Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Begon funky, maar vond het wat veel van hetzelfde
Listened to the LP version. Very noisy album. But at least I can hear something that would be considered new in 1981.
Good album, with songs i recognize after not hearing them since once before!
Beetje eigenzinnige muziek, maar ik vind het wel leuk. Klinkt verder best leuk, melodieus en met een goede zangeres. ***
Mira, no está mal. De hecho, es algo nuevo para mí, como si los 70 y lo más raro de los 80 se juntaran
Basically this is all the sane people from Talking Heads. Interesting, experimental, fun. Ultimately this is an experiment in rhythms with loose melodies and lyrics tying everything together. I enjoyed it but probably will not revisit this often. Glad to have the opportunity to listen. 3.5 stars. Extra point for real guitar and drums.
An eccentric album. Some of it’s good but some is just annoying
Funky album throughout
Tämä on, ei hyperbolia, kaikkien aikojen paras albumi. Se on viimeinen, jonka Beatles tekivät kaikki yhdessä, ja he melkein repivät toisensa osiin. On kappaleita, joissa Lennon ei esiinny, kappaleita, joissa McCartney ei ole niin näkyvästi esillä kuin aiemmin, ja kappaleita, joissa voit melkein tuntea turhautumisen. Kaikesta huolimatta heidän yhdistämänsä oli uskomatonta ja, kuten aina, suurempi kuin osiensa summa. Here Comes the Sun on George Harrisonin paras teos. I Want You (She's So Heavy) on tyypillinen monimutkainen panos Johnilta. Paul otti "jotain paskaa, jonka John kirjoitti Intiassa" ja kutoi sen yhteen oman materiaalinsa kanssa tehdäkseen mestariteoksen, joka on Abbey Road -yhdistelmä. Ringo...no, Octopus's Garden on aika hyvä, mitä tulee Ringon juttuihin. Hän sai vihdoin soolon, mikä on mukavaa. Albumi on niin täynnä, etten ole edes maininnut useita muita mahtavia: Come Together, Something ja Koska ovat kaikki-aikaisia. Paras kappale: sekauinti pleasure of love
Expected to hate this, but found myself pleasantly surprised by how varied this LP was. Definitely stays within its funky comfort zone for most of the runtime, though the Tom Tom Club manages to make each track feel distinct with its own vibe rather than a rehash of the same melodic/instrumental territory again and again.
Pleasantly surprised. Some good tracks on here, but a special edition album that goes on too long, like most of them do.
I was already very familiar with the opening track "Wordy Rappinghood", but the other tracks were new to me. More of the same: strange, quirky, avant garde - mixed feelings.
Did not know what this band was about, but recognized "Genius of Love." Did not know that they were a side project from Talking Heads, but it is easy to hear after being pointed out. I don't LOVE their sound but I appreciate their weirdness. Many of the songs are too repetitive and long for me. I could see myself growing to like this band more in time.
Learned someting today about this Talking Heads side project. Also album not in apple music. Found on yout tube
The gals from HR in the medical clinic had to put together a rap song for the upcoming office retreat. This isn't like your modern HR Gen Z girls either. These are some old broads who learned the hard way. These are the cardigan wearers that will write you up for chewing gum in the office. Carole and the gang really let loose and wrote this bitchin' opener, and it somehow made it onto a lauded commercial release. Don't laugh, last time somebody did and one of them cried and it was a whole thing. Much like mandatory social time during our modern day salve toils, this was pretty abysmal. I see why it was included as it was so quirky and included that Genius of Love song but it also wasn't very good beyond that. A couple of infectious grooves does not a good album make. Also, if you think I'm listening to the "Deluxe Edition," you're out of your gourd. I sincerely hope you can become re-melloned or perhaps, squashed. Scream behind the walls of the giant pumpkin. As the massive plant takes root in your eye sockets, maybe take a moment to ponder music, and what it truly means to be essential. 2 GENRE: New meeting invite with HR for Friday at 4
This had moments of four stars and moments of two stars. Overall, the hyperactive, generally stressful nature of the album doesn’t gel with me. Also lost marks for the dumbass band name. It’s like something a toddler would call his cricket bat.
Well that was odd. I didn't totally hate it, but also wouldn't ever really want to sit down and listen to it again. Hearing Genius Of Love was a weird experience, given all the much more famous songs that sampled it (Fantasy by Mariah Carey being the most obvious, but it's been pulled apart and used in so many songs). Everything is pretty repetitive and most feels too long despite being 4-6 minute songs as a result. It is quite funky in places (the beats used are often pretty fun). But I'm happy sticking at my one full listen, one skip through to write the review. It's not getting the lowest score because I don't find it that bad, but it's not far off... 2/5
Funky and not for me
This was tacky as hell. Favourite Track(s): Genius of Love Least Favourite Track(s): Wordy Rappinghood
I was fully expecting some god-awful 60s pop band with the name and album cover, then I read that half of Talking Heads is in this band and got seriously confused, then I actually listened to the album and got doubly seriously confused, which led to me recognizing Genius of Love from a series of On-Demand commercials from when I was like seven years old and got triple confused, which led to me realizing that this album probably isn't for me. It was cool to see Tina Weymouth on lead vocals, though.
