Educate me, SOMB. I know the hits. What should I have, what should I ignore, why is this band great, why do they suck? Have at it. Links to fish also appreciated.

Great band. You need their first four albums(77,Songs About Food And Buildings,Fear Of Music,Remain In Light.)and the live double disc(The Name Of The Band Is Talking Heads) to experience all that they were capable of. I would recommend Fear Of Music or Remain In Light(This was my first and since they've become one of my favorite bands.) as first albums to listen to because those two albums are probably their artistic peak.

See Stop Making Sense.

Hear The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads.

Might as well hear the first four studio albums, I guess.

I don't like them.

One of the best:


Talking Heads - Remain in Light

This man speaks all kinds of truth. Fear Of Music and Remain In Light are two of my favorite albums of all time, easily. 77 is a pretty great first album, though it doesn't have the Eno-induced sonic exploration like the others have.

Although I would say that it's worth going up to at least Speaking In Tongues. It's not their best, but it's still definitely a worthy addition to the catalogue. Little Creatures is where the big dropoff was in my opinion, but even that album has some of their best songs on it. Naked isn't completely worthless, either - "Cool Water" might be my favorite closing track of theirs (alright, "The Overload" is up there, too).

It's probably best not to even bring up True Stories.

One of my favorite bands.

I've tried ranking their catalog before and have struggled, but if I were to do it today, it would go something like this:

1. More Songs About Buildings & Food
2. Speaking in Tongues
3. 77
4. Fear of Music
5. Remain in Light
6. Little Creatures
7. Naked
8. True Stories


Oh, but I should mention that these are only studio albums I'm ranking. The Name of This Band is Talking Heads is the best live album recorded in the history of music. Especially the expanded two-disc version. Oh, and Stop Making Sense is the greatest concert film ever put to tape. These are irrefutable facts.

Just watch Stop Making Sense. If you don't appreciate the band afterwards, you probably never will.

Also, everyone here should watch True Stories.

Yes - Agreed (times 10).



Anyways.... The Talking Heads

Top 5 favorite bands IMO

Since I'm not by my computer to upload any albums or songs... I'll just put up some of my fav's:



Television Man (at about 2:33, Byrne just rips it)


Nothing (But Flowers): Featuring Jonny Marr, nonetheless. One of my favorite lyrics, guitar riffs, and videos of all time.


The Lady Don't Mind (Blows my mind every time)


The Book I Read


Girlfriend Is Better (live)


Take Me To The River


I'll try to upload some stuff later when I get to my laptop. Enjoy

one of my favorite bands, so i have to chime in, even if i retread some ground.

the best 2 studio albums are without a doubt Fear of Music and Remain in Light.

I'd start with fear of music first.

that said, there are some GREAT tracks on the other albums, they are just not as consistent - i.e. nothing but flowers (great video posted above too) off naked

stop making sense and the name of the band is..., the 2 live albums, are must-buys next, and then i'd just download random songs.

i was never a big fan of their first 2 albums, they didn't really hit their stride until the eno produced albums in my opinion.

But Eno produced their second album.

Anyways, I love '77. Maybe my favorite studio album from them. I have little use for "Talking Heads studio albums," though.

you are correct and i am a moron - i never knew that! regardless, i stand by albums 3 and 4 being the high mark

One of my favorite bands ever. I just watched True Stories again the other day. John Goodman + Talking Heads = greatness. A screening of Stop Making Sense and a listen to Remain in Light should be pretty much mandatory for any music fan. Even if you decide you hate them, you should at least see/hear these things and have an opinion on them.

just get the brick, and the name of this band is talking heads.

every album is essential for different reasons.

Let me just use this post to reinforce the belief that Stop Making Sense = essential viewing. Ridiculously essential. Rent it tonight. Or just buy the fucking thing.

And if you haven't seen Stop Making Sense, get the dvd immediately and you must must MUST watch the bonus of David Byrne interviewing David Byrne.

One of the five greatest interviews I have ever seen, hands down.

Dude, that interview is like 60 Minutes on acid. The "We see a lot o' hairstyles these days huh!" character is like something Stephen Colbert would do. There's a line Byrne says in that thing that has always stuck with me since: "The better the singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying."

Great grooves, but half the time I wonder just what the heck he's singing about. (I have the same problem with Bowie).

Easily my favourite Talking Heads moment

yeah, this band is tops. one of my earliest favorites. thanks parents!

Eno produced albums 2, 3 & 4: More Songs About Buildings And Food, Fear Of Music & Remain In Light. All of which are excellent for various reasons.

Speaking In Tongues - altho it sounds like an Eno record, is actually produced by the group themselves. According to all reports they loved working with Brian, but after a while it began to feel like "Brian Eno Presents the Talking Heads" and that kinda rankled 'em all a bit.

Thanks, all. Confirms my suspicions. Research has begun.

And Aggie - surely you agree with me that "Dog Eat Dog" is one of the best style parodies Weird Al has ever done.

Yes. Made me appreciate the album much more.

Really, the entire catalog is essential. Word of warning about that white brick box set: It doesn't play on all CD players

this post has inspired me to go back and visit remain in light. i'll still maintain that it's one of the most difficult albums i've ever heard in my life. i think its great, even brilliant at times, but i don't even think its in my top 5 favorite TH recordings.

TS is indeed an awesome flick though.

Personally I'd watch Stop Making Sense...one of the best concert films ever.

