Talking Heads - True Stories

Talking Heads' one dud

Nothing against those who love this album - you have your own reasons to enjoy it, and I think that's great. This is more for those newly exploring the Talking Heads oeuvre who would like to know where to start, or go next. In my opinion, not here.

I don't worship Talking heads, but I do love Remain in Light, find great joys in Fear of Music, More Songs..., '77, Speaking in Tongues, and grooved nearly every weekend for months to the midnight showing of Stop Making Sense back in the late 80's. This Talking Heads album, however, delivers one disappointment after another.

Personally, I find that pretty much each song falls flat (such as the irritating "hit" Wild Wild Life). Papa Legba does have a nice lilt to it, though. It's the one song on this record that I return to, albeit rarely.

Even the swan song Naked is better than this one (the Heads album doesn't count). If you like early/mid era Talking Heads, skip this one, or get it cheap if you must. I have nothing against Americana, or even attempts at arch commentary on the ersatz quality of much that comprises Americana; but dull is dull.
August 5, 2007

Talking Heads at their best

This is not the Soundtrack. This is Talking Heads performing songs that were in the movie. I want Papa Legba by Pops Staples. July 11, 2006

Ill-conceived.

The Talking Heads, after producing a handful of essential albums, seemed to spend the tail end of their career fumbling a bit for direction, after the stripped back and ultimately unsatisfying "Little Creatures", they recorded a series of pieces David Byrne wrote for a movie called "True Stories" (that had already been recorded by different artists). The net result is an album that quite frankly sounds and feels nothing like a Talking Heads album and falls far short of delivering the goods.


Essentially, the album bounces between one style and another, from fierce blues-based rock ("Love For Sale") to '50s pop ("People Like Us") to a sort of, for lack of better term, "world music" vibe ("Papa Legba"). The pieces themselves aren't bad, but it feels like this is the wrong band to be executing them and the performances pretty much limp along. A couple of the pieces are worth a listen (hit single "Wild Wild Life" is catchy and exciting, "Dream Operator" works out to be an intriguing pop piece), but by and large, the album muddles along and doesn't really go anywhere. To make matters worse, this incredibly irritating remix of "Wild Wild Life" is tagged on the end.

While this isn't one of their better pieces, the album has just been reissued in a remastered form on dual disc. The sonic upgrade is definitely worth the extra cost.

The Talking Heads were a band that accomplished a lot in a short amount of time and never seemed to recover after reaching critical mass. "True Stories" is probably as good an example of this as anything else. Newcomers should stick with their earlier albums ("Remain in Light" is probably as good a place as any) before pursuing something like "True Stories". February 22, 2006

Dream Operator is my favorite pop song!

I had no idea that this was considered a bad album. This is my favorite Talking Heads album. I like all of the songs on it, but especially Dream Operator. It is extremely beautiful and it is my favorite pop song of all time. I have great memories of watching the movie with my dad as a child. I loved the movie so much that my dad gave me his soundtrack tape. Well, I have long since worn it out and am ready to buy it on CD! February 6, 2006

Far too under-rated...

I have no idea why this album gets dismissed as "rubbish" by many Talking Heads fans and David Byrne himself. It's not that bad. You've got the hits "Love For Sale" and "Wild Wild Life" which are good songs but there is so much better to be found on here. "Papa Legba" has some neat percussion. "People Like Us" is a good song but it's even better in the movie 'True Stories' (which i recommened you check out) where John Goodman sings it! "Dream Operator" has to be one of the most beautiful songs the Talking Heads have ever written and it's probably my favorite on the album. The only song I never really cared for is "Hey Now". One last thing I have to say is when a band like Radiohead names themselves after one of the songs off this album, it can't be all that bad. May 19, 2004

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