Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Loved it
Fun album
Unsure how to rate this as I was actively annoyed by it my first two listens. Specifically the vocals I thought were reminiscent of a primary school choir, and they would just make random noises with whatever instruments/objects they had to hand sometimes. However I listened to it again at 4am and maybe I was just sleep deprived but I was really into it, I found it really fun and quirky in an endearing way. And of course i had enjoyed some of the groovy funk instrumentals the first time round as well. Either a 2 or a 4 so I’ll go down the middle with a 3
The opening of this album really made my day. I started listening as I usually do while driving to work (15 minutes). And the quirky energy, weird lyrics and fun beats really was the energy burst I needed this day. The second song was also really good. After that the quality detoriated a little, but it was still a nice listen. I am really happy I was introduced to Tom Tom Club. Favourites: Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love.
This album was so fun - I came back to it a few times after listening. That first song is such a banger, and sets the rest of the album up so well. Bravo Tom Tom Club!
Now this is podrqaing. It sounds timeless to me.
Sehr elektronisch, teilweise instrumental. So richtig begeistert hat es mich nicht. Die Coverversion von " Under the Boardwalk" ist unterhaltsam. "Genius of love" die Grundlage für ein paar bekannte Songs anderer Künstler. 2/5
Pensé que lo iba a odiar, pero simplemente se me hizo aburrido e interminable. Es soportable durante las primeras canciones, después casi me termino matando. No es lo que me gusta pero tiene un par de cosas curiosas.
a ram sam sam mentioned 😭
Kinda weird, but in a good way
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.
And now I know where Mariah Carey got the sample for Fantasy. The Under the Boardwalk cover was actually pretty good.
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
I had Fear of Music as my daily album two day ago, and like that review I stated Tina Weymouth is standout. Turns out she's the the best vocalist in Talking Heads also. Strong album, I listened through a few times. It made me want to watch the Breaking Glass movie on Night Flight again.
Yuk. I hated this crap when it came, and I hate it more. Extra star for some creativity, but that is generous.
Hirveää paskaa! Odottelin tovin, tulisiko täältä joku hyvä musiikillinen hetki mutta ei. Jos alusta asti vain odottaa, että loppuisipa albumi jo, niin se on yksiselitteisen huono. En ymmärrä, miksi tämä on listalla. Huonoin levy mitä olen kuullut vuosiin / ikinä. Tulee jopa myötähäpeä tätä kuunnellessa. 1/5
Other than Genius of Love, was pretty mid.
אלבום מאוד גופי מיוחד
I love the rubbery kid weird funk and the chanting girly singing; sure some of the songs stretch a bit, but inventive, fun, smart, danceable. Genius of Love is, in fact, genius.
Still sounds edgy and oddball and loose, all these decades later.
Un tanto odioso, la verdad. Hubo por ahí un par de canciones a las que le di like, pero la mayoría comenzaban gustándome y después los artistas se ponían a hacer ruidos extraños con la boca o con los instrumentos, y terminaban por arruinarme las canciones. No me gustó.
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
Ja genieten!!! Meer van deze dingen in de huidige pop graag :) zeker album dat ik vaker ga luisteren!
love dit! erg genoten
oh wat een heerlijke rare plaat. favorieten waren as above so below, on on on on (lekker gitaartje) en under the boardwalk (leuke jaren 50 rock, yellow polka dot bikini vibes)
Pretty cool. Some nice grooves. I think I used to get them confused with Gun Club.
Okay, loved.
Not really smt that resonates with me ??!! Fun fact: this band is a side project of Talking Heads.
I'm a fan of what power couple Weymouth and Frantz did here overall when they were still part of Talking Heads—"Genius of Love" is an all-time classic and is probably what makes this album. However, a lot of the songs veer more toward the bizarre and strange, but aren't necessarily listenable. It's like they were trying to explore a new sound that they had never heard before. They succeeded, but the end result is a bit puzzling at times. This might grow on me over time, but some of the pop sensibilities and clever lyrics that are found more in Talking Heads are sorely MIA here. 3.5 stars.
Album #39, Tom Tom Club, Tom Tom Club ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This might not be a five star, but it might be one of my favourite albums to listen to so far. I hadn’t really heard of Tina Weymouth or Tom Tom Club before, even though I’m familiar with Talking Heads. Maybe I’m just not deep enough into Talking Heads to have come across it before. This is just a great record. I’ve only listened to it once so far, and I imagine it will grow and grow on me. I love any album where the drums feel like the main instrument. The drums here are big, the beats are big, they’re repetitive and right in your face. Then you have all these melodic bass lines and arpeggiated synths drifting in and out around the rhythm. It opens with this kind of wacky rapping vocal, which I actually thought was great, but it did make me worry that the whole album was going to be sung in that low-talker, cutesy voice style. I wasn’t really looking forward to that. Thankfully that’s not the case. Tina Weymouth’s vocals are great across the album. She moves between childish, smooth, silky, slightly sexy, and even a bit sinister at times. A lot of the tracks actually have a sinister feel to them, especially Booming and Zooming and L’Elephant. Some moments are downright spooky. And then there’s Genius of Love. I knew that song straight away. I’d heard it loads of times before but never knew who it was by or even what it was called. That might actually be the best track on the album. I love how long it is too. It just keeps going and going, and they squeeze every bit of creative juice out of that groove. Yeah, it’s a great record. I’m definitely keeping this in my rotation. I think it’s only going to grow on me the more I listen to it.
Wild album. +1 simply for Sunny
Странное. Это даж вроде называют new Wave.
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.
