Talking Heads' True Stories

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It's one of the few TH albums I haven't heard. Is it any good? Is the movie good?

― Nigel (Nigel), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 19:45 (twenty years ago)

It's excellent for what it is-- an inoffensive musical about a small Texas town.

― white boi, Tuesday, 6 September 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

The movie is terrific, much better than the album. It's probably their weakest studio record, although it has a bunch of great songs (most of which are cherry-picked on the Best Of: "Love for Sale," "Wild Wild Life," "City of Dreams"). But there's also a lot of filler.

― goodoldneon (goodoldneon), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

It's almost unanimously considered to be their worst album, isn't it?

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 20:05 (twenty years ago)

Well, their worst may be better than most, but it's "song" focused instead of "groove" focused.

― Old School (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 20:07 (twenty years ago)

goodoldneon OTM upthread. Also: it's the one TH album on which Byrne and co. could be accused of condescension and New York smugness.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

"I wouldn't live there if you paid me to"

― Old School (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 20:15 (twenty years ago)

Watching True Stories possibly goes down as my most painful movie or music-related experience. It was like watching a bad, bad dream, but not one of those with the life-affirming sort of feeling when you wake up, but one of those that haunts you throughout the whole day with how fucking weird and unpleasant it was.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)

Alfred and Old School OTM about the hint of renewed condescension towards the The Big Country. That said, those ballads on side 2 are still pretty likeable in a "The Big Country" kind of way (but the jaunty track has the dubious distinction of inspiring Radiohead's name). The first half is pretty horrible though - "Hey Now" is almost intolerable.

I remember liking the film - in which the small-town characters burst into renditions of many of the songs (in shopping malls or at work in a cannery or something) - but I was 12 years old at the time.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 21:28 (twenty years ago)

there's a lot of gentle anti-flyover smarm to the flick, but the songs are often really beautiful -- i prefer the actors' versions in the movie to the band's versions on the record, particularly john goodman singing "people like us" and the preacher doing "puzzlin' evidence." ultimately, though, there's a lot of david byrne walking around garish shopping malls in a cowboy hat looking disoriented.

― rob harvilla (rharvilla), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

The songs are much better in the movie. The album is pretty terrible - and noooo, bad Talking Heads doesn't necessarily mean "their worst may be better than most." The production is tinny, and the songs are pretty dull with Byrne's vocals.

I always thought Naked was considered their worst.

― enjoy bell woods (sjjd111), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 21:34 (twenty years ago)

John Goodman singing "People Like Us" shows more warmth and humanity than the Heads' own versions of Byrne songs.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 21:44 (twenty years ago)

I liked Dream Operator, but I haven't listened to it for a long time; the record player won't plug into the stereo.

I thought the film was shit.

― KeefW (kmw), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 22:43 (twenty years ago)

I always thought Naked was considered their worst.

people either hated it or thought it was a brilliant return to the rhythms they played with in the Fear of Music/Remain in Light days. I used to think it was great, now I hate it.

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 22:52 (twenty years ago)

they should've renamed themselves for those last two albums.

honestly it's hard to work out who did more damage to their bands' legacies - talking heads or new order.

― piscesboy, Tuesday, 6 September 2005 22:54 (twenty years ago)

well Ruby Dear was a good song (on Naked). that's one more good song than True Stories though

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 22:59 (twenty years ago)

Pops Staples!!!!!!!!!

― peepee (peepee), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 23:11 (twenty years ago)

Naked is a better album than True Stories. But I never listen to it.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 23:28 (twenty years ago)

I actually like Naked. It really just sounds like an early Byrne solo album, and I like most of his albums quite a bit. Obviously it's a disgrace in the face of the majority of the band's output, but it's a pretty enjoyable album in its own right.

― enjoy bell woods (sjjd111), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 23:43 (twenty years ago)

I'm in the "Naked was a return to form and is pretty great" camp. Some of the darker moments like "Cool Water" still move me somewhat! (However it's possible this is a result of their post-1985 records being amongst the first records I ever bought).

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 00:35 (twenty years ago)

Totally naked, baby, totally nude. Cause if I want to who's gonna stop me

― funky fufo (sjjd111), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 00:36 (twenty years ago)

I'll rep for "Naked" as well. The songs on the first side are great (particularly "Blind"), the second side not so much, but it's got really cool sound/production/playing throughout. Although I guess it's mostly Paris session musicians. Whatever!

― goodoldneon (goodoldneon), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 04:53 (twenty years ago)

True Stories was worth watching just for David Byrne's narration.

― bill neil (inabillity), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 09:57 (twenty years ago)

was there a single off "naked" ?

― halking teads, Wednesday, 7 September 2005 11:25 (twenty years ago)

"(Nothing But) Flowers", right?

I actually really like that song. Haven't tried to make it through the whole album in a while, though.

― A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 11:28 (twenty years ago)

"(Nothing But) Flowers", yes. I believe "Blind" was a single as well...

― willem (willem), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 12:17 (twenty years ago)

I remember a slimy monkey wrench, the video for "blind"

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 12:21 (twenty years ago)

Surely ILM knows that it is from a song on this album that Radiohead got their name?

True Stories, the film, is a pretty great rambly bit of 80s wonkery. The fact that DB convinced Pops Staples to play, like, a voodoo priest or whatever is pretty inspiring. It's also one of my personal favorite John Goodman roles, besides, like, Barton Fink or The Big Lebowski.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 12:39 (twenty years ago)

This isn't my opinion, but I remember the general critical consensus at the time was that Little Creatures was their worst. Lotsa backlash all around in 1985, for whatever reason: All these critical darlings of just a year-or-two previous suddenly getting their first bad reviews. You know the albums: Little Creatures, Fables Of The Reconstruction, Around The World In A Day, Ain't Love Grande, maybe Meat Is Murder too (can't remember).

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:53 (twenty years ago)

Are you sure about that, Myonga? Little Creatures topped the 1985 Pazz & Jop poll!! And it was their biggest seller up to that point.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:54 (twenty years ago)

Meat is murder did not get bad reviews. Never.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:56 (twenty years ago)

Except in the States. Christgau hated it.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

Christgau really liked "Little Creatures": he gave it an A and said "it affirms that compassionate grown-ups can rock and roll." I think the backlash probably started with "True Stories," which was also about the point Byrne started to get way overexposed (he was on the cover of Time around then, I think).

― goodoldneon (goodoldneon), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:24 (twenty years ago)

Naked, while I'm still not sure I would call it a GREAT album, definitely has a bunch of my favorite TH songs - "Blind", "Mommy, Daddy, You and I", "Nothing (But Flowers)". The one with the weirdly industrial tone in the beginning kinda feels unnecessary to me.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:27 (twenty years ago)

And the differences b/w Little Creatures and True Stories are subtle but marked. If LC proved that grownups can rock and roll, TS showed how uncompassionate and how leaden grownups with instruments can be.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:28 (twenty years ago)

To be honest, I can only even REMEMBER two of the songs on LC.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:31 (twenty years ago)

Road to Nowhere and the one about Television or whatever.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:31 (twenty years ago)

Oh, and I guess And She Was was on that one, too, huh.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:32 (twenty years ago)

god little creaters is terrible too. I'd forgotten about that.

― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:47 (twenty years ago)

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