Reviews (page 3 of 7)
Agradable escucha. Podria haber sido mejor, si no se excedieran en la longitud de casi todos los temas...
Neat album. This sounds like something that could have been a nerdy electronic indie album made today.
I had no idea these were two thirds of Talking Heads, but it's clear they had a lot of fun. This was the heyday of the synthesizer and twisted effects. The catchy beats grounds it throughout.
Quirky and funky, like autistic prince
Love the grooves, not too crazy about the vocals/rapping at times. Still, pretty enjoyable album. It’s also insane how often Genius Of Love has been sampled.
Really good album, to be honest was not expecting much from it. Genius of Love is bloody brilliant.
Better than I expected
Fav: Under The Boardwalk Least Fav: Tom Tom Theme Shows that it wasn’t just David Byrne who made Talking Heads work
a lot of fun, great album
Pretty clear that this was spun off from Talking Heads, and also pretty clear that it's a different singer. I love this album, and I think it's obvious how much this influenced other artists and genres, but I have a hard time shaking the feeling that something is missing.
Funky in more ways than one
If I were a member of Talking Heads, I too would use my off time to record albums in The Bahamas.
I like it
This is just catchy, mindless fun! I usually like a little more lyrical content, but I really enjoyed this.
Pretty good actually , more like a 3.8 buts let round up hey
One of the most sampled songs is Tom Tom Clubs Genius of Love. Fun album for people who like a solid groove but don’t take themselves too seriously.
The 80s are inherently dumb and playful. I never liked that about this decade, but I admit that it works for me when it goes all in on the weirdness. This album does exactly that. "Wordy Rappinghood" is a masterpiece.
The fact that this was tina and chris of the talking heads side project is insane. Working a completely different music as members of talking jeads amd coming up with thos sound and have a chatt topper amd then a sample by mariah carey that reached #1 is mindblowing. Its dated but knowing they were ahead of time with the talking heads music kinds of balances it out. Good sound and production. Solid album short but sweet.
Songs with steel drums, songs that bounce Songs to dance to in your underpants. Instrumentation sparse around beats that groove Or the lush lake of funk that is “Genius of Love”. Is it a holiday diary, or songs dreamed up in incarceration? For these two, is that two sides of the same equation? Enjoy the trampoline made of sunbeams, retire to a hammock for a bed I loved my time inside the laughing heads.
Very groovy! You can believe that these two backed David Byrne in the Talking Heads.
This was a really fun album. It’s poppy funk that gives the image of the band having a great time recording it, which comes through into my own little tiny brain and makes me want to dance. There were any original songs that I recognised, but the cover of Under The Boardwalk was fun, and definitely showed their own spin on this classic. This reminded me a little of the B-52’s, but less psychedelic (you decide if that’s a good or bad thing). Overall, fun fun fun!
Just a fun groovy album.
When I first heard Wordy Rappinghood I assumed that it was just a novelty single. It wasn’t until I saw the Tom Tom Club segment of Stop Making Sense that I realised that this was actually a side project of Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth, drummer and bassist of Talking Heads respectively. Turns out it actually has some really interesting and catchy tracks outside of the two hit singles. As might be expected Weymouth and Franz provide a rock solid core with Adrian Belew of King Crimson playing some funky guitar on top. The quirky lyrics and excellent vocals as well from Tina Weymouth make this a lot more than a novelty record.
A quirky, strange, dancing and fun album. Some funk, some rock, lots of sillyness, lyrics in French that could be songs for kids. It's a mess, but it works. I can see the influence they might have on a series of bizarre bands since then.
after THeads, Tina Weymouth is great
Fine album.
Fuego beats and weird lyrics I fully support
Kedvenc/Favourite: On On On On... Meglepett, hogy mennyire tetszett, nagyon groovy és fun a legtöbb szám. Van azért néhány kevésbé erős, meg párat kicsit sokáig húztak, de összességében jó kis album. I was surprised by how much I liked it, most of the songs are very groovy and fun. There are some less than great ones, and a couple of songs were a bit drawn out, but overall a good album.
Rating: 7.5/10 No David Byrne, no problem. Definitely hear the Talking Heads sound in the instrumentation but different enough to make a unique, fun, and catchy album. Not everything hit but the highlights are great.
Hypnotic beats that are more substantive and less silly than they sound actually. "Lorelei" is a sneak-good, refreshingly so, and "Genius of Love" surprisingly effective after all this time, nearly entrancing, and justifiably sampled extensively. Sounds like a perfect summer beat.
Good and interesting
Weird, good
kind of new wave; kind of hip hop. Good performances and production.
I aspire to this level of weirdness and fun.
This one had me Booming and Zooming when I was jamming to it Under the Boardwalk.
Has a very strange endearing quality.
Just the pick-up I needed to get back into the swing of work after the holidays. Peppy, poppy, clever.
