https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KGLldesd8oAXZgDvVu0b6wASwtfmZ85i6SKRbbWANhHMDdr1lZHlxfrC7sIV3LJTm1_1y23bBHf8AO0MEeCuu8OGZ5vg8MQISvyWA37sywB2fQiOcrwFc7JjEO_JrHIR6gnjvzKgEkmKK3JGTxguC7C9AgPyfiE0R2fmcx1TrGyd81X7QDGMtkjIe5-uQxq0xHS1_p9HMfcaXRxqN90WebPP9IK_06Eo5h--qErP9gWM_gzjO1b8fzrp0VsT_7JJB57NKZcuDVnrYkUaWUJsSyjYIxIf7u1-POBZsK6naOLoijircZKPghTZj--3z97zQgC-6o-7RdSfBQ3J67__CvYIYWQUARRZSJAF1HMz6sHcKiDdt_QB3qXl_5wKte2gEfM7lGFfJlBs99Swn2kmsFhHfvr6xIJ38hd2MRGvYKcnSYetUWnoOu684OtyF_NqpVxuNKMHLoXVhBCJLBo0dQ2qtra3hNW9zrzY5P1xd3qJGh87Ts-qjHYCGk8iFpdwz2abWhiswllkASuCTMFTwVW2k7QQLrHyjVz9RFkceGKYhNwQ4s0pJYdOC5xMCWn5xAFw2sJct71Fk-r6CU4G7hjzkw0VWlI_fwwQZGKpwFH8-Kc=s500-no
8. My Life In The Bush of GhostsBy: Brian Eno and David ByrneReleased: February 1981740 Points, 19 Votes, 1 Number one
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:22 (seven years ago) link
god really?
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:31 (seven years ago) link
i guess this ranking is justified, with as many songs form this album making the Top 15 in the solo part of this poll.
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:31 (seven years ago) link
but yeah, i'm sort of shocked too.
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:32 (seven years ago) link
Naked not being universally recognised as a return to form after LC and TS still seems kerrazy to me. Glad that ILM, collectively, got it right!
― Maximum big surprise! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:33 (seven years ago) link
did people really love this thing thirty years ago? I'm wondering if post-Pitchfork hype after that reissue a decade ago didn't inflate its reputation.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:34 (seven years ago) link
I'm kind of shocked you guys don't think this belongs here. I was around 30 years ago and yes, people really did love it and talk about it then. this ranking is too low, in my opinion. I think this is really up there with the best of the Talking Heads records.
I guess it's hard to say in retrospect how influential this album was, but It still sounds amazing. The layering of ambient tracks, Eno's “psychedelic wash” gives the whole thing a spectral feeling. I guess it can be criticized for not having “songs” but it's so mesmerizing that that doesn't matter to me.
― Dan S, Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:36 (seven years ago) link
found an interesting quote from Ken Hollings in The Wire from when this was reissued in 2006:
"Ghosts have been drifting through the system since the time of Edison, but this was one of the first occasions that their condition had been articulated with such precision and through so popular a medium. Along with the indignant radio host featured on “America Is Waiting”, the unidentified inflamed caller, the smooth politician on “Mea Culpa”, and the anonymous radio evangelist whispering strange promises throughout “Come With Us”, the unnamed exorcist of “The Jezebel Spirit” occupies a shifting, unbounded foreground. Each of their individual utterances is isolated, and its delivery tightly controlled. What’s missing – or rather, what’s been carefully removed – is context. Put it another way: these are pop songs for an age where communication has become increasingly fragmented, and meaning more evasive and nomadic. "
― Dan S, Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:38 (seven years ago) link
I always got the impression MLITBOG was considered 'important' at least, years before I finally, excitedly checked out a public library copy in the nineties.
― Maximum big surprise! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:44 (seven years ago) link
Christgau, a big fan, OTM:
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts [Sire, 1981]Something fishy's going on when unassuming swell-heads like these dabblers start releasing their worktapes. As cluttered and undistinguished as the MOR fusion and prog-rock it brings to the mind's ear, this album has none of the songful sweep of Remain in Light or the austere weirdness of Jon Hassell, and the vocal overlays only intensify its feckless aura. C+
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:46 (seven years ago) link
"worktapes" is the key word. These tracks sound like drafts of what the RIL and CW tracks do naturally.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:47 (seven years ago) link
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GA8wfJb7v7twEafHN69UJ79zmoYnYT9PaNVh99YZzN9BuG6WydjY_jvh_8c0OEIzPXJuXrQz9QnP9XgjQAMz6CZ6eYVXCm8vUzriAxDsffzLYyPPX3bTiVqI19MM4h3GKBuCFjPR2kz4FbheXmcnYI3D3oWurMfeCCyVL_cHWKUHf7_KmuQHakRLLkwQzZNJSWieