On another blog with the same theme as mine (vinyl records), I argued in a comment that music from the 80's generally sucks. This is a view I verbalize in different contexts with strong conviction. This applies especially to "typical 80s music", which I acknowledged in the comment isn't a perfectly clear definition. I further acknowledged that there is some good music from the 80s and an example of this was the song Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads. This has prompted today's post, the album Remain In Light containing the song mentioned, which became a minor hit (mainly due to an innovative video).
Most people out there will problably react as I me, an instinctive revulsion when music from the 80s comes up in conversations, or worse, played by some evil person. But open your mind people, because here is an album from said decade which is good, interesting, innovative and bears the smell of quality!
I purchased this album in my teens during my big Talking Heads period. I had heard in advance that this was supposed to be their best album so my expectations were high. Talking Heads' albums hold a common thread all the way through, yet each one is unique. In my world, this album is completely different from the previous Fear Of Music, at the same time there is no doubt that it is the same band. It's still not entirely clear to me how Byrne and his fellow musicians managed this feat.
Brian Eno, who worked with the band for the third album in a row, played a major role in the creation of Remain In Light. Besides being a producer, he is also Co-composer of all songs, and as a producer, he's had a great influence on the sound. Yes, he felt that his influence was so great that he should be on the cover along with the other Heads. But obviously Tina Weymouth (TH's bassist) and Chris Frantz (drums), the main creators of the cover, didn't think so. A front cover which was first meant to be the back (and vice versa). Tina and Chris were got help from MIT and their computers in the creation of the cover, and given that it was the early 80's and computer capacity therefore limited, the work was very demanding.
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| David Byrne and Brian Eno |
After the demo was recorded the band went to New York to record the album. In order to get the work going some guest musicians were called in, including Adrian Belew, Jon Hassel, Robert Palmer and Nona Hendryx. When the album was released it got generally positive reviews. The original name of the record was Melody Attack, by the way.
On the record itself, Byrne and Eno are named as composers of all songs except The Overload where Jerry Harrison is also mentioned. On the cover, however, Byrne, Eno and Talking Heads are named as the creators of all music. I understand that there were some different opinions on this, and it might look different on later releases. On my album, I must admit that it gets a little bit confused.
When I listened to this album as a teenager, it took a while to really understand it. It's not an entirely simple and obvious record. TH used a lot of African rhythms in this period of their career, and although many songs, especially the A side, is quite danceable, there's a dark, semi-neurotic vibe that makes at least my dance hesitate. Or is it that every song is just a bit more complex and interesting than the average dance song, that makes the mind want to listen rather than dance? And it may well be my idea of David Byrne as a kind of complicated man, that affects my experience of the music and makes it more difficult than it is. He also has a quite peculiar voice that makes a certain imprint on the songs. All songs on the A side are relatively fast-paced and rhythmic, the highlight I think is the closing number, The Great Curve. Both in my teens and in my older years I've been fascinated by parts in the songs where 3-4 different lines of text are sung simultaneously with different melodies and rhythms. In some strange way TH manages to create a whole that doesn't sound the least messy. Mostly it's groovy.
On the B side the atmosphere of the album changes. It opens up with the aforementioned Once In A Lifetime, in this context a relatively accessible song. But then the listener gets to enjoy some slower and much darker and stranger songs, like the closing number, The Overload. One of my teenage favorites were Seen And Not Seen, which talks about people who can change their appearances by will. But sometimes things go wrong.
I find it hard to decide on which of the sides I like best. As a teenager, when I had an attraction to things that were a bit "deep", the B-side was my favourite. Today, it's an even race, it probably mostly depends on what mood I'm in.
As usual, I understand nothing what Byrne is singing about. The lyrics are good (somehow), but impossible to comprehend in most cases. From what I understand he got some inspiration from academic literature on Africa. But it sounds good when he sings, and it sounds as if the lyrics actually has a meaning, even if I happen be too stupid to understand. But the fact is that on Remain In Light a lot of the lyrics actually have no meaning, Byrne improvised the words whith more focus on rythm than on meaning.
In summary, a great record with the unusual quality that it doesn't contain a single weak track, every song has its own charm and character which makes it impossible to pick a favorite. That's a proof of quality - all the songs are good. It's often catchy and groovy, yet there is a dark and neurotic undertone which I think we have to thank David Byrne for. It's an album that's as good today as of the day of its release, it has aged well. Or it hasn't aged at all.
Tracklist
Side A
1. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) 5:49
2. Crosseyed And Painless 4:48
3. The Great Curve 6:28
Side B
1. Once In A Lifetime 4:23
2. Houses In Motion 4:33
3. Seen And Not Seen 3:25
4. Listening Wind 4:43
5. The Overload 6:02
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