Good fine, as you might expect from a Talking Heads offshoot. More than just the inimitable Genius of Love. Fave Tracks: Wordy Rappinghood, Genius of Love, L Elephant, Lorelei, Booming and Zooming 4.2/5
Thoroughly enjoyable.
James Brown? James Brown.
Staple of every DJs flight case and a sampler’s dream. Really influential record that still sounds fresh, even if the individual components are a bit threadbare at times. Obviously overshadowed by the Talking Heads’ output but I much prefer this record to anything that band put out.
7.5/10 A Talking Heads offshoot that is better than the band itself? Maybe. More fun? Definitely Funky poppy r&b with interesting electronic touches Groovy, relaxed, sounds like they enjoyed making it Best: Genius of Love
There would be plenty of moments when I’m not at all in the mood for this, but this was not one of those moments. Caught myself pretty early on bobbing my head, drumming my fingers, and thinking “hell yeah, Tom Tom Club.” It’s pretty wild that this thing came out in 1981. I feel like it could come out today and slide right in to the new releases pile.
This rules, this is cool, it’s a lot of fun and a lot of good stuff.
This album is pop at its silliest and it works well through most of the album. There are a couple dud tracks, but I’m not even mad because you can tell they just went all in on having fun, and I’m here for it. More of a 3.5 than a 4, but no half stars unfortunately
Interesting album
Love it
This is a fun listen. Knew the first two tracks but didn’t know it was them. Did check Wikipedia for the original track listing as I wasn’t listening to over 2 hours worth. With more listens this could even stretch to a 5
Sounds like it's been sampled a lot. Liked it
It's random wins like this that keep me going. This is great stuff! Love the opening track. "Booming and Zooming" is very odd, and I love it! The cover of Under the Boardwalk is quality stuff as well.
One of the more relaxing and fun art rock albums from the 80s, as this album cover suggest. Very creative production and solid performances. Different enough from the Talking Heads to merit the spinning off of this new act Tom Tom Club from the whole.
An insanely fun, easy-to-digest album that you can get loose with. This might be a hot take but I’ve always enjoyed this more than TH’s debut.
Call me contrarian if you'd like, but I'd rather listen to this quirky curio than anything from Talking Heads.
The breakage of Talking Heads yields highly positive results.
I had never heard this album, just the singles. I was entertained all the way through. Not surprising that I liked it, given the Talking Heads association. I’m a fan of that band too.
This is #day93 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... how about something funky and new wavy? As a spin-off of Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club brings a lot to the table on their debut. Released a year after the groundbreaking Remain In Light, Tom Tom Club shares a similar edgy and artsy vibe: infectious rhythms and experimental sounds... The album blends sharp, quirky early '80s synths and playful beats with a laid-back, tropical-tinged quality, giving it a distinct personality. It feels like Tina and Chris were just having fun, making music together, and it shows. Standout tracks for me are "Wordy Rappinghood," "Genius of Love," "As Above So Below," and "Lorelei," which is half of the record. This is a solid 4 out of 5 again. Looking forward to #day94.
Mjög skemmtileg plata, ég var næstum farinn í fimmu hérna. Afskaplega hresst og quirky. Plata bandsins nr. 2, sem fylgir í Deluxe útgáfunni, er aftur á móti lítt eftirminnileg.
I didn't quite no what to expect going in, aside from knowing that Genius of Love is super catchy and it's been sampled to death to prove it. The whole album was mostly fine. Enjoyable but not necessarily great to my ears. I would give it a 3.5 if that were an option.
Wordy Rappinghood is basically a declaration of war, but overall this is unhinged in a fun way
The only problem here is long it's like forever other than that cool
3.7 Has the feeling of a group of friends, screwing around and jamming. Lots of different influences in the work. And if its got Weymouth on bass im probably going to like it
Still have this. Pure joy
gott grúv. ég er mjög hrifinn.
Enjoyed this. Must’ve sounded so fresh in 1981.
