The 500 - #129 - Remain In Light - Talking Heads

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

---

Album: #129
Album Title: Remain In Light
Artist: Talking Heads
Genre: New Wave, Art Rock, Funk Rock, Post Punk, World Beat
Recorded: Compass Point, Nassau, Bahamas, Sigma Sound, New York City, USA
Released: October, 1980
My age at release: 15
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very
Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #39, rising 90 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Once In A Lifetime

Back in Grade 11, I made one of the smartest moves of my high school career, signing up for a course called History Through the Arts. It was taught by an educator who would become one of my favourites, Mr. Richard Woods. He was a teacher who brought passion, humour and creativity to every lesson, using a carousel-style slide projector to display photographs on the classroom screen as he shared stories about each one. 

Ai created image of Mr. Woods teaching our class in 1981.

His class was like a time machine, guiding students through prehistoric cave paintings all the way to the splendor of the Renaissance. And thanks to Mr. Woods, I can still tell a Doric column from an Ionic or Corinthian one, in case you're looking for a ringer on your pub trivia team. Here's a handy mnemonic. (D)oric - (d)ull and plain, (I)onic - (i)ntricate and scrolly, (C)orinthian - (c)omplex and leafy.

A few weeks into the course, Mr. Woods let us know that we could sign up for a trip to Italy during March Break, with him as our chaperone and tour guide. We would depart from London, Ontario on the last day of school, fly to Italy -- by way of Belgrade, Yugoslavia -- and then spend  eight nights visiting Rome, Florence, Pompeii and Capri, before heading back home. Flights, accommodations, buses and meals were included for a paltry $1,100. My parents were willing to split the cost with me –  my part time job as a custodian at a local recreation centre making my share challenging but achievable.

Byron Optimist Centre, London, Ontario.

The trip was a whirlwind. Mr. Woods, seasoned from shepherding other classes through this adventure, crafted an itinerary that struck the perfect balance. There was enough structure to hit the must-see art, historical and architectural masterpieces, but plenty of breathing room for my cohort of teenagers to wander and feel the essence of Italy.

Ai image of 80s teens looking across Vatican City.

Day three started way too early. We stumbled into the hotel lobby at dawn, bleary-eyed and clutching whatever caffeine we could find, ready to board a bus for Florence -- a three-hour journey northwest from Rome. The first stretch was quiet, just the sound of yawns and the occasional sigh of regret for staying up too late, and consuming wine (a legal option for us).

Someone unearthed a cassette tape and slotted it into the bus stereo. Just one tape. I still have no idea who brought it or why, but it was Remain In Light by Talking Heads. And so, for the next two hours, we listened to the world beat, afro-funk, new wave of David Byrne and company...on repeat. Nobody complained. Nobody switched it off. I suppose, we all just silently accepted that this remarkable record would be forever linked in our memories as the trip of a lifetime. 

The highway trip from Rome to Florence.

Remain in Light was the fourth studio album by New York art-rock pioneers Talking Heads. Teaming up with producer Brian Eno, the band drew heavy inspiration from Nigerian afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, layering polyrhythms, looping grooves, and electronic textures to create something groundbreaking. Lead singer David Byrne famously broke through a bout of writer’s block by embracing a stream-of-consciousness approach to lyrics. He also pulled ideas from the hip hop scene around him in New York and African political literature. The result? A record that didn’t just set a new standard for recording, it sounded like nothing else on Earth.

Talking Heads in 1980 (l-r) David Byrne, Chris Frantz,
Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison.

Although I was a 16-year-old hard rock devotee when I first heard the album...on repeat...half a dozen times...I knew instantly it was something different and important. From the hip-hop-inspired grooves of Crosseyed and Painless to the sing-along magic (and existential malaise) of Once in a Lifetime, Remain in Light demanded my attention.

Album jacket for Once In A Lifetime single release.

