Tom Tom Club

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It's a fun old school album

Equal parts creative and silly. Good background music for people who desire it.

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.

I would probably give it 4 but I didn’t finish it because 2hr is a very long album…

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.

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.

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

Didnt grab me

Sounds like they had fun

Weird but fun

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.

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.

I've listened to this album before....I'm just kinda neutral on it I guess.

alright but not for me

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

A Jamaican Dance Hall.

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 :)

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.

Tom Tom, who's there?

I'm not sure if I enjoyed this, but it sure is different.

Interesting!

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.

Another mesmerizing road trip vibe.

Listened at breakfast with G and Z

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.

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....

Talking Heads without David Byrne gets real new wave.

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

genius of love, what a tune

Love talking heads but this was kind of annoying tbh

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.

a new fan, this is great!

This was kinda fun

have not

I was today years old when I realized there weren't two singers in Tom Tom Club. They sure love echo effects.

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.

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.

A fun record with a few great party jams on there. James Broooooown!

When Genius of Love came on my brain went: wait, what? Woah.

Okay, but a bit repetitive.

Sounded interesting, have to finish it

6/10… funky dance / 80s / *1981

fun, weird, and whimsical. a lot of good beats i enjoyed. wouldn't really listen to it intentionally, but this was enjoyable enough

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

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.

Fun, quirky and electronically groovy, easy to hear the Talking Heads in it

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

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.

3.5/5

I don't want to break the first rule of Tom Tom Club.

Booming and zooming grew on me a lot, great song

Catchy stuff! 3/5

Phenomenally groovy. Phenomenally ridiculous.

Very creative pop music, surprisingly good.

Weird and fun. But probably not weird enough.

Fun little album. Very jiggy.

Somehow very good but also very bad. A strange but enjoyable project

After the first track, I was expecting to dislike this more than I did. Wordy Rappinghood? Corny. Like, real corny. However, Genius of Love, L'elephant, Lorelei and On, On, On.. were all pretty solid. Still not exactly my bag, but it could have been worse.

this was fine but i didn’t love it. just didn’t really care for the vibe the put out there

Fun album

It's really fun funk/new wave. Genius of Love is an absolute classic, one of the best dance songs ever.

I wanted to like this but it sorta bored me

Pas mal, fun, léger

Some really infectious beats. Really fun album. It started off very strong but kind of dragged a bit through the middle.

3.5 stars. "Genius of Love" super catchy hook which understandably went on to be sampled over and over later in the 80's. Leadoff "Wordy Rappinghood" is fairly weird but good. Overall a decent funk album by the Talking Heads side project.

Innovative, one classic

bouncy, slightly goofy, and fun (in a way that Talking Heads never really were) two excellent singles, and quite a bit of filler - lifted to 3 stars by Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love

As Above, So Below takes about 2 stars off the album. 2.75*

Very inventive and interesting. Some seminal pieces when it comes to sampling sources. Drags on a bit too much.

Nice

Funky and fun, but it's not near Talking Heads :-)

Funky

A bizarre and unique album. Enjoyed it but not sure how often I will re listen Standout songs: Lorelei Under the boardwalk

Bit too long - it sounds vaguely familiar but I can't put my finger on why.

Erikoinen levy. Ei säväyttänyt kuitenkaan. 3/5.

Fun earlier electronic weirdness.

first listen great sample material

The deluxe edition got repetitive.

Really fun album!

Unfortunately, really nothing's special here.It does have some of those talking head vibes and slick eighties production.But the songs kind of drag on, and they needed a little bit, they needed to build a little bit more on each track

A talking heads side project? I was wondering why this is a must listen then "Genius of Love" came on. Now thats an iconic song that I've listened to in full and only ever heard sampled. Stopped after Under the Boardwalk. Even that felt too long. Anyone listening to the Spotify Deluxe version I recommend the same unless you want remixes and extra long version of songs you've already heard. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

This is another one that I've been wanting to check out for awhile. While its definitely not as good as what the Talking Heads were releasing around the same time, its still an enjoyable record. "Genius of Love" is the obvious highlight and unfortunately I don't think the rest of the album really compares. Favorite track: Genius of Love

On sens bien la vibe Talking Heads, sans être une copie carbonne. Ça me fait juste apprécier David Byrne encore plus, pis ça me donne juste envie d'écouter plus de Talking Heads

Some of this was quite fun, but there sure was two hours of it.