Far and away the more talented parts of Talking Heads. It’s not even close
Quite o.k. but not exactly my jam.
tem alguns ritmos bom, mas a música eu nao gostei
1: Wordy Rappinghood 2: L’Elephant 3: On, On, On, On…
being a talking heads fan is hard because on one hand you've got some of the best albums ever produced, but also half the band Fucking Sucks, and even david's a union buster so you just can't win (though his extensive cycling advocacy... i'll give him a pass). tom tom club with the half of the band that sucks, it's really average. you entirely have to consider it in context of talking heads' albums because this was at the time a side project, and it just does not hold a candle to remain in light (1980) or speaking in tongues (1983). it's painfully average, frankly. there's no spark to it. i have "genius of love" in my playlist, specifically from the stop making sense (2023) remaster because that version is drastically better than the studio recording, but that's it. only "wordy rappinghood" has anything else to offer with this album. the rest of it is hot air.
Tina really weirds me out as a person with all the anti-autism comments she's made in the past so I am predisposed to not give her too much of a chance. I haven't actually listened to this yet just wanted to put the disclamer out there before I do. This feels like what happens if you take sandpaper to the Talking Heads and smooth it out, and I don't really mean in a good way. It ended up feeling suprisingly samey for something so zaney, and as a result came across to me as more novelty then anything else. Genius of Love is great for its sample, but I actually think in context of the album it becomes less interesting due to the sheer amount of the same beep boop synthesizerrs throughout the whole thing. I do really love the cover of Under the Boardwalk on here, I prefer the original but it does add a unique sound to what is a pretty legendary song. Once again, take my opinion with a grain of salt because the well was somewhat poisoned before I started listening, but considering people always tell me that Tina and Chris are the "real geniuses" behind Talking heads I was expecting more here. It's definitely better then the worst Talking Heads albums, but nowhere near the average Talking Heads albums.
I tried but couldn't make it through. Stopped listening by song 4
050726 22:43 3
Y’all. This album was a TRIP. I can’t, in good faith, give this anything higher than a 2 due to the opening track giving me an aneurysm, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have fun.
Fun listen but it's not something that I'd go back to.
Weird shit, can't say I dislike it. There were some really really fun and enchanting parts. I have a feeling the word quirky was invented solely to describe this album.
This gave possibly in Michigan vibes. Lorelei was a banger and everyone and their mom has sampled Genius of Love
This album is real dumb so far. I guess after listening to the whole thing I kind of get it now... still not a huge fan.
Sunny classic genius couldn’t save this
Fun band/offshoot of the talking heads, I even went to see them live in nyc when I was in college they were great! Deborah Harry was standing near us♥️ but this album doesn’t hold up ass whole just the standout tracks
This is like reuniting with a high school boyfriend. Will there be a connection? Yes. There’s an instant flashback to a time that was exhilarating, new and fun. Those moments weave into the present ushering in a light and airy vibe.
What a blast. As the rest of the world - I know the the first two tracks but the rest of the album was a mostly new experience. Without any caveats - this album sounds great. That it came out on 1981 - it's quite radical - yet exceedingly listenable. Songs settle into a groove and let it ride. There's enough adornment to keep ones attention. Not sure I need Under the Boardwalk but it's an achievement for a side project of the rhythm section of a band on the midst of one of the great runs on rock n roll history.
Welp! Now you got me listening to Mariah. The whole time I'm listening to Genius Of Love, I'm trying figure which song Mariah sampled it from. I had NO clue that hook was a sample. Tom Tom Club is better. This was a fun & weird album that hit my music funny bone just right. The songs are a bit long but I was never felt bored. That Under the Broadwalk cover is nice. The album can be artsy fartsy at times but still good. 4
A missing link between disco and new wave. Smart and weird. I dig it.
Meh
2 stars for genius of love
I can't fathom why this is on the list. The last song, in particular, is a bottom-ten-song performance from 560 albums.
Was that produced by Oscar the Grouch and Mr. Snuffleupagus?
This was honestly such a fun album to listen to!
Can't say I enjoyed this one. Fun at times and funky, but maybe Talking Heads are just not my thing.
Without actually knowing it, I knew this was Talking Heads adjacent. The first song was beyond cringe. I was surprised I knew the second song, Genuis of Love. It's been sampled to death. It's a bit of a jam, though. The rest of the songs all feel a bit similar. Everything feels flat, like it was all recorded with the exact same levels and no dynamics. And why are so many of the songs soooo looong?! As for the album cover artwork, it's just straight up bad. Honestly, this is a generous 2.
When you remove the friction from Talking Heads
This is my first time listening to a Tom Tom Club album start-to-finish. There's a couple hits on here I'm aware of. In the end, I've always felt like Tom Tom Club is an inferior offshoot of Talking Heads, and I just generally prefer Talking Heads to Tom Tom Club. This isn't bad, but it just isn't compelling to listen to in the same way that Talking Heads is.
I listened to this a few years ago on my own and was shocked at how dorky it was. It’s still dorky but at least I was prepared.
+Wordy Rappinghood +Genius Of Love +Lorelei +Under The Boardwalk
Such a specific fun vibe
Solid album. Good tunes with cracking basslines. Was worried they may go overboard with lyrics, so was pleasantly surprised that they did not.
Had heard a few songs from this before and really liked it. Fondly remember genius of love from IASIP.
Infectiously groovy, zany and fun.
Kind of sounds like Talking Heads but somehow a little incomplete...;)
Painfully average. One sick song on here and everything else is polite background music. I longed for something interesting but instead got stuck with Booming and Zooming for what felt like forever.
Fun dance music, I don't see myself coming back to this except to listen to Genius of Love and maybe Under the Boardwalk. A fun novelty to see Talking Heads work without David Byrne but it feels like it's missing something. Highlights: Genius of Love
It's a fun old school album
Tom Tom Clubin perustivat Talking Headsin jäsenet Tina Weymouth ja Chris Frantz. Yhtyeen debyyttilevy ei ihan kauheasti uponnut itselleni, vaikka ei se varsinaisesti huono olekaan. Tämä kyseinen kokoonpanohan esittää yhden kappaleen Talking Headsin legendaarisessa konserttielokuvassa Stop Making Sense.
