, and a high 2* at best.
jaaa tina weymouth coool! aber scho weirde scheiss. d funk drums passed irgendwie nur so halbe zum rest.. aber ich ha spass! wennses scho nöd uf qobuz git muenis halt im Pip lose ups. was wenn das d zuekunft vode musig ide schwiz isch?? bitte?? Musikvertrieb direkt is pip bitteeee. Aber anyway bin bi l'éléphant und s isch no witzig immerno und huere verspielt und schwerelos irgendwie. mags sehr. au bitz nervig halt haha. UNDER THE BOARDWAAAAAALK baaaanger. super funny cover. VIERI.
mooi plaatje... misbaar maar toch mooi
Genius of Love is pretty good. Rest of the album was meh.
Doesn't deserve a one star
This was excellent! And so good to hear the sing that was sampled by Mariah and ODB
Arrancamos la semana con éste proyecto paralelo a Talking Heads, del que no recuerdo haber escuchado discos. O quizás si, muy por arriba y nunca de manera consciente. Hay en las canciones vibes a Talking Heads (un gran ejemplo es "As Above So Below"). Algunas más bailables que otras, pero todas muy bien. Buen lunes, gente.
Consistent tone throughout but still has variety.
Música para ginástica e indie. Ok.
Too long but other than that a good funk record of you like funk
Not on Spotify
Skemmtileg plata frá hliiðarverkefni Chris og Tinu í Talking heads. Létt og þægilegt.
This album is a fucking hate crime.
It's Talking Heads for those who think Talking Heads weren't experimental enough. Or if you just really hate David Byrne. Not as good as their main project, but interesting enough.
It’s the meal you’ve been served and you just gotta get through it
That was unexpected. Nerdy with good grooves and cool instrumentation. Apparently they were a Talking Heads side project and it seems obvious after a listen.
Sickly sweet
Oddly into this vibe and understand why it made the cut.
I dunno, I was boppin
After reading the song title and listening to the first 30 seconds or so of the first track on this album I was entirely ready to write it off as annoying. I stuck it out and I believe I was greatly rewarded for that. Not long after I began to really enjoy, and perhaps even groove to, that first track. It’s high energy, funky, and genuinely a fun song to listen to. The rest of the record went by in a flurry of wild basslines, really fantastic and interesting synths, and a kind of sensibility that was extremely reminiscent of the Talking Heads. I am positive that my review partner will write a very favourable review of this one. (Editors note: after completing this review I did some googling and it turns out this is essentially the talking heads without David Byrne? I feel embarrassed that I had absolutely no idea of that fact before right now.) I was almost surprised at how much I enjoyed the entirety of this album, despite my previous complaints about certain albums being “weird for the sake of weird”, this one seemed to have some unusual and great care put into the weirdness, like the weirdness was carefully and tenderly raised in an environment perfectly suited to fostering its.. well.. weirdness. I particularly enjoyed the cover of “Under The Boardwalk” and somehow, someway, I intend to listen to this song on a beach this summer. 4.5*
Tom Tom Club was formed as a group and their self-titled debut released by Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads in 1981, just after the latter group’s three-album collaboration with Brian Eno. The culmination of this was 1980’s ‘Remain in Light’, a remarkable new synthesis of new wave, post-punk, funk, and most notably Afrobeat recorded in large part in the Bahamas. I think this background provides important context because all of these influences are so strongly evident in ‘Tom Tom Club’, as well as the obvious burgeoning influence of hip-hop seen especially on the most enduring tracks from this album, “Genius of Love” and “Wordy Rappinghood”. “Genius of Love” is an interesting case; the song itself is heavily influenced by the young hip-hop culture in NYC in 1981, but since its release, “Genius of Love” has more than given back its share of influence in the extent to which it’s been sampled and interpolated. Anyway. I think the Afrobeat influence is especially strong on “L’elephant” and “As Above, So Below”, which are also two of my favorite tracks. They make it clear that the direction Talking Heads went with the Brian Eno trilogy was not purely due to Eno and Byrne’s creative influence as many seem to believe. “Lorelei” and “On, On, On, On…” are so darkly manic and danceable and groovy and make an excellent showcase for some characteristically Tina Weymouth bass playing. I find “Lorelei” to be especially enchanting. And then we end with… a cover of “Under the Boardwalk”! Why not! The synth and steel drum reimagination of this song is a ton of fun and if it can’t coax you into some roller skates I fear the levels of whimsy in your soul are critically low. Yeah… it’s 1981 at its best. Creative and eclectic with a singular and distinctive voice while still being wholly fun to listen to and danceable. Tom Tom Club are underappreciated beyond “Genius of Love” compared to the cult status Talking Heads enjoy.