Overly long, but some great tracks on this album. Nice one Tina.

2,6/5

Every single song on this one is both catchy and at least a minute too long. I suppose this makes it a precursor to modern electronica.

6/10

First two are great. Rest is fine. 3.5

Liked it better than I thought I would, but it’s not going to make the rotatiom

I've always seen this as the platonic ideal of a side project. Try some new stuff, have some fun, low stakes. This one just happened to produce and all-time classic song. The rest of the album is fun and touches on some cool sounds and techniques. Standout Track(s): Genius of Love (duh), L'Elephant

Not bad, some catchy stuff.

bullshit, like a bunch of cavemen just got some instruments and they do random sounds

Various styles, songs flowed well from one to another. Sort of feels like something you have to actively listen to and a background album at the same time strangely.

Me and my brain cells vibing today: https://youtu.be/DTfBIMK8JZ4?feature=shared

Lots of good music owes some credit to this Tom Tom Club sound. Good funk and lots of fun. Genius of Love is a classic, very recognizable from its use as a sample in Mariah Carey's Fantasy. Under the Boardwalk had me bobbing my head pleasantly at work. Overall, the record moves just a little too slowly for my full enjoyment, but this is a solid entry in the album canon.

Genuis of Love was fun, I hadn't realized it was so heavily sampled. Not amazing, but it was an enjoyable listen

Loved the first couple songs but thought the album dragged on

Fun pop, I enjoyed the beats of the first couple of songs and under the board walk was fun to sing along to.

This is probably the most fun I’ve had with a new wave album. Pretty consistently, I tend to drag the genre through the mud, but honestly I had fun with this album. I would have preferred the original version, with eight tracks though. An extra hour 20 of content didn’t really do much for me, but I won’t knock them for that

A gold mine for sampling but this was weird to listen to as an album. Repetitive and kind of creepy. Light 3.

Always felt like a bit of as novelty record, but I can't dismiss a Talking Heads offshoot. This is a fun, but not particularly great album. I think its as bit repetitive after a while.

Very 80s. Only knew the big song. Songs kind of sounded the same to me.

Ok

i think i wouldve actually enjoyed this without the vocals. the instrumentals were interesting and had a lot of variation but the vocals really took me out of it. after the first song i was thinking this would be a one so i ended up rating it much higher than i thought i would

Some of the tracks were fun but ALL went on for WAYYYY too long

This feels a little like early B-52s. But with Adrian Belew. I think that if they had a contrasting vocalist, it would have worked better for me. But as it is, it didn't do that much for me. Tina Weymouth's rapping wasn't bad, but it just seemed like she was trying too hard on that opening track. I did like the fact that the tracks ran into each other. "Genius of Love": They still get residuals for this on ALL the acts that have sampled it. They probably got something for me writing about it. But there's a reason why it's sampled so much: it's a real catchy tune. But aside from that, the other songs are fair to mid at best. I didn't hate it, but I felt it could have been better. Top tracks: "Genius of Love," "Lorelei"

It's funky and poppier than Weymouth and Frantz's work in Talking Heads. Fun, if not a bit bizarre. And I would say most songs run a couple minutes too long. Like, yeah, I get the thing you're doing now wrap it up instead of beating that dead horse. Wordy Rappinghood feels like a slightly better style of 80's rap by the Sugar Hill Gang or Grand Master Flash - same rapping flow (which is a bit cringey) but better beats. Still, at 6.5 minutes, move on already. You know they nailed it with Genius of Love given how many people have sampled it since (Mariah and Latto being the ones the kids would know). Still, it doesn't need to be 5.5 minutes. The other songs were ok but not as memorable.

Definitely missing David. But still unique with a couple catch tunes.

Had a hard time stomaching the first song. Next few songs were fine. At “Lorelei”, I started enjoying it a little more.

