Wednesday, April 14, 1982
Daily Nebraskan
: & Entertainment
CP &
77e Atorae of this Band is Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Sire
For more years than there have been
rumors that Talking Heads are breaking up,
there have been rumors that they have a
live album in the works. Let these matters
of hearsay and speculation now be put to
rest.
Gossip about a breakup is moot now.
The Heads are together in the studio again.
And as for a live album, The Name of this
Band is Talking Heads, a two-record set,
is available at record shops.
The live album apparently has been a
bee in the Heads' bonnet for some time,
judging from the studio-quality sound of
the recrodings that span from 1977 to
1981. Only the intervening applause and a
negligible loss of effects give away the
songs as live takes.
The Heads' entire four-album opus is
covered. All their biggies are included:
"Psycho Killer," 'Take Me to the River,"
"Life During Wartime" and "Houses in
Motion." Taken as a live greatest-hits retro
spective of, I think, the most progressive
dance band on the planet, Talking Heads is
exquisite.
Plus there is the bonus of two songs, "A
Clean Break" and "Building on Fire," that
previously were available only on bootlegs.
Both come from the 1977 to 1979 era
covered on the first disc.
The second disc, 1980-81, is all perfor
mances of the extended band the Heads en
listed for their last album, Remain in Light,
a polyrhythmic masterpiece that changed
the history of white funk. (Excuse the
effusion, but I love the band.)
Side one was recorded in 1977 and
features the songs from the first album,
Talking Heads '77, "New Feejing," "Don't
Worry about the Government," "Pulled
Up" and "Psycho Killer." Of any of the
songs on Talking Heads, these are the most
similar to their original versions. Still the
Heads seem incapable of playing a song the
same way twice. There are stylistic, instru
mental and vocal variations on every cut.
"Artists Only" and "Stay Hungry,"
from the second album, More Songs about
Buildings and Food, appear on side two.
That album was more experimental than
the first, and, likewise, the 1979 recordings
show greater improvisation in the extended
renditions.
Fear of Music, the Heads' third and
best-selling album, was transitional for
them. Appropriately, its songs are repre
sented on both discs of Talking Heads.
"Air" and "Memories" are interesting early
versions of the songs before they were
committed to vinyl.
"I Zimbra" was the song that foretold
the texturally complex rhythm extrava
ganzas of the next album, Remain in Light,
and it deserves its spot on the nine-member-band
second disc. Like "Life Dur
ing Wartime," it is faster and more elabor
ate than the original.
The fourth-album songs, "Houses in
Motion," 'The Great Curve" and "Cross
eyed and Painless," are exciting, restyled,
funkier, somewhat looser tapestries of
sound for brain, ears and feet. But Nona
Hendryz, who sang all over Jerry Harrison's
solo album, appears vocally too much in
the fabric for my tastes. On the concluding
song on side four, 'Take Me to the River,"
her soulful voice harks backward to the Al
Green original.
If you have all their albums, you are a
Heads-ophile anyway and should enjoy this
one. If you don't have their albums, tsk,
tsk. These greatest hits are a must buy.
David Wood
Jools Holland and His Millionaires
Jools Holland and His Millionaires
I.R.S.
Jools Holland, formerly of Squeeze, and
His Millionaires released a single in 1981 on
the A&M label to European markets. The
A-side, "Bumble Boogie," leads off side
two on this LP.
Since then, the band has dropped the
producer of that single, and there are now
five Millionaires instead of three - female
vocal backup from two women credited on
the album as "The Wealthy Tarts." Jools
Holland and His Millionaires and the
Wealthy Tarts. Quite a mouthful.
For this debut disc, the formidable
talents of producer Glyn Johns (mostly
known for his work with The Who) have
been enlisted. He softens up the drums and
bass, and brings Holland's voice to the fore,
which might be an acceptable strategy with
many other artists, but Holland sounds like
he's got an artichoke stuck in his throat.
Holland's lousy voice doesn't really
detract, though. It just makes this record
come off sounding like a period piece -like
the stuff Steve Martin "sang" in Pennies
From Heaven.
Actually, this is one of the more
interesting vehicles to come cruisin' down
the new music turnpike in quite some time.