This is so boring. 2 stars or D-.
Somhow, Talking Heads returned...
fantasy better
Reminder to look for regular release. This app linked to super deluxe over two hours long. So this was early 80s new wave. Some cool grooves here. Genius of love is a giant song - I feel like that has been sampled a million times. And it has. Apparently almost 200 times - most famously by Mariah Carey. Ah this is a talking heads side project. Nice.
It all sounded slightly off key.
This album is the perfect example of why the 80's are not that great decade in music history some people claim to be. It was a time of some experimentation, for sure, but most of the times that experimentation led to what is called New Wave, a genre that can be fun, and even in some songs interesting, but most of the times is just that mixture of sounds and repetitive melodies added to boring vocals. And that's what this album is. It opens with two nice songs, the stronger tracks of this record. They are not the big thing but, at least, make you want to know what is after them. But the rest is just an album going down from bad to worst. It could be fun if it weren't the same thing on and on. Because it becomes pretty bland. And the "experimentation" sounds so dated that is not impressive anymore. Surely, it was a decade of making fun pop music with some instrumental moments for strange sounds (not that it is necessarily a bad thing), and it in some way defined new genres and ways of making music, but it doesn't mean or have to imply that the music (I mean, all the music) is good. So, well, it is enjoyable until it becomes unbearable. And this album is really horrid when you've gone halfway through it. However, I must say, it is better to end the album with the bonus Under the Boardwalk instead of finishing with Booming and Zooming. At least it leaves a better impression of the album once you've finished it all. And I think it says it all, because Under the Boardwalk isn't what I would call a good song. But at least it's better and funnier.
Excellent
Lowkey one of the first rap-adjacent albums ever. Has the massive highlight Genius of Love which is a massive banger and crazy ahead of its time. The rest of the album can be groovy and hypnotic, but also forgettable. The vocals especially are the weakest part here. Sometimes it can also be a bit cringe in its quirkyness. Wordy Rappinghood especially is a borderline novelty song, sounds like a rap song that a teenager would make for the jokes. I kinda wanna rate this higher but can't really justify it.
Not my cup of tea
אהבתי מאוד
Very enjoyable.
Tina Weymouth is class. The sound throughout this album is superb
Undeniably a bop and a vibe
It was fine but it was so long. Did not finish
The music is kind of average. There wasn't a song I could get into.
How is this a 3 here.......... There are some really bad albums but this is probably in the top 5 worst albums on this list. Annoying lyrics and vocals, horrible quality and mix, Repetitive and ton of really bad effect uses. I hope the mix engineer never touched a mix console after this...
mehh.. not my type
Interesting, not bad. Had a solid rhythm and beat that I can respect, even if I didn't love it.
Interesting listen but not one I’d rush back to
Nice 3.75
this album is unavailable on prime music. so I cannot listen to it yet
I really expected this to be some twee type album. Then I looked it up and found out it was... new wave art pop somehow connected to talking heads? I thought it was interesting as a concept I guess. The first minute or so sounds like proto-LCD Soundsystem, without any of the commentary on party culture or anything. It's so interesting. In fact "interesting" is one of the most said words about this album when you go to "reviews." Words.... hmm. Anyway that first track left a big impression on me, and then “Genius of Love” left a similar impression on me. I was dancing in the hallway! I guess the better word for it would be groovin, but same difference. The entire album has this vibe where you can just groove peacefully to it. Just very peaceful, wholesome, repetitive grooviness. Favorites in general include "Wordy Rappinghood," "Genius of Love," "L'Elephant," and "On, on, on, on." Very kooky. Very fun. Very entertaining. 8.3/10
This was weird and fun, I like weird. “Genius of Love” is an absolutely phenomenal headphone listen.
