Best Talking Heads Studio Album

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I've purposefully taken off live albums for fear of landsliding (admit they were a lot better live)

Poll Results

Option	Votes
Remain In Light	27
Fear Of Music	21
More Songs About Buildings And Food	13
Speaking In Tongues	5
Talking Heads '77	3
Naked	2
Little Creatures	0

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 00:52 (eighteen years ago)

Talking Heads: 77 because there isn't a song on there that I don't love and the last 6 tracks or something are my favourite end to an album that I can think of.

― jim, Friday, 20 April 2007 00:56 (eighteen years ago)

This should be a landslide...

― kornrulez6969, Friday, 20 April 2007 01:00 (eighteen years ago)

predictions?

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 01:29 (eighteen years ago)

it was a toss up between remain in light and speaking in tongues for me, although i love each one.

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 01:30 (eighteen years ago)

nope, i know what will win

― Dimension 5ive, Friday, 20 April 2007 01:35 (eighteen years ago)

I would wonder where True Stories was if there was a chance of True Stories getting a vote.

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Friday, 20 April 2007 01:37 (eighteen years ago)

oh shit. woops!

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 01:38 (eighteen years ago)

Went for Remain in Light, although Fear of Music is very close behind.

― willem, Friday, 20 April 2007 06:59 (eighteen years ago)

Ditto; I like all of them that I've heard to some extent (not heard Naked, and only bought Speaking In Tongues the other day - £6 in Virgin for the 2-disc remaster, woohoo), but Remain In Light and Fear of Music are DEFINITELY my favourites.

― Scik Mouthy, Friday, 20 April 2007 08:41 (eighteen years ago)

Lex have you heard Talking Heads yet?

― Groke, Friday, 20 April 2007 08:57 (eighteen years ago)

Y'know Speaking In Tongues is massively underrated. It has Swamp and Pull Up The Roots on it - both extra dextra classic.

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 08:59 (eighteen years ago)

'Fear Of Music'.
But unfortunately 'Remain In Light' will win.

― zeus, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:37 (eighteen years ago)

I voted Fear Of Music

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:41 (eighteen years ago)

I voted Remain In Light, which I love but thinking about it loses a certain kitschy humour that is more present on other records.

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:43 (eighteen years ago)

More Songs....

They're all pretty great, but this just shades 77. RIL is a bit over-familiar and played out for me.

Best TH album BY FAR is 'The Name Of This Band Is...'

― Dr.C, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:45 (eighteen years ago)

I think Remain In Light is quite a funny record! (except for "Listening Wind" and "The Overload" I guess)

― Groke, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:45 (eighteen years ago)

But no, not kitschy.

― Groke, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:46 (eighteen years ago)

What is Listening Wind about? At first I thought it was about the Unabomber, but it isn't is it?

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:47 (eighteen years ago)

Is Listening Wind the one about changing your face? I'm useless at titles.

― Scik Mouthy, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:50 (eighteen years ago)

It's about an African freedom fighter bombing his colonial/corporate oppressors I guess! It's a bit embarassingly earnest IMO.

xpost that's Seen And Not Seen.

― Groke, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:51 (eighteen years ago)

Listening Wind and Seen and Not Seen are kinda similar. I like Listening Wind actually - it's kind of spooky and tribal.

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:52 (eighteen years ago)

I can't stop laughing at some of Byrne's outbursts. I really like that bit on one of his earlier songs where he suddenly shrieks "I FEEL LIKE SITTING DOOOOOWWWWWN!" just because that's not how you'd usually say that phrase.

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:54 (eighteen years ago)

I always think Listening Wind is the only "song" on there - verse chorus verse, melody, all that good Geir stuff. Which is fine except i) it's a bit boring and ii) I get the feeling they played it so straight because of the Very Solemn Subject Matter.

― Groke, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:55 (eighteen years ago)

Anyway, Remain In Light wins because Once In A Lifetime is the third greatest single ever released.