🎧No thank you
didn't love it. silly techno. two stars
Not quite the Breeders to the Pixies, but it’s hard not to see similarities in the dismissiveness of Byrne towards Weymouth and Frantz, likewise Charles preferring his sci-fi space rock over Kim’s work. Which is a very surface level take, who knows what personality stuff was going on, let alone how much drug use contributed to the dysfunction in both groups. It’s hard to hear TTC alone and not think of how this fit into the songwriting process of both Remain In Light and Speaking in Tongues. You’ve got Weymouth and Frantz of course, but also the very key touring members of the Remain in Light band, including Belew. The verse vocal melody to As Above, So Below recalls (or predicts) Crosseyed and Painless, just an octave down, the playing throughout the entire record has constant overlap with the RiL live band, etc. I don’t know how you help that, especially if the genesis of these songs stems from jam sessions. But it’s looser and more open than RiL the record and sets up the poppier elements of Speaking in Tongues and beyond, and in some respects, especially the Stop Making Sense live band. But while these album cuts are interesting in relation to the Talking Heads and do eventually stand on their own - heck, the dub treatment and affect of the “Under the Boardwalk” cover is a delight - everything here feels secondary to Genius of Love, which, is simply some kind of sublime door getting kicked open for these cokeheads. Not saying you don’t get “Naive Melody” and such without it but... Alas, some of this really does feel like a lark and/or tourists messing around with sounds that weren’t exactly theirs. It probably sounded kinda funny and innocent to me in the 1980s but I cannot imagine how cringeworthy this would be if a white couple pulled this shit today. Reminds me extremely of Kim Cattrall scatting over upright bass played by her ex-husband sometime between 1998-2004. Absolutely tone deaf. I'd go 2.5 if I could do half star ratings.
Brainy beats without David Byrne’s energy becomes too nerdy
People who call heavy metal primitive must hear this album and rethink their opinion. Very simple, weak, poor music.
I kind of get it. But mostly not.
There are some standout tracks here. New Wave can be hit or miss for me. Enjoy the Talking Heads but I’m not into everything on this album.
2.5
2/3 talking heads. I feel like they brought the part of talking heads I just don’t get.
I’m really not sure what to think about this album. A bizarre set of songs, even for the early 80s. I didn’t hate it, but I definitely didn’t love it. Probably not one I’ll re-listen to ever again. 2/5.
Нормальний фанк-альбом, є хіт. Але загалом враження дуже середнє від альбому, хоч і жанр я люблю.
Funky and fun
Took me a few days to get through this. It’s got a shrill electronic sound I found painfully dated.
Solid electro work. Nothing more.
Epitamy of an 80s quirky band exploring new sounds with the emerging technology of the time. I can totally see how the group members started and influenced Talking Heads. Even though they didn't continue with Talking Heads, they are definitely parallels, but David Byrne certain makes Talking Heads stand out on its own. "Word Play" is an absolute favorite. Granted to totally feels like a song you'd find in an early episode of Sesame Street or would be a KidzBop type song. Infusing synthesizer magic, rap/prose, bongos, guitar, and more I'm sure, just works together. "Genesis of Love" certainly is a groove based in funk. Seems to be an ohmage to funk origins with lyrics about Bootsy Collins and James Brown. The timelessness of the song is evident in its use in songs across time, specifically Mariah Carey's "Fantasy." The song "Tom Tom Club" illustrates the bands experimentation with unique and technologic contemporary sounds. Along the wildly unique is "Booming and Zoom." Essentially this would be if a pilot and ground control's radio broadcast was set to new age music creative somewhat of a one act play. Maybe trying to come up with a funk-reggae version of "Under the Boardwalk" wasn't the best way to recreate this timeless piece. Totally the musical seeds planted that may have resulted in KidzBop. While the Tom Tom Club may have been hip and trendy for the early 80s, it doesn't seem to have aged well.
Don’t like Talking Heads and this just sounds to be an extreme version of all I dislike about them. 2/5 17/6/26
feels like an hallucination
Ofta förekommande i 20kronorsbackarna, har nog stått och hållit i den ett dussintal gånger men den har aldrig fått åka med hem. Det är inte särskilt bra men det har nåt ganska eget som gör det lite kul.
More noise. Boomers make fun of modern music for the brain rot style but this is just as bad. There were a couple songs I recognized from samples used in electronic and hip hop music but pretty underwhelming album.
Two-leaning-three. Half a star because of the Talking Heads connection.
For me, pretty hard listen
It's clear from listening to this album who had all the swag in Talking Heads. It really feels like for every song, even the most popular one "Genius of Love", they ran out of ideas halfway through and just started riffing on bleep-bloops. Just stick to Talking Heads for weird new wave stuff.
This was... not very good. I can't imagine wanting to torture myself with the entire 2+ hour deluxe edition.
bit odd. One song I recognised who I thought was someone else.very 80s
About 10 seconds into the first song my brain went, “I’m going to stop you right there and leave.” I understand why this album is on the list but my god. “Genius of Love” and the cover of “Under the Boardwalk” are at least fun and catchy, but the rest of the album is a mess. And every song is too long. I might have been tempted to give this another star if half the songs were shorter. I didn’t completely hate this, but I was also so glad when it was over.