Rock 'n' roll this ain't - what it is is a
schmaltzy mix of swing, gospel shouting,
rockabilly and big band (hope I haven't
missed anything) dominated by a curvace
ous saxophone and a linear Hammond
organ. The Millionaires don't even have a
full-time guitarist, and when the instru
ment is occasionally heard, it maintains a
discreet background presence.
Side one opens with "Like I Do To
You," which is mostly dismissable except
for its big rhythm.
"Goodbye World" is a different story -a
contemplation of methods of exit from
earth for a human with suicidal neuroses.
Bridge jumping, self-inflicted gunshots,
roasting under the sun mummified in tin
foil - it's all here. Somehow this retains an
upbeat flavor, if only because he is prevent
ed from committing the act by friends he
didn't know he had.
Holland is very much alive on the next
song, "Dynaflow," a song about racing
down uncharted roadways presumably in
the Corvette on the album cover. This even
includes some hot piano hammering in the
general style of Jerry Lee Lewis, albeit
without the mark of pure genius.
"Waiting Game" mulls over an unsuc
cessful romance, with Kim Lesley and Maz
Roberts (The Tarts) tossing in some biting
vocals.
"Let Me In" is a jumpy, handclapping
song about a lifelong sinner who, in his twi
light, is reborn - as much from fear of hell
fire and eternal damnation as through a
true change of heart.
"Driven to Drink" explores the realities
of the morning after a night on the town."
The percussive element reminds me of the
throbbing dirge that my pulse makes in the
inner ear on such an occasion.
"Bumble Boogie" is a mishmash of
musical cliches turned into a swinging, driv
ing instrumental. It emerges as one of the
hottest cuts on the record.
"First Drink of the Day" includes some
hot harmonica to close out the album.
Jools Holland. and His Millionaires will
most likely never be heard on American
radio - if you want their refreshing change
of pace youH have to buy the album your
self. Bob Crisler
DAVID BYRNE 3 BIO SONGS
ff J
45 RPM BIG BUSINESS
ff
MY BIG HANDS BIO HI Of PIYMOIHH
Three Big Songs
David Byrne
Sire
For those of us unfortunate enough to
be without Walkmans, this EP is excerpts
from the cassette of Tlie Catherine Wheel
previously not to be found on record. The
same songs were on the album but these
versions are longer and remixed.
Three Big Songs is similar in sound to
(Byrne's once and future band) the Talking
Heads' work on their last studio LP Re
main in Light. The sound is multi-layered
and textured as Byrne's unmistakable yelp
ing vocals are on top of a funk rhythmic
approach and spacey synthesizer. He plays
more guitar than usual, too.
The theme for this EP is Bigness as the
songs are "Big Business," "My Big Hands"
and "Big Blue Plymouth." "Big Business"
is basically a long dance track which thank
fully doesn't mention much about the
entity of big business.
I've been suspicious of Byrne's attitude
toward politics ever since he wrote "Don't
Worry About the Government" on Talk
ing Heads '77. The Heads and Byrne in
particular have always seemed like the
Young Republicans of "New Wave" (if
anybody has a better term for this stuff
contact me immediately co Daily Ne
braskan). Since this record was commissioned by
Twyla Tharp it is appropriate that it is a
dance record. What really is rather astound
ing is the way a mild-mannered art school
grad has become an expert on funk. This
marriage of electronics and funk makes
dance music that should appeal to just
about everybody.
"Big Blue Plymouth"is the only track
with a significant amount of vocals and it is
reminiscent of Fear of Music.
Despite the high quality of Three Big
Songs and the appearance of the new live
Heads album, it has been two full years
since their last studio album. During that
time the band members have done a series
of solo projects, all successful. Byrne has
chosen to work with artists such as Brian
Eno and Twyla Tharp. Meanwhile Heads'
Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz have re
leased the Tom Tom Club which has
spawned the single "Genius of Love," a
tribute to James Brown, which is the
number-two song on the soul charts.
Let's put those concepts together.
Byrne is the top banana of the Heads but
he should go back and collaborate with the
others again. We need an album of all new
Talking Heads.
Pat Higgins