Couldn’t even listen to it only half decent song is genius of love. And it’a somehow over 2 hours long
Awesome
This was a lot of fun, and increased my respect for the Talking Heads so much more to learn that David Byrne wasn’t the only creative force in that band.
Equal parts creative and silly. Good background music for people who desire it.
Loved the first 2 songs and thought it was going to be a great album but it went downhill after.
Genius of Love and Wordy Rappinghood are absolute bangers and there are interesting ideas here. But as someone who spent the bit in Stop Making Sense where Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz take centre stage wondering when David Byrne was coming back, I think they probably did need a charismatic oddball out front to bring it all together.
songs i knew but didn't know they had sung them!
Mariah Carey really worked her magic with this shite.
Cool record. Strong grooves, could have used a little more structure or melody at times for me. But all in all proof that Byrne was not the only creative force in Talking Heads.
Good, but I know too much about Chris Frantz.
This is probably what a middle aged woman would define as a wild sounding album.
I would probably give it 4 but I didn’t finish it because 2hr is a very long album…
7/10 – Good
No no no. 1.
So much fun. Kinda can't believe this came out in '81.
Actually not that bad
This album is great for Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love. I listened to the whole double album, but I have to say that it eventually faded into background noise. I really liked what I heard and definitely want to revisit it in the future.
Fun and good
Awesome, so many tunes I had no idea they did.
I’ve never heard of Tom Tom Club, but given they are half of The Talking Heads I’m quietly hopeful. Ah, ok, I have definitely heard them before as the opening track is a classic 80’s tune. Wouldn’t have been able to say name of song or band, but instantly recognisable. Also the highlight of the album sadly, as nothing else comes close. I can certainly see some of the Talking Heads influence but the album doesn’t really hit any spots apart from the opener and maybe the Under The Broadwalk cover. I am surprised at a number of the albums on this journey as many wouldn’t get anywhere near my best of list.
Well that was unexpected - Not sure what I make of it to be honest
A pretty big disappointment. I was hyped for this one when it popped up, but outside of Genius of Love, no other tracks grabbed me here. It's buzzy and a bit annoying. I'm giving it a 3, but it is mostly out of allegiance to the Talking Heads in general.
Same, same, same. Meh.
Once I commit to listening to an album front to back there’s almost nothing that makes me stop the process, no matter how bad the album is, or what external events are happening around me. I almost stopped listening to this album one track in. While this album does have a wide variety of sounds, there’s not much nuance. Instead, the noise is overbearing and brings a heavy weight that the album drags along. The lyrics just felt like babble, and made me more annoyed than anything when I tried to use them as an anchor. There was so much that resulted in so little. Not for me at all, very little enjoyment. Faves: n/a
one of those albums where it's good and i can hear the influences that it's had but it just didn't really grab me so much
This music is not for me. 2+ hours? Really?
Didnt grab me
Weird in a good way. Was never sure what would come next, but it did all fit the album very well. It did fizzle out a bit on the later songs but remained enjoyable. 7/10
Sounds like they had fun
oof, this is a stinker. DNF Best Song: Genius of Love Rating: 2/10 Stars: 1
8/10 Fun album! would listen again
This was awful. Straight boredom and awful, also what was that god awful version of “Under The Boardwalk”, like wtf, it would’ve been 2 stars but you can’t do that to such an amazing song and raise above 1
Some killer cuts and some filler, too.
terrible
It’s… an interesting album to say the least, I actually kinda enjoy all the wackiness in the instrumentals but not necessarily the songwriting (albeit some of it still sounds good) I feel like it’s kinda word vomit in most of the tracks which doesn’t help since the tracks are like 5 minutes minimum, so the wacky instrumental can only play for so long, they just tend to drag out and then you’re just left with a bundle of words most of the time that just don’t relate or correlate to you, sound wise it’s not bad I do like it, but not something I would ever visit again honestly.
Makes a terrible first impression but I’ll be honest, this won me over. The arrangements are really wonderful even if the overall aesthetic is goofy.
A fun listen, nostalgic but not an album I’d sit down and listen to
Weird but fun
Probably innovative for early 80s, one track is sampled a ton, otherwise meh
No thank you.
A Talking Heads scholar or Wikipedia rabbit-hole enthusiast could surely share just what was going on inside the pressure cooker of that band to produce a rupture leading to Tom Tom Club as a side project. But you can already see that I imagine it as pressure and rupture, which gives us the propulsion of Tom Tom Club hurling at you out of what appears to be nothingness but is in fact a whole lot of something. Dig this Tina in Wonderland funky nonsense and know that Genius of Love is not the only moment of genius on this record.
Jaooo mogu da editujemmm saddd RAAAAHHHHHH. Tom Tom Klub znači jebe kevu, Ema malo hejtuje ovo kaže brateee gde su gitaree gdee je roni radke....... Mnogo kul album, zapravo za sad jedini album koji nisam čuo ranije i da ima jake i catchy pesme. NAMERNO ĆU SAD DA STAVIM 5/5 DA POVEĆAM REJTING ALBUMAAAAAAAA
Actually so so nice and fun. I loved the vibe
Another in the long line of albums that I thought I would like more than I did. Still, it was a blast rhythmically and at times a little grating in terms of melody.
7/10 Favourite: Genius of Love Least Favourite: Booming and Zoomin
Felt good to listen to this. Better than the talking heads! I always thought it was a diddy song. As my dad says, it “got us through 1981”. FO
Too big, sorta annoying but quite familiar without ever having listened to it.
Never heard of this band. Omg these guys remind me of LCD SOUNDSYSTEM. Interesting. Did not realize it’s these guys with the sample off Genius of Love.