I don't get it, but at least it's interesting 2/5
Didn't hate it, didn't particularly like it.
It was groovy but weird and a bit too silly. I didn't really like it that much. I didn't mind it either but I can't say I liked it.
Genius of Love is pretty good. Rest of the album was meh.
Doesn't deserve a one star
It’s the meal you’ve been served and you just gotta get through it
This is so boring. 2 stars or D-.
It all sounded slightly off key.
This album is the perfect example of why the 80's are not that great decade in music history some people claim to be. It was a time of some experimentation, for sure, but most of the times that experimentation led to what is called New Wave, a genre that can be fun, and even in some songs interesting, but most of the times is just that mixture of sounds and repetitive melodies added to boring vocals. And that's what this album is. It opens with two nice songs, the stronger tracks of this record. They are not the big thing but, at least, make you want to know what is after them. But the rest is just an album going down from bad to worst. It could be fun if it weren't the same thing on and on. Because it becomes pretty bland. And the "experimentation" sounds so dated that is not impressive anymore. Surely, it was a decade of making fun pop music with some instrumental moments for strange sounds (not that it is necessarily a bad thing), and it in some way defined new genres and ways of making music, but it doesn't mean or have to imply that the music (I mean, all the music) is good. So, well, it is enjoyable until it becomes unbearable. And this album is really horrid when you've gone halfway through it. However, I must say, it is better to end the album with the bonus Under the Boardwalk instead of finishing with Booming and Zooming. At least it leaves a better impression of the album once you've finished it all. And I think it says it all, because Under the Boardwalk isn't what I would call a good song. But at least it's better and funnier.
Lowkey one of the first rap-adjacent albums ever. Has the massive highlight Genius of Love which is a massive banger and crazy ahead of its time. The rest of the album can be groovy and hypnotic, but also forgettable. The vocals especially are the weakest part here. Sometimes it can also be a bit cringe in its quirkyness. Wordy Rappinghood especially is a borderline novelty song, sounds like a rap song that a teenager would make for the jokes. I kinda wanna rate this higher but can't really justify it.
The music is kind of average. There wasn't a song I could get into.
I appreciate the creativity with this album but honestly most of the songs sound like 30 second loops that last for 6 minutes for some reason
A fun and goofy album, but strange at the same time.
Undemanding but really didn't do anything for me.
I bet I would have been really into this in 1981. I find it very repetitive, but still a fun listen. I skipped the remixes at the end of the album. I figured it was fine because I've been listening to the same song for the previous 47 minutes. It really makes me want to listen to the one Mariah Carey song.
other than that one song… #mariahcarey
I litterally cannot get through this album it sounds like it would be in a Disney movie if it was based in Africa which isn’t a bad thing just not my type of recreational music listening
I know I’ve heard of this band but I don’t know if I know any songs. Ok. I know track two. At least I think I do. It’s sounds pretty familiar. Might not be in the right mood for this. Track two is getting monotonous. This album is very good and also very repetitive and monotonous. I could not listen to this all the time. Great tracks for a playlist. Great movie soundtrack songs.
I liked the music, the melody, but hated the singing and everything around it.
Gosh I want to like this more, given the Talking Heads connection and the all-timer track “Genius of Love.” But almost every other track feels like half an idea stretched to cover a long 3 minutes, with off-kilter singing and arrangements that baffle rather than intrigue. I appreciate the tom toms and some of the sounds, but I have to give this, sadly, a 2.
Not good
Meh... Too annoying to enjoy.
Esta marcianada la escuché de pasada en su época y ha sonado alguna que otra vez en Radio3. Anecdótico. Señal de un tiempo y de algo que fue el germen de muchas cosas ... no me guardo nada, ni "Wordy Rappinghood", ni "Genius of Love" .
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.
And now I know where Mariah Carey got the sample for Fantasy. The Under the Boardwalk cover was actually pretty good.
Yuk. I hated this crap when it came, and I hate it more. Extra star for some creativity, but that is generous.
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.
Странное. Это даж вроде называют new Wave.
Quite o.k. but not exactly my jam.
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.
Too many beep boops. Genius of Love is endearing but the rest of the album sounds like listening to schoolhouse rock on LSD
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
2 stars for genius of love
Was that produced by Oscar the Grouch and Mr. Snuffleupagus?
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
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.
Loved the first 2 songs and thought it was going to be a great album but it went downhill after.
This is probably what a middle aged woman would define as a wild sounding album.
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.
Same, same, same. Meh.
This music is not for me. 2+ hours? Really?
A fun listen, nostalgic but not an album I’d sit down and listen to
Probably innovative for early 80s, one track is sampled a ton, otherwise meh
Too big, sorta annoying but quite familiar without ever having listened to it.
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.
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.
Very quirky
Not my cup of tea. Pop music, sounds fun at times but overall to repetitive die my tastes.
Quirky!
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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 ★★☆☆☆
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
It's a little too crazy for me T-T... but I can definitely see where did Paramore get some AL inspo
2 great songs, rest ok 2/5
I was wanting to like this album more, but nope.
