Reviews (page 11 of 15)
Not Talking Heads at their absolutely brilliant best, but still a good romp. You can tell that this is early in their career I think; it's not as adventurous as some of their later records. Still, it's got Psycho Killer on, which is one of the all time great songs to sing in the car. It also will always remind me of one of the best cold opens to a TV show ever, when Mac arrives at Paddy's in IASIP playing this on a boombox.
Heureusement qu'il y a psycho killer! Ils sont chiants quand ils veulent.
Onore imperituro a Byrne e ai Talking Heads, ma in quest'album emerge solo Psycho Killer.
The music itself is fine, but I just can't stand the singer. Not an album I would choose to listen to again. 2/5
Sounds like it came out yesterday, despite the steel drums
Ita different and Weird.
This was annoying
I love the talking heads so much Great debut This is probably technically a 4.5 since I know I like some of their later albums more
Probably not the strongest TH album, but, has one of their best songs in Psycho Killer. Still goes alright.
Big fan of the subsequent albums, but fun to listen to the early stuff.
Psycho killer and sugar on my tongue were standouts. Very unique vocals
Love Talking Heads
4/7/24
I love Talking Heads, but then whenever I listen to one of their full studio albums, I realize what I really love are Talking Heads’ greatest hits and live albums. There’s some great tracks on 77, but there’s also some lackluster songs that sort of just drone on in the background. Compare that to Stop Making Sense which is an absolute tour-de-force of all of Talking Heads’ best songs up to that point pumped full of even more energy than on the studio recordings. Even with David Byrne’s broken French, “Psycho Killer” is just an incredible song. Byrne’s robotic voice fits in perfectly on tracks like “Don’t Worry About the Government” and “Uh Oh, Love Comes to Town”. The rest of the tracks are good but mostly forgettable. While I don’t think Talking Heads made a bad album during their ~10 year run, I also don’t think they made very many exceptional studio albums. This, their debut album, is pretty close though, and it’s one of my favorites of theirs.
Quite possibly my favorite Talking Heads record.
Love it
Quite alright
Not really my kind of music. Fine as background music, and a few interesting twists.
Was okay. New Wave but old fashioned.
soooo good. maybe the first album i’ve had on here that i felt could’ve been longer.
Probably my favorite of the Talking Heads albums so far
This is the third talking heads album we've had in 60 albums so I think I have talking heads fatigue. Still a fun listen though
Yea, not bad
The album has some great tunes I actually hadn’t heard before. Pyscho Killer has been an iconic song for me since I was a teen. I enjoy David Byrne’s style but it can get repetitive and it doesn’t work for every song. I generally enjoy how disjointed the lyrics feel at times especially when they work with the melody and the story. Also; album cover is so simple yet so recognizable. 3.5
Delightful. I love Talking Heads, there are some great songs on this album, but I can’t quite bring myself to give this album five stars due to its unevenness.
Another solid album, though not one of their best. They certainly grew and improved but you can’t deny that most of these tracks are solid. 77 was a great year for music and for people to be born in.
Not their best album, but still a great album. There are several five star songs, several four star, and one or two three star. I don’t think the balance was enough to give this album a 5, and a lot of this all sounded the same, but I very much like it and I love Talking Heads! I recently saw Stop Making Sense during its theater run and it was glorious.
2.5
Wicked. Such a cool blend of disco grooves and post punk sensibilities, where not a single sound is wasted - production so fine every lick can be heard and nothing is lost. Byrne rattles away joyfully on every track with huge vocal leaps, getting lost in strange romance and bemoaning how modern comforts are taken for granted. The art student's alternative - less gritty than Lou Reed, poppier than Joy Division, and with a brain and a pulse, too.
I wanted to like this more.
More pop than I was expecting
Innovative
It's an art piece! You will enjoy this a lot more if you take a naive approach and reject the notion that every band or album has to belong to some genre. For example, Wikipedia puts the song "Psycho Killer" alone into no less than 6, from art punk (wat?) to no wave (sure, okay). Just relax and allow Talking Heads '77 to reveal it's true nature. Talking Heads laissez-faire approach to music frees them as songwriters to rummage around in your psyche and find whatever weirdness they can turn up. Like when you go to a new town, everything familiar is a little different. Songs about the mundane that reveal other concepts about ourselves without force or irony. Groundbreaking yet catchy, odd but confident. Some of David Byrne's most entertaining and interesting vocals on all of the Talking Heads records are here. A really important album for the future of the metagenre known as alternative rock and a home run on their first at-bat. I was complaining I was down in the dumps I feel so strong now 'cause you pulled me up
Veel vette nummers, af en toe net iets te wazig
I think i like them but the way they sing makes me hate them at the same time
Had me vibing all weekend
Classic
Unreal that this 1977. I’m only familiar with a few songs. Good to hear them all. Very much a classic.
I wanted to like it. I liked some of the music, but it was repetitive, and the singing was annoying.
I like this a little less than the other "Talking Heads" submission. I think they got better as they got out of the disco era, which influenced the percussion a lot.
