If you are into Talking Heads and David Byrne, then here is something you will enjoy. I know what you are thinking, “Speaking in Tongues, True Stories, and Naked are old albums, Fumo Like 20 years old.” I know, but what makes these new, in a sense is that they are those DualDisc CDs. On one side is the album itself, the other is a DVD. DualDiscs have been out for a little while, but this is a first for Talking Heads. I got to check out these three CD/DVDs; I was impressed and bummed out and here is why.
To start off with, if you're into Talking Heads, the music is great. On Speaking in Tongues, the album they peaked with commercially, signature art-school funk pieces like "Burning Down the House", "Girlfriend is Better" and "This Must Be the Place" are great tunes. An unfinished outtake of "Two Note Swivel" and the alternate version of "Burning Down the House" (previously unissued) are the bonus tracks, which are well worth the purchase of the CD alone.
On True Stories, the companion album to Byrne’s directorial debut of the same name, you have "Love for Sale", "Wild Wild Life", and "People Like Us". The funk is gone and the music has more of a dance/pop feel, very reminiscent of the period, but very unlike Talking Heads. It sounds like they were either trying to sound popular or they didn’t care what they sounded like, which is likely more accurate since Byrne had recorded these songs previously with the cast of his film. Even the album cover is lacking in comparison to all their other releases. The bonus tracks include an extended mix of "Wild Wild Life", the Pops Staples’ vocal version of "Papa Legba" and the Tito Larriva vocal version of "Radio Head".
Naked has of course "Totally Nude", along with "Mr. Jones", "Cool Water", and "Sax and Violins" for its bonus track. The music goes back to their experimentation with world rhythms, although the focus is on Latin sounds, foreshadowing Bryne's solo work on the album Rei Momo.
Article comments
1 - Scott Butki
I was disappointed with Naked and True Stories - I like their earlier stuff, though.
I was hoping when I heard about the dual disc format that it would include some bonuses. I might have bought them for that. But if not.. I'll save my money.