Some cool sounds scattered throughout
one very popular song, the rest are ok ish
Apparemment, ça a posé les bases. Mais les bases de quoi, c'est bien ça le problème.
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.
Weird album. Not terrible, not great, just weird. Some recognizable hooks and riffs
likable but don't consider it very funk like
Ya ya ya
Kind of annoying tbh
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.
It's so nearly Talking Heads it upsets me
Not for me
Started off ok but went on waaaaay to long and became irritating pop
Not for me
1. uuordy - 1.5 2. love - 3 3. tom - 0 4. Elephant - 1.5 5. Below - 1 6. Lorelei -1.5 7. On - 1 8. Booming - 0 9. boardwalk -0 10. Love - 1 11. Again -1 12. Foxy -1 13. Bamboo -1.5 14. Hips -0 15. Measure - 1 16. Penny - 1 17. Baby -1.5
Genius of love almost raises this album to a 3 on its own but the rest of the record is just lame.
Fun album and different
Not much there
It sounds like a collection of music and sound effects from platform games of yesteryear. Didn't feel either way about this, but it's not for me.
2/5 just weird not particularly interesting
★★½
The ridiculously long albums tend to be amongst my least favorite. Over 2 hours is crazy. Just split it up into two albums if you must. Also, I’m not sure I do really grasp the concept of this album. Was it supposed to just be covers??
Hatar inte det men låtarna är lite för långa och fjantiga.. 2/5. Känns som La femme/Limperiatrice fått mycket inspiration
A bit unusual. Probably not one I’d listen to again
Too long… can be fun if you’re in the mood. When 3D technology was not yet there, many games were made 2.5D. This album gives me the same feeling.
Weird album that I cannot say I really enjoyed. It was definitely creative and they get points for originality and having an iconic hit. I couldn’t get through Booming and Zooming though. The walkie talkie bit got real old and as soon as I paused it the headache I didn’t realize I had went away.
They have some creative samples and an interesting style, but it really just isn’t for me. I got bored after a few songs.
Just alright. It was a lot of fun to listen for samples that had been used in other music, but that’s about all of the positives I’ve got for this one. Would only come back to listen to Genius of Love.
Very recognizable hooks. I get it, Not my thing
Yuck. This Talking Heads side project really emphasizes the genius of David Byrne. Without him, things get grim.
It was almost ok, and by that I mean tolerable, but went in far too long. Thirty minutes of this would have been more than enough. No real highlights.
Hey, this sux. Sorry. Sounds like it was written by and for a five year old. The album cover and band name don’t do much to dissuade that take. 2/5
The music reminds me of that Club Penguin DJ mini game where I thought I was a music genius solely because I pressed on all of the DJ equipment. Seriously, I get this being decent when it comes out, but it isn’t my thing.
Original and a bit weird!
HAHAHAHA, what the fuck is this?! I like these little nuggets of weirdness in this list. Not that I like them at all, but it is interesting what kind of music people create.
I read the reviews and found out more about them and by all rights should really like this album, but I really don’t. Many songs are just plain hard to listen to and the discordance overcomes the creativity IMHO.
A lot of raw material for early rap.
Es ist okay würde ich aber nicht regelmäßig pumpen
Genius of Love is the only keeper
Under the board walk
Didn’t really like it.
never heard it before, just the hit
I like talking heads a good bit. At the start of disc 2 I thought to myself "this is a little like talking heads but includes the elements I don't really love". Like a sugar free version. Now, I love Weymouth's bass work for TH and how deeply nerdy TH is but I just felt like, devoid of knowledge of the provenance of this album, that it felt like French disco off-castings. Imagine my surprise.
Åh gud det er hvidmands-rap 😂 Og børneremser 😅 Er det sjovt eller er det plat? Man kan godt fornemme Talking Heads i det, men det formår bare slet ikke set samme.
I don’t know. Is this too clever for me? My pedestrian bougie tastes don’t understand. Or is it undercooked garbage. I note the presence of never dull Adrian Belew. I don’t mind genius of love. I think I knew the songs that used it as a sample. But it’s really terrific. A lot of the rest seems half baked - a good idea not fully developed. I love Tina Weymouth’s bass playing. She’s not playing on all the tracks here.
Ok 80s
American New Wave strikes again.
Man, what the hell is this... and why do I kinda dig it? It appears that my long-lasting disdain for 80s music has come about entirely from laziness, as I could see myself liking this album at the height of my eightiesphobia a few years back. The songs on here remind me a good deal of Cibo Matto – an act I herald as one of my all-time favourites. Yeah, it’s pretty alright. The album really loses its focus in the second half, though this music is undeniably competent. I quite like the quirky lyrics and subdued synths of Wordy Rappinghood. Genius of Love is a good follow-up. A bit of a reggaeton sound going on, which is interesting. The chirpy synth in the background is pretty good, too. L'elephant has some nice guitar riffs and percussion. The French lyrics are also a nice touch. As alluded to earlier, the second half is heavily dragged down by a slew of unengaging tracks, and my opinion of the album sadly falters as a result. Still, I respect this inclusion. Gonna consult the book for reasons why this album is in here. Spinoff album of The Talking Heads, which I can definitely hear now that it's been mentioned. “...one of the earliest influences on the hip-hop movement.” Somewhat improvised. “...sampled by just about every hip-hop or rap artist of note”. Wordy Rappinghood topped the singles charts in 17 countries. I’m not used to there being this much reasoning in these entries. I’m impressed. This album is definitely worthy of being included on the list.