Despite spending more than a week in Italy, I came home with only one photograph. I hadn’t brought a camera, but a trip-mate snapped a shot for me of the bronze statue of Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini. The masterpiece stands proudly in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence. While it is the only personal picture I have of an incredible teen-age experience, my recollections are vivid, linked as they are to the soundtrack of the Talking Heads. Like Perseus defeating a mythical gorgon, the New York art quartet were at the peak of their powers.

The only shot I can find from my trip.

Thanks for the memories, Mr. Woods. As an educator myself, I now understand the commitment you made to make your lessons so engaging...not to mention, giving up your March Break to spend it with a bunch of, sometimes drunk, teenagers.

The 500 - #291 - Talking Heads: 77 - Talking Heads

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: #291

Album Title: Talking Heads: 77

Artist: Talking Heads

Genre: New Wave, Art Rock

Recorded: Sundragon Studios, New York

Released: September, 1977

My age at release: 12

How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat

Is it on the 2020 list? No

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town

The debut record by Talking Heads, Talking Heads 77, is the third of four records by the New York-based, new wave group on The 500 list. In February, 2021, I wrote about their sophomore release, More Songs About Buildings And Food, and provided a brief history of the band. In November of the same year, my pal, Steve Sullivan, wrote about their live release, Stop Making Sense, from their film of the same name.

Although it was recorded and released in the summer of 1977 (hence its name, Talking Heads: 77), the group had been working on the material for more than two years. The former art school students had been perfecting their sound and honing their chops at clubs in the Lower East Side area of New York City. They were frequently on stage at the now legendary club CBGB, a dive bar on Bowery Street in the East Village. The club's full name was CBGB & OMFUG, the initials for Country, Blue Grass, Blues & Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers. A gormandizer is an individual who has a gluttonous appetite, in this case for music. It is borrowed from the 15th Century French noun "gormant", a person with a hearty appetite for good food, drink and celebration.

CBGB Club in the mid-seventies

Opened in 1973 by musician Hillel (Hilly) Kristal, the original vision for the former biker club was rather sedate. Kristal hoped to provide a venue for folk, country and blues acts as well as a space for poetry readings. However over time, Kristal began to book more conventional rock bands as well as more experimental performers who dabbled in art-rock and a stripped down, garage band sound that evolved into the New York punk rock scene.

Kristal outside CBGB in the mid-seventies

Talking Heads played their first gig as the opening act for the Ramones on June 5, 1975. Among the six songs played at that inaugural gig was the song Psycho Killer, a track that became the group's first single, just cracking the Billboard Top 100 at position #92 in December, 1977. Psycho Killer remains one of the group's best known songs. Currently, it tops their Spotify list with more than 326 million plays, and it was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll in 2015.

It remains one of my favourite Talking Head songs, particularly the acoustic version that opens the film Stop Making Sense, featuring singer and guitarist David Byrne on a bare stage accompanied by a drum loop played on a portable cassette player.

Byrne playing Psycho Killer in the film Stop Making Sense

The lyrics seem to represent the thoughts of a serial killer. The song and its subject matter created some controversy because it coincided with the notorious Son of Sam murders that terrorized New York City residents between late 1975 and the summer of 1977 when the perpetrator, David Berkowitz, was arrested.

Berkowitz (Son of Sam Killer) shortly after his arrest

The band has maintained that the song had no inspiration from the horrific killings. In his book, Talking Heads: Once In A Lifetime, The Story Behind Every Song, writer Ian Gittens said the release of the single was simply a case of "macabre synchronicity". This makes sense; the group was performing the song on stage before Berkowitz's first murder, the Christmas Eve stabbing of an unidentified Hispanic woman and 15-year-old high school sophomore Michelle Forman.

While looking up the history of Talking Heads, the story I found most humorous took place during the formative years at the CBGB club. Searching for advice, they visited the apartment of Lou Reed, the legendary singer, songwriter and guitarist for Velvet Underground. Among the suggestions Reed offered was for Byrne to wear long-sleeved shirts on stage because "his arms were too hairy for the audience to look at".