I've listened to this album before....I'm just kinda neutral on it I guess.
alright but not for me
Really good.
a joyful and playful masterpiece. the talking heads pedigree is obvious and important (what is this if not yet another peak autism record) but it rly allows itself to be open and even Aimless in a way talking heads would usually sharpen into a less ephemeral direction. has there ever been a more amorphous hit song than genius of love??? the songs all set the strong grabbable foundation u'd expect from tina and chris, but everything on top is swimming and splashing around like a kid in a pool, reveling in the physical sensation of how water changes your relationship to your body and your surroundings. the beautiful album cover suits this stimmy wonder perfectly. i should have heard this years ago.
4/5 The Cure se ninguém tivesse depressão. Coeso, divertido e com algumas faixas mais experimentais.
not bad, kind of weird but has a vibe to it
Jammy and sunny. could see this as the background sound in a 7/10 liminal space
Such a fun album. Love all the beeps and boops.
I was really fuckin w this till lorelai came on
its funky and quite fun. very cringe but the experimental aspect is lowkey cool i guess. They must have been very high.
I like the songs but hate the album. Not sure how that's happened, but here we are.
This album surprised me. I am a huge Talking Heads fan, but had never made it around to listening to TTC beyond Genius of Love. I was prepared for a peak 80's cheese fest, and yes it kind of is, but it's also kind of a great hang. The songs flow into each other like a DJ set, and while some of the synth sounds do come off like the band just fucking around with settings and experimenting, there is a musical playfulness throughout the tracks that lends cohesion to the wackiness. Overall, this isn't an album that I would be dying to revisit often, but I might start throwing it on at parties. Gonna be a 3/5 for me, influential for sure and more legit than I anticipated.
Went into this blind and the first song is a trip, euro disco synths and funky bass with rapping (sort of) over it? The vocals are pretty weird in general. Some great percussion too - tom toms, I presume? I didn't know this was a Talking Heads side project and it's starting to make sense. Genius of Love is next, bouncy bass with more bleeps and bloops from the keyboards. This is so much fun and just satisfying to listen to. If the rest is anywhere near as good, I'm sold. Tom Tom Theme is a brief instrumental break and L'Elephant draws much more from world music. It doesn't feel out of place. Every track is such a neat mix of percussion and synths - it's repetive, mesmeric. Lorelei has a particularly entrancing keyboard melody and On, On, On, On is a bit different, a very catchy chorus. Under the Boardwalk has island vibes, maybe calypso influence. The one constant is the ever present bass. Calling this funk feels correct and reductive at the same time. It's brilliantly bizarre.
I very much like the idea of a poppier, funkier, trancier, dancier Talking Heads with even more prominent world music influences. That sounds like a way to design a perfect band for me to enjoy. But in practice, Tom Tom Club is just aight. Maybe that David Byrne weirdo is bringing something to the table after all. Also, it occurred to me listening to this album this morning that “Genius of Love” is a really weird song to have been a big hit and still be played and sampled today. Also, also, why change “baby” to “boyfriend” in “Under the Boardwalk”? Lyric changes in covers always bother me and this one is totally unnecessary. “Baby” is gender neutral. Bad choice.
im in heaven with my boyfriend
4+/5
I get why Booming And Zooming was replaced in other versions. Otherwise a quite fun album.
just found out that this is a side project or something like a sub-unit for talking heads. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone but yesterday my recommended album from this projects was from talking heads and I didn’t quite enjoy it. This one was so much better and some tracks were quite funky interesting and fun. Yet I still think that some of them were boring. I understand that this is more of a renovative thing during the era, yet I rate the albums according to my experience listening to them. So I found this album to be mediocre and too long. Disc 2 I think suits my taste better. “ this is a foxy world” has such a nice melody which I enjoyed truly.
Interesting genre and still don’t know how I feel about it but I will continue to listen
Loce this.
Relentlessly quirky, which I thought I would hate but I actually didn’t hate it. It’s got some pretty good hooks
Their debut album. New Wave / Funk. Wordy Rappinghood is a delightfully bonkers opening track, very funky. Genius Of Love is hard not to bop along to and is also slightly mad. I really like the album sleeve. Overall it's a fun album and something I'd never have known about if not for this list. Enjoyed it.
Im giving this a 3. But its better than that, but nit a 4 for me.
What are Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth gonna do when they get out of jail? They're gonna have some fun. Free from the oppressive art school tyranny of David Byrne, Franz and Weymouth recruit Prog-monster Adrian Belew to create an album that is funky and danceable, if overly cutesy. Unfortunately, the grooves often sink into monotony. Numerous references to cocaine sprinkled throughout the record offer a possible cause for the inability to succinctly end a song. Then again, it was 1981. The Disco era hadn't ended quite yet and The Tom Tom Club were offering a fresh concept to the nightclub scene.
I don't know what that was, but I know kids would love it.
don't have much to say here. Did not like this album, super weird but not in a good way.
This isn't my style at all but it's not horrible.
Can we get Talking Heads, mom? We have Talking heads at home. But seriously a fine fine album. Crazy the amount of influence genius of love has had for the last 40-odd years.
An album for the goofs. An album for the goobers. You think it can't get zoopier and then they pull out the spoop spa doops.
Dancey silliness from the rhythm section of the Talking Heads
Very quirky
Not my cup of tea. Pop music, sounds fun at times but overall to repetitive die my tastes.
A Jamaican Dance Hall.
Quirky!
So good. I think it’s the talking heads sound I love but still this is a stand alone album that is great. The depth of sound is amazing and the almost childish lyrics and vocals sound great next to the level of depth of the music. Added all to my playlist.
Enjoyed this a lot. Lots of different rhythms and noises and stuff. Fun record. Can see how this did well at the time.