Don’t like his voice too much, but it was ok. One song had a random marimba.
Nah
Knew one song which was decent. Rest of the album just kind of blended together
marching, upbeat, melodic
not their best ..(.
I like the Talking Heads and Psycho Killer is a fantastic song, but the rest of the tracks on this album were underwhelming...
Brilliant album. David Byrne is something else.
Great first album
The more I listen to Talking Heads, the more I feel at home with them. This record just feels like something I've been listening to for years, on regular rotation. Psycho Killer is obviously familiar (and is the runaway winner of the album), but everything else has its own charm. It feels simpler than the band's latter records, but already they sound so good. I even enjoyed the constant 'yayayas,' it felt like a little inside joke throughout. Besides Psycho Killer, other standout tracks are Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town, New Feeling, and No Compassion.
4.1/5 Best Track: Psycho Killer
6/10 Psycho Killer...and Talking Head songs. like it, don't love it. but PSYCO KILLER!!! 4/1/2024
Enjoyed it more than I expected - made Psychokiller make more sense than it ever did before
I’ve always found David Byrne’s voice/style annoying and Talking Heads music uninspiring. This has clarified matters, what a dull album.
A bit too arty farty.
Talking Heads höre ich eigentlich gerne, aber melodiös waren sie in den 70er eher (noch) nicht. Highlight für mich nur Psycho Killer, alles andere eher Mittelmass.
Unvergesslich Psycho Killer! Und der Rest des Albums hörenswert.
Ditzy.
Fun album
Love Talking Heads. Never listened to the whole album through, delightfully strange.
Rating: 9/10 Amazing album overall. A fantastic introduction to this band, at this point in their careers they already had their trademark sound figured out. The way they blended funk, new wave, and rock with odd melodies is done incredibly well here for the most part. This album has the quirkiness this band is known for while still being very catchy and fun to listen to. I did not enjoy a few songs as much as the others but this album is amazing for the most part. Favorite songs: Uh-Oh Loves Comes to Town, New Feeling, Happy Day, Who Is It?, No Compassion, The Book I Read, Psycho Killer, Pulled Up. Worst song: Don't Worry About the Government.
Beautiful, high energy without ever getting manic.
Whatever new wave even is, I don’t usually like it unless it’s coming from the Talking Heads. Love their off-kilter but rock-solid rhythms and the thin, wiry guitars. Pretty weird but highly listenable. Best song: Psycho Killer
This was goofy as fuck. It felt like I was listening to a random silly album and Spotify accidentally added Psycho Killer to the queue. It’s not like Psycho Killer is an island tho, David Byrne really tried the gibberish stuff on a bunch of these songs and was like “I just know one of em’s gonna make it work”
I don't see the appeal of Talking Heads that much. They've never clicked for me. I feel like they were a "had to be there" kind of band. David Byrne played at a festival I went to in like 2017 but I didn't pay attention at all and didn't realize he was the lead singer of the talking heads lol whoops. Lost opportunity
First week was such a shit song lmao. Psycho killer has been a favorite song of mine since they sang it in IASIP. The rest of the album was really not memorable at all. Don’t worry about the government was a troll song tho.
Two playthroughs, but probably not enough for it all to click. The Book I Read is one I liked. Psycho Killer second to last is an interesting placement for the biggest song on the album. One of the best bass lines of all time. It's enough to push it up **** territory almost on its own. The rest is good enough to get there.
pa escucharlo d fondo esta bn, buen ritmo
great!
3.7
Just not very good is it. Post-punk in general is quite awful, these ones are at least musically competent so it's not an outright assault on your hearing. Don't make it good tho. Gets an extra half a star for Psycho Killer verging on being decent.
Not my cup of tea. It's a bit better than the usual post punk new wave garbage, but it's still not doing nearly enough for me.
Like the songs on More Songs About Buildings and Food, most of the songs here play out better in a live setting, as captured on their seminal live album “The Name of This Band is Talking Heads”. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Talking Heads weren’t really able to capture their live energy and make a great studio record until Fear of Music. Seriously, listen to the performances of “The Book I Read”, “Pulled Up” or “New Feeling” from that record after you listen to this record. The difference in energy is palpable. On ‘77, those songs (along with most of the others) feel like a slog to get through, making for an underwhelming record, especially when you know there is an exceptionally well recorded live document of most of these songs where the band is firing on all cylinders.
Gutes Rock-Album mit abwechslungsreichen Ideen. Muss ich noch mal in Ruhe hören.
Uh oh love comes to town, psycho killer, happy day
Daora
Unique and catchy songs, a bit dated now, but still different than anything modern and fun while making you think a bit.
sehr alt
Like everything they do it's alright; some bangers, some misses.
these guys are so silly?? such fellas. also psycho killer is a banger
Talking heads
Gotta love Psycho Killer!
