One Liner: Talking Heads singer still making funky, weird rock
Wikipedia Genre: Rock, art pop, worldbeat, electronicHome: NYC (but actually a dual citizen from Scotland originally)
Poster Position: 3
Day: Friday at 3:45
Both Weekends.
So, this is the lead singer from the Talking Heads. The Talking Heads rule. Well, I'm not going to fake it and try to come off as some huge mega Head-head, but I've always liked them. A few years ago, it had dawned on me that I knew a bunch of their singles, but didn't really know their old albums (which are still jizzed about by music critics), so I went online and bought copies of Stop Making Sense, Speaking in Tongues, Remain in Light, and Talking Heads 77. The best part of Talking Heads, which generally comes through in Byrne's solo stuff, is a deep respect for the funk. And you know I like the funk. Their funk might come from world music rhythm sources, or it might just be cribbed from Detroit or Memphis, but it abides throughout their tunes.
Anyhoo, so what the hell happened to the Talking Heads? This article, interviewing two of the members from the band, makes it sound like the most depressing breakup ever. Byrne had made a solo album, and then went to work on a second one, so the rest of the band was just like "welp, I guess that's it." And then Byrne said that the band was broken up, in an interview, without actually talking to the rest of the band. Pretty wild. This was in 1991.
As a weird aside, those other two members of the group were also doing something on the side, the Tom Tom Club, which had its own large weirdo funk/rap hit "Genius of Love." Kind of wild that these bands are tied together. Learn something new every day.
But if you look at the discography attributed to Byrne on Spotify, he has several "releases" from before the breakup in 1991:
- The crazy weird Brian Eno collaboration from 1981, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, which is like if a bunch of synth squiggles became sentient and fought to the death with a set of conga drums.
- 1981's The Complete Score from "The Catherine Wheel," which was a Broadway production, and sounds like instrumental tunes to have a nervous breakdown to.
- 1985's The Knee Plays, apparently composed for Robert Wilson's opera the CIVIL warS. I mean, you can't make this weird ass stuff up, right? "The vast five-act work has never been performed whole. Originally, The Civil Wars was conceived as a single daylong piece of music theatre to accompany the 1984 Summer Olympics." I have tried the first song, so that you don't have to. If you love heavy sax with spoken word poetry, then this is your jam.
His first "real" solo album was 1989's Rei Momo. This one leans heavily on world music styles (which I am too ignorant to be able to name, but like the kind of Central/South American music where a cowbell and egg shaker keep the time and accordions help out with the melody). It's kinda fun, but I don't think I've heard anything on here before. Top track is "Make Believe Mambo" with 472k streams.
Yeah, man. I mean, that could lead to dancing. He looks like he is 12 though. I wonder what people who really play this music thought of him stepping into their lane?
The Forest, from 1991, starts with a 13 minute long orchestral instrumental that is quite nice. Not much for dancing to, but very dramatic. The cover looks like the emblem for a horror movie released in conjunction with Labyrinth. This album is damn weird. Like something a cosplaying Renaissance Faire guy listens to when he needs to get psyched up to put on his battle gnome costume.
1992's Uh-Oh gets back into the music I'm more used to hearing from him, more catchy, weird, pop rock. The cover depicts a Snoopy-looking dog on God's throne, surrounded by angels. So there's that. The album opener is named "Now I'm Your Mom," so there's also that. The top track, with only 148k streams, is "Girls on my Mind."
Well, that seems a little creepy, right? Play it cool, David. You can't sound so desperate, buddy. A little foot fetish, and a lot of tumbling fetish? Also, when he tucked himself into bed, did his hand go into his pants? I don't need to hear that one anymore...
1994's David Byrne is more quirky rock and roll stuff. Wikipedia says that "Angels" was a radio single and reached up to #24 on the charts, but it rings zero bells to me. But overall, the album had me bobbing my head and bouncing along. Not bad stuff.
1997's Feelings is in the same vein, although nothing on here appears to have been a big hit. The really weird part of listening to these albums is how I recall ZERO about these things coming out. Like, between 1990 and 2000 was a pretty heavy duty music exploration and learning time for me, and the Talking Heads had been a massive band, and yet none of these albums left a mark (and none of them have good streaming numbers either, so they continue to be forgotten).