That was pretty nice Will I listen to again: 50%

i kinda get what kinds of pop sentiments they were getting at but just didn't land too hard on the whole

Its wild to hear this crew without David Byrne, and to see what exactly Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz brought to the Talking Heads, which turns out, was quite a lot. I'll admit, some of the songs here are the worst kind of American New Wave drivel that I hate (looking at you Wordy Rappinghood, Booming and Zooming), but other songs are a lot more enjoyable meditations on sound (L'Elephant, As Above, So Below, Lorelei). I think it is the context in which this album comes out that makes it so interesting. "Tom Tom Club" is released a year after The Talking Heads made "Remain in Light", and the same year as Byrne and Eno's "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" and both showcase the members of the band experimenting with different sounds that find them both making interesting music. No wonder then that when they came back together to release Speaking In Tongues it became, arguably, The Talking Heads most successful album. Clearly their collaboration was improved by being able to seperate for a bit. It also bears mentioning that "Genius of Love" is a song with a much farther reach than a fair amount of the other music by being sampled and refrenced by people like Mack Morrison, 2pac, and Mariah Carrey.

Decent. Besides that one super recognizable sampled moment, nothing really stood out to me.

These songs would be better if they were shorter, I think. And the rapping was kind of embarrassing? It’s fine, but pretty slight.

Ah, the part of Stop Making Sense where it’s time to go to the bathroom. This had some OK songs on it, and I didn’t hate it. It can have a 3.

Det her er et ret sjovt album at gå på opdagelse i. Hold nu op der er meget nyere musik som stadig trækker på dette album.

Whenever I see an 80's album on this list come up I shudder a little. This one was a teensy but of a nice surprise. Started off strong then just got weirder.

I'm glad I know where that Mariah Carey sample is from

Nej, inte såld alls (bara lyssnat på det som är urpsrungsalbum). Det var däremot kul att höra genius of love, som spelats i min varitserie "It's always sunny in Philadelphia". Pendlar mellan 2 och 3. Får nog bli en trea trots allt, så illa att det förtjänar en tvåa var det inte. Men fullständigt ointresserad att lyssna mer.

Udda men kul skiva. De två första låtarna och covern på Under the boardwalk var bra och däremellan lite mer sisådär. Underhållande lyssning ändå.

Genius of love -- is this the source of that hook? A fun little album, the boardwalk cover was cool. 3* Highlights: genius of love, under the boardwalk

I'm familiar! Just read their Spotify page and it seems that they were part of the Talking Heads trio! Which I didn't know. Don't know their whole discography, so this should be good. edit:It was good! a worthwhile fun listen. Can definitely hear elements of the Heads in it.

genius of love is great the others aren't

Quirky for sure, and using sounds I wouldn't have expected from the early 80s

A lot of sympathy for this album and even for the half Breton-French bassist Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads, Gorillaz), but certainly not enough material to make so much tracks. I understand why the two first track got successfull though. I give it a 3 because it's a new sound for the time... And you got to love the sleeve's artwork!

Fun album, you can hear the artists enjoying themselves here. The entire project is quite cutesy, so are the album cover and the video clips associated with this artist. However, therein I find my biggest gripe with this album as well. It's fun but feels very inconsequential and unmemorable. It's 40 minutes of joyeous but forgettable boops and synths. Under the Boardwalk was the most memorable song, but that wasn't even on the original album. It's a nice album, but it definetely feels like a side project, before they got back to more imporant things.

Favorite Track: Genius of Love

Pretty good

5/10

Ahh, hard to decide. It's okay but also shit Better than Coldcut I guess

I actually found the rapping on the first two tracks a bit annoying. So for me it only really gets going on track 4 of 8. On On On On is amazing. Without the slow start I would be high 4 but I’m going high 3 (7/10)

Almost a 4 for me and could rise with more listens, enjoyed the meandering mid section more than the admittedly iconic singles.

Это очень странный бро группы Токинг Хэдз, и как бы супер-вайб, но прямо вот песен здесь почти нет (по крайней мере по первому прослушиванию). Лучшая песня - Genius Of Love.

01) Wordy Rappinghood - 7,0 02) Genius of Love - 9,0 03) Tom Tom Theme - 5,5 04) L'éléphant - 7,0 05) As Above, So Below - 7,0 06) Lorelei - 6,5 07) On, On, On, On... - 6,5 08) Booming and Zooming - 6,0 09) Under the Boardwalk - 7,5 10) On, On, On, On... (Remix) - 7,0 11) Lorelei (Remix) - 7,0 12) Spooks (Single version) - 6,5 13) Elephant (Single version) - 6,0 14) (You Don't Stop) Wordy Rappinghood (Single version) - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,82 (68/100) Current ranking: 395/607

Genius of Love and other generally fun tracks outweighed by unforgiveable cover of Under The Boardwalk.