11/01/2026 1. wordy rappinghood - liking the typewriter sound at the start. not massive on the synths.... sound a bit dated. drumming is nice. bass is really great as well. not a surprise from the drummer and bassist of talking heads. can't tell if i like this or not? very fun anyways. sounds very coke-fuelled. getting more into it as the track goes on. ended up really liking it :) 2. genius of love - already know this one from stop making sense and also that one scene in it's always sunny in philadelphia. great bass again! really sweet!! loving the weird synth sounds near the end.... this album is seeming a bit too twee for me. 3. tom tom theme - bit more experimental.... drumming is reallllly great, stops it falling apart. 4. l'elephant - loving the funk sound! distorted/screeching guitar is great as well!! it's in french?? almost three minutes in, getting a bit bored of it now... 5. as above so below - immediately very 80s synths.... bass and drums are great again! liking the rattling sounds. alright as background music, but dragging a bit. also goes on for an unnecessary amount of time.... *6. lorelei - very quirky sounds.... bassline great though!! again, can't tell if i like it or not.... leaning towards dislike at first. guitar riff is also really nice... leaning towards really liking it now about halfway though. wonder if this inspired the cocteau twins song.... like the more dreamy feel of this one compared to the others :) 7. on on on on... - liking the energy in this one.. alright! same things as the rest of the songs.... *8. booming and zooming - synth is reallllly nice in this one. bass and drums great as always. really loved this one :) instrumentals were fantastic! often toed the line between too twee/grating/annoying and being a really fun album, but crossed into annoying a bit too much for me. the first two songs were a really great start, but it dragged in the middle until lorelei. some of the synths and effects seem a bit dated, but as a whole, it doesn't sound like it was made as early as 1981. maybe would enjoy it more in a different mood? will give most of the songs a relisten again later, definitely lorelei and booming and zooming :)
Super fun party record
I didn't know what to expect with this album. Certainly not a funk beat, judging by the cover. But honestly, it's a pretty dang solid lovely mesh of early electronic music and funky basslines. I'd keep this one in the rotation.
It was fun and surprising. Not a sound I am used to but have find a lot of great surprise. I still feel like it can sound outdated be its okay.
This was really good! I hadn't heard of it before, although of course I recognized some of the songs.
I'm a huge talking heads fan and think Tina is the most underrated bassist of all times but this objectively not a good album and outside of this having perhaps one of the most sampled songs of all time on it there really isn't much to this album.
Tom Tom, who's there?
I'm not sure if I enjoyed this, but it sure is different.
Weirdly accessible album that is so smooth and so fun at the same time. I really enjoyed that little new wave oddity!
heerefreed dette hater jeg feelgood musikk uten sjel aint no way jeg bruker to timer på dette
I…couldn’t really get into this at first. Or at all. Sorry. Talking Heads supremacy.
Guess what— sounds like Talking Heads minus Byrne! I do like the female (Weymouth’s?) chipper vocals, and the tunes are catchy and rhythmic, but truly miss Byrne’s one-of-a-kind lyrics.
Goes on too long for my taste, not bad but a double album was a lot
Strange. But oddly nostalgic.
Really not for me. Go on too long and just a bit weird. Can see where a lot of 90’s RnB got their samples. It is musically very impressive just not my taste
Interesting!
Like the song from Always Sunny but the rest is nonsense for me
Fun
It was three starts it was fine, some of the songs were pretty good and some of them went on too long. Bloated. Went on too long
I can see the talking heads in here, interesting to see how the lyrics and tone of songs shifted without Byrne in a way I appreciated.
i miss when life was full of colours and whimsy.
Another mesmerizing road trip vibe.
Listened to whilst doing house chores. Favourite song: (You don’t stop) Wordy Rappinghood
Listened at breakfast with G and Z
jAmEs BrOwNnNn! JaMeS bRoWnNnN! son lo más cool
Yup, I thought it was a kids album too, with a couple tame sex and cocaine references casually dropped. When I find out it's Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz from Talking Heads it's too late - even with all the same rythms of Remain in Light and Heads regular Adrian Belew adding Heads guitar sounds all over the place, it's catchy but most of it so simplistic and Tina and her sisters all singing little girl voices it's still a kids record in my mind - one I'd be happy to have added to my daughter's collection at age 3, but just feels disappointing given all the musicianship here. I'll dip into their later albums and see what developed, fingers crossed.
I liked this one a lot. After I finished it I went on to listen to a playlist of songs that sample genius of love
This feels like the soundtrack for a weird, retro kids show. The music is funky and has its charm, but the talk-singing really isn't for me. I find it pretty annoying. Apparently the musicians in Tom Tom Club are also in Talking Heads, whose music I like a lot more than this. I really prefer David Byrne's singing. (Happy new year, y'all!)
Sat on my couch feeling like absolute garbage while listening to this album. It was very well mixed. So that was fun to listen to. The percussion elements came out really clear and added a fun effect.
I felt this album was such a mixed bag. Some of the songs were fun and enjoyable to listen. Others I found were so repetitive and annoying. I was not a huge fan of this album
First two songs were catchy, the whole thing was a bit odd. But particularly really enjoyed the 2nd song. Think I knew that one already from social media....
The Tom Tom Club makes it easy for me to rate them this time. The very first song, “Wordy Rappinghood,” combines everything that's annoying about new wave: uninspired and monotonous sequencer drums? Check! Sequencer bass? Check (although I've heard worse)! Pointlessly affected, children's song-like vocals with falsetto? Check (even with totally annoying overemphasis on “1” & “3” – that was probably really intended to get on the listener's nerves). This is followed by “Genius of Love,” which, according to Wikipedia, was also a big hit—but it also says that “Tom Tom Club” is a funk album. Let me put it this way: after listening to this album, I understand better why so many people don't want to listen to 80s music anymore.
Outside of Genius of Love, this is pretty tedious. Love Talking Heads, but this is too out there for me.
while i like its dadaistic nature, the album is just not that appealing to me as it is the music equivalent of a plastic table compared to a metal and wood design.