Y'know, as much as I'd want to pay this group some respect by not comparing them to Talking Heads--to be judged solely on their own merits as a New Wave act, at least... I find framing my listening that way kind of unavoidable, honestly. 'Coz the only question I have going into it, really, is "What do these guys sound like when David Byrne **isn't** around?" As it turns out: "less nerdy Talking Heads." Even if it still has quite a few of those weirder edges (particularly in the back half), it's way more polished than any Talking Heads song I've heard. Heck, I'd go so far as to call them a bit more mainstream--and I don't mean that as an insult, knowing how some would use it. I mean, you just gotta look at their biggest hit, "Genius Of Love". That's such an incredible synth hook it has. It's no wonder why Mariah Carey eventually had it sampled up for "Fantasy" (and then **that** got sampled up and knocked off for "Big Energy", but let's stay on topic). It's synth-y, 80's fun, with this crazy danceable groove, and just the right amount of weirdness to give it that aforementioned edge while still keeping it commercially appealing. I'm not surprised it became **the** song people know this group for, even if the rest of their catalog's seemed to have faded away from public knowledge. And if I could bring up a deeper cut favorite... "As Above, So Below" was probably my favorite. It reminded me the most of Talking Heads, which is maybe why I like it as much as I do, though I don't think I'd ever mistake it for one. Thanks largely to Tina's vocals (which, in spots, reminded me of lower-vibe ABBA songs), it can stand on its own. Plus, hey, it's also got a good groove, so... ("Lorelei" gets an honorable mention as runner-up favorite. The "Under The Boardwalk" cover is real good, too.) There we go, then: I like this album. It's not as much of a New Wave masterwork as the last New Wave album I heard (SHE'S SO UNUSUAL), and I'm not blown away stupid by it, but it does its job well. If I have only one gripe about it, "Wordy Rappinghood" probably wasn't the **best** way to kick off the album. Sure, it has a pretty good instrumental, but... I mean, maybe I just don't like New Wave rapping? I haven't gotten to that one Blondie song everyone seems to like, so we'll see if my opinion changes, but from the ones I **have** heard... Look, all I'm saying is that interpolating "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" kinda makes your song lame. I mean, "Old MacDonald" was the lowest point of Elvis's career; you really wanna hitch onto **that** legacy? As you've seen, I've given this album a 4, but even if the rest of the material was good enough for a 5, I'd still drop it to a 4 just because this song is so lame. I mean, seriously, goodness... But let's bring it back up a positive note. As someone who's only a casual Talking Heads fan, I'm happy to've heard this. I feel like I have a new appreciation for the non-Byrne band members now. I never figured he was the sole genius behind the group, but it's nice to have evidence that the rest of them could carry their own weight. Ultimately, however, I do think I still prefer Talking Heads for its nerdier, awkward-er edges, though if you're a fan of the band, or New Wave in general, I think this is worth your time. At any rate, it's better than NO TALKING, JUST HEAD. Goodness.
I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. It’s not necessarily a great album, but it’s a pretty damn fun one – where it lacks in some of the technical and compositional stuff, it more than makes up for in terms of vibes and enjoyment. There are lots of empty spots on this album that feels like they could be filled in by something more, but those patches of emptiness are simply a reminder that this is 1981, and the world’s not quite yet ready for a Daft Punk-esque synth solo that would break their brains. Wordy Rappinghood is fun (if a little goofy), and Genius of Love surprised me once it revealed itself is THAT song that everyone (namely Mariah Carey) has sampled, but the album definitely hits a sort of stagnant point until Lorelei for me. Tom Tom Theme is rather short, L'éléphant was just too repetitive for me to really enjoy, especially without the vocal hook or storytelling (that I could understand) to break it up, and As Above, So Below really drags out its chorus despite the rather fun instrumental. After that though, Lorelei is sort of mesmerizing, hypnotic, and mysterious in a way that sucked me in and clicked really well. On, On, On, On, while a bit culty in its lyricism, just worked for me instrumentally and tonally. Booming and Zooming is sort of weird, but its story is captivating enough that I can look past the sort of droning instrumental in the back. Under the Boardwalk feels like the first breaths of 90s Eurodance trying to come to life, and a very good way to end the album. All of that to say, I enjoyed about 2/3rds of what’s on here, but none of it was outright bad. It’s just not as concise and controlled as I think it could have been, but it’s not enough of a problem to make me think any less of the album. It’s a 3.5 that’ll go up to a 4, and a rather fun listen. I liked it.
Never listened to this one the whole way through, but I was pretty familiar with the first 2 songs. Songwriting wise, it doesn't really compare to the best Talking Heads albums, but its better than their later ones for sure. It's also super funky, lots of fun and has been sampled so many times, it's influence is clear and it was way ahead of it's time. 7/10
Just the right amount of different to satisfy.
I listened to this a couple of times while thinking “I love how much this sounds like Talking Heads” before finally looking up that it is in fact half of Talking Heads. This came out 6 years before I was born, but I’m still not sure how I didn’t know that! Talking Heads are easily one of my top ten bands of all time, and I knew there were side projects, I just didn’t realize this was one of them. I think it’s great! Apparently David Byrne didn’t think so, but as much as I love the guy he doesn’t have the best reputation for praising his bandmates or giving them due credit. Tina’s vocals are excellent for the music, and every track is groovy. In my opinion it’s clear highlight is Genius of Love, but each track is at least solid and L’Elephant, As Above, so Below, and their cover of Under The Boardwalk (a bonus track I think but worth mentioning) are all great. It’s hard not to compare to the Talking Heads records, and while it doesn’t reach the heights of TH’s first 5 records, it’s arguably better than anything that band did after Stop Making Sense. I think it’s a great album for fans of Talking Heads and an excellent overall product of the early 80’s.