Genius
Funk.
I appreciate the creativity with this album but honestly most of the songs sound like 30 second loops that last for 6 minutes for some reason
A fun and goofy album, but strange at the same time.
Wasn't overly impressed, but I did enjoy listening to it.
I couldn’t find this album on any platform so I listened to the Good The Bad And The Funky instead which was alright
how shit is this
This is one I hadn't heard before and it stuck with me immediately regardless. Lorelei. Lorelei
The name sounds familiar. I thought they were a new wave band from the 1980s. I’m sure I’ve heard a song or two from them. But we’ll dive in, and everything will be revealed. Track 1 is Wordy Rappinghood, and it sounds like the beginning of " Electric Avenue. Then a woman comes in and raps? I guess it’s rapping for 1981. This is weird. The rapping isn’t much worse than Debbie Harry’s rapping in Rapture, I guess. It’s got a nice groove, a little reggae to it. Holy moly! This was the first single off the album. It was top 10 in the UK and made it to number one on the U.S. Billboard Disco chart, but I wouldn’t necessarily call this disco. It’s got great percussion in it. It grows on you the longer you listen. Though at around six and a half minutes, it is a bit long. Track 2 is Genius of Love and it was the second single off the album. It made it to number 31 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and hit the top of the Billboard dance charts. Oh wow! This song is basically the hook for Mariah Carey’s Fantasy. It’s also been used in any number of hip-hop songs. It's immediately recognizable. I remember this song on the radio as a kid. I guess Fantasy became bigger than Genius of Love, and people don’t really know Tom Tom Club’s song. Maybe the group is a dance band and not new wave. Could my friends at Wikipedia have lied to me? Does the internet lie? It’d be a first. I can tell this may be more of a dance record than a new wave record because so far, the songs are way longer than they need to be. Each is around six minutes long, but they got their message out in three and a half minutes. However, back in the day, you tacked on three more minutes of music to allow the disco freaks to keep dancing in the clubs. Track 3 is Tom Tom Theme, and I’ve always loved it when a band has a theme song. Even KISS had Love Theme From KISS. It’s essentially garbage, but it still counts as a them song. This song is around a minute and a half and is nothing much. Track 4 is L’Elephant, and it’s a jaunty little tune. Still dance worthy, but sliding more into new wave. This is a fun song. The lyrics are in French, it appears, or sounds. But they’re sung in a kind of group chorus of women. Throughout the song, when there’s no singing, someone with an electric guitar is making these strange elephant noises. I really like this song for some reason. I think I’m finally getting a grasp on who Tom Tom Club is. Just an interesting little jam. seems Again, about one minute too long. Track 5 is As Above, So Below, and it starts out with a lot of percussion and a solid bass line. Another five and a half minute song, but they’re building it. Some keyboard plinking comes in here and there. The same chorus of girls is chanting something. Oooh, the women are now singing, and it sounds like the vocals for the Age of Aquarius song by the 5th Dimension. Not exactly like it, but it reminds me of that vocal style, and the music is similar, at least the chords Again, this song, while it has a groove, sounds more new wave to me than dance music. I wonder if there were different songwriters in the band? There are, kind of, but for the most part, the whole band essentially wrote the album. I love the synths in this song. They make some interesting sounds. This may be my favorite song on the album thus far. And, so far, I’ve liked what I’m hearing. I’m noticing now that the album has 12 tracks and is just over an hour long. However, the last three songs are just remixes of songs on the album. I may skip those depending on how this album finishes up. Track 6 is Lorelei and has the chorus of women back, but there is another woman singing lead. This song, again, is more new wave for me. It’s got a great groove, and the bass player is holding things together. The song has a feel of mystery or darkness to it, which sounds cool. I can see how this album would have gotten people moving back in the day. Damn, I’m really starting to love this song. There’s nothing really amazing or special going