I think while its sounds quite dated, everything is really good. Always interesting musically, good little turns here and there I could see myself liking it more and more if I came back to it

Loved Wordy Rappinghood, which I remember from my youth. Really enjoyed the sense of fun and the lyrics in French (reflecting Weymouth’s Breton mother I assume). But found the long tracks a bit repetitive. Enjoyed the listen

I think "Genius of Love" is this album's biggest contributions. I first knew it from a Mariah Carrey song Fantasy. The rest of the album is OK. It has that early 80's new wave sound, reminds me a little of Talking Heads. I like the song "On, On, On, On..."

A goofy and natural evolution of the original vision of Taking Heads, (if Tina had been the band leader rather than David), set free to romp and dance.

Very good

Weird and not at all what I was expecting

Unlike anything else...but that doesn't mean spectacular.

Some pretty vibey and super original stuff here. Clearly super influential. Some stuff sounds like it inspired LCD Soundsystem. Another was a top sample this year on a pop/rap song. With that said some of it got a bit out there.

Weird and fun. Opportunities to lean new languages as well.

No, si al final me va a acabar gustando el new wave ochentero. Solo que le haríamos un flaco favor a este álbum si lo etiquetáramos únicamente así. Es cierto que tiene mucho de new wave (está compuesto por miembros de The Talking Heads), con esas líneas de bajo tan pulsantes y destacadas, y esas influencias electrónicas tempranas. Pero es mucho más que eso. También está muy influido por el proto-rap de su época y, sobre todo, por el funk, con esos sintetizadores, bajo y coros vocales tan enérgicos. Incluso suena bastante caribeño a ratos, e incluso africano, con melodías marroquíes y de otros lugares que encajan muy bien con la tónica general del álbum. Un álbum visionario, muy peculiar y cool, aunque un poco extraño y de sonido algo “desperdigado”. No sé muy bien cómo definirlo, pero se acaba haciendo un poco pesado. Aunque no por ello deja de ser un discazo.

Experimental music for that time. Enjoyed listening to it. It gave an almost beachclub kind of vibe

A silly record. But considering that it was essentially part of the Talking Heads it makes sense. Not a bad album, just not particulary exciting. "Genius of Love" is a classic though, and most of the songs are enjoyable.

Serviceably funky 80s Synth pop.

mislio sam da će mi bit puno puno bolje... početak dobar, genius of love odličan, al kasnije slabije. usto i malo krindž? ne znam. al da je loše, nije; vidi se da speaking in tongues duguje ovom albumu štošta!

Wordy Rappinghood - 1/5 Genius of Love - 5/5 Tom Tom Theme - no rating L'éléphant - 3/5 As Above, So Below - 4/5 Lorelei - 4/5 On, on, on, on... - 3/5 Booming and Zooming - 3/5 Average score: 3.3/5 (rounding down) rough start with the beginning track, but it got more tolerable after

About as weird as I thought it would be. Not necessarily bad though. Some interesting music but still can’t give it more than a 3.

This album gets pretty whacky at times and I honestly like the instrumentation but outside of recognizing the beat of “genius of love” and “boardwalk” I didn’t love this album.

Perfectly forgettable.

OK, so, I don't really like it. That said, it's one of those albums that I *absolutely* understand why it made the list. Do I ever want to listen to it again? I do not. Usually, that's a 2 star review. However, I can see the strangeness of this album, and how it pushed creativity away from the 70s sound into the synth-pop driven 80s. Bonus points that it seemed to be HEAVILY influential to hip hop, considering all the artists who have sampled music from this album. I'm giving it an extra star out of respect.

I really enjoyed the first couple tracks on this (Wordy Rappinghood and Genius of Love) but after about the 4th song everything started to sound the same. Most of the songs were longer than they needed to be, and very repetitive. Overall I didn't dislike the sound but I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected to.

Solid album. I know Genius of Love but the rest of the album is pretty good, too.

Pretty good. Probably 3.5/5. I definitely hear the Talking Heads connection.

More funny than it was fun. Did not get through the whole thing…

CRAZY album, some highs and lows, but fun

Does the Tom Tom Club have tom toms? Indeed they do. Also a couple of good hits.

Enjoyed listening to this album a blend of electronic pop with elements of left field talking heads underpinnings, potentially worth further listens a 2/3 but I’ll give a 3.