Psycho killer kyl kova
nie mój styl, angielskie "nie umiem spiewac wiec bede wyl jakbym spiewal na karaoke"
I personally never gave the talking heads a fair shake and this album is reall cool. Think 1977 when this comes out? Holy crap so cutting edge and upbeat all at the same time. This album still sounds fresh almost 50 years later.
Usually love Talking Heads but haven't been huge on this one aside from Psycho Killer.
The next four albums are better but still a great debut. Brian Eno brought out the best and weirdest part of them. If not for the rest of their career, this would've been remembered as a fun and forgotten oddity.
The very first time I listened to this album, I was working in a record store in northern California, I knew it was an instant hit. Every Single. Song. It was top notch originality and I played this album over and over, sold 50 copies of it in 3 days. I had seen them perform a free concert in Berkeley just a few days before the record came into our store. I knew I was in the presence of greatness. Okay that's all.
I have always enjoyed Psycho Killer, but nothing else on the album seems to live up to that. A couple songs sound like imitations, a couple were kind of annoying, a couple were alright. Overall it was fine, but not something I will probably seek out in the future.
masterpiece
not especailly into it
Really didnt care for thought it was annoying
I enjoyed Talking Heads.
Listened 3/7/24. Groundbreaking, wonderful album. Not even talking heads best, but still 5 stars
Never really listened to Talking Heads before this and didn’t know what to expect, but this was ok! Listened a week or two ago at this point so I can’t really remember very well, but let’s give this 3 stars.
Kinda of odd singing that reminded my of men at work (which I love) overall I thought it was pretty good, but I didnt add any songs to a playlist. 3.5 stars
Amazing album
Fun and still holds up well
interesting album, would like to listen some more. Grew on me. Probably a 3.5.
iconique
*1.5 stars* Not bad, but quite boring and for some reason, somewhat childish too? If I had to pick a favourite, I'd choose No Compassion or Psycho Killer, but even then, I don't really see myself listening to these songs again.
Not my cup of tea but that bass was great
El point destacado de la wikipedia es "The single "Psycho Killer" reached number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100." 93 de 100 en el 77. Top 1001 albums noseque i me posen esto. De locos. Jueguen Metroid
Big fan of Talking Heads. I love their quirky uniqueness. It’s just fun music.
I knew psycho killer, but I was surprised to desicover the entire album is that level of quality. I was surprised how much I liked this.
Absolutely love Talking Heads. This album is great.
so damn good. danceable, good vibes, reminds me of my family. top 3: psycho killer, no compassion, pulled up honorable mention: new feeling
Yes, please!!! Full of energy. New wave vibing. Ear candy for me today!!!
This wasn't spectacular, but it wasn't bad. It was like hearing a garage band in high school, just some dudes having fun playing instruments, creating little ditties and guitar licks, and making noises with their mouth. I'm happy to have heard it since I know Talking Heads are a foundational influence to some of the artists I know and love now (c.2024), but I don't really see revisiting this album again.
Eh. It's fun in parts, and I always enjoy Psycho Killer, but in general I have a hard time getting on the same wavelength as Talking Heads. 2.5.
Is this my favorite Talking Head record? Maaaaaaaybe
Great album
Listened Before: N Absolutely killer album! I was expecting to like some of this (based on past experience with TH), but I loved nearly every song on this one. I've already listened to it 3 times, and I will have it in rotation for a while. Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: Don't Worry About the Government, Psycho Killer
Top to bottom there isn't a single track that's skippable.
Talking Heads debut album, fun stuff, great early new wave
Enjoyed the album but not sure how often I'd come back for a full listen. A few songs were a little too quirky for my taste.
So good
Talking Heads is classified as New Wave, which I guess is fair because of what a catch all that term is. Their debut album has all the elements and is quite enjoyable. Just a really easy to listen to and easy to like band for me. 3.5 that I'm rounding down to a 3. Highlights - Uh-Oh Love Comes to Town, Tentative Decisions, Psycho Killer
Very enjoyable album with several standout songs that I avoid smiling and bobbing my head to like “Sugar on My Tongue,” “Love —> Building on Fire,” and of course “Psycho Killer.” I will definitely be listening to this again.
My least favorite Heads album but it does have Psycho Killer.
Uh oh, love comes to town & psycho killer
Liked it at first, upbeat, was in the mood for it. But got annoying after a while.
Entertaining entry from Talking Heads.
far from their best, but its some decent fun
Kind of fun.
The ONLY complaint I have about this album is the repetitiveness of the tracks \"Happy Day\" and \"Who Is It\". Otherwise it is a fabulous album!