Fonky
I knew Genius of Love, but the rest of this album is just as fun! Scratches the same kind of itch as a Talking Heads album (though not just quite), while showcasing what the other members bring to the table. Will definitely listen again.
A great compilation to be had from 'new wave rappers' featuring Blondie, Waitresses, Malcolm Mclaren...and of course this lot. Very solid album and no problem with four stars here.
Another Talking Heads side project, this is much better than I remember it. Still mostly slight outside of ‘Wordy Rappinghood’ and ‘Genius Of Love’ which are the key tracks here, (and which you will recognise instantly as both have been sampled countless times) but a fun, nice, breezy little album nonetheless. It’s somewhat let down by the final track which on early pressings is ‘Booming And Zooming’, and on later pressings a throwaway cover version of ‘Under The Boardwalk’. I don’t really care for either, but don’t let that stop you listening to the rest of this, cos for the most part, it’s a good time. 3.5/5 but I’m rounding up.
This is very much topped and tailed with the catchiest tracks, but it's still a fantastic album. I much prefer this to anything Talking Heads did as a band. Worth a high 'mark' for the two classic singles, but Boardwalk is great too.
Be prepared to bliss out with the 80s!
Very refreshing
Talking heads love koppel <3 lekker album op zich, vooral Genius of Love en Wordy Rappinghood On On On On ook nog wel aardig, Under the Boardwalk ook nee lachen album, zeker leuke ontdekking alles talking heads vind ik sws geweldig natuurlijk
Love it more than Talking Heads
Difficult to rate this particular record. On the one hand, it's not terribly groundbreaking or very complex. On the other hand, it does feature some really cool Jamaican influences, some fun rapping, and is one of the few early bands where women were clearly in charge of the overall direction. I have the vinyl and at least one 12" single with remixes in my stash. I'm going to give it four stars as it's definitely above average, whatever that means LOL
Very good but Very immature compares to other Electronic albums previously made.
Highlights: Genius of Love, Tom Tom Theme, L’Elephant. In a nutshell: fun, boppy, quirky, wild. This side project allowed Chris and Tina to really cut loose. I’m glad they did, cos this album is a banger. Overall: 7/10
Fun, funky album. Some iconic and recognisable hooks. Will go back to it.
Huh. Ok, I have heard a couple of these songs but never did I "hear of" the Tom Tom Club. It could be that I heard them in nightclubs or on the radio on occassion, IDK. The thing is that I like this style. It is hard to pinpoint in a way, but the beats and the energy are just easy for me to groove on. Sometimes people spend years searching for "that song" from back in the day, others, like me in this case, stumble on an older tune that they did not realize they were missing. Even better news in this case is the rest of the album is just as interesting as the stuff I was familiar with. Good find for me!
Under The Boardwalk – diese Interpretation läutete symbolisch die 80er Jahre ein. Dank an den Tom Tom Club mit seinem gleichnamigen Album. Dieses Album repräsentiert Funk in seiner unverbrauchten und witzigen Form. Elektromusik ohne zu schräge Acid-Verzerrungen, erste Stretches und Technoelemente, aber auch Avantgarde-Musik wie die B-52s oder Punk- und Wave-Elemente sind auf dem Album zu finden. “Wordy Rappinghood” persifliert Kindergeburtstagsmusik auf humorvolle Weise und ist ein cleveres Wortspiel sowie ein Vorläufer des modernen Rap. “On, On, On” ist temporeich und musikalisch gut arrangiert. “Lorelei” feiert den Riesling und bezieht sich auf die berühmte Loreley-Figur aus der deutschen Mythologie, die am Rhein lebt. Und natürlich gibt es das Kultstück “Under The Boardwalk”, das ursprünglich von The Drifters aus den 1960er Jahren stammt.
Genius of Love is a classic, quirky instrumental that has been brought back to prominence with its Latto sampling of late. The vocals on As Above, so Below reminds me a lot of Talking Heads (particularly Crosseyed and Painless). Very different song otherwise and I'm honestly all about it. Lorelai is a really cool one with some nice mixing / layering. In the background there is a constant scratchboard + bright synth line pushed into the left monitor with some little scratchy flourishes isolated to the right monitor. I could see this being distracting if done differently, but it works so well. This is among my favorites on here. On, On, On, On... actually reminds me vaguely of another 80s one hit wonder: Peter Schilling's Major Tom. This album started out on a questionable note with Wordy Rappinghood, but quickly recovered and turned into something that I really enjoyed. A lot of similarity here to Talking Heads that borders on riffing their style, but they put a spin on it all to their own. This was a pleasant surprise -- thoroughly enjoyed. High 4.