Lou Reed (left) with Talking Head members Tina Weymouth 
and Chris Frantz, backstage at CBGBs

Reed's suggestion struck me as incongruent with the mid-seventies New York music scene. Imagine, at a time when experimental art rock and the DIY punk rock aesthetic were on the rise, the avant-garde, gender-bending, glam rocker Reed felt the need to tell Byrne his hirsute forearms were a commercial deal breaker.

Regardless, the advice seems to have been taken to heart. A Google Image search of David Byrne generates hundreds of photographs of the lanky singer performing in long-sleeved shirts and suits.

A long-sleeved Byrne on stage with Talking Heads

CBGBs closed after a final celebratory concert, featuring Patti Smith, in October, 2006. I was fortunate to visit the original location in the summer of 2004 on my first trip to New York City. I only took one photo (below) but I did get a CBGB t-shirt that I wore until it was a threadbare rag at the bottom of my hockey bag.

CBGB - August, 2004

The 500 - #345 - Stop Making Sense - Talking Heads

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: # 345

Album Title: Stop Making Sense

Artist: Talking Heads

Genre: New Wave, Post Punk

Recorded: Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles (Live)

Released: September, 1984

My age at release: 19, my guest blogger was 17

How familiar was I with it before this week: Very

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Once In A Lifetime

This week, we welcome back guest blogger Steve “Lumpy” Sullivan. “Lump”, as he is known to friends, previously wrote about album #417, Boy, by U2 in the summer of 2020.  He’s been a close friend for nearly 30 years. We met when he hired me as a bartender at Kelsey’s Restaurant in London, Ontario, in 1993. For the past 12 years he has  worked  at the Frobisher Inn  in Iqaluit,  but plans to leave the Arctic for semi-retirement in the Philippines with his wife, Mae. Enjoy his take on a record that we both adore.

 

Stop Making Sense is the title for both the soundtrack and the 1984 film by experimental New Wave/Post Punk American band, Talking Heads. The film was directed by future Academy award-winning director Jonathan Demme (Silence Of The Lambs, Philadelphia). The filming was completed during four live performances at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California, in December, 1983.

Director Jonathan Demme

The concert video was released commercially in October, 1984, about a month after the soundtrack hit record shelves. The film is considered by many, including well-known critic Leonard Maltin, to be one of the best concert films of all time. The band performed 19 songs throughout the live performances. Sixteen tracks made it to the original film and nine appeared on the release of the record that is listed on The 500. In 1999, the film and soundtrack were released as a Special Edition version, containing most of the missing tracks.

I was in Grade 11 in 1984 at the time and a HUGE fan of Talking Heads, as was my friend, Gavin Granger. When the film hit theatres we lined up for the midnight showing at the Hyland Theatre in our hometown of London, Ontario. We were so excited and the performance did not disappoint.

London's Hyland Theatre - operating for more than 50 years

Unbeknownst to me at the time, this was the first concert film made using digital audio techniques, a burgeoning technology in the early 80s. The Talking Heads were always ahead of the curve. They were a collection of four artistic people collaborating as a group: David Byrne (lead vocals and guitar), Tina Weymouth (bass), Chris Frantz (drums) and Jerry Harrison (Keyboards). Marc covered their formation and history in his February, 2021 post -- Album #383, More Songs About Buildings And Food.

Talking Heads - 1980 (l-r) Frantz, Weymouth, Byrne & Harrison

The album spent two years on the Billboard 200 chart. The track listing reads like a greatest hits package. It’s tough to think about the album without reflecting on the visuals in the film for which it is the soundtrack. The live show opens with Byrne walking on-stage with an acoustic guitar and a “boom box”. He performs an acoustic version of Psycho Killer from their debut album, Talking Heads ‘77 (coming up at #291). The boom box appears to be playing an electronic drum track to accompany Byrne, but it was actually a Roland TR808 Drum Machine cued at the soundboard.