on. It’s just that everything is so well arranged, and there are a lot of little sounds that blend together so well. This is a song I could listen to for seven minutes. Track 7 is On, On, On, On, and it was the third single off the album. Wikipedia has no information on how well the song did on the charts, which is weird. It’s crazy, the further you go on this album, the more it changes from dance music to new wave. This sounds kind of like a Cars song musically, which I dig. The vocals sound more like Devo if they were fronted by a woman. This is a song that I can easily see why it was a single. It has an upbeat, positive sound. Again, I can’t explain it, but you can feel it. It seems to be a rallying cry for the youth or something. I really haven’t been paying attention to the lyrics at all. Track 8 is Booming and Zooming, and you couldn’t convince me this wasn’t written today. It’s weird though. Holy crap, they used the word defenestration in the lyrics. The vocals seem to be a man on a CB or air traffic controller trying to get a young troublemaker to settle down or land a plane or something. Again, it’s weird. According to Google, the song is “quirky, mostly spoken-word track featuring a dialogue between an F-104 Starfighter pilot and ground control.” That’s exactly what it is. I wouldn’t put this on a playlist to listen to over and over, but it’s great. “I’m preparing to defenestrate.” My new favorite track on the album. Track 9 is Under the Boardwalk, yes, that Under the Boardwalk. It’s a cover song. Why, of all songs, did they cover this? I hate this song anyway, but at least they’re trying to make it weird. It appears this was released as a single in the U.K., and it made it to number 21. In parts, it has an island groove, then near the end, it has almost a country feel. But it’s still a song I dislike. This may be my favorite cover version of it, though. Wait a minute…..I think they put some sounds in there alluding to what a young couple might be doing under the boardwalk. Not sure we needed that, but we all knew what this song was about. Another six-minute song that would have been fine at around three minutes. It is getting funkier at the end, though. This album was nothing like I expected. I was thinking Thompson Twins' Don’t You Forget About Me style jams, and instead I got dance music. But good dance music made by people, not computers. As for this being a must-listen? I don’t think so, really. Did I like it? Yes, I really liked it. But I probably won’t ever listen to it again. If this piqued your curiosity and you like weird music, then check this out. Otherwise, I think you'll be just fine sticking to the Thompson Twins.
Undemanding but really didn't do anything for me.
6/10
Dig it
Quite hard to find a way to listen to this album in my region. Managed to find the shorter version of the album somewhere luckily. Genius of Love is a classic I really enjoy. Other tracks not so much, but alright.
Saying this makes me sound like some kind of Talking Heads superfan but this album kind of feels like a rhythm section saying 'We can make our own album' and then making a bunch of tracks that could get built into songs but not really finishing that. It wasn't great for me as an active listen but maybe if it was playing in the background. Criticism aside, Genius of Love is obviously an utter classic and I love it.
Tom Tom Club was my favorite record for quite a while when it first came out. The best New Wave records were things like this - dancey but also musically and lyrically interesting. I've always preferred the oddly powerful side 2 of this record, with the ritual chant "As Above, So Below," the mesmerizing "Lorelei," "On, On, On, On," and the marvelously weird "Booming and Zooming" closing it out. Get out of there, F104. But of course side 1 is good too. "Wordy Rappinghood" is something I'm pretty tired of at this point, but I'll admit it's fun, especially with the conga breaks that pop up in the middle and fade at the end. And of course the ubiquitous hit "Genius of Love" is fun too, especially as it slides into the percussive instrumental bit "Tom Tom Club Theme." Great to listen to this record again this morning. 5 stars
I bet I would have been really into this in 1981. I find it very repetitive, but still a fun listen. I skipped the remixes at the end of the album. I figured it was fine because I've been listening to the same song for the previous 47 minutes. It really makes me want to listen to the one Mariah Carey song.