Idk what I expected from this album but it wasn't this first song. So silly. Ok I did some digging and this is the husband and wife duo from Talking Heads. Makes sense now. Genius of Love rules I def know this song. That was so fucking weird. I loved it. High 4 close to a 5.
Definitely a fun listen to start the work day. Very much enjoyed this one, as I was familiar with Tom Tom Club, I'd never heard much before now. Would listen to again for sure.
Shows that David Byrne is not the whole force behind the Talking Heads sound. Very cool and Genius of Love is iconic
This stands up pretty well to the forty odd years of history under the bridge since its release. Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love still stand out but it's all good.
Wait... Tom Tom Club were a Talking Heads side project? With Adrian Belew?? Why have I never known this before? Truth be told, I always knew of Tom Tom Club but never took the time to listen to them. That was definitely much better than I anticipated. I can understand now why Frantz and Weymouth always seemed annoyed to not get much credit for Talking Heads. Outside of the shadow of their larger than life frontman, they really shine as Tom Tom Club. A weird and wonderful album, pulling in influences from early electro, hip hop, disco, and reggae, firmly pulled into an art rock album. 'Genius of Love' is the stand out track but everything on here is really fun.
OK wait i am liking this so much more than I expected :D its really fucking fun i wanna boogie
Funky, groovy album with so many original sounds on it. It reminds me of Talking Heads here and there, though with more experimental and African beats. When I saw it was released on Island record in the UK I thought it can't be a bad album, and I wasn't wrong.
Fantastic album, prefer Tina and Chris's work sans David Byrne in the Talking Heads. 4/5!
An interesting album and I definitely want to try out more songs from the artist. I really liked Genius Of Love, As Above So Below, Lorelei and On On On On....
Talking Heads were better. But this is cool.
Honestly a vibe
This here is proof that Talking Heads is more than David Byrne and his gargantuan ego. Chris and Tina definitely earned themselves the best TH alum album with TomTom Club. 4/5
Love it! New Wave going Funkadelic. This album shows that Talking Heads is so much more than David Byrne
This surprised me. I really didn't like Genius of Love when it was released to radio. Turn off the radio or change the station. At this point, i really like the bizarre quirkiness of this album. Wordy and Genius of Love are creative and unusual. Though not everything on the album is great, Lorelei, and On, On are pretty strong and the cover of the Under the Boardwalk is catchy. Much more exciting and interesting to listen to than expected.
Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: dunkle Vorahnung eines \"gude Laune auf dem Kindergeburtstag!\"-Albums Mix (2009 Re-Release): Synths kitzeln an den richtigen Stellen, Drums und Percussion (Toms!) tragen zur hohen Dynamik bei, selbstbewusst gemischte Bassläufe Musik: die dunkle Vorahnung eines \"gude Laune auf dem Kindergeburtstag!\"-Albums hat sich bewahrheitet...und es ist großartig! 🥳 Man erkennt deutlich die kreative Handschrift der erwartungsgemäß albernen wie großartigen Köpfe der Talking Heads. Eine echte Entdeckung für mich. Wertung: 🎉🎉🎉🎉/5
Genius of love is a great song and has made 2 other great songs. Pretty solid album way ahead of its time.
Cute
I can get on board with the grooves on several of the songs, but sometimes the music is too repetitive and the vocal parts a bit too goofy. Low end four stars.
We got off to a rough start, with one of my least favorite genres: “white person in the 80s discovers rapping” (cc Debbie Harry). But after that, I liked this.
Really rather enjoyed this: quirky and adventurous. Beats are groovy throughout and I love the steel drums on the Caribbean-tinged "Boardwalk". Great cover art-work, too.
Fun and funky. New York in the early 80’s must have been so wonderful to experience.
Fun with that pinch of peculiarity!
Oh! This is an offshoot of Talking Heads? I didn't know but now that you say it, I can totally hear it. Genius of Love is one of the catchiest catches that's ever catched. The rest of the album is quirky and funky and fun.
I didn’t think I knew this album, but the first song was strangely familiar. I believe it was probably something a friend shared with me on a mix tape. I had no idea until after listening to this that the creators of this were members of the Talking Heads. It’s a quirky, strange, and pretty fun listen.
Tom Tom Club is a testament to the creative power of Weymouth and Frantz. It's a fun, funky album that stands apart from Talking Heads' work, establishing Tom Tom Club as a unique and influential force in new wave music
good had fun
Fun
This band was created by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads, so it's pretty similar to Talking Heads.... Really fucking weird. This may be MORE weird than Talking Heads.... That's a feat!! These guys really aren't that bad though. They're really odd, but remind me a lot of a more fucked B-52's. I can tolerate this stuff a lot more than Talking Heads stuff. I think with Talking Heads, it's moreso David Byrne's voice that I hate. ** Favourite/Least Favourite songs based on Deluxe Edition of record, which is the one linked from the generator. Favourite songs: The Man With The 4-Way Hips, Pleasure of Love, Wordy Rappinghood, Lorelei, Genius of Love, This is a Foxy World, "On, On, On, On...", L'Elephant Least favourite songs: Tom Tom Theme, Booming and Zooming, Atsababy! (Life is Great) 4/5
Really fun and goofy. I love the very clear DIY aesthetic here. I recognize several of these songs from samples which is really cool, but the originals are super fun too. Definitely influential.