Byrne in Stop Making Sense, performing Psycho Killer to open the show

With each subsequent track, another band member appears on stage to perform alongside Byrne, as stage crew slide set-pieces and instruments into place. Eventually, a nine-piece group, including the four original members, are on stage. The nine comprise a larger, theatrical company of musicians. Renowned percussionist Steve Scales, for example, joins the group to help deliver the infectiously funky rhythms on Burning Down the House from Talking Heads’ 1983 record, Speaking In Tongues.

Percussionist Steve Scales (2017)

For me, there are several highlights in this performance. The first occurs when the band plays What a Day That Was from David Byrne’s solo album, The Catherine Wheel. The other was the inclusion of Genius of Love by the Tom Tom Club, which was a side product for members Frantz and Weymouth, who are also husband and wife. Unfortunately, the second track did not make the original soundtrack release, but was included in the Special Edition version.

The added musicians: Scales on percussion, Bernie Worrell on keyboards, Alex Weir on guitar, Ednah Holt and Lynn Mabry for backing vocals, added layers to each song on the album. The album is listed as ‘new wave’ and ‘post punk’, but there is a lot more going on. There are elements of dance, funk and Afro-beat world music. Songs that were brilliant on their original albums were much more layered and richer in sound when performed live with additional musicians.

My favourite track on the album, and the one I am picking for Marc’s Spotify Playlist, is Once in a Lifetime. This incredible concert movie is stored on my iPhone and I watch or listen to it often, remembering that early-winter night in 1984 standing in line with Gavin for a midnight showing.

The 500 - #382 - The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 382

Album Title: The Modern Lovers
Artist: The Modern Lovers
Genre: Proto-Punk, Punk, Art Rock
Recorded: (1971-1973) - Multiple Studios
Released: August, 1976
My age at release: 11
How familiar was I with it before this week: One song
Song I am putting on my Spotify: Roadrunner (selected by my friend and The Modern Lovers' fan, Claudio)

 The Modern Lovers self-titled debut

The Modern Lovers' debut album of the same name is considered by some to be the first punk album. That said, there is plenty of debate about this claim. Regardless, the legacy of the four-member band from Boston continues to inform contemporary music.

Released in the summer of 1986, the album was actually recorded five years earlier. Three of the band members (Jerry Harrison, David Robinson, Ernie Brooks) had all moved on to other successful projects. 

Harrison was with Talking Heads who were the subject of my blog last week and have records at #345, #291 and #129 on The 500 list. 

The four Talking Heads records on The 500 list

Robinson, a drummer, helped form The Cars -- even giving that band its name. The Cars 1978 debut record appears at #284 on the list.  Meanwhile, bassist Brooks became a highly-regarded session player who performed with several bands, including New York Dolls who have a record at #215

(l to r) Robinson, Harrison, Brooks and Richman

Consequently, the late release of this record created a conundrum for founder Jonathan Richman -- the band no longer existed. Given the album's critical and commercial success, Richman chose to re-establish The Modern Lovers with new musicians. Sometimes dubbed "The New Modern Lovers" or "Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers", they recorded and toured for another decade.In 1988, he retired the band name permanently, continuing as a solo artist. 

Interestingly, many will know Richman best from his contribution to the 1998 Farrelly Brothers' movie There's Something About Mary.

Movie Poster: Something About Mary

In it, Richman plays one half of a two-man Greek Chorus who comment on the plot while performing interstitial music throughout.

Richman in the opening credit sequence to
  There's Something About Mary (1998)

Prior to this week, I was unfamiliar with this debut record. I had heard the song Pablo Picasso, but not the original version. Instead, I knew it from the 1984 cult-film Repo Man, performed by short-lived Los Angeles band Burning Sensation.

Theatrical Poster for Repo Man (1984)

As I listened to and researched this record, I connected with the spirit of innovation which is blended into its history and legacy. As an educator, I am regularly encouraging students to embrace the power of remixing. For example, I was recently teaching my students how to code a simple Rock Blaster game. 