Then listen to the first 4. More Songs being my personal fave.

Glad to see so many people vouching for Stop Making Sense as the essential TH introduction.

despite my previous revelation about RIL, i have another.

for the longest time i was kinda dismissive of once in a lifetime. i loved it when i was like 6, but as i got older i always saw it as kind of a novelty, somewhat devoid of the melody and songcraft that about 100 of their other songs have. no way is this true any longer, the RIL version of once in a lifetime is a top 5 song for this band's career. i'd forgotten how excellent it was, or never even gave myself the chance. part of this comes from my generally not loving the SMS version of it, which tends to be my most listened to TH recording, like a lot of other people in this thread too it seems. but anyhow, the studio version rips. and the video is the tits.

"Once In a Lifetime" is simply one of the greatest songs and videos ever done by anybody anywhere.

I'm going to say this: Talking Heads are genius on the level of Tchaikovsky

There's just nothing like "Once In A Lifetime." Nothing like it. What other songs can you really say that about? "Venus In Furs"? Yeah, that's about it.

"Once in a Lifetime" is my favorite song of all time. Period.

Glad we all seem to agree on it's brilliance.

But yes. (Fan made video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWhsuqFj8kU

"Johnny Appleseed" too. But yeah, these guys were good.

In the mid '80s, I got to be all about Little Creatures. I know what it isn't: It isn't innovative and textured and polyrythmic like Remain in Light and Fear of Music; it isn't edgy and twitchy like '77 and More Songs...; it isn't a document of a live act at the height of its powers like The Name of... and Stop Making Sense. Other hand, it isn't weirdness for the sake of weirdness like True Stories, and it isn't "Uh oh, overstayed our relevance" like Naked. And it isn't the outright embarrassment of Not Talking...Just Heads.

It's the kind of record I wish more bands made more of. Competent. Solid. Good songs; good arrangements; good performances. Hooks. And a nice, slow, steady build until, by "Road to Nowhere" you're doing the chair dance and saying to yourself, "Man I love these guys."

If more groups could just content themselves with being solid, and making good records... shit, I don't even know how to finish that. I'd be a lot happier with the state of music. Or something.

one of my all time favorite songs.

the David Byrne freak out and hooting and hollaring that ensues over the closing minutes of the song have never been rivaled

love RtN too.

i also am one of the biggest naked apologists that you'll meet. that album fucking rocks.

'(Nothing) But Flowers' and 'Totally Nude' are definitely two top-tier tracks, no doubt. Tracks that I will hold in high esteem forever and ever.

The rest...ehhh...not so much.

There was a time I loooved 'Democratic Circus.' To this day, though, I don't know why I felt that way.

Ditto. I like that album way more than I should(granted it doesn't touch the first four.).I don't know why either because every rational thought in my mind wants to say "This is generic world beat music",Bu I just can't get myself to hate it.

man that was fucking awesome... this video alone has renewed my interest in this band. another classic type american rock band that never really grabbed me the right way. i've never seen Stop Making Sense, only heard it. i think i own it... not sure, that would mean getting up and going into the next room to check and i don't want to do that right now.

i will argue that SMS is the only concert film one ever needs to see in their lives. simakos you should get on that now, b/c as great as the audio is, seeing them do that show is another beast.

blind is also naked's best song and one of the bands best songs period.

Yeah, wow, Simakos. Watch it immediately. If you're underwhelmed, well, I don't know how I'd deal with that.

I was born in a house in Oak Park, Illinois and when my parents brought me downstairs, my brother was watching a VHS tape of Stop Making Sense.

I've been with it for a while.

A visual definition of "iconic."

That's still the definitive version of the song for me.

Of course, the fact that the electric versions have that awesome as shit bassline and the noisy semi-freakout at the end is just a testament to the greatness of the actual song.

I am shocked that simakos has never seen Stop Making Sense.

Shocked.

There's really no excuse for such a thing.

And yes, I can't agree more with the assessment on 'Psycho Killer' in any of its forms. The SMS version is absolutely amazing and has always been the version I put on any Talking Heads mixes I've ever made. But the studio version is a special beast in and of itself.

Seriously, dude....go watch that movie ASAP. Very little can top the version of 'What a Day That Was' that's on there. The harmonies during the chorus are so huge and amazing sounding.

Shit, I'm going to watch this when I get out of work.

Every song is better than its studio counterpart.

Every song.

There's just no question about this.

Of course, then you're all like, "Luckily Stop Making Sense didn't ruin all of the other deep cuts from the first four albums!"

And then you hear The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads and your whole worldview is shattered.

EDIT: Good thread... http://soundopinions.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=11238

Listening right now to the SMS version of 'Naive Melody.' It's an amazingly calming song.

And to think I considered this to be one of the worst Talking Heads songs written.

Goddamn was I a fucking retard.

First time I heard "Naive Melody", I thought it was unlikely they'd ever write such a lovely song again. I'm not sure that's wrong.

generally i agree w/ paves re: SMS songs being > their studio versions, but i do prefer naive melody's studio treatment over the SMS version.

seconded

so many truthes in this thread
good stuff

if you buy the SMS cd after watching the movie/concert make sure and get the remastered extended version

Years ago, I told a few people "If anything horrible happens to me, make sure they play this at my funeral" regarding "Naive Melody". Although I've since rescinded that because I don't want that song ruined for people. It'd suck for friends to feel weird and associate it with my death when they hear it, especially for those that maybe had never heard it before.