Damn, am I prejudiced against new UK music because of this list? I looked at the description, saw it was UK and let out a groan. I listen, and I'm hooked. These melodies and sounds are entrancing, above and beyond the famous Genius of Love. I loved Wordy Rappinghood and Lorelei. Under the Boardwalk was good too. So much ethereal music and lyrics, somehow feeling timeless. This list has done me dirty time and time again, and it will do me dirty again in the future. Today, this list has done good.
What the hell? I feel like I was struck by lightning listening to this. Stopped me in my tracks, just so cool. Didn't realize this was an offshoot of a couple Talking Heads members, but I was drawing that comparison in my head, about to say that this is better than all of the Talking Heads albums. I don't think it's better than Remain in Light, but it's not far off. Holy cow, this is just a wild ride. The opener is so funky and so funny, and then "Genius of Love" is a classic, I never knew who was responsible for that. Just a nice funky ride through and through, the back half wasn't as exciting as the first, but how could anything compare to that jolt of electricity? Really awesome album. Not a five star today, but I could definitely see this one getting there with more listens (same goes for Remain in Light). Favorite tracks: Genius of Love, Wordy Rappington, Tom Tom Theme, As Above So Below, Under the Boardwalk, Booming and Zooming, Lorelei. Album art: Really love this one, childlike artstyle (though not sure if it was actually drawn by a child). Tons to look at, great colors, no complaints here. 4.5/5
Enjoyable
There's a couple tracks on here I'm not too fond of, but for the most part this album showcases some of my favorite sounds and feelings of 80s music!
I thought these names sounded familiar! Never listened to this album and it sounds like a long lost talking heads relative, which makes sense seeing those involved. It's a very groovy sounding work, goes in a lot of different directions, but it works very well. Standout tracks: Wordy Rappinghood, Genius Of Love, L Elephant, Lorelei, Booming And Zooming 8 out of 10
Love Tom Tom Club. Still crazy to me that a goofy side project maybe produced the most notable song of the Talking Heads universe. Such a talented group to do this without Byrne. 4/5
Had never heard of this band and the album is a little strange but it really grew on me. I quite liked it.
This is like Talking Heads during the Remain In Light phase, only happy and fun. I never listened to this when it was new, I think I need to rectify that.
This is an album I bought in my heavy Talking Heads phase and it's still a good listen - though it tails off after the pop songs it's still got the kind of grooves and sounds that make it interesting.
If you don't like this album I doubt your ability to feel joy.
Not knowingly heard this band before, enjoyed the album
a lot of fun, songs scan drag a bit and not as refined without byrne, but good music
Tom Tom Club Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love are superb. Both are on a lot of my playlists (as well as the ODB remix of Mariah Carey’s Fantasy, which samples Genius of Love - ‘me and Mariah, go back like babies and pacifiers’) Talking Heads are one of my top 10 bands and I love Tina Weymouth’s bass playing, but aside from the two big songs I don’t think I’ve ever given this album a proper go. I’ve listened to it before, but not with real intent. L Elephant, As Above So Below, On On On On are great. I suspected I would like this as it has many elements right up my street, part of Talking Heads doing angular new wave funk and early rap influenced pop music. I really really enjoyed it and I think it’s great. I’m very tempted to go 5, but the only thing making me give it a 4 is that it does have a ‘side project’ slightness to it. Whether that’s because I know they are a side project or not I’m not sure. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genius of love is such a vibe
Fantastic! Standouts: Genius of Love, Wordy Rappinghood, L'éléphant, Lorelei, Under the Boardwalk, On and On and On, As Above So Below. 4/5
Loved
This was pretty fresh and fun! Read about the connection to Talking Heads after listening and it made sense in retrospect
The rare occasion I enjoyed the second disc of a mega album as much as the original release. Bangers everywhere. 4.4
Tolles Album. Klingt nicht wie 1981. Eine Mischung aus B52, Hip Hop, Electro, Pop,Funk. Es dürfte die Vorlage für viele kommende Bands gewesen sein. Mit seinen über zwei Stunden sehr lang
This album was so different but in a good way. Fun to listen to. Favorite tracks was L'Elephant and Genuis of Love. I had no idea that Tom Tom Club was a side project. Good stuff.
