In celebration of the upcoming release of Everything that Happens Will Happen Today, and David Byrne's subsequent and sure to be mind-blowing supporting tour, now's the ideal time to revisit some live Talking Heads at the peak of their powers. Fans of The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads will recognize a lot of the material here, as that double disc set included a number of tracks from this remarkable FM broadcast. Still, it's amazing to hear the spectacle as it unfolded on this particular night. The lineup featured here is nearly identical to the one from the Stop Making Sense concert film, but thanks in large part to the wild lead guitar of Adrian Belew, this incarnation is slithery, less muscular and far more psychedelic than the one that would appear on screen a few years later. My favorites from this show are the selections from the then-recently released Remain In Light, but the reinterpretations of the band's earlier material are all pretty incredible as well. If there's been a better band in the past 30 years, it's certainly not on my radar.
Showing posts with label Talking Heads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Talking Heads. Show all posts
Thursday
Talking Heads
Live at the Tokyo Sun Plaza, February 27, 1981
In celebration of the upcoming release of Everything that Happens Will Happen Today, and David Byrne's subsequent and sure to be mind-blowing supporting tour, now's the ideal time to revisit some live Talking Heads at the peak of their powers. Fans of The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads will recognize a lot of the material here, as that double disc set included a number of tracks from this remarkable FM broadcast. Still, it's amazing to hear the spectacle as it unfolded on this particular night. The lineup featured here is nearly identical to the one from the Stop Making Sense concert film, but thanks in large part to the wild lead guitar of Adrian Belew, this incarnation is slithery, less muscular and far more psychedelic than the one that would appear on screen a few years later. My favorites from this show are the selections from the then-recently released Remain In Light, but the reinterpretations of the band's earlier material are all pretty incredible as well. If there's been a better band in the past 30 years, it's certainly not on my radar.
In celebration of the upcoming release of Everything that Happens Will Happen Today, and David Byrne's subsequent and sure to be mind-blowing supporting tour, now's the ideal time to revisit some live Talking Heads at the peak of their powers. Fans of The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads will recognize a lot of the material here, as that double disc set included a number of tracks from this remarkable FM broadcast. Still, it's amazing to hear the spectacle as it unfolded on this particular night. The lineup featured here is nearly identical to the one from the Stop Making Sense concert film, but thanks in large part to the wild lead guitar of Adrian Belew, this incarnation is slithery, less muscular and far more psychedelic than the one that would appear on screen a few years later. My favorites from this show are the selections from the then-recently released Remain In Light, but the reinterpretations of the band's earlier material are all pretty incredible as well. If there's been a better band in the past 30 years, it's certainly not on my radar.
Wednesday
David Byrne
The Catherine Wheel - 1981
With his career as a solo artist nearing a third decade, it's incredible to hear David Byrne's first fully fledged solo effort sounding remarkably fresh and massively influential. Commissioned as the aural accompaniment to a Twyla Tharp Broadway production of the same name, The Catherine Wheel was recorded with a number of musicians from the Talking Heads' then-current touring band (Adrian Belew, Bernie Worrell, Steve Scales), features contributions from Eno, Jerry Harrison and percussionist Yogi Horton, and serves as a bridge between the brooding churn of Remain in Light and the dense funk of Speaking in Tongues. The Catherine Wheel isn't a light affair by any means, but the focus is less reliant on Byrne's lyrical prowess and directed more so on minimalist funk, spacious polyrhythms and creating an atmosphere of dark tension and general unease. The Talking Heads worked a few of the songs here into their live repertoire, including the magnificent "What a Day That Was" and "Big Business", which was often worked into a medley with "I Zimbra," and could've counted The Catherine Wheel as one of the finest additions to their catalog, had it bore their name along the top. The fact that it's a Byrne solo affair only heightens its impact. The version here includes the complete score.
With his career as a solo artist nearing a third decade, it's incredible to hear David Byrne's first fully fledged solo effort sounding remarkably fresh and massively influential. Commissioned as the aural accompaniment to a Twyla Tharp Broadway production of the same name, The Catherine Wheel was recorded with a number of musicians from the Talking Heads' then-current touring band (Adrian Belew, Bernie Worrell, Steve Scales), features contributions from Eno, Jerry Harrison and percussionist Yogi Horton, and serves as a bridge between the brooding churn of Remain in Light and the dense funk of Speaking in Tongues. The Catherine Wheel isn't a light affair by any means, but the focus is less reliant on Byrne's lyrical prowess and directed more so on minimalist funk, spacious polyrhythms and creating an atmosphere of dark tension and general unease. The Talking Heads worked a few of the songs here into their live repertoire, including the magnificent "What a Day That Was" and "Big Business", which was often worked into a medley with "I Zimbra," and could've counted The Catherine Wheel as one of the finest additions to their catalog, had it bore their name along the top. The fact that it's a Byrne solo affair only heightens its impact. The version here includes the complete score.Talking Heads
The Name of This Band is Talking Heads - 1982
Often overlooked in favor of the live concert film soundtrack Stop Making Sense, The Name of This Band is Talking Heads is a tremendous document that captures the band throughout the most interesting stages of an extremely varied career. Titled in response to the constant incorrect reference to the band as "The" Talking Heads, as well as a play on the way in which David Byrne would introduce the songs in the band's set "The name of this song is 'New Feeling'..." The Name of this Band... was released in 1982 as a stopgap leading up to 1983's Speaking in Tongues. The first disc features the familiar lineup of Byrne, Harrison, Weymouth
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