This is the first album I can remember buying by the Talking Heads and, for many years, it was my immediate answer if you were to ask me which album was my favorite. I tend to listen more broadly nowadays to all the band's albums, but '77 stands out starkly against everything else the band ever made. It's T-Heads in their purest form, with a sly simplicity that speaks volumes. It's hard to even talk about an album like this without comparing it to everything that came after it, it's so unique. And it absolutely had a profound influence on numerous artists and genres that would follow, but somehow '77 remains its own thing. The vibe of this album is a study in contradictions, quirky and detached, but heartfelt; funky, but awkward; melodic, but angular; intellectual, but whimsical; all of this with a low-key undercurrent of tension and even menace. The group as a whole is nimble, nuanced, deeply creative, with a compelling lead in David Byrne and some truly striking uses of guitar. I find that some of these songs need to be listened to a few times to really warm up to them, but there isn't a bad song to be found on here. Considering the band is barely getting started here, it's pretty masterful. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Psycho Killer; The Book I Read; Pulled Up; First Week/Last Week… Carefree; Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town; No Compassion; New Feeling; Who Is It?; Happy Day; Don't Worry About the Government; Tentative Decisions
Once again, I find a great album that just isn't my thing! I can hear the inventive and more sophisticated take on punk, as well as the energy and well-crafted songwriting. It just doesn't resonate with me aesthetically. Some songs are great, and I like quite a bit of Talking heads. But I do think they get better later on (which may or may not have something to do with them collaborating with Brian Eno and King Crimson, who I adore). But the non-funky attempts at making punk and funk work together just sounds like a bunch of art school kids making an album that is important for the wrong reasons. They were inventive and interesting, but I don´t know if the impact they had and what came after did music much good.
Was ok until they started singing
It was good I liked New Feeling, Happy Day and Psycho Killer.
Classic HEADS! Saw the heads in 83 https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/talking-heads/1983/broome-county-veterans-memorial-arena-binghamton-ny-23c7a81b.html Psycho Killer in pure white lighted stage. Incredible.
Not my favourite Talking Heads record, but still good. You can hear the rules going out the window one-by-one. Music for that twitchy, weird guy at the office. Don't Worry About The Government is the best track on the album.
Not my favourite of theirs, but still better than most
Fun album that faltered a bit in the middle
As a debut album from a band who would later release the seismic, revolutionary 'Remain in Light', '77' may seem to be a a rather safe collection of songs. However, the album contains probably Talking Heads' signature recording a brilliant rendition of Al Green's 'Take me to the river', which is lent a hint of threat in Tina Weymouth's prowling bass riff. Though undoubtedly the standout track, the stop/start 'No compassion' comes close to surpassing it. There are a handful of lesser tunes, such as 'What is it?', which are rather throw away, but '77' lays the ground for the great leaps forward which the band later achieve with 'More songs...', 'Fear of music' and the aforementioned 'Remain in Light'. Definitely worth investigating.
Take it or leave it. The Talking Heads can make a good album, but is it too much to ask of them to make a good song or two as well? This album feels finished and realized and original and unique and all that good stuff. However, to sit down and listen to it is to sit down and listen to eleven songs that kinda annoy me. I’m not asking for a dozen chart toppers, but when “Psycho Killer” is the only thing keeping you going, the wait can be exhausting. It’s his voice, I think. I don’t know. 4/5
I've heard better stuff in this genre so l couldn't really care for the album (excpt psyco killer, that one is a MASTERPIESE). HOWERE l undrestand without Talking Heads and their impact some of my favorite music wouldn't have been made so i'm glad i experienced listening to Talking Heads's first album although i don't wanna experince it again. The highlights : 3.Tentative dicasions : the hook/chourse part sucks ( girs and boys blah blah blah) rest is good 10.psyco killer : YOU START A CONVERSION YOU CAN'T EVEN FINISH, YOU TALK A LOT BUT YOU'RE NOT SAYING ANYTHING , WHEN I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY??? MY LIPS ARE SEALED!!! SAY SOMETHING ONCE, WHY SAY IT AGAIN?? 10/10
Very Talking Heads. No song stood out to me.
Liked this a lot! Maybe my favourite Talking Heads so far.
Starts and ends well middle very meh and a bit odd
Þetta er true to form, fjörugt og skemmtilegt.
Talking Heads! A great band, even when they hadn't yet quite figured out their sound. This album gets 4 stars, not as a knock against it but because I know there is better to come. Favorite track is probably "Psycho Killer," and I am also a fan of the acoustic version.
I loved this. Talking Heads: 77 is packed with sharp, clever pop songs that feel fresh and slightly off kilter in the best possible way. The rhythms are tight, the guitars are clean and punchy, and there is a nervous energy running through the whole album that makes it completely engaging. I had not heard many Talking Heads songs before this, but this has definitely converted me. There is something unique about the way they combine art rock ideas with genuinely catchy hooks. It feels intelligent without losing its fun. Psycho Killer is obviously the standout. Such a great song. Instantly recognisable, tense and ridiculously catchy. It anchors the album brilliantly. Favourite song: Psycho Killer Least favourite: None that stood out negatively Album artwork: Simple and cool. Instantly recognisable and very much of its era
Great album. Doesn’t have the strength of some of their later works, but still great. “Pulled Up” is one of my favorite songs of theirs. 4/5 Will definitely listen again
Good sounds. Weird voices and lyrics.
Talking Heads are such a unique band, who completely master their own sound. Blending punk, funk and disco among tons of other genres and influences. It all synergises together incredibly. Considering this is their debut album it's so consistent and they already sound so tight as a band.