If Blondie formed the Spice Girls in 1971, this would be it.

This is maybe the ugliest album cover we have had so far. It screams of going to a modern art museum and your friend explaining to you "It doesn't matter that you could do it, it matters that they did it first." It's still shit. The album is good.

LCD Soundsystem owes a huge debt to Tina and Chris. Very fun and funky album but its somewhat of a mixed bag too.

drei minus genius of love ++

Of course genius of love is one of the all-time jams, but most of the other songs struck me as kind of silly.

Not my jams but I love to hear the origins of musical beats like fantasy from Mariah Carey

Nice really enjoyed it

Funky, but mwah

The Good: Tom Tom!!! The Bad: Wasn’t invited to the club… The Ugly: The fact that the only album available on Spotify was 2 hours+ long… When the first track started I was wondering what kind of shit early hip hop I was about to listen to, as the drums are electro-electronic! But then the sons actually kicks in and I was instantly brought back to the early early days of the ‘80s, playing in the pool with my buddies, and just having a dandy of a time. Sadly, that thought only lasted for 1 1/2 songs, at which point it all started to sound the same. What I did find interesting is that, while having the frikin’ long as album playing along on the background, time just kind of past by. So, if you are ever going to have an ‘80s party and you want something that will allow people to actually just have a good time, I can easily recommend this album. Yet, if you are lounging in your favorite seat (chair or sofa) and you want to have an excellent listening experience, you can skip this record without a doubt… Shooting this one straight down the middle… 3*

Kind of silly but I kind of liked it

Won't you look at that? The Tom Tom Club! As a big fan of the Talking Heads for a while now, this band consisting of bassist Tina Weymouth, and her husband, drummer Chris Frantz has always been known for their big hit sampled by other well-known artists years later. And without a doubt, Genius Of Love is a great song through and through even threatening to steal the show during Stop Making Sense. The rest of this album I didn't know about, so now is my chance to hear what else this band's got. I should highlight the fact that this record was put out a year after the release of Talking Heads' Remain In Light; a record which further integrated funk elements into the group's sound. So I consider this as Tina and Chris' own take on that style of music. The real perk of this album is that it lets the great Tina Weymouth be the center of attention for once. On Wordy Rappinghood, the groove builds to something you can't resist shaking your head too. The rapping (Dr Seussian?) even resembles David Byrne's brief rap on Crosseyed and Painless. The rest of the album serves as passable funk grooves with Lorelei being the highlight after the big hits. I wouldn't say it's a must-hear for the average Talking Heads fan, but if one wants to listen to more of a joyous take on Remain In Light's funky style, this exists. A better album than yesterday. (6/10, 3/5 on this scale)

Hello synths! Not being super versed in dance music, it feels like the fingerprints from this record are all over the party sounds of the 80s and 90s - it combines disco beats with New Wave irony and exotic instrumentation. What if Talking Heads went out on a Friday night? Massive groovy bass work, definitely a highlight. ----- Ok, I just saw who this band consists of and who played on the record. It all makes sense! Favourite tracks: Genius of Love, L'elephant, As Above So Below

There are some true bops in this album.

This was very synthy and electronic drummy which is not my favorite. But... these were catchy and fun songs.

Genius of Love is still so groovy, but I wish they had autotune going for Lorelei. Overall ok.

Must be hard being in Talking Heads and not called David. This is good stuff - funky and tight. But - I don't think we get this album on the 1001 if they weren't also in TH.

Solid

I didn't get it at first, but the more I listened the more fun it got I guess?

The album is uneven, but still so fun.

A fun and interesting album of funky, experimental pop. "Genius of Love" is the clear standout, but there are plenty of cool songs throughout the album. The fact that Tom Tom Club was formed by the bassist and drummer from Talking Heads is important context. There's a focus on grooves and rhythms throughout the album, as well as some of the experimentation Talking Heads is known for. 3.5

Pretty fun and interesting album for it's time, right from track 1 I started to really get into a groove. "Genius Of Love" is a certified banger, timeless sound, and has really lived on as a sample. "Tom Tom Club", what a great idea? A club for tom toms.

Eccentric comedy dance funk rap probably shouldn't be a genre, but it is testament to the supreme talent of Weymouth and Frantz that this album has endured. In hindsight, it's all just a bit silly, but, when it grooves, the music itself still sounds fresh as a daisy in places. A bit of a curiosity, but full of charm.

