For the longest time, I thought of the Talking Heads as a singles band – not for any particular reason, but because I had a solid greatest hits CD, and gosh, there were a lot of great songs on there, weren't there? "Burning Down The House," "And She Was," "Psycho Killer" — the paranoid wonder of the Talking Heads led to some strange highways.
But it's worth remembering — or maybe discovering for the first time — that at their finest, the Heads were an album band — crafting entire coherent landscapes of moody sound and vision. Remain In Light is often considered their finest moment, and 26 years after its original release, it still sounds as fresh and new as it did in 1980. Rhino Records has newly re-released the entire Heads catalogue on DualDisc, in gorgeously clear sound and with bonus tracks and DVD video extras.
Remain In Light was called the fourth-best album of the 1980s by Rolling Stone magazine. Its fusion of dank jungle rhythms, chirping electronica and fragmented chanting vocals have been influential on bands for years. Remain In Light came as producer Brian Eno, singer David Byrne and company were perfecting their mix of angst-ridden danceable pop. Nervous as hell, filled with hooks and innovation, it's a frantic masterpiece — in fact, I'd argue it was their creative peak, as co-writer and producer Eno moved on after this album, and the unique mix of energy was never quite the same in the remaining Heads records. The songs all flow together here, creating one wave of sound: the lengthy, funky workout of "The Great Curve," the ambient sounds of "The Overload," the classic "Houses in Motion."
Remain In Light remains a revelation all spiffed up and shiny for the year 2006; the remastering here is fantastic. The primal African drumbeats that ground the album are crisp and you can hear every lick by the Heads' sterling rhythm section, led by bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Franz. If you've heard Remain In Light on an older CD, you haven't caught half the nuances. The DVD side offers the original album mixed in 5.1. Surround Sound, which I imagine will blow fans' minds (unfortunately, your humble reviewer doesn't have the setup for that full sound experience).
Article comments
1 - zingzing
i'd say "born under punches" is the greatest song on this album... i'd also say that the second side has got a few duds on it. third, i'd say that "more songs about building and food" is their best album, with "fear of music" coming in second. mmm... i only have "more songs" on an old tape... it's time to visit my favorite place.
2 - Rodney Welch
Agreed in general, but just a question: are you ever able to make it to the end of "The Overload" without nodding off? That's my only quibble with this utter masterpiece. It has a weak finish.