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New Feeling/A Clean Break (recorded in 1977)
Air (recorded in 1979)
The Great Curve Album: The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982) |
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Though many are familiar with Stop Making Sense, the seminal 1984 concert film directed by Jonathan Demme, it only came a couple of years after Talking Heads released the concert diary The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads. This record chronicled 6 performances over a 5 year span over the course of 4 sides. Listening to the album from start to finish reveals the breathtaking evolution in Talking Heads’ songwriting and musicianship, as well as the explosion in the number of fans in the audience and musicians on stage.
It’s difficult to categorize Talking Heads, as evidenced in the selections from the record. They were associated with the CBGB punk scene, but didn’t really possess the anger or discord of their assumed peers. As the first selection, the two-track punch of “New Feeling” and “A Clean Break” (they transitioned so smoothly between the tracks that I just couldn’t split them up) demonstrates Talking Heads’ love for melody and bouncy groove. I guess the punk connection is in their rhythmic intensity and esoteric lyrics.
The band delves deeper into funky weirdness with their next song, “Air.” I love the contrast between the spastic verses and the touching, catchy chorus. You can hear how their sound is opening up, with ethereal harmonies and adventurous ad-libbing from the ever-game David Byrne.
The full blossoming of Talking Heads’ sound reveals itself in the final selection, “The Great Curve.” Talking Heads started touring with a bigger band (featuring backup singer Nona Hendryx and Parliament-Funkadelic’s Bernie Worrell) after their career-redefining Remain In Light was released in 1980. The impact of their new bandmates is evident in the complex rhythms and layered vocals of this confident, ambitious track. Lyrically, I think it’s about the philosophical tug-of-war between divinity and earthly pleasures, but David can be quite inscrutable. To be honest, I could do without the screeching guitar work from King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew, but I still enjoy this track.
P.S. Can you find the link to a secret bonus track?