― Scik Mouthy, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:59 (eighteen years ago)

but the live version on "Stop Making Sense" is a trillion billion times better than the studio version.

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 10:08 (eighteen years ago)

Well, that may be and that may not be - regardless, the studio version is STILL the third best single ever released!

― Scik Mouthy, Friday, 20 April 2007 10:09 (eighteen years ago)

I've never really enjoyed Talking Heads live albums (or videos) - it's all musicians jogging onstage and high-fiving the backing singers, it inevitably lacks the neurosis, cool suits and nerdiness notwithstanding.

― Groke, Friday, 20 April 2007 10:13 (eighteen years ago)

But that's what's so good about it! It's the most neurotic, over-choreographed and staged thing in the world. How the P.C. do they all run around and sing and play their instruments like that? It's entertainment. Much better than po-faced "let's just play the songs" shit. Stop Making Sense is my favourite music DVD bar none.

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 10:16 (eighteen years ago)

I should say that I don't enjoy any other live videos or albums either really.

― Groke, Friday, 20 April 2007 10:21 (eighteen years ago)

ROCKIST.

― Scik Mouthy, Friday, 20 April 2007 10:29 (eighteen years ago)

Or something.

― Scik Mouthy, Friday, 20 April 2007 10:29 (eighteen years ago)

Do you like gigs?

― Scik Mouthy, Friday, 20 April 2007 10:29 (eighteen years ago)

see i don't like live albums or anything like that, but i'll make an exception with STS cos they actually do a lot more with the songs than on the originals.

― the next grozart, Friday, 20 April 2007 10:40 (eighteen years ago)

― xhuxk, Friday, 20 April 2007 11:11 (eighteen years ago)

Little Creatures, so poppy and fun!

― acrobat, Friday, 20 April 2007 11:15 (eighteen years ago)

This was a tough choice. Any of the first four, depending on my mood...

― Rock Hardy, Friday, 20 April 2007 11:48 (eighteen years ago)

I was kind of thinking the same thing, actually. (Anything beyond the first four I've never cared about.) (Ditto their live albums, truth be told.)

― xhuxk, Friday, 20 April 2007 12:02 (eighteen years ago)

"Fear Of Music" has just the perfect mixture of the early new wave style and the later more experimental and "ethnic" Eno/Byrne-approach. So I'll go for that one.

― Geir Hongro, Friday, 20 April 2007 12:20 (eighteen years ago)

HI DERE!

― The Amazing Randy, Friday, 20 April 2007 13:08 (eighteen years ago)

the landslide for 'MORE SONGS...' on the ony pick one album thread 3 years ago was what made me buy it. i could see what the fuss was all about then and i still concur!

― pisces, Friday, 20 April 2007 13:34 (eighteen years ago)

RIL.

― JN$OT, Friday, 20 April 2007 18:35 (eighteen years ago)

I probably thing More Songs, Fear of Music and Remain in Light are better albums but Speaking in Tongues wings for having Making Flippy Floppy and This Must Be the Place. Making Flippy Floppy is my new favorite song and the Jellybean and Byrne mixed 12" will make an appearance in most of my dance parties for the next year or 10.

― dan selzer, Friday, 20 April 2007 18:59 (eighteen years ago)

msab&f

― Dimension 5ive, Friday, 20 April 2007 19:03 (eighteen years ago)

Results!

― the next grozart, Monday, 23 April 2007 14:22 (eighteen years ago)

0 love for Little Creatures, and a surprisingly low count for the debut. I was chatting to someone who had been "there at the time" (meaning he was 18 when Speaking In Tongues came out) and he said SIT had been the big hit among his friends whereas RIL was generally derided as being too self conscious and artsily boring.

― the next grozart, Monday, 23 April 2007 14:25 (eighteen years ago)

what happened to the ILM 'More Songs...' love of yore? truely this is a black day for democracy.