Weird
# Album Name: Tom Tom Club # Artist: Tom Tom Club # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Two decent songs, the rest are clangers # Top Tunes: wordy / Genius of love # Would I listen to it again? No
Dated but fun
Mostly fun bops, with a couple moments of sounding talking headsy (derogatory)
Widely hailed by critics, loved by some of my friends, yes, but I find this all too soft and too quiet
Is heel funky niet echt voor mij
Another album that I ask why is this on the list. Sounds like any early 80’s pop band. Not a fan.
Repeat Repeat Repeat Duplicate Duplication Reduplication And there is a small summary of it.
wow-i do NOT get some of these reviews. WHY, why, why is this on the list? the sounds are so incredibly repetitive (and reflective of the cover art).
One banger single. Lots of filler and tracks that did not age well.
Genius of Love saved this from being a 1. It's missing David Byrne's charismatic autism. 2 stars.
80s but not in the good way
This album has some early specks of hip-hop. The first track has some flows that don't work, and the chorus sucks. "Genius of Love" has been sampled by various artists since its conception. I do like the last few songs, though, except for the last one. I believe my favourite from the album is "On On On On". 2 stars for "Self Titled".
Too long too weird
Genius of Love beat is iconic. The whole album is just a little too goofy for me.
This was... I dunno what it was, but it wasn't something I enjoyed.
Achei o começo promissor, mas depois ficou meio paia.
Musically this is fine, enjoyable even, but the vocals and lyrics are so godawful I've had to downgrade it significantly
Interesting to learn about but not into the music
Some fun bits of music here and there, but overall just not my vibe.
Some catchy songs but the whole album is incredibly weird, and reminds me of Kids Rock.
The one song keeps this from being a 1 star
Really wanted to enjoy this but it was just a bit too much and not my cup of tea. Highlight for me was ‘Spooks’
Mundane, repetative, and boring to say the least. I expected more from a band that is so highly revered in the new wave scene.
Ok
Maria Carey sample!
tom tom club? nie gehört. 2/3 von talking heads? ach so. kunststudenten und austoben ohne produzent - so tönt das. not my favourite, aber einmal mehr „interessant“.
Crispy Musik mit furchtbarem Gesang. Und manchmal völlig abdriftet. Hätte nicht gedacht, dass die gleichen Leute dahinter stecken wie bei Talking Heads aber dann hört man es schon.
80’s dance music, but not the good stuff. I was there, and most of this was really uninspiring even back then. Songs are far too long and the beats are too pedestrian.
An adventurous album for sure. Not so much my speed but gotta appreciate taking risks. 4.1/10
One hit wonder
I don't like it. The beats feel stiff and the flow likewise. It almost feels like it's bad on purpose, but I get the feeling that they are completely serious. It's giving "Math's teacher doing hip-hop to try to make the kids think that it's cool" vibes Standouts Wordy Rappinghood 2/5
I know a lot of toms in my life, I know it’s a common name and the tom tom is a type of drum but I just get a cringey image of all the tom’s I know dancing to wordy rappinghood behind a green screen. Also I didn’t recognise Genius of love which is meant to be the hit. L’elephant, I decided to give the English lyrics a read… bit cursed You can just tell it’s a talking heads adjacent project actually if I was to best describe the sound I think I’d say talking heads meets stereolab. Also one of them ones that just sounds like the early 80’s- you can imagine ‘antmusic’ coming on at the same time as one of these songs. While that all may sound positive… I don’t like it 2/5
weirdly this doesn't actually sound very dated. still, I don't quite get it.
One of the better new wave albums but too long and a bit patchy. I preferred the sunnier funky songs
Not for me.
Early instance of ‘rap’ when it was fun, cool and trendy. I knew genius of love, but I didn’t know that each song on this album is at least 4.5 minutes of repetition. Some good moments, but it’s not for me.
Absolute dog arse
Meh
Other than the chorus in the first song and the well known second song, not a lot of memorable moments. Not a big fan. 2/5
Not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate the fun vibe they tried to curate. Also points for creating the track that Mariah sampled for "Fantasy".
Странный древний хип-хоп
Lite skumt
Fun dance/pop band out of the 90’s.
Interesting
I imagine this is how those who dislike Parappa the rapper felt in 1996.
This album absolutely deserves to be on this list. It showcases how much Frantz and Weymouth brought to the sound of their main band. It's also an early adventure in sampling, and making something out of fairly repetitive patterns and riffs. It's no wonder elements of this album have been sampled so much. But. As an album, it's not a very enjoyable listen for me. It's often more like listening to a sound library than to a music album.
I liked track 1, then with “Genius of love” I was actually more familiar with where the backtrack was sampled in its entirety for the 12” “It’s Nasty” from Grand Master Flash of the same time period. After that it more or less came to a painful slow burn to the finish.