That was a trip. Genius of Love is obviously just the craziest thing, and in the best way. The rest of the album is almost as fun and crazy, and at least 80% as enjoyable.
I recognize the lick from Genius of Love, but mostly did not enjoy listening to this album. Noisy, not fun. Wordy Rappinghood ★★☆☆☆ Genius of Love ★★☆☆☆ Tom Tom Theme ★★☆☆☆ L’Éléphant ★★☆☆☆ As Above, So Below ★★☆☆☆ Lorelei ★★☆☆☆ On, On, On, On… ★★★☆☆ Booming and Zooming ★★☆☆☆ Average Album Rating: 2.1/5.0 ★★☆☆☆
Plenty of fun to be had here but it’s hard to ignore the fact the best of it is the bit that sounds like the Talking Heads, so then you just want to stick on the Talking Heads
Talking Heads without David Byrne gets real new wave.
Eh there’s a reason the talking heads are known and not these guys. Feels a little “weird for the sake of weird.” I am reminded of Dennis Wilson where the spinoff is, while produced well etc, not at the same levels of the progenitor.
Whilst the opening tunes really do stick out (wordy rapping hood and genius of love) there’s a lot to love in this groove filled pop
It's so very twee. It's interesting and fun and I'd even say I round up to enjoying it. The good parts are enough to make me ignore the cringy stuff. Tina Weymouth is a much better bassist than singer. Their cover of Under the Boardwalk sucks but I'll ignore it because it's only on some releases of this album.
my christmas present to Justin is that I didn’t leave the very mean review I initially wrote I love you justin sorry about music
genius of love, what a tune
Love talking heads but this was kind of annoying tbh
I liked it
I was really dreading this album, I didn't know it, but it looks obnoxious and absurd - so much so that I took a break from the list until I was ready mentally. On coming back I was surprised to be met with such an easy listen, great vibe and not demanding at all - maybe it's the dread I felt for it at first that made me enjoy it as much as I did, but I enjoyed it nevertheless
Tom Tom Club was a side project of the Talking Heads; Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth named the band after the Caribbean dance hall where they first rehearsed. The band's self-titled debut album was it's most successful work. The album's success was driven by the single "Genius of Love," the band's biggest single, and one of the most popular dance tracks of all time. It has been sampled extensively, both for the rhythm and the melodic hook. This is groundbreaking dance music - with this release, they helped defined 80's dance music.
Great fun
The amount of extremely well known samples I got slapped in the face with while listening to the first few songs is insane in the best way.
Finger in the bum
That opening track is one of the cringiest songs I’ve ever heard. Rest of the album is interesting and experimental. Not bad, not amazing.
It's a little too crazy for me T-T... but I can definitely see where did Paramore get some AL inspo
a new fan, this is great!
They definitely have a unique sound. Good production quality too. I'm guessing they're more famous because Mariah Carey used Genius of Love as a base for Fantasy. I didn't dislike this one, but I was finding myself wanting to move onto the next song halfway through the one I was on. They also have some really annoying sections where they are just making weird noises. If Talking Heads is music by artists for normal people, then this is made by artists, for artists. Normies like me just don't get it, and that's ok.
This was kinda fun
have not
Album #10: Tom Tom Club Genre (according to Wikipedia): Funk Singles?: Wordy Rappinghood, Genius of Love, On, On, On, On…/L'éléphant, Under the Boardwalk Have you listened to this album or this group before?: Only Genius of Love. Thoughts?: I love how funky this album is! I love Talking Heads, and this feels like a groovier, funkier version of the songs on Remain in Light. I’m loving this album so far! This is probably gonna be one of my absolute favorites! Favorite songs: All of it!! As a writer, what can you use this album for when honing your craft?: Definitely for bizarre or surreal scenes. It just sounds quirky. File correlations: File #004: C*O*M*A*T*O*S*E
2 great songs, rest ok 2/5
I was wanting to like this album more, but nope.
Had to skip the first song. Was not good and dragged on for too long. Then got bamboozled with Genius of Love. Recognized the melody from Mariah Carey. So far, not so great with this album. Skipping a few more songs. Can already tell I'm probably not gonna finish this one. DNF - 1/5
Wordy Rappinghood Genius of Love
Boosting to remind myself - reminds me of OOIOO - but yeah a bit annoying XD
I liked this but I wanted to enjoy it more. Noce to imagine bugs making tbe music.
Ahh marvellous stuff. Worth it for the hits alone and the album tracks are also all pretty lush. Well structured too imo. Amazing bass of course. Carefree and fancy free. Funny. Right in the spirit. Almost a five.
I was today years old when I realized there weren't two singers in Tom Tom Club. They sure love echo effects.
I bought this when it came out and played it a fair bit. Still really like it now all these years later especially the first two tracks.
Hard to believe this band took itself seriously. Or maybe I just don't get it. Or maybe they don't take themselves seriously and this is all a silly joke. I remember hearing about the band back in the day but never really knew who they were. This app forced me to take a listen. I hadn't missed much.
I didn't think I knew any songs by Tom Tom Club, but everybody has heard Genius of Love at some point. I didn't realize they were 2/3 of Talking Heads, but some of the instruments were similar to Talking Heads tunes of that era. It was mostly OK. Nothing really stood out.
Unexpected treat
Fantastic. This is one of those bands that I always forget about.
Tom Tom Club’s self-titled debut is good fun and an easy, breezy listen. For an album now over 40 years old, it still feels surprisingly modern. It’s also fascinating to revisit just how fresh this sound was at the time, especially as a Talking Heads offshoot and a creative project from husband-and-wife duo Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz. The record is packed with great grooves and playful production, and you can hear how ahead of its time it was. That said, while the style was groundbreaking in the early ’80s, some of it now feels a little dated. As the album progresses, the tracks start to blend into one another, and beyond track five it begins to lose momentum. Favourite track: Wordy Rappinghood is a lot of fun even if it does go on a bit and overall everything is enjoyable with nothing actively bad. Least favourite track: Not one specific track, but the issue is how samey the back half of the album becomes, which makes it drag. Album artwork: A brilliant cover itscolourful, quirky, and instantly iconic.