Ég hafði aldrei heyrt um þetta band áður. Lögin voru öðruvísi en ég bjóst við. Þetta var eiginlega eins og ef B-52s væru að koma fram í Sesame street þætti. Barnalega skemmtilegt en samt fullorðins inn á milli.

Heard Genius of Love before. I believe this album wasn't available on Spotify in my region not so long ago? But it's here now and it's quite good, I sometimes felt that the songs were ragging on a bit though 3/5

After hearing some of these songs for most of my life, it's entertaining to know Tom Tom Club is simply a goofy side project to offer the Weymouths some space from David Byrne and the pressure of the Talking Heads. Its light and fun, though a bit repetitive. Early traces of GRLPWR here allude to some of the bigger acts of the genre popping out in the 90's.

Funky, funky, summer fun.

Wonderful! Especially because the tracks I already knew (e.g. Genius of Love) were deep in. At first I thought, "this sounds vaguely familiar." And then, "oh, yeah, they made that!"

27/04/2025 It was alright. Nothing to write home about.

Fairly peculiar vibe but fun and well preformed 3.5*

A little goofy, but a solid and fun diversion for Talking Heads fans.

Niet veel geluisterd, stukje dat ik er van heb gehoord klonk wel leuk.

Didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it. It was fun for its time, but now’s not that time.

Sometimes I find myself just saying “James Brown, James Brown!” This is a fun album. Of course I knew Genius Of Love, but the other songs were good I liked the usage of other styles to influence this. Probably not something I would return to super often. Favorites were Wordy Rappinghood, Genius Of Love, and As Above, So Below.

This has some good moments.

Day461 - everyone knows genius of love cause it’s great but i can’t say that for the rest

Well, there's no debate about Genius Of Love, and the rest of the album is of the same cut, albeit not as catchy. You can feel the fun they had making this record, and it shows.

It was alright, didn’t finish it but don’t think I missed out on much

How many side projects are there on this list? I don't know. All I know now is that it's at least one. Wait, does Gorillaz count as a side project? If so, then it's at least two. Anyways, here's Tom Tom Club. This, of course, is the side project of Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz who, aside from being married to each other, were also the bassist and drummer respectively for one of my favorite bands that I discovered from this album project, Talking Heads. I love Talking Heads, so my expectations were somewhat high for Tom Tom Club. Were those expectations met? Well, I don't think this album holds a candle to any of the Talking Heads albums I've heard, but it's definitely not bad either. This album's pretty solid. I like it. The sound is neat. It's a nice blend of funk and new wave, not too dissimilar to some of the late 70s/early 80s Talking Heads songs. The instrumentation is pretty good too. I've always really liked Tina Weymouth's basslines. They're not the craziest things out there, but they always provide a strong and fun backbone for the song at hand. Speaking of songs, this album sure does have them. I don't think every song hits as great as I want it to, but there is at least one standout track on here. That, of course, is "Genius of Love." Most people know this song as "that one song that's been sampled a lot." I know it as the song they played in Stop Making Sense to allow David Byrne to switch into his big suit. I'll always appreciate the song for that. I'll also appreciate it for being a great song. The singing isn't my favorite, but it works. Overall, for being a side project, Tom Tom Club has some cool things going on. I wouldn't say I loved this album, but I like it for what it is. Solid 3/5.

3.5/5. I liked this. It was different and enjoyable.

Weird and fun but not likely to listen too again

i usually dislike this kind of electronic-y stuff but this is good

This self-titled debut from the Tom Tom Club, a side project of Talking Heads members Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, showcases a unique blend of sounds. Musically, it represents a funky and adventurous meeting place of new wave alternative and the burgeoning hip hop scene in New York during the early 1980s. Lyrically, the album draws parallels to the artistic style of Andy Warhol, brimming with references to pop culture and their various musical influences. The highlight tracks, "Genius of Love" and "Wordy Rappinghood," remain lively and energetic, while the remainder of the album may feel somewhat dated yet continues to be enjoyable. Overall, this just a fun listen.

Fun!