Imagine being that good at this whole 'music' thing, that you can be both Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club. Absolute top tier musicians. Genius of Love is absolutely bonkers and genius. The beats are so crisp and rhythmically on point. Occasionally it has the vibe of being a bit of a comedy record with some lyrics, but overall it holds strong.
More like Fun Fun Club.
Oh, a nice surprise. I didn't know this, but loved it - great vibe and inventiveness, and loads of fun. I guess it goes to show that the really talented one in Talking Heads was all of them.
other than that one song… #mariahcarey
This is incredibly good, and I’m annoyed with myself for only ever having heard the first two tracks off it and not delving further. It’s like catchy pop funk with an edgeness of strange. Everything you’d expect from a Talking Heads side project! I dont know why David Byrne didnt like this, I think it’s pretty great! 4.5
First few songs of this were really good, sort of reminded me of LCD. Think I've heard wordy rappinghood before? Very ahead of it's time for 1981. Dropped off as it went on, lost the interesting overlapping bits and regressed to being more stripped back. Still overall pretty decent, 3.5.
Wordy Rappinghood (and the remix), and Genius of Love were the standouts, I think I've heard them before. Fun enough, jumbled my brain. One of the tracks seemed like it was recorded underwater.
Must admit that the mention of talking heads and the high praise from Graeme worried me. But, this was really good. Knew the opening 2 tracks, probably the best ones. Not sure we need an Uber the boardwalk cover. Overall enjoyed it though. Weird that it's not on Spotify 3.5
I did not expect to enjoy this album as much as I did. It’s playful, but macabre at times. Weird
yay lots of fun!! i believe genius of love is one of the most sampled songs of all time? i think i read that somewhere.
I think I enjoy this almost as much as the best of Talking Heads. Not usually a fan of the song Under The Boardwalk as a rule, but this cover won me over totally, with the extended two chord riff. And Wordy Rappinghood and Genius Of Love are fantastic.
Fantastic.
My first thought was "this sounds a lot like Talking Heads". Turns out it's Tina and Chris from there. Sadly this isn't on Spotify, but I thought this was pretty good! Found the groove department of the album very good. The bass and beat combination was very electric. Some fun sample possibilities on 'Wordy Rappinghood', and 'Genius of Love' is a very cool song! Probably nothing I'll return to right away as it's not easily accessible, but I really felt all songs held a high standard. Perhaps a bit too samey at times, but definitely good. 'It's Friday, Friday!' as Rebecca Black would've said, and as such I'm feeling generous. Weak 4 it is!
Hard to find on streaming services, but worth a listen. It kicks off strongly with the quite silly “Wordy Rapping.” Then “Genius of Love” comes on with a really cool groove, I recognised it from its use in “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey, but had no idea it originated here. The rest of the album is solid, though it never quite matches the opening tracks. The cover of “Under the Boardwalk” is surprisingly fun, though. 3 stars.
I litterally cannot get through this album it sounds like it would be in a Disney movie if it was based in Africa which isn’t a bad thing just not my type of recreational music listening
Quirky but I think it's really solid, and a good amount of fun. "A ram sam sam, a ram sam sam / Guli guli guli guli guli ram sam sam / Hi kye yay, yippie yi kye yay / Awoo awoo ayee kie chi." I enjoyed it more than any of the Talking Heads albums that have come up.
Started a 4 but ended up a 3.
Kooky and super fun!
Fun! 80’s funk-pop at its finest!
I know I’ve heard of this band but I don’t know if I know any songs. Ok. I know track two. At least I think I do. It’s sounds pretty familiar. Might not be in the right mood for this. Track two is getting monotonous. This album is very good and also very repetitive and monotonous. I could not listen to this all the time. Great tracks for a playlist. Great movie soundtrack songs.
it was fine, fun and groovy
I enjoy the music a bit more than the vocals. Glad Tina had an outlet for her creativity since I imagine that David Byrne wasn’t huge on band input.
This album annoyed me. No redeeming qualities whatsoever.
wtf did i just listen?!? fuck yeah i like it. 3.5 to me.
Interesting vibe
Couldn't listen
I liked the music, the melody, but hated the singing and everything around it.