At first I thought this album was very conceptual and odd. Then they played the origin of the hook for Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" and I was like okay, they did have some solid musical ideas here. They're still not many people's cup of tea. I'd call them concept 80s synth pop.
You can definitely see Talking Heads wasn't just a David Byrne's baby... fun and eclectic and the music history can thank for "Genius Of Love"
The best parts of the Talking Heads became Tom Tom Club... This album is a gem.
Upbeat, relaxed, and a bit funky weird
Some cool sounds scattered throughout
one very popular song, the rest are ok ish
Cosmic!
Apparemment, ça a posé les bases. Mais les bases de quoi, c'est bien ça le problème.
A fun record with a few great party jams on there. James Broooooown!
I'm clapping my hands in glee
When Genius of Love came on my brain went: wait, what? Woah.
Okay, but a bit repetitive.
50/100. When it works, it delivers some quirky, fun moments. But when it doesn’t, it can feel clunky and off-putting. I found myself stuck somewhere in the middle, there’s charm, but also inconsistency.
A fascinating stepping stone. So odd to see that proto hip-hop/funk vibe. Not always on board with the vocal stylings and occasional french, but overall its just a fun listen. Some tracks go on a bit long, but rarely make me want to turn off. A high3/low 4 that just sneaks into 4 territory.
Sounded interesting, have to finish it
6/10… funky dance / 80s / *1981
Bit shit, innit? I found this album annoying as fuck.
Pretty weird album, but there were a couple of songs that were alright. I can confirm that the popular song was indeed good, and the whole album was not too bad running in the background.
Música de entradilla para sitcom de los ochenta.
Mostly disorganized chaotic and very hard to listen to.
Просто супер альбом!!! движово живо танцевально
fun, weird, and whimsical. a lot of good beats i enjoyed. wouldn't really listen to it intentionally, but this was enjoyable enough
Lovely album- really enjoyable listen
I can’t believe this gets a 5, but it was such a delightful surprise. Cool, fun, unique sound. So glad for this randomly generated recommendation.
Playful and fun
Weird album. Not terrible, not great, just weird. Some recognizable hooks and riffs
Given the success of the Talking Heads and having seen them three times during their run, I was interested to see what Tina and Chris could come up with when Talking Heads dissolved. Wordy Rappinghood was no where near my mind when the song was released. It’s still not. WTF? And this was a hit. Duck duck here duck duck there everywhere a duck. Holy shit I thought back then. They have lost the plot. And yet, then there is Genius of Love. The DNA of Talking Heads is there but with Tina’s soft vocals the song is definitely something new. Unfortunately, there are only a few of these aha type moments on the album. I love the attempt at experimentation but this is an album filled with repetitive dance synth pop that is produced in such a soulless manner that it comes off as a bit cold, and frankly safe. Some of the songs could have amounted to more than background Muzak but given the box that they had wrote themselves into, these songs were just kind of dull. As Above, so Below is 5:22 of repetition that is rather lifeless and therefore starts the urge to just skip the rest. And that is the problem with the record - it never really launches and the urge to just turn it off and play something else becomes overwhelming. I finished it but honestly cannot recall any of the tracks as none made any impact on me, the listener. As a consequence, you can’t say it’s bad because it is well played and therefore listenable. But that is the low bar. And this is supposed to be a record that should impact your life. This record does not. And that is truly a shame.
the guitar and the drum...
likable but don't consider it very funk like
Na me even kapot te zijn geschrokken kwam ik er gelukkig vrij snel achter dat er maar 8 nummers op de originele LP stonden, dus vind ik dat dat is wat ik moet luisteren. Wel benieuwd, want dit is me toch een bak aan muziek anders, maar wie weet bevalt het me genoeg dat ik meer luister!(denk het niet) Het eerste nummer is echt het meest witte hiphopnummer aller tijden, bijna erger dan toen Madonna ging rappen, ver-schrik-kelijk. Dit is waarom Eminem zoveel haat over zich heen kreeg eerst. Tweede nummer is wel een lekker synthpoppig plaatje. Funky en vreemd, dan heb je me hoor! Verder... mwah, ik vond het wel geinig, het is soms echt bijzonder maar een hoop is ook wel iets té chaotisch als je het mij vraagt. Prima album, maar niet zo fantastisch als de andere albums deze week, al ligt dat wel meer aan de fantastische album week die ik gehad heb. Net pech denk ik! FAVO: Genius of love, l'elephant
3.2
Ya ya ya
A single idea repeated endlessly. PU
Getting some Talking Heads vibes from this. Tom Tom Club focuses on the electric side of that vibe more. *looks up Tom Tom Club* - oh.. it's two members of the Talking Heads lol. Makes sense! Also, the album is too long.
not good at all.
Fun, quirky and electronically groovy, easy to hear the Talking Heads in it
Better than expected and a lot of fun actually.
There are some great grooves on this album. It kind of misses David Byrne on vocals though
Tom Tom Was??
Uneven
Genius of Love is one of my all time favorite bangers, and man this album did not disappoint
This album is what happens when two members of Talking Heads go, “What if we got way sillier and way funkier and just… vibed?” It’s art-pop that wandered onto a tropical dance floor and decided never to leave. Cartoonish, funky, playful, borderline goofy — and somehow brilliant. It’s the sound of a vacation you didn’t plan but are now spiritually committed to. Rating: 4.7/5** Short Review: Post-punk kids discover color, rhythm, sunshine, and the joys of sounding unhinged on purpose. Favorite Track: “Genius of Love” — the bassline alone could solve several of your emotional problems.