Alright
I get David Byrne is a legend, but this album is kind of annoying to actually listen to lmao
It's not the best Talking Heads album but it's got some great tracks.
Better than Fear the Music by a lot. Some good groovy post-disco songs.
* Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town - I dig this. Has a "Come and Get Your Love" kinda riff. He talks about his friends a lot. Acoustic "Psycho Killer" sound the same. I liked this much more than Fear of Music. It's much catchier and. More musical, I guess.
Couldn’t get through it
I think this is their first album. It's so weird and strange with unconventional melodies, chords, rhythms, but contextually, it's hard not look away and not appreciate the strangeness of David Byrne's whole situation here. I really enjoyed it. Not all tracks work. There's sort of a sameness that starts to come across by the end of the album, but I appreciate it and I think it only works because of the energy present.
Brilliant
The second TH album I've listened to, I guess they are just not for me. Couple of ok tunes but it mostly just passes me by.
Talking heads ok
Some fun. Some odd. Composition is neat.
When I was a kid, my big brother would play Talking Heads in the car and I would complain about every song that wasn't Burning Down the House. Now I'm older and wiser and I complain about every song that isn't Psycho Killer. 2.5 of these stars are for Psycho Killer
Talking Heads 77 is too new wave for me. Some of the music hits a nice groove, there are decent elements of funk in there, but the vocals aren't my thing, never have been across the genre, and bring it down wholly. Just a style that's somewhere between nonchalant and whimsically ironic, no thanks. No Compassion probably the high point of an album I didn't mind listening to (First Week/Last Week also decent) just didn't enjoy. 2?
Definitely better than the other Talking Heads stuff that we've had - and obviously has their most famous song on it - but it's still not something that I really enjoy listening too. David Byrne's voice when he strains it gets quite painful to hear quite quickly. That said, the album does get better as it goes on (not just because they leave Psycho Killer until track 10). Would really like talking heads, I think, if it wasn't for the repetitive squawks that end up in almost every song. 3/5.
PSYCHO KILLER, QU'EST-CE QUE C'EST? (papapapapapaaa)
Talking heads? i sure hope they are
🗣️🔥 💪👔🎤 👞👞
Another one where I don't have too terribly much to say. I think I like a bit more the stuff I've heard on their future albums, but this is still a fun, funky debut. And that's something I don't need to say again.
Say something once, why say it again? Talking Heads at their simplest, but it still kicks as much ass as their later discography.
I feel like I just got drugged by David Byrne. I’ve never listened to a Talking Heads album in full, but I thought I knew some of the eccentricities of the band (and namely Byrne), but clearly I wasn’t fully prepared. This album goes in so many directions lyrically that it kinda distracted me from REALLY great production that feels ripped a little more out of 1987 than 1977. I’m not complaining about the album, necessarily; I think it’s a good listen, but you really have to be in the mindset for it, and you have to accept that shit will get kinda wacky. It's like a 3.5 that I don't think I can really round up to a 4, but I think it's a good album, and it’s certainly an album that I think needs another listen or two to really get and appreciate more.
I’ve been waiting for the day I finally got to talk about Talking Heads. And what better way than with the debut. I’m already quite familiar with this group, and still with each listen I am impressed and in love with their ingenuity and genuineness. They are a bit of a strange band. They took their sound they developed on this album and with each album added new additions to it to make it more complex and creative. So in terms of their discography, this is probably their most “normal” and simple record. It’s still out there and very much a Talking Heads album though. It’s still super funky and catchy. It’s still rooted in Indian, African, and Latin American music. And from day one, David Byrne was this freaky paranoid force to be reckoned with, and he truly led this band to the genius they achieved. But the other three are wonderful in their own ways. Especially Tina. The fact that she taught herself, and has been playing as well as she does from the very beginning is amazing. Of the golden era of Talking Heads, from this to Speaking in Tongues, this is usually considered the weakest of the five. Which I can understand. This is as plain as they ever got, and it doesn’t have as many of the groundbreaking ideas they pushed on their later records. But there are definitely still highlights. I consider Psycho Killer one of the most classic and catchy songs of the 70’s. They just needed that extra flavor and unconventionality to find true success.
I love the Talking Heads and have to be honest, this isn't an album I'm as familiar with as some of their others. It's really phenomenal, lots of the wonderfully groovy pop-art that I've always loved from this group. Obviously Psycho Killer is a standout, but there's lots of great tracks on here. Definitely one that I'll need to revisit more often when I'm in the mood for the Talking Heads. 4/5
Unusual
Ab dem zweiten Titel interesssant. Muss aus dem Blickwinkel 1977 betrachtet werden.
4/5
little weird by good
I love the album generator because I don't know that I ever would have found this album on my own! Fun. Irreverent. Upbeat. Loved it!