A side project of the bassist and drummer of The Talking Heads. They covered "Genius of Love" in Stop Making Sense, and the first 2 tracks are among the most samples songs of all time. It's lush and atmospheric incorporating funky grooves, surreal Afrobeat instrumentation, and chill dreamy vocals. At times, reminds me of the Go-Go's. And at times, Blondie. No weak tracks, although "Booming and Zooming" is a bit too experimental for comfort.
Unique and delightful
Muy buen disco. Es de músico de Talking Heads, tiene esa onda pero canta más que nada una mina y tiene mucha percusión y muy buena.
Kein Wunder, dass mir das Album auf Anhieb gefällt. Tina Weymouth von den Talking Heads hat das gemacht.
Tom Tom Club is such a weirdly prominent one hit wonder, owing partially to their connection with the Talking Heads, and partially to the fact that Genius of Love is a colossal all time banger. The rest of the songs are good as well, though, with lots of Talking Heads flavor without quite sounding like the Talking Heads 4/5
It's difficult to talk about Tom Tom Club without mentioning Talking Heads, so I won't do that. In the rising popularity of new wave, Tom Tom Club serves as the weirder exploration of New Wave sensibilities. Frontwoman Tina Weymouth always had a good ear for bass grooves, so taking that to the forefront by having their songs lead with rhythmic-focused funk-inspired jams. This is backed up by odd-sounding synths, cryptic lyrics, and silly little background noises. What is that percussion instrument that sounds like a washing board? Who knows! Tom Tom Club is a fun little slice of early 80's weirdness and it's a breath of fresh air. It didn't have to be much more than that because it revels in the joy of simple musical pleasures.
Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love are great, but the rest of the tracks go on a bit too long for me
Hipster wedding music?! Love it! 😀 Five Stars for Genius of Love, four for the album as a whole, though I do really like the Under the Boardwalk cover too.
Get in me. Such good silly fun. Fav track: Genius of love
We have fun and we like the percussion and we enjoy the spoken word and we think it’s funny but also to be balanced don’t think every song is as good as others. We really like this one. Three and a half. Fave track: Genius Of Love
- no album needs to be this long. - wordy rappinghood kinda got me bopping tho
Generous 4
Nice
Possibly the most ahead-of-its-time album on the entire list. Musically sounds like it could have been made in 2017, not 1981.
Catchy, funky, fun!
pretty, pretty, pretty good
4.0 - I love the first two tracks, especially “Genius of Love” with its striking blend of swirling eletro-noise, funk bass and dry female vocals - reminiscent of Stereolab. “L’elephant” and “As Above, So Below” sort of blend together as one song, and it starts to feel repetitive. The record, which started with incredible promise sort of trails off with the underwhelming “Lorelei” and confusing “Booming and Zooming.” I like the cover “Under the Boardwalk.” Still a fun listen though it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
different, I liked it
I’m a bit ashamed to say I never listened to Tom Tom Club despite being a huge Talking Heads fan. I had always assumed that David Byrne is the creative drive. It turns out, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz are just as weird as Byrne and have the same penchant for interesting rhythms and abstract lyrics bordering on the absurd. It makes for a very interesting album that feels in many ways, like a continuation of their earlier work.
Really good album. Some memorable and catchy tracks on here, cool layered rhythms. It was great to listen to this album all the way through. I’d definitely heard quite a few tracks from it but hadn’t heard the whole thing. It’s very well done.
I loved this! Aside from the ones I already knew quite a few but was very pleased to hear the new ones. I listened to the full 2 hour album on Spotify (obvs not the original album track listings). Light hearted, interesting, new wave excellence
Love it, they have such a fun sound. I love hearing the Talking Heads influences but it's like they just went and had fun with that similar sound and did what they want without Mr Byrne hanging out. Like the Dad was out and they messed around
Rips
This was great! Some songs stood out as very good, but the entire album was really nice.
Great album. Never knew this band was Talking Heads members.
Not knowing anything about the band, the first thing I thought was “wow this is very talking heads”…then I read the article and found out it is in fact 2/3rds of the talking heads… amazing. This album is absolutely a bop. Only wish there was more of it. Standout tracks: Wordy Rappinghood, Genius of Love
so much fun, its a shame most of the album in not available on spotify.
I was surprised by how many songs I knew considering I hadn't heard of the band. Good stuff.
Oh this is Tina Weymouth's band. Finally an obscure weirdo pick that I'm familiar with. I'm not a fan of the Talking Heads mostly because I can't stand David Byrne's stupid yelps, so taking them out and replacing them with pleasant female vocals makes for a good album. I think this is how Talking Heads sound like to Talking Heads fans and my brain is just worm-infected. First two songs are amazing. "Genius of Love" might (semi-directly) be one of the most important songs of all time.