Some funky grooves on this album. Got a bit fed up after a while, it's way too long, great musicianship though. Can't go beyond 3, because it's not really my thing, although relatively enjoyable. Couldn't stomach Disc 2.
This new wave funk album is like a kaleidoscopic beach party—sun-soaked, silly, and groovy, where every loop and chant spins in bright, carefree motion while at the same time exhausting you by being overly long
This album is most known for genius of love because it’s been in every commercial ever. But when you compile 40 minute of that bleep bloop noise garbage it becomes unbearable after a while. I’ll pass on this one.
1 not my style
I didn’t listen to the deluxe album just the 40 mins version. I don’t think I liked it but did quite like it. The tracks were so repetitive and I wanted them to hurry up and finish but quite liked them. It’s too confusing I didn’t hate it but also didn’t love it. Won’t be listening to 2 hours of the deluxe album that I am sure of.
It sounds exactly as you'd expect - Talking Heads-ish sound, but without David Byrne. And don't get me wrong, I like the guy, but it's a nice change. Very fun, some very good songs. Enjoyed the experience.
Since I couldn't find the deluxe edition on youtube.com, I listened to the Tom Tom Club Full Album 1981 and then listened to their second album "Close To The Bone" since according to the Wikipedia synopsis this was how the deluxe edition was packaged. I totally understood why this music would appeal to the dance clubs with the repeating beat, strong drums, and swinging rhythms. There were a couple of times where I found my own toe tapping to the rhythm; however, I can only listen to this type of music for limited periods of time as there is too much similarity in the style of music and songs for me. I did appreciate that the band used some varied musical instruments which helped. I was amused by some of the words which were expressed in "Wordy Rappinghood" and I appreciated the change into French words also. I'm not sure why I didn't like their songs, "Booming and Zooming" and "L'Elephant" as they were more of the same, but something about these two songs just annoyed me. Although I thought the girls' voices were sort of breathy, I missed their voices on the purely instrumental versions of their songs on the "Close To The Bone" album. I liked the laid-back, cherry sound to the song, "Never Took A Penny".
Highlights: wordy rappington, genius of love, L’elphant, Lorelei Lowlight: Tom tom theme, booming and zooming Fun Natural Fun! I loved this album. I had heard genius of live plenty of time but never got around to this whole album done by this splinter group of the talking heads Worry rappington is definitely a litmus test to see if you’ll like what this album and I was all in. Genius of love is for sure a classic banger that’s been sampled like crazy and has plenty of crazy talk and such a groovy best (my favorite line thst I live bey, “WHO NEEDS TO THINK WHEN YOUR FEET JUST GO?!”) L’elephant and Lorelei were two distinct sounds and bass heavy tracks that I find myself just getting lost in, and I really enjoyed the closer of under the boardwalk The album isn’t flawless, while I can forgive tom tom club, booming and zooming was a chore to get through after all of the radio talking happened Either way, this was a fun album that I will for sure find myself listening to post review. 4/5
Best: "Under the Boardwalk" Worst: "Lorelei"
This was an interesting ride. It felt like an alternate take on disco and dance music, focusing on a different vibe than either of the two. It was intriguing and kept my attention the whole way through, even if some songs went on for longer than they probably should have. Without a doubt, the musical choices and weaving vocals make it pretty iconic. It's ethereal and atmospheric at times, in your face at others. It could feel bubblegum pop-ish or funky depending on what part you were listening to. That said, even with its range, it never really sounded too different from one song to another. I can't say that I loved it, but I appreciated it and thought it felt fresh. And it's hard to argue against its widespread impact just considering the number of times Genius of Love has been sampled by different artists over the years. I personally found the album solid but unspectacular. Overall: 2.75/5
3.5/5
this had me dancing round like i had crab infested pubes.
I just love lamb chops.
I don't want to break the first rule of Tom Tom Club.
The best side quest since Andi went to a gym for a bit, and came back as a massive, semi mythical beast now globally known as SHACK.
Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz’s Tom Tom Club is pure sunshine funk — playful, catchy, and endlessly cool. Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love groove with effortless joy, mixing reggae, pop, and dance with cheeky charm. I played it for my friend Shack, who paused mid–lamb chop to declare, “That’s cooked perfectly.” He’s right — it’s perfectly done: simple, flavourful, timeless. Over forty years later, it still sizzles like summer on vinyl.
If all "isms" was a band this would be it. Not unlikable but clearly from the mond of someone that screams in supermarkets
Kind of annoying tbh
💕💕💕 2 hours of pleasure
Booming and zooming grew on me a lot, great song
An interesting concept but I don’t think it was executed as well as it could be. The good, the bass work of Tina is amazing really groovy, on some of the songs the vocals are quite entrancing and some genuinely very good very influential songs. Now the bad, a lot of the songs are very much products of the time, they sound of the 80s and not in the good way, I did find myself having to skips song because of it. I also found some of the songs went for too long with no development of musical ideas so I found they started quite good but became a bit boring
wtf is Tom Tom Club? Wordy Rappinghood, what is going on. What is going on. A lot of vaguely spiritual chanting and tribal percussion and woodwinds. It's like some tinker hippies got into a recording studio and started playing with noise toys. It ain't bad on As Above, So Below, actually. It's somewhere between Kidzbop and experimental spiritpop for Sedona crystal merchants. Maybe this is what they play in the family camp at Lightning in a Bottle. On, On, On, On. The gypsies are coming. It's almost a threat? To the owner of the recording studio? And then some more simple synth beats and inscrutible lyrics that I suspect are cryptologically quite sinister. I don't know man.
This album gets an extra star because sooooo many songs have been sampled and used throughout music. As a straight listen though it’s so long! It is always fun to hear where samples come from but I’d never listen to this again.
Return of the Mack
👎
Classic album. Has some real strong hits but also a few clunkers.