This was an endurance test. This one is long and goofy asf. Disc 2 alone would've been better.
Interesting
Very average. Cheap man’s talking heads.
Fun album.
Can't say this wasn't interesting. First track sounded like a female Ian Dury but somehow a bit more cringeworthy. Rest of it a mix of interesting in its variation and slightly annoying. Appreciate more then enjoy.
this was weird in a fun way.
I really enjoyed the first few tracks on this. Really funky, obviously very talking heads. Especially love that intro which grand master flash sampled I thought it really dropped off from loralie onwards. The cover at the end was fairly cheesy and forgettable. The synth noises and the guitar stabs were great all the way through. I'm gonna knock it down to 3 just cos it got boring.
Het is eigenlijk maar onzinnige muziek, maar toch kan ik het tijdens het werken goed hebben. Het is een beetje dubby (die afstammeling van reggae), doet soms ook denken aan The Avalanches en aan zo'n hippe oude kerel die altijd lptjes mocht draaien op Van Moll Fest. Erg vaag allemaal, maar zoals gezegd kon ik me er (onverwacht) toch prima naar schikken. Ik zet het op een 4. Ik ben de weg eigenlijk helemaal kwijt. Amper geslapen vannacht ook, dus mocht dit kritiek opleveren dan is dat m'n belangrijkste verweer. Jammer dat het niet op Spotify staat.
I hate wordy rapping hood but the rest is cool
Gosh I want to like this more, given the Talking Heads connection and the all-timer track “Genius of Love.” But almost every other track feels like half an idea stretched to cover a long 3 minutes, with off-kilter singing and arrangements that baffle rather than intrigue. I appreciate the tom toms and some of the sounds, but I have to give this, sadly, a 2.
Fun, inventive, def have their own thing going while fitting in nicely with sounds like Talking Heads, etc.
I love albums by people committed to communicating the sounds in their head and heart, without artistic pretension and in total (or near total) disregard of commercial expectations. It's super creative without being stuffy; consistently interesting; and beautifully produced. Yes, please.
Intressant die Musik und Gesang, Animiert zum Tanzen
Great album. Fun! Absolutely wore out my sister's copy when we were kids. Side One is pure gold. Instant party. There was a time - a long time, and it still may work - if you wanted to get the party dancing you just put it on and let it ride. It is no exaggeration to say that Genius of Love originates what is likely the most sampled and imitated bass line of all time. And if you are serious about the bass in popular music and Tina Weymouth isn't on your short list, then you aren't serious about the bass in popular music. My only complaint is that the streaming version of this album doesn't respect the way the first few tunes blend into each other. But who needs to think when your feet just go?
It's funny how much you can hear Talking Heads in this album, and also why Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth might have made this band and album as a reaction to David Byrne and his obsessive control over Talking Heads. It's definitely more beat oriented, and nice to get female vocals, but the lyrics aren't nearly as interesting overall as Talking Heads material. I'm also really struck by how different their two big hits from the album are from each other; "Wordy Rappinghood" has always seemed like an incredibly embarrassing white-person version of rap (sort of like how ads in the later 80s and 90s tried to capitalize on rap's popularity with incredibly un-fun spoken rhymes that even Dr. Seuss would have cringed at), while "Genius of love" has held up so much better and was sampled extensively by rap/hip-hop artists. The rest of the album isn't quite as distinctive, but still a fun and largely positive album (and "On, on, on, on..." is a particularly catchy anthem). I'm impressed that the Weymouth collective and others involved in this album made several more albums over the years, hopefully releasing the kind of creative energy that infects this album.
I much prefer their next album, Close to the Bone, but this is fine though some of the electronic sounds don't really work for me.