― Roberto Spiralli, Monday, 23 April 2007 14:37 (eighteen years ago)

Speaking In Tongues was by far their most popular album. I was about 26 when it came out, and remember it being generally derided among fans at the time as a massive commercial sell-out/cash-in (not that people didn't like it anyway). One of the great things about Talking Heads was that the albums really didn't repeat each other; each one was surprising and confounded expectations to some extent. That was very true of Remain In Light, and also I guess of Speaking In Tongues, but not entirely in a good way.

I think the later albums are appropriately rated in the poll. For some reason, my local Triple-A radio station plays Talking Heads regularly, but exclusively Little Creatures and Naked. Senseless.

― Vornado, Monday, 23 April 2007 15:44 (eighteen years ago)

77 cause its the most bubblegum

― artdamages, Monday, 23 April 2007 15:45 (eighteen years ago)

One of the great things about Talking Heads was that the albums really didn't repeat each other; each one was surprising and confounded expectations to some extent.

I would say that this is true, perhaps except for 77 and More Songs. I enjoy both immensely, and actually More Songs used to be my favorite, but in the grand talking heads scheme, it seems to me like they can be grouped together. Fear of Music introduces a dark element that was only hinted at before, and Remain in Light is another big leap (not necessarily forward, just in another direction), and then Speaking in Tongues is the full embrace of pop. I've never heard Naked. whoops.

I would have went for Fear of Music.

― Z S, Monday, 23 April 2007 17:56 (eighteen years ago)

At this remove, 77 and More Songs sound more alike than they did back then. More Songs added Eno and a lot more production than 77, and covering Al Green was throwing down a gauntlet to the dominant punk sensibility of the time, with which they were still associated.

― Vornado, Monday, 23 April 2007 18:40 (eighteen years ago)

Poor Little Creatures.

― nickalicious, Monday, 23 April 2007 18:59 (eighteen years ago)

If only I had seen this thread sooner I might have also not voted for it.

― nickalicious, Monday, 23 April 2007 19:01 (eighteen years ago)

Also haha True Stories didn't even make nomination. Radiohead R SAD.

― nickalicious, Monday, 23 April 2007 19:03 (eighteen years ago)

Not a surprising list although I would have loved to see #1 and #2 swapped.

― Geir Hongro, Monday, 23 April 2007 20:10 (eighteen years ago)

i would have voted 'more songs...'. tom is otm re live albums.

― That one guy that quit, Monday, 23 April 2007 20:38 (eighteen years ago)

two years pass...

Fear Of Music, easily.

That live album (The Name Of Our Band Is Talking Heads) is the best thing they've done, tho.

― Daniel, Esq., Monday, 26 October 2009 12:48 (fifteen years ago)

I'm no Head head, I admit, but I would have voted True Stories.

― anagram, Monday, 26 October 2009 12:52 (fifteen years ago)

That live album (The Name Of Our Band Is Talking Heads) is the best thing they've done

I've been trying to procure a nomination for it on the 'best 80s albums' thread, if you feel like making a difference. It's between Remain In Light and Fear of Music for me here, though.

― Ismael Klata, Monday, 26 October 2009 14:12 (fifteen years ago)

I'll do that. I grew up in the 80s, and most albums I would nominate have already been mentioned on that thread. Got to be some other omissions I can fill-in, tho, I suppose.

― Daniel, Esq., Monday, 26 October 2009 14:13 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

kinda feel it's time to repoll this?

― an actual guy talking in an actual rhythm (history mayne), Sunday, 12 June 2011 17:36 (fourteen years ago)

ok, I unlocked the repoll that some dude started this morning and then asked to be locked/deleted when he found out this thread existed

― Huey "Keytar" Smith (WmC), Sunday, 12 June 2011 17:39 (fourteen years ago)

I bet if repolled the results would be the same.

― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 12 June 2011 18:14 (fourteen years ago)

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