Talking Heads - Remain in Light

Way back in 1980, the original wave of Talking Heads fans were pleasantly stunned to hear Remain in Light, produced and co-written by Brian Eno, on which Byrne and company are joined by guitar god Adrian Belew, and funk legends Bernie Worrell (keyboards) and Steven Scales (percussion), among others, for a fuller, funkier sound nobody imagined they had in them. The first three songs are long, layered, full-body dance parties, with incessantly repeated phrases (musical and lyrical), and increasingly catchy melodic hooks that won't let go for days. "Once in a Lifetime" was the big hit, but the rockingest track is the third, "The Great Curve," after which the songs get more linear and subdued. It's still great stuff, right through to the especially Eno-like droner, "The Overload," but the second half is maybe better to sleep to than dance to. Which is fine: after the exuberance of the first three songs, you'll need a little nap. --Dan Leone Amazon.com essential recording

Some timeless classics, but some boredom....

Whilst the first half of this album contains the CLASSIC Once In A Lifetime and excellent The Great Curve, Crosseyed And Painless and Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On), the second half of this album is rather a snooze fest, with slow, moody songs with sparse instrumentation.

The first four songs are worth this purchase, though be warned about the last four. I particularly recommend the 2006 CD/DVD remaster, the two videos live from German TV show RockPop are great, but the 5.1 remix doesn't do much for me.

Overall, weak compared to their superior previous album, 1979's Fear Of Music. Get that before getting this one. November 21, 2007

A brain-bending party

The Talking Heads' fourth album is really really freaking good. `Nuff said.

Okay, maybe not. Here's what you should know: Remain In Light sees the Heads (with longtime producer Brian Eno in tow) creating some of the most intricate, colorful, original, and downright stunning soundscapes in the history of music. The sound of the album is an absolutely ecstatic mixture of funk, punk, and new wave with elements of electronic music, African rhythms, twisted pop, post-psychedelic experimentalism, and good ol' fashioned rock `n' roll. It's the sound of a multitude of musical influences being molded together, shaped and structured in terms of one another, like some kind of musical funhouse mirror. It also rocks.

I mean, just listen to "Crosseyed and Painless." Just listen to it! Listen to that ridiculously propulsive rhythm, which finds the common ground between Chuck Berry, James Brown, and King Sunny Ade. Listen to that squirming bass line, and Byrne's sweaty, paranoid vocals. It's friggin' amazing! And then there's "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)," with its tight polyrhythm and morphological keyboards. "The Great Curve" mingles heavy metal guitars with a swirling maze of drums. "Once In A Life Time" is a warped new wave classic, with vocals that bring to mind a Revival-era preacher, and densely layered melodies.

The album's second half is a quieter, less explicitly rhythmic affair, but it still packs a wallop. "Listening Wind" is a supernatural tale of imperialism thwarted set to a skin-crawling whisper of melody, while "Houses In Motion" boils with tension. "Seen And Not Seen" is strange, funny, and hypnotic, while "The Overload" is pure slow-burning apocalypse.

It's stunning. Buy this! November 3, 2007

One of the all time greats

This is a very special album. One of the best ever by anyone. Daring, original, brilliant, and enduring. If you love music, owning this album is not optional, it's essential. September 29, 2007

A perfect album, both challenging and great to listen to...

A friend of mine in high school bought this album, and hated it. I bought it from him for a few bucks, and it was some of the best money ever spent. While the album has a mere 8 songs on it, they are all excellent. A lot of people don't like the last 4 songs, but I think they're just as good as the first 4, though not as up tempo (obviously). Born Under Punches (The Beat Goes On) is a great way to start the album, followed by one of favorite Heads' songs, Crosseyed and Painless. The Great Curve has some of the best harmonizing on the chorus that I've ever heard. Once in a Lifetime is a hit single that great to listen to and to think about (a rare combo). The last four are very moody and eerie. I love them all, especially Houses in Motion and The Overload. Many talk about the intricate rhythms, and yes, they are very, very cool, but I love the vocals here. They're very well arranged, and really blend it to the experimenting here. This album was released in 1983, though it sounds like it could be released at anytime. This is my favorite Talking Heads album. I love the adventurous sounds that Talking Heads and Brian Eno (who is more like a co-colloborator here than just a producer) string together here. Magnificence from the 1980's.... August 20, 2007

Essential Heads

Beginning with the intricate funk of "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)", this is the cream of Talking Heads' crop. Brian Eno produced their amazing second album "More Songs About Buildings and Food" and the great if somewhat uneven "Fear of Music" but on this disc his presence is much more fully felt as the entire album was also co-written by him. There are a few more awesome funk numbers such as "Crosseyed and Painless" (dig that Byrne rap near the end), "The Great Curve", the radio hit "Once in a Lifetime" which has had an incredibly long life as you still hear it in films and TV shows now and then, and "Houses in Motion" which features an excellent trumpet solo by Eno collaborator Jon Hassell. "Seen and Not Seen" and "Listening Wind" both follow the polyrhythmic template of the rest of the disc but are more subtle than the previous tracks. The CD concludes with a song that is very different from the rest of the album but fits right in anyway- the minimal, atmospheric and very Enoesque "The Overload".

It's a shame that aside from David Byrne, the rest of the band was not exactly thrilled to have Eno involved in the album to the extent he was but David was clearly inspired by their partnership, going on to collaborate with B.E. on the wonderful "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" which has influenced me enormously as a songwriter. If blue-eyed funk is your thing, check this old classic out now! July 31, 2007

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