No dudo que deben tener un gran número de fans, pero está música electrónica no alcanzo a disfrutarla como quisiera

Favorite Track: Wordy Rappinghood

It was okay

Pretty fun funky new-wave to start, but got to be a little much after a while.. I was curious why this was a 2-part collection only to read that it was a rerelease with both the debut and 2nd album. Overall decent and I may have rated higher if the link directed to just the debut in question and I didn’t burn out. 3.25/5

David Byrne was right

This was an interesting listen. Weird but not in an off putting way. I had no idea Genius of Love was where the beat for Mariah Carey's Fantasy originated. That track was probably my favourite, but I'm not keen hear this album again any time soon

Good vibes album. nothing sticks out though

They funny voices they do on every song get a little tiring, but the funk is strong

Maybe more like a 3.5

An interesting and new sound for me

Fun album that was clearly very influential

I was surprised by how many songs I recognized from this album. The songs were fun and upbeat and I wouldn't be mad if I heard a song from this album come up on a playlist.

Oh, this is where that IASIP song comes from! The first track is great. Under the Boardwalk is refreshing after the aerial warfare. It's a cute vibe.

On, On, On, On… is a cool song. The lyrics seem like the strong point. I’m not able to place myself in the time where the sounds of this album are anything except silly. Some of the lyrics indicate that is intentional.

Eikös just jollain toisellakin levyllä ollut Big Dick Energy orkkis sample? Tällä taas, mikä on sit se oikee orkkis. Wiki sanoo funk, mutta on tää musta enemmän jotain new wavea. Parhaat: Genious Of Love, Lorelai, Under The Boardwalk

Net als Duck Rock laatst nog meer gekkigheid uit de jaren tachtig. Beetje reggae, beetje rock, beetje vaagheid. Maar veel indruk maakt het niet deze keer.

Ik had eerst de wiki gelezen en gezien dat dit een sideproject was van leden van the Talking Heads. En dan hoor ik het eerste nummer en denk "hey, dat ken ik". Maar ik had de muziek eerder geplaatst in de hoek van de Sugarhill Gang of de Rocksteady Crew. Al staan er op de rest van het album ook wel meer new wave achtige nummers, van die wazige Blondie nummers ofzo. Ik vraag me wel sterk af, of dit net zo'n succes was geweest als ze niet van Talking Heads afkomstig waren, maar als ze van een bandje uit een sociaal lager geklasseerd (bij voorkeur gekleurd) deel van Amerika waren gekomen. Iets snobistisch en cultureel toegeeigend voelt dit wel aan. Aan de andere kant is het ook wel weer enigszins vrolijk. Al mogen ze de gilletjes en het gekrijs a la Siouxsie of B-52s achterwege laten. Al met al krijgen ze 3 sterretjes van me, krap aan. En dan ben ik vrij mild doordat die wordy rappinghood 4 sterren waard is, de rest amper 3 en ik eigenlijk strafpunten hoor te geven voor het snobisme.

Not bad, eclectic and with some nice vibes ! Genius of love for Mariah's Fantasy inspiration ! Will definitely revisit 3.5

Low 3

I loved the first track and most of this album...some of it is kinda weird..but that's ok! Just under a 4 for me.

Classic New Wave. A bit goofy at times, but Genius of Love is really really good. 3/5

3.5/5. No David Byrne, no thanks.

Nice to learn that Genius of Love was sampled for a few more recent songs.

3/5

weird and quirky. basically just sounded like a female version of the talking heads for most of the songs. twas ok.

Talking Heads jam without the greatness of David Byrne. But it’s still pretty good though

7/10 Favorite Tracks: Genius of Love, Boardwalk Least Favorite: Booming and Zooming

The first two songs (Wordy Rappinghood / Genius Of Love) are great, but the rest of the album is a bit rocky. The beat on Lorelei is catchy yet infuriating. Might go back to this album on a whim.

Fun and different than what I usually listen to.

Some daft soft dance?

I've had this one before. I like the grooves but songs go on for a bit too long. It feels a little bit joyless at times, I enjoy them much more live! 3

female voices are always nice. Good unobtrusive background music for working, with a nice sound, but nothing really stood out.

A fun album that features great rhythmic drive and some witty lyrics but not very much else. I do enjoy the rendition of Under the Boardwalk that closes the album. 3 stars

++: Genius of Love, L'éléphant +: Wordy Rappinghood, Tom Tom Theme, Lorelei, On, On, On, On..., Under the Boardwalk +-: As Above, So Below, Booming And Zooming 7,0/10

nagyon fura hangulat és goofy de valamiért közben kinda megfogott lmao. nem tudom azt mondani, hogy mindennapos hallgatás de közben tök groovy.