When they mastered the basic code I encouraged them work together to remix it and improve on the game's design. This project taps into the Four C's of 21st Century education: Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity and Communication. The results were spectacular. This particular version is entitled "Cheese Puffs: The Attack Of The Hands". You might say that this student went beyond the Four Cs to create a fifth...Comedy!

As I move through The 500 list it has become clear that remixing is frequently evident. I am discovering music on the list that was informed by previous records. For example, a few weeks ago, I wrote about album #393, Kala, by M.I.A. 

Her track, Bamboo Banger, includes lyrics directly lifted (with credit) from Roadrunner, the opening track on the original Modern Lovers' record. 

Interestingly, Richman credits his inspiration for writing Roadrunner to the song Sister Ray, by The Velvet Underground from the 1968 record White Light, White Heat. This album appears on The 500 at position #293.

So, while the jury is still out on whether The Modern Lovers released the first "punk" album, there is no doubt that these four musicians have contributed significantly to modern music -- remixes and all.

 

The 500 - #383 - More Songs About Buildings And Food - Talking Heads

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 383

Album Title: More Songs About Buildings And Food
Artist: Talking Heads
Genre: New Wave, Avant-Pop
Recorded: Compass Point - Nassau, Bahamas
Released: July, 1978
My age at release: 13
How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat
Song I am putting on my Spotify: Take Me To The River

Talking Heads were officially formed in 1975 in New York City. However, the band's origin can be traced to the Rhode Island School of Design in 1973 where guitarist and vocalist David Byrne formed the band The Artistics with drummer Chris Frantz. Transportation to gigs was often provided by Frantz's girlfriend, Tina Weymouth.

Rhode Island School of Design 

When The Artistics disbanded two years later, the trio moved to a communal loft in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Unable to find a bassist, Frantz convinced Weymouth to learn the instrument. And the Talking Heads were born.

Talking Heads (original line-up) 1976

The band's name came from television production parlance. It refers to a camera shot, often used in newscasts. In it, only "the head and shoulders of an individual talking" are captured. According to Weymouth, it perfectly fit the aesthetic the band hoped to achieve -- "all content, no filler."

Keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist Jerry Harrison (who was the guest on this week's episode of The 500 Podcast), joined the band in 1977 and the classic line-up, which would remain intact for the next 14 years, was formed.

Talking Heads (1977) l-r Harrison, Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz

More Songs About Buildings and Food is the second studio record by Talking Heads and one of four that appear on The 500 list.  Like many 1970s artists, my first encounter with Talking Heads was their appearance on Saturday Night Live. The date was February 10, 1979, almost 42 years to the day of this post.  It also featured host Cicely Tyson, who passed away two weeks ago. (#Coincidences)

Cicely Tyson in a Saturday Night Live Promotional Photo (Feb. 1979)

Admittedly, I looked up the date of this broadcast's airing. However, I do know I was babysitting at 11:30 p.m. on the night I saw it. Other than the money (a whopping $1/hour), watching Saturday Night Live uninterrupted was my favourite part of a babysitting gig. 

Saturday Night Live - 1979 - The "Not Ready for Prime Time" Players

The children were fast asleep, the parents would not arrive home until at least 1:30 a.m., and I had a full bowl of potato chips and a fridge full of pop at my disposal. It was early-teen heaven.

Talking Heads' performance of Take Me To The River was everything I loved about Saturday Night Live, even if I didn't know how to articulate it at the time. It was entertaining, weird, avant-garde, clever, subversive and, perhaps most importantly, it felt like I was getting a window into the future.

In an uncomfortable interview on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, about a month after their Saturday Night Live performance, a 27-year-old Weymouth said this about the band's music: 

"It's pretty highfalutin, but we want to make our mark in music history."

Well, I suppose, as I write these words 42 years after that awkward exchange between Clark's polished presentation and four artistically gifted introverts, I have to say ... Mission Accomplished, Ms. Weymouth.

"All content, no filler."