4.2. Very underrated bass lines. Psycho Killer is an all time great song.
Admittedly I'm a Talking Heads fan so I already knew I'm a fan of the album. Some forgettable songs but mostly solid with a couple hits. David Byrne's singing can get annoying after a while but all in all a really good album. 7.75/10 (3.875/5)
Love all of them
Continuing to struggle to enjoy this album
My second talking heads album and I'm now turning to them without the aid of the list. The energy, the rhythms and the eloquence are all my bag.
Ok, psycho killer were obviously the peak of the album.
Another 1 I missed.....! Being 11, I only ever heard the radio. The Talking Heads passed me by until the early 80's, but even then it was their more pop stuff that I heard. This album, seems to have every sort of World music, samba, jazz, pop and all sorts of odd rhythms. Finely crafted songs that are all proper ear worms. 'Psycho Killer' is a work of genius. I've no idea what it's about but it remains brilliant. 4.5 out of 5....
With psycho killer it’s going to be a good record and it is.
music was good although some parts were giving garageband esp the drums and the singer annoyed me at times - 3.5
another one that sounded fantastic in my ears… not my favourite album in the world but i think what struck me most was the amount of fun they seemed to have with this… the lyrics were sometimes very funny and other times sad and on the other hand kinda questionable and it was enjoyable listening indeed!
Talking Heads are my favourite discovery from doing this challenge. It was love at first listen when I got Fear of Music almost two years ago. They’re one of those bands I can’t believe I hadn’t been listening to already. Anyway, I loved hearing this album. While it’s not quite as strong as their later stuff, it’s still good to me.
5. Fricken sick
So viel Power!
This is a fun album because you can hear the Talking Heads arrive almost fully formed. David Byrne’s obsessions with certain lyrical topics such as buildings is present along with their idiosyncratic genre bending and blending resulting in a new wave record with Afrobeat and funk sprinkled throughout. The penultimate track ‘Psycho Killer’ is their most famous from this album. The roots of their more mature work (Fear of Music, Remain in Light) can be found here as well.
so much better than the other one
I wish I liked talking heads more. They’re good but wasnt really in the mood for them. Still a solid album of course
In the early 1990s I did a study abroad in Moscow and I went with some friends to a David Byrne concert, not knowing anything about him. I was transfixed by his performance, and have been a fan of him and the Talking Heads ever since. This album is a great way to start the day - infectious beats, quirky lyrics, and relentless enthusiasm. This is the first time since I started playing an album a day where the album ended way before I was ready to stop listening to it.
Not got the shape and power of their later records, but still an enjoyable, formless exploration of the band's many talents.
its unique, and alright but its not something i could listen to all day
It was very solid. This is the first time I have listened to the Talking Heads and this album was a decent one to start on. I felt as an album it kept a good structure and I was interested throughout. Some notable tracks to keep me interested, really solid.
FA FA FA FA FA FA FA FA FA FA FA FA FA BETTER
Ok
Amazing
As I listened through this album I found my self instantly loving some songs, and the rest neither made me excited or angry, so I could listen again and I’d be fine but I’d just as soon play something different. Solid middle ground.
Good but, other than psycho killer, not hugely remarkable.
David Byrne is a wacky guy.
Not their masterpiece, but the songwriting is so good and so catchy that I can't imagine rating it any lower.
I think this would be totally different music without David Byrne's distinctive vocals, a different singer wouldn't have worked nearly as well. Fun, interesting and I enjoyed this one, a pretty easy 4.
Musically the album was fine but the singer could have done with some lessons.
Not bad, distinctive sound.
The Best!
This was decent. Good overall.
Oh dear...no!
Funky upbeat pop/rock with surprisingly tropical feel good rhythms that's well crafted and has plenty of hooks.
Yes was ok Psycho was the standout tge rest was fine
Nostalgia aside, this is great, amg hindsight shows it as a sign of even better stuff to come. Not a fan of Spotify's choice of the extended version though, I think it detracts from the impact of the original.
A really enjoyable album that I feel like I must have listened to a few times before. Psychokiller is such a tuuuuunne!
Psycho Killer gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Overall the album was fine, interesting enough.
brilliant
Way ahead of its time. Funky and fun. You can hear the 80's and beyond calling.
Talking Heads makes me wish i liked art music more as a genre, but alas it is only Talking Heads that I like. Solid album, good music.
Heel irritante muziek
New wave born with a bang. Always loved the Talking Heads and this album gets beyond the hits to show just how deep they could go, especially on a debut! Always another layer of tight musicianship to hone in on and David Byrne's vocals are iconic. Big re-listener!
The basis is good. But I like the live album more. 3,5 stars
Killer debut.
Like Airport 77? David Byrne hijacks an album from Jack Lemmon and George Kennedy has to safely sound engineer them home. Would watch.