Very innovative, with some wonderful tracks. A little dated now (which is fair for an album more than 40 years old)
Great fun, it does have elements of Remain In Light like the dance-funk of L’Elephant, On x4 and the slightly dark new wave of As Above, So Below. Genius of Love is undeniably influential on hip hop and music right up to the present, although recent samples are probably samples of samples with the new/young artists not actually being familiar with the original source! Overall good fun.
Really great. The frenchy vibe is really good, and except some tracks which are meh, the others are great.
Better than expected
El pas al costat abandonant temporalembt Talking Heads en el seu millor moment artístic, per donar vida a una proposta més centrada en les cançons, va ser, amb el prisma del temps, tot un encert. Deixant de banda els ritmes sincopats i les experimentacions amb què Eno i Byrne donaven forma als temes dels Heads en aquell període, Tina Weymouth i Chris Frantz, amb l'ajuda de gent tan top com Adrian Belew, creen un disc pel record. Cançons molt més enfocades a la melodia, amb la seva indubtable part d'experimentació, gairebé ineludible en aquells anys màgics. Un cert toc jamaicà acaba d'arrodonir un treball fantàstic, del tot addictiu
Väldigt annorlunda platta men det visste jag ju sedan tidigare. Bra är det i alla fall.
Really good
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.
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.
I hadn't heard this before. It was fun and interesting.
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.
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
I feel like this is where funk meets almost new wave. Plenty of songs that get samples from this album.
This is some fun summer music
This makes me happy
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
very funky and original.
I love Genius of Love, one of my favorite songs. Great dance album with interesting tunes and rhythms.
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.
4.0
I have no fucking idea what I just listened to but I'm here for it.
Nice synthy poo
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.
B-52s vibes but the first couple songs are clearly the best part of the album. 7/10
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?
Surprising how much I enjoyed this album. It's not great, but it's good and I will listen to it again.
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.
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.
Enjoyed this a lot
Really weird, but really great.
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.
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
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?
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
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.
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.
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.
A quality album, just always enjoy listening to Knopfler, even some of the more average stuff.
Groovy
Say what you will about Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, they really were firing on all cylinders on this album.
New wave, great!
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Wordy rappinghood, On on on on, Under the boardwalk
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.
Good
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
It was fine, but not really that into it.
Pa nije loš album, onako za pozadinu. 3/5, 5/10
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.
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.
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
This is weird and funky. I like it. Love the cover of Under the Boardwalk. I think I'm obsessed with Wordy Rappinghood.
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.
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.
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.
Quite ok for a funk.
Pretty good.
Quirky and whimsical. You just know there was a white boy involved in the making of this album
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.
Very weird
This album is funky, like a really old gorillaz album lmao
fun and silly in a good way :)
Funny, different and sometimes quite nice.
Not available on Spotify. Heard another one and thats ok
Yeah, not bad
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
75
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.
mooi plaatje... misbaar maar toch mooi
Música para ginástica e indie. Ok.
Too long but other than that a good funk record of you like funk
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.
Oddly into this vibe and understand why it made the cut.
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.
Not my cup of tea
Very enjoyable.
It was fine but it was so long. Did not finish
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
Funk.
I couldn’t find this album on any platform so I listened to the Good The Bad And The Funky instead which was alright
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.
6/10
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.
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
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.
Started a 4 but ended up a 3.
Fun! 80’s funk-pop at its finest!
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.
wtf did i just listen?!? fuck yeah i like it. 3.5 to me.
Interesting vibe
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 hate wordy rapping hood but the rest is cool
Fun, inventive, def have their own thing going while fitting in nicely with sounds like Talking Heads, etc.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Weird first song but got better from there.
Better start than end
It’s fun, but a little too weird at times to be really enjoyable. Genius of Love has an infectious groove.
Two or three songs is enough, thank you. ;-)
Kinda light pop. Feels a bit tongue in cheek with the lyrics all being very simple but ironic at times
Priemie, beetje bacteria music af en toe maar dat is geen minpunt,, er gebeurde gwn niet heel veel in de nummers. Als je de eerste 30 sec gehoord hebt dan heb de meteen de daaropvolgende 6 minuten ook gehoord, wat het een prima plaat maakt voor op de achtergrond maar niet iets om voor te gaan zitten
Pretty cool. Some nice grooves. I think I used to get them confused with Gun Club.
Not really smt that resonates with me ??!! Fun fact: this band is a side project of Talking Heads.
Wild album. +1 simply for Sunny
3.25 - I like it a good bit, I just wish there were more substance and less experimentation.
Canciones que escuche pero no sabía su nombre
I didn't know this was "the other two" Talking Heads. Knowing that makes me want to like this more than I actually do. I thought it was fine, it certainly has its moments, but it's not quite... anything. It's not quite punk enough, not quite new wave enough, not quite my thing. "Genius Of Love" is a keeper but I'm not sure I need the whole album.
tem alguns ritmos bom, mas a música eu nao gostei