Always thought of these guys as a novelty kitschy act, and this album kinda confirms it. Maybe that was the point. A few good tracks here, but for the most part Tina and Chris were much better served when they were putting their energy into the Talking Heads.
What in the holy hell did I just listen to? I guess musically this wasn’t offensive and the singer didn’t sound like yoko ono (which I was expecting to happen). But just felt a bit too much of a novelty and simple white person trying to rap for me to go higher. I mean what the eff is this? Words in papers, words in books Words on TV, words for crooks Words of comfort, words of peace Words to make the fighting cease Words to tell you what to do Words are working hard for you Eat your words but don't go hungry Words have always nearly hung me
First track is pure WTF comedy. Then we get the “oh hey it’s that Mariah song” track Genius of Love. Rest of the record is pretty ok until Under the Boardwalk. Really like this rendition but it drags… I’m torn between a 2 or 3 but don’t feel there’s enough here to round up. 2.5/5
I like funk, I like jazz, I like noise, I like world music. There’s one good song and the rest is okay but reminds me of a 90’s plastic charm bracelet overloaded with trinkets.
Ik sluit het vorige album CHIQ af en krijg nu als start van dit album Wordy Rappinghood. Je blijft dan toch in die vrolijke stemming hangen. Van de Tom Tom Club had ik nog nooit gehoord, maar dit nummer ken ik wel. Het is een beetje een weinig serieuze doorzetting van disco en een voorloper van bands als Chicks On Speed. Maar daarom zal de laatstgenoemde dit nummer ook wel gecoverd hebben. Mijn enthousiasme ebt toch snel weg. De rest van het album is vooral wat gerommel. Niet interessant en bij vlagen zelfs vervelend om te luisteren. Het moet het dus van één nummer hebben. En dat nummer is dus vrolijkmakend, maar kan dit aanmodderen niet zelfstandig naar een voldoende trekken.
Have you ever heard something for the first time and learn you had NO IDEA it already existed? Yeah, happened here with "Genius Of Love". Looking at you, Mariah (my introduction to that song as a sample in Fantasy). The album is dancey, light, and definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously. I dunno, it all starts to blend together. Feels like they're trying to mix early hip-hop and new wave, but something is missing. Cool for background music, not much else. Playlist Additions: - Genius Of Love - Under The Boardwalk
too alternative for me
Not so great. Songs sounded a bit like gibberish and the instruments sounded the same on every track
I just really dislike this.
Could barely get through this one....not for me
Definitely interesting
You can make a better album out of songs that sampled these songs.
Could have been a real solid funk album, what was up with the occasional wacky and obnoxious sound effects and singing? "...side project of Talking Heads" Oh.
I’ve tried to like Tom Tom Club but I just can’t do it.
I can see a lot of these songs being used in samples or stuff like that, but other than that once again nothing was good. It felt like nothing more than a background beat or an introduction, but it just kept going.
2,5
A bit of a snoozer. If only the whole album were as tight and fun as its most influential cuts.
This is almost as good as the Talking Heads. <Insert Face-Palm emoji here!> Liked Songs Added: Genius of Love
When someone thinks you might be kinda cool, thoughtful, quiet, & mysterious then you go and blather on trying to impress them with comments & jokes that aren't that clever as an album music: hated. (⌐■_■)
“Genius of Love” is awesome and I really respect these musicians, but not my favorite listening experience. It felt like a novelty record sometimes, and not in a good way.
Too quirky for me.
Strong start which is not lived up to. Favourite track: Wordy Rappinghood.
Just kind of annoying to me. Some cool little guitar riffs and lines but mostly just obnoxious quacking like a flight of ducks.
It’s the one with genius of love on it. And only the first few mins of that song are interesting
Things haven't changed that much since the advent of the internet. In a world where the latter didn't exist yet, you had the same phenomenon as the one that still routinely occurs in 2024: you take a hot band absolutely deserving the raving success they recently experienced (here, the Talking Heads), then critics get interested in a side-project from some of their members (here the 'Heads' rhythm section, also a couple in their private lives), and whaddayaknow?, you have a huge hype going on. The thing is, let's be honest for one frigging second, shall we? If Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz had not been a part of Talking Heads, you can bet your mohair boots *Tim Tom Club* (both this debut and the name of the whole project) would have faded into oblivion as soon as the latter half of the eighties had been reached. Just look at the way critics panned their following LPs by the way. As soon as the project lost its "freshness", so to speak, it's as if scales immediately fell off the eyes (and ears) of everyone. How amusing... What this record has going for it from today's vantage point is that its first tracks are attuned to the nascent sounds of rap and prehistorical hip hop, and you gotta give credit to Frantz and Weymouth's open minds and adventurous spirit. But the musicality is so paper-thin in those pivotal (and relatively popular) cuts, the experimentation is often so linear, that I can't bring myself to consider it a mandatory listen. "L'Eléphant" and "As Above, So Below" expand the initial scope in interesting ways. Then "Lorelei" goes on for too long, unfortunately. "On On On On" is pretty good and catchier than the rest, but it still sounds like a lesser version of what David Byrne could write with the 'Heads. "Booming And Zooming" is a borefest and the cover of "Under The Boardwalk" is just plain ridiculous. And then the album is already over, and its memory is gonna fade into oblivion again. At least in my mind. 2/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 7/10 for more general purposes (5 + 2) Number of albums left to review: around a hundred, as I've went over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 431 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 255 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 316 (including this one)
Best Song: Genius Of Love. The light vocals contrast nicely with the heavy oomph of the bass. Worst Song: As Above So Below. Repetition of a neat phrase ad nauseum. Overall: Half the songs were absent on Spotify - and seemingly most streaming platforms - but unless there was some absolute gold hidden in those missing tracks, I'm grateful for the reduced runtime. It wasn't terrible, but it just feels like that minimally psychedelic mush that came out of the this era. Not experimental enough to be interesting, nor pop enough to be catchy, it just wallows in a disappointing middle.
2 sterne
4/10 There are highlights but poor overall Favourite Song=Genius of Love Least Favourite Song=Wordy Rappinghood
I tried to like this album but I can't. It's not my thing, if it's your style, I like that for you. It's just not for me.
Maybe the most annoying collection of songs of the 20th Century. I mean there are cool elements, especially as the album goes on. It almost feels like Talking Heads or even some David Bowie. But Wordy Rappinghood is irredeemable.
The Tom Tom Club has its own style, a good groove, a nice experiment, but it's one of those albums were one type of track gets repeated all over the album. Enjoy the singles - or better, go back to Talking Heads. You guys were a great band!
A couple good songs but nothing great
I appreciate the what the band is doing here, the innovation, and it’s likely an expertly mixed and produced album. The music itself just isn’t for me, although there are some bright spots and the Under the Boardwalk is a cool cover.
1.7 1x catchup 11/5/2024
Not terribly interesting, rather weird and quirky. As a big fan of 80s King Crimson, it's fun to see where Adrian Belew got a lot of musical ideas from that come through on their albums. He's also the best part of this album in my opinion. Do have to give some respect to the Genius of Love riff, which I never knew came from this album. Largely forgettable, but a neat little peak into inspiration for other musicians. Top tracks: Wordy Rappinghood, L'elephant
O gawd, there's another disk! Please stop - no fun on here at all. I think it says something when the best track on the collection is a cover.
This has one of the catchiest beats that I've heard in a long time, and the rest of the album is borderline unlistenable. I'm not sure exactly what to make of that. Tom Tom Club is the side project of the drummer and bassist from Talking Heads (who also happen to be married to one another). "Genius of Love" is incredibly good, the beat is iconic (Mariah Carey sampled it in one of her most famous songs), it's a certified bop. The lyrics are little ridiculous (Bohannon, Bohannon...), but whatever, it's great. The rest? Not really doing it for me. It starts with "Wordy Rappinghood" which was the other big hit on here, and it's a little catchy but nothing like "Genius of Love". Then you get "Genius of Love" and then it kind of falls apart for me. A few songs were ok, but this was a little too much over the top new wave silliness for my liking. I might be underrating this a bit, but this music is just a bit grating to me (though I find myself being a bit more open to new wave stuff than I used to be, so maybe I'll change my mind after a few hundred more albums). Favorite song: Genius of Love Other: Wordy Rappinghood, Lorelei, Under the Boardwalk 10/23/24
Iconic hook in one song, but the rest feels like they're just goofing off.
Genius of Love //
Bits of it were OK but not great.
New wave for the most part is not a genre that I genuinely enjoy. The music sounds very dated and corny as hell. There were definitely some songs that I could give a 3 or 3.5 but the rest is not very good.
The beats were so good, but the lyrics were so bad. It had me dancing and jamming at the same time.
Almost offensively bland
Harmless but not sure what it's doing in the 1001 to listen to before you die :/ Genius of Love is remarkable and illustrative of its time but, as an album, it's not amazing. The cover's cool.
Really repetitive. Not sure why this is here other than an association with Talking Heads.
This album is weird for weird's sake. Besides maybe a couple of singles, there's also no real reason for it to be on here, imo. Listen to the "hits" and move on. Favorite Song(s): Lorelei
I really thought that whoever did “Rappers Delite” was the same ones that did Genius of Love. Wrong again. I don’t know what to think of this. I feel like The Avalanches were inspired by these guys, I like The Avalanches but my taste for them comes in waves I don’t know what to think of this. At times it sounds groundbreaking, other times it sounds like an interlude during Sesame Street. There’s singing, there’s sound bites, there’s odd sounding instruments. It exists . Let’s leave it at that. Choice Cut: Genius of Love
I found this so annoying
Less than liked.
I think this is a "time and place" album. There are a few songs I thought were pretty good, but most of it was just "fine," and I thought the first song was actively bad. However, I can see how it would be a big deal in 1981 and setup other New Wave acts. For me, though, I'd give it a 2.5, but I have to round down to 2, since I mostly didn't enjoy it.
Weird but interesting
Not for me
It's different. There's some heavy funk going on. But doesn't light any fires.
Not a fan honestly Just not my thing
was nice to hear several of the songs that were sampled in hip hop, but otherwise unremarkable.
Tom Tom Club's self-titled album is a quirky, eclectic mix of rhythms and sounds that foreshadows a catalogue of future samples for other artists. Released in 1981, this side project by Talking Heads' members Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz explores a more playful, funk-infused direction. Tracks like Genius of Love and Wordy Rappinghood stand out as experimental, blending new wave, funk, and early hip-hop influences. While the album is undeniably innovative and has a unique charm, it can come across as a bit too offbeat. The lyrics are whimsical and often nonsensical, which adds to the album’s quirky feel but also detracts from its accessibility. The production is crisp, and the beats are infectious, yet the overall experience feels more like a curiosity than an album you'll keep on repeat. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 1 STAND OUT TRACK - On, On, On, On...
Bit repetitive melodically and the ‘wacky’ sound effects got a bit much for me. Some catchy lighthearted hooks though
Wordy Rappinghood is really embarrassing in 2024 Genius of Love is one of those songs you still hear on the radio so I guess you can't say they did nothing lasting Clearly one of those albums thats important to a genre that was emerging at the time it was recorded, but a genre I dont care for so its mostly lost on me
It feels appropriate that I get a Talking Heads-adjacent album after I’ve called out the Talking Heads in my reviews of the last two albums. I want to say this was great. I want to say that the other Heads can do something just as good as the stuff they did with David Byrne, that they can stand alone without him. I really want to say these things. But I can’t. This was…not amazing. I’m all for experimental stuff. I’m all for weird and quirky stuff. I love shit like that when it’s listenable. This was hard to listen to at times. I found it aimless, corny, quirky to a fault, and just plain boring at times. I love the people involved. I just wish they made better music. Two stars. Also why the hell would you end the whole thing on “Booming and Zooming”? Seriously? Why? Standout Tracks: Genius of Love, L’Elephant
This kinda funky new wave album is ok, but doesn't impress me much (and I’m a Talking Heads fan). It’s got some good songs and moments, but overall feels forgettable. The playing is good, I’m just not sure most of the songs are really that good.
If this album wasn't trying to be serious, it would be a lot more fun and enjoyable, but...it is trying to be serious. Of all the pretentiousness so far, this takes the crown...and it's poorly done at that. Some of the music was enjoyable, but so many misses. Also - if I have to hear that weird 'boioioioing' thing once more...
Love getting random songs that are sampled in more recent music, like with Genius of Love. One of my favorite parts about this 1001 albums jaunt. Kind of spacey pop, but nothing special. High 2 I guess.
Its alright, not good not bad, just meh
funny to listen to the first time, but id be totally okay never checking it out again. maybe once more in like 20 years? NNN
Other than “Genius of Love,” I wasn’t a big fan of this one. It’s definitely innovative and unique, but with a splash of appropriation. The vocals are layered without harmonies, making it sound simplistic - like it’s a group of random teenage girls with middling vocal talent singing together at an 80’s slumber party. And I hated the cover of Under the Boardwalk.
Pretty annoying to listen to to be honest.
It's ok just a load of sound to be honest
Ouch! I won't say this was bad, but I liked nothing about it. I appreciate David Byrne even more though.
Yuck. Too techno and too repetitive for my liking.
A mixed bag of a few good but nothing exciting.
I like that they are weird and silly. But I don’t particularly enjoy it
I think that first song is the single worst thing I've ever heard in my life... and it didn't get much better after that
Vähän kyl valahtaa jouto-osaston puolelle
1.5 stars, 3-4 ok songs
theres one good song
Idk man int nå vidare
Ajattelin että hei jotain kiinnostavaa, mutta jotenkin sit lässähti 2/5
Tää ei oikein funkahtanut itelle. Liikaa lyriikan toistoa. 2/5
L'elephant was super annoying! As Above So Below was also super annoying with the high pitched noises etc.. Actually, except for Genius of Love, it's all annoying. But, I'll go with two considering the excellence and innovation of that song.
Notable as the source of the “Genius of Love” sample, which is apparently one of the most sampled songs ever. You’ve heard it on Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” among other places. That’s neat. But neat doesn’t make an album good, or a must listen. That original “Genius of Love” pales in comparison to those that used the best bits and pieces of it later, and the other hit single “Wordy Rappinghood” is right on the line of so bad it’s hilariously enjoyable. “On, On, On, On…” is one of the few good tracks to be found, for everything else I’d recommend off, off, off, off.
..
Tom Tom Club is The Talking Heads meets Hip Hop. I can see the influence on late Hip Hop beats. It feels significant Is it more bright and upbeat than The Talking Heads? Sure but still pretty drab. I picture I bunch people dressed ridiculous slightly dancing in a club wearing sunglasses. 4.0/10
I have no idea what to think of this...
When a band sings every song chorus style with no lead singer, and that band chants song choruses repetitively, it makes every song indistinguishable from the last.
Same beat, different day. Not my thing.
There is definitely a groove that one can hang on to. But I don't.
Except for Genius of Love, this is a pretty lame album. In the Stop Making Sense concert movie, this is performed by the whole band to give David Byrne a rest midway through and it is joyously fun.