"during recording of this track, Bongiovi went into the studio kitchen and gave Byrne a knife, telling him to get into character when singing. Byrne simply responded with "No, that's not going to work"
Much better than the previous talking heads album. Overall I’m not entirely sure what I’d rate this considering I was too sick to even hear it half the time but a did like a few of the songs. The singer voice does irk me a good bit. Though the few songs I liked make up for it. I’ll give it a 6.5 or 7 out or 10 I probably would listen again
OK, but not as good as those fantastic albums that followed..
arty strange vocals
Couple hits on this one, I can’t say in a huge fan, but I enjoy listening to them on shuffle. Gotta say they have good melodies and beats. 3.4
Mejor disco del mundo. Talking Heads fue una de las primeras bandas que me mostró mi papá. Amo este disco, te amo David Byrne, te amo papá.
4/5 Very fun to listen to, catchy. I like the talking heads. Good guitar riffs, great vocals, and it’s so ahead of its time!
Well, I absolutely love Talking Heads. This is my least favorite album. I hear the burgeoning coming sounds o remain in light, but it’s just not here yet for me to rank this album higher than three stars.
Un 4
not my thing but still nice! personal top3 in no order: psycho killer pulled up the book i read
Ich mag die Talking Heads ziemlich gerne. "Psycho Killer" ist schon alleine eine gute Bewertung wert! 7.6/10
A solid member of the second listen club. Just an all around fun album to listen through, cool to see the roots and that they're more than just the one song that we've all heard a million times. Favorites - Psycho Killer and New Feeling Rating - 4/5
More of a promising debut, really. Psycho killer and pulled up are absolute classics. The other tracks are enjoyable but not as memorable. 3.4
Niet bijzonder.
Interesting introduction to the band, but a lot of sameness to the arrangements (so many Ai, ai, ai, ai, ais and chucka-a-lucka guitar chunks).
Very funky, more than I thought Talking Heads would be. Otherwise, it was.. _too much_ Talking Heads. Very monotonous. And I'm probably the only odd duck that doesn't like Psycho Killer.
It’s a solid album. It really bridges that gap between punk and what came after.
It was fine.
This is one of my favorite albums. I like it.
5 stars 5 stars
I confess I was totally oblivious to the Talking Heads in the 70s and later. Not sure I had a real reason for that but that's the way it was. Compared to the last two albums, this one is certainly easier to listen to from my perspective. I can't see it was overly inspiring but pleasant enough. It's not something I would seek out, however.
Got through it. They had a definite style and sound. I’m not the biggest fan, but liked several cuts. It may slide off this list someday, but they had some big hits.
Kann ich nicht so viel mit anfangen.
I can appreciate it but the vocals aren't my thing
Solid, fun, 70s alt pop, aged really well. 4.2
Ich wusste gar nicht, dass \"Psycho Killer\" von den Talking Heads ist!
Don't Worry About the Government and Psycho Killer are pretty good. The rest of the album is bland alt rock; not as good as some of their later stuff.
The Talking Heads are one of my favorite bands and I love everything about this album.
Really enjoyed this album, what a fun listen.
A true classic. I did not know all the songs but I was happy that they were all great. Maybe this is not their strongest release but it’s sure better then some other records from this period.
A fine album with some good tracks and one known banger. Wouldn't come back but saved a few tracks into playlists.
Only 1 good song
Beetje tussen 3,5 en 4. Love Talking Heads, vooral op dit album ‘Uh-Oh Love Comes To Town’ en ‘Psycho Killer’. Af en toe vind ik zijn (David Byrne) uitschieters irritant.
I have not listened to many Talking Heads tunes beyond their radio hits. So, this is a nice opportunity to better appreciate their music style. In listening to this album, I find myself almost unconsciously tapping my foot and bobbing my head to the groove of many of the songs. All the while, I chuckle at their quirky style.
Somewhat basic but I could see the potential
6/10
I can appreciate this as a rebuttal to the self-serious hyper-produced schlock of the 70s but to me it just sounded tuneless and jarring. It comes off as Byrne and co being cheeky for the sake of it. I couldn’t quite connect to the lyrics. Music is supposed to make you feel something and all I felt was mild irritation. “Psycho Killer” is a classic, obviously, but one songs does not an album make.
no new feelings
Wow, classic. Gets old fast, though.
Thought it would love this, ending up struggling massively. The first half of this album feels ‘lazy’ for lack of a better word.
I sometimes forget what a unique album this was when it first came. Nothing compared to it and, in my opinion, it has held up remarkably well. It still amazes me with it what lyrics and complex rhythms and time signature.
Fantastic, cutting edge music for the time.
Pretty great, intriguing but a good semi-energetic background music while I work. Melodically driven but odd and experimental. I get why this was interesting to counter-culture folks back when (and still now)
I really want to like the Talking Heads. This is my second album I've received from them. With the first album I was on the fence - and with this being their (maybe?) most acclaimed album, I don't think this band is for me. I love some of their ideas, some of the goofy bits of their music I enjoy. But it gets boring/old and then borders on annoying to me. Might be mostly the vocals that get on my nerves. I'm not sure. I don't think I'm going to completely give up on them like some bands I've written off after a full album or two. But it definitely hasn't "clicked" yet and I'm sure if it ever will.
Love, love, love this band. The roots of funk, soul, punk, and garage rock make for a really magical connection in all of their works. Favorite track: Psycho Killer
Classic talking heads geluid. Psycho killer is een banger uiteraard, maar heb er verder niet super veel mee
Psycho killer wel echt heel lekker Moet die film nog een x gaan kijken
Wat een lekker album ey Snap er geen reet van dat psycho killer de bekendste is van dit album Al klinkt die acoustic version van psycho killer wel 100x beter
That was a cool listen. I knew psycho killer already, but the rest were good
Solid, straightforward rock-and-roll, except David Byrne is quite a mind. Not sure how I never noticed it before, but Serj Tankian reminds me of some of Byrne's antics here.
Arty, jumpy, punky. Obviously if I was an achingly cool hipster then I'd be giving this 6 out of 5 whilst admiring some kind of post-modern art. As it is, whilst I do like David Byrne's unique vocals, there's almost something too clinical about Talking Heads.
Very fun album that manages to be fun without feeling too fake or poppy. All the songs are kind of the same pace and feeling though.
favorites: psycho killer (obv!(: ), first week/last week, pulled up.
No Compassion is a fucking banger. Tina Weymouth's bass playing is a huge inspo for me ‼️ She knew what each song needed
I had listened to Fear Of Music previously on the list and noted that it wasn't really my style back then. That's completely changed. Listening to this now really opened my eyes, even if it's slightly different from Fear Of Music it's got so much character and it's just really well made. I love it's uniqueness and the constant blend of sounds. Simply put, I get it, and I love it.
Fine for what it is. I don't expect to listen to it again. ⭐⭐⭐
General thoughts: I only knew Psycho Killer from this album, to be fair that was before the Dahmer series. I had, not exactly higher expectations, but different expectations, I though their sound would ne rougher, idk why. Well, they show a distinctive style and I love that about debut albums. I like their singer, the bass style and the funky guitars, it feels tropical if that makes sense. Probably Psycho Killer greatly represents their vibe. Favorite songs: Psycho Killer, The Book I read, Love Comes To Town Cover: Plain horrible. Real rating: 3.59
I listen to the whole thing. Enjoyed it, but had some favorites.
Surprised it was David Byrne's singing that held me back from loving this. Really loved the odd delivery and exaggerated emotion on some songs but it veered into silly too often. Love the groovy music and steel drums and chimes.
Great to hear the beginnings of their iconic sound. I got into their music a little later and always loved their mixture of alternative yet danceable.
I've heard the song psycho killer from them but that's about the only one. The whole time listening it reminded me of that song but I couldn't think of what it was until it started playing. I do like psycho killer but the rest of their songs sounds very similar and I like variety in albums. I do like pulled up cuz its upbeat.
I’ve largely been an avid despise of Talking Heads, but I can’t say I’ve ever sat down and given them a shot. I’m glad I did, but I can confirm that I don’t hate them — I just can’t find anything to like. I’m sure it was good at the time, but there’s nothing here for me.
wow! I thought I'd listened to this- had I never? How hokey is that jaunty little riff to "Uh Oh Love Comes To Town!" And- steel drum solos? Did not remember this AT ALL. "New Feeling"- now there we go- vintage Heads. How did they bury what would be "the hit"- Psycho Killer at the end of the record? I think I knew this record, have the shirt (!!)- and I'm embarrassed to say- did not really know this record!
Definitely Talking Heads. Maybe simpler than their later stuff?
Great album
Talking Heads is such an iconic band and their debut album is nothing short of stunning. 5/5. Favorite Track: Psycho Killer
Excellent! Psycho Killer!!!! Very fun and groovy. Can see this rising to 5 after more listens, will def be returning for more.
Solid record.
okay: I'm finally convinced that everybody should in fact listen to 4 barely distinguishable talking heads albums before they die
I feel like they hadn’t done enough coke yet
Just kind of average. Psycho Killer is easily the peak, not much else to say. 6/10 Top 3: 1. Psycho Killer 2. Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town 3. Tentative Decisions
Geht so. Nicht mein Geschmack
I like the style. Only knew a few songs so far.
Talking Heads has such a distinctive style... I was really excited about the first two songs in this album, good upbeat vibes and amusing vocals as well. By the end of the album I was ready for something different though. Strong finish with Psycho Killer and Pulled Up though!
Was different. Didn’t really take. Will have to give it more listens
Juste parfait.
7/10
This is certainly Talking Heads in 1977. They haven’t quite found their footing yet.
Nothing remarkable. Perfect morning album when you go through the motions. Makes for oddly good jogging music. The most famous song, psycho killer, summs the vibe of the entire album - que est que c'est?
Don't worry about the government is great
Astonishing that this is from 1977. When the filth and fury of punk was getting the headlines, these guys were working out this pin-sharp art-pop-funk. The band is lean and tight. The frontman sounds weird but charismatic. The tricky thing is, if you've come to talking heads late, through stuff like Stop Making Sense, you're probably expecting more 'hits'. So it's simultaneously amazing but also slightly forgettable.
Einerlein, langweilig