2001's Look Into the Eyeball is the first one of these old albums where I actually recognize a song. "Like Humans Do" was a radio hit for a while, and "Everyone's In Love With You" was also familiar to me. Here is that former one, with 963k streams.
I was going to continue to talk about each of his other solo albums as I listened to them, but I just took a look at his most recent setlist, from an August show he played at Red Rocks (which would have been highly cool), and he played exactly 2 of his old solo songs. TWO! That one right up above was one ("Like Humans Do") and the other was "Lazy," from 2004's Grown Backwards, which is a 9:37 long strange thing featuring string section. Other than that, the entire performance was classic Talking Heads tunes (hooray!) and songs off of his very good 2018 album American Utopia. So, I'm just going to short circuit this whole review and give you my thoughts about that new album.
Like the Talking Heads stuff before this, its kind of a mess. In spurts, they are funky and groovy and fantastic. In other sections, just weird and confusing and so experimental I just don't know which side is up. Like his band, some of these things on American Utopia are fun and funky, and some more like verbose strings of poetic ramblings that happen to have music playing in the background. But overall, fun stuff. I'm very pleased that one of my favorites happens to be the most streamed - here is the LCD Soundsystem-esque "Everybody's Coming to My House." 1.6 million streams.
Which, I guess, if I really think about it, LCD probably ripped off this sound in the first place, with funky basslines and cowbells and agitated synths, so I shouldn't give that dude credit for inspiring the Byrne in groovy freakouts with cowbell. Suck it, LCD.
"Gasoline and Dirty Sheets" and "Every Day is a Miracle" are also fun. "I Dance Like This" gets on my nerves, with the robotic chorus and more stressful interlude of synths, but then it ends up stuck in my head as I want to walk around the house saying it in a robot voice all over again. "Bullet" also stops my train of thought, as I listen to the album, because its such a lovely-sounding song about a non-pretty subject. "The bullet went into him, his skin did part in two, skin that women had touched, the bullet passed on through. The bullet went into him, it went its merry way, like an old grey dog, on a fox's trail..." Very cool description, even if it is also dark and weird. "Here" makes me think of old (good) Peter Gabriel. I like this album.
So, what do we get to hear from the old TH catalog? No "Psycho Killer," which is too bad, because it has a very distinctly strange memory for me. In college, I was in a play (can't recall the name of it now, must have been amazing) where the guy directing the play had decided to use only Talking Heads songs as the musical accompaniment. So, before we would go out on stage for the first scene, the other guy who was in that opening scene with me, this flamboyantly gay guy, would absolutely GRIND around to this song. Just, like, needed a pole and a g-string to be featured in a Nicki Minaj video. So, thats weird. Also, for reasons I can't recall, I always pronounce the French "qu'est-ce que c'est" in a bad Sean Connery schlur. OK, I've said too much. No "And She Was." No "Wild Wild Life." No "Nothing But Flowers." No "Making Flippy Floppy." No "Road to Nowhere." Which is too bad, I like those tunes. But, assuming he sticks to the same Red Rocks setlist, what do we actually get?
A little bit more, just because this guy has done so much with his life. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Talking Heads in 2002. Won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy for his part in the soundtrack to the Last Emperor. Four Talking Heads albums are on Rolling Stones' top 500 albums of all time. Their song "Radio Head" became the basis for another band using that name (which is suuuuuper weird, because that song is a goofy ass accordion track). Wikipedia lists him as author of nine books. He made that album with St. Vincent. He joined Fatboy Slim (of all people) to create a "disco opera" (of all things) about the life of Imelda Marcos (of all people). Now that is odd. He is a big champion for cycling. He had a song released with every new Windows PC as the sample tune to show people the features of Windows Media Player. He's been a guest vocalist for everything from De la Soul to Arcade Fire to Devo to 10,000 Maniacs. He was on the Simpsons.
Pretty wild. Anyway, I'll probably go see him do it live.