Not good
Very interesting and funny album. Sometimes it felt long for me, but I understand the general sound and groove of the songs.
fav songs: genius of love lightweight, infectious, pleasant 60/100
I have vivid memories of Wordy Rappinghood in my 11 year old charts before I knew the big Talking Heads tracks and this track seems fresh even now. Genius of Love was the track we got to know on 'stop making sense' (a much better version than the one on this album I find). I can't admit to finding the rest of the album as ultimately appealing as these opening two nuggets but it certainly was an excellent achievement from Tina and Chris not knowing what to do whilst 'My life in the bush of ghosts' was being made without giving a thought to them - ably supported by Adrian Belew as well.
Most people know the Tom Tom Club as “the other members of Talking Heads”. And they the likely also know “Genius of Love”. Their music is creative. But overly repetitive.
I’m guessing all the stuff that’s missing is a bunch of demos and live versions. Nice to put a name to Genius of Love which I pretty much only know from instagram Sunny memes. A few other interesting listens too. Solid
First thing that hits me is those compressed drums, in 1980 this was surely ahead of the curve. Ooh, I have heard Wordy Rappinghood before but never knew what it was called or who it was by. So, we're 80s new wave with full embrace of synths, and a notable funk/disco influence. Also some art/experimental later on in the album. Super wide panning on Genius Of Love is fun. From The Tom Tom Theme onwards it's a bit avant-garde and self-indulgent. A bit of a tease really, you can see they could write strong hooks but they choose not to to wallow in experimental pop. Great cover of Under The Boardwalk, but not on the original LP according to Wiki. Best track - Genius of Love, On On On On 3 stars - but so much potential wasted.. and I normally love this genre.
Nice, Genius of love alone is a 5
A funky oddity by some of the Talking Heads lot. 'Wordy Rappinghood' is influenced by early hip-hop. Tina Weymouth's rapping vocals have aged as well as one might expect a white person rapping on a 40+ year old song, but the instrumentation is quirky and alien enough that you can overlook the sup-par rapping. Weymouth's playful vocals are a delight when she's not rapping. As soon as the guitar comes in on 'L'éléphant', I immediately noticed the roaring tone of one Adrian Belew and his playing is very similar to what you can find on the King Crimson records he contributed to around this time. I'm not sure how often I'll return to this, but this was a weird and unique listen that I wouldn't have heard of if not for this project.
437/1089 - Some cool songs with Lorelei and the other one but too repetitive overall. I like the live version of Genius of Love where Chris Frantz is a dorky hypeman and sounds like a PaRappa the Rapper boss.
Ei
Not my thing, but I can see why others enjoy it. I liked L’elephant and their version of Under the Boardwalk. Album provides somehow calming danceable music.
Rv
??? solider 80s pop talking heads muskier noch ohne David Byrne erster song hit! c
little mixed with this one. some of somes on here flow like dont hug me im scared songs they're so silly. and obviously thats the point, its supposed to be fun and lighthearted and it is. but idk its not rly my thing. not bad jus not for me. genius of love is excellent tho
too long
"Who needs to think when your feet just go?" As fun as The B-52s! Great beats from beginning to end on this brilliant debut of new wave infused hip hop, reggae & killer pop - pop dance music. Don't overthink it! Get on the dance floor and prepare for take-off!
brings back some memories
I've long respected the creativity of Talking Heads, even if I only like a couple of their songs, and that same adventurous energy is evident here on this side project by two TH members. Genius of Love is irresistible. Not a lot else really grabs me, but I can also say I haven't heard many other albums like this, even though it came out 45 years ago. Tip of the hat to those who expand the sonic landscapes of their time.
While this album did go on a bit it was fun! I enjoyed listening to the whole thing, even though at a couple points I had to check to see if it was still the same album. It sounds pretty much what you’d expect from The Talking Heads without David Byrne. All the fun, none of the organization.
Meh... Too annoying to enjoy.
Listened in the car. Honestly it was fine but I'd rather just listen to Talking Heads or Blondie. This sounded like a lot of fun for the musicians to make but wasn't that fun to listen to.
Esta marcianada la escuché de pasada en su época y ha sonado alguna que otra vez en Radio3. Anecdótico. Señal de un tiempo y de algo que fue el germen de muchas cosas ... no me guardo nada, ni "Wordy Rappinghood", ni "Genius of Love" .