It grows on you

I know the deluxe is actually 2 albums but I don't really have the heart to listen to the other one. Plus I think I get the picture. I like some of the synths and stuff but overall this feels like talking heads but worse. Its really repetitive, and quite a lot of the choruses are boring. Favourite songs: L elephant, Lorelei, on on on on..., under the boardwalk. Overall around 5/10

I didn't go into this with expectations of how it might sound like Talking Heads but it does feels like a bit of a cheap copy. Obviously Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth played their part in forming the sound of Talking Heads but without David Byrne, it feels kind of second rate. Other than Genius of Love, the first half is quite weak. Wordy Rappinghood is pretty bad, very dated and kind of cringe 80s funk/hip hop thing. The second half is a bit better though Tina Weymouth isn't anything special as a vocalist. She's not particularly bad or anything but it feels like she's trying to replicate the awkward charisma of David Byrne and it doesn't really work for me. I much prefer when she just sings plainly like on Genius of Love Also I've heard Genius of Love somewhere before, like a game or film or something, but I can't figure it out for the life of me Highlights: Genius of Love, On On On On...

Genius of Love is the most danceable song ever written The rest is fine but not on that level

3 - It's creative for sure, but found a lot of it quite repetitive

Opens with two instantly recognisable tracks, and the rest is quite nice and summery fun too. Could happily listen to this on a yacht.

Really enjoyed wordy rappinghood. The rest was ok - didn't really leave much of an impression.

Experimental. New Wave. Playful. Reminds of Talking Heads. Side project of TH. Funk. Really not my thing, very repetitive.

I think this album is not that bad. I like the beat . Old but good album i would recommend to SOME people. 7/10

For real for real, the first track sounds like some weird shit on a kid’s album. Ooooh okay Tom Tom, you got me with the Mariah jam. This is fun music, but I wouldn’t listen to it on a regular basis.

Fun and cheerful, which I always enjoy. However, except for Genius of Love, the songs all feel a little contained. We never quite acheive the unrestrained joy that, say, the B-52's can bring to the table. Perfectly pleasant, interesting enough to be on this list, but not truly great.

Enjoyed thuro!

All based on repetitive synth-based grooves. A bit silly, but not unpleasant. Don't ever want or need to hear it again.

Talking Heads with female vocals and a more dub influence.

A weird and silly album, that has a quirky appeal that doesn't sound like the Talking Heads. Glad to hear, Tina and Chris from the Heads branching off to create their own music that is fun overall, strange and fascinating. The record starts off strong (it's hard not to like that wordy rap song), but it eventually begins to feel like filler and it's unique sound becomes bland and less interesting. I can't help think about another big name group, over ten years later fronted by another egotistical male singer/guitarist, with a female bass player that assembles a spin-off band with her sister(s) and releases music almost as good (or better) than their previous band. Well, the Tom Tom Club comes close, but not quite.

A decent early Valley Girl style album that reminds me of Target for some reason.

2.5

An exuberant global funk explosion, just gleefully letting loose, pure fun. We're going to have a synthesizer party tonight! Favorites: wordy rappinghood, l elephant, Lorelei

That was a good sound and fun. Not sure I’ve ever heard these before.

Cool.

This was kind of an absurd new wave album. It's fine, but not my favorite music. You can obviously tell it was made during the 80s. Best Songs: Genius of Love, On... Worst Songs: Under the Boardwalk

Genijalna pjesma (genius of love) i prosječan ostatak

Interesting. Didn’t make me want to go back to it. But an interesting listen nonetheless.

Feels like Kraftwerk meets Talking Heads which makes sense because of who the band is. I enjoy the electronic music with funky guitar playing over the top of it. I like the silly lyrics too. To me it's just kind of an easy going fun record.

Starts strong and the beats are cool, but it becomes more silly by the minute

Way too long at 2hrs 17m. Recognised and liked some of the tracks, didn't know the name of the band before. Disc One was quite nice, but not so bothered about the start of disc 2 and decided to call it quits there.

Sometimes grooves, sometimes more than a bit silly, at times challenging, but always engaging in some way.

fun, natural fun!

Mostly good, with some songs I knew that I didn't know I knew. A few of the later songs run a little long. 3.5