"Gasoline and Dirty Sheets" and "Every Day is a Miracle" are also fun. "I Dance Like This" gets on my nerves, with the robotic chorus and more stressful interlude of synths, but then it ends up stuck in my head as I want to walk around the house saying it in a robot voice all over again. "Bullet" also stops my train of thought, as I listen to the album, because its such a lovely-sounding song about a non-pretty subject. "The bullet went into him, his skin did part in two, skin that women had touched, the bullet passed on through. The bullet went into him, it went its merry way, like an old grey dog, on a fox's trail..." Very cool description, even if it is also dark and weird. "Here" makes me think of old (good) Peter Gabriel. I like this album.
So, what do we get to hear from the old TH catalog? No "Psycho Killer," which is too bad, because it has a very distinctly strange memory for me. In college, I was in a play (can't recall the name of it now, must have been amazing) where the guy directing the play had decided to use only Talking Heads songs as the musical accompaniment. So, before we would go out on stage for the first scene, the other guy who was in that opening scene with me, this flamboyantly gay guy, would absolutely GRIND around to this song. Just, like, needed a pole and a g-string to be featured in a Nicki Minaj video. So, thats weird. Also, for reasons I can't recall, I always pronounce the French "qu'est-ce que c'est" in a bad Sean Connery schlur. OK, I've said too much. No "And She Was." No "Wild Wild Life." No "Nothing But Flowers." No "Making Flippy Floppy." No "Road to Nowhere." Which is too bad, I like those tunes. But, assuming he sticks to the same Red Rocks setlist, what do we actually get?
- "I Zimbra" (from 1979's Fear of Music). Full of African rhythms, kind of like a Graceland b-side. Had never heard it before. Pretty good. 1.9 million streams.
- Slippery People (from 1983's Speaking in Tongues). I'm a bigger fan of "Girlfriend is Better," the song right before this one on this album, but I get it that this one has a certain gospel boogie to it that is pretty cool. 3.5 million streams.
- This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (from 1983's Speaking in Tongues). Yes. Great tune - I've used this on a playlist for years. I made the playlist for a paddle boat cruise with work, and have been adding to it ever since to keep this same chill rock vibe going. 55.2 million streams.
- Once in a Lifetime (from 1980's Remain in Light). Freaking great tune. I love the groove and funk. Should be chopped and screwed and used in every rap battle for all time. 40.8 million streams.
- "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" (from 1980's Remain in Light). Totally weird intro this this album. Art funk for wiggling, but then, once the catchy little "and the heat gooooes on, and the heat goes on!" chant starts up, its pretty tight. 7.7 million streams.
- Blind (from 1988's Naked). He uses a super weird vocal tone in this one. Not the best song. 1.9 million streams.
- Burning Down the House (from 1983's Speaking in Tongues). Another classic. Loved singing this as a child with my own highly intelligent and original lyrics, in which I would sing the end line of the chorus "burning down the house!" followed immediately by my own "No! Burnin' down the school! Yes!" I'm honestly surprised my parents never had me tested for something. 9.3 million streams.
- The Great Curve (from 1980's Remain in Light). Super fast-paced bongos, just a tight little funk party. I'd injure myself trying to keep up on those bongos. 2.6 million streams.
A little bit more, just because this guy has done so much with his life. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Talking Heads in 2002. Won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy for his part in the soundtrack to the Last Emperor. Four Talking Heads albums are on Rolling Stones' top 500 albums of all time. Their song "Radio Head" became the basis for another band using that name (which is suuuuuper weird, because that song is a goofy ass accordion track). Wikipedia lists him as author of nine books. He made that album with St. Vincent. He joined Fatboy Slim (of all people) to create a "disco opera" (of all things) about the life of Imelda Marcos (of all people). Now that is odd. He is a big champion for cycling. He had a song released with every new Windows PC as the sample tune to show people the features of Windows Media Player. He's been a guest vocalist for everything from De la Soul to Arcade Fire to Devo to 10,000 Maniacs. He was on the Simpsons.
Pretty wild. Anyway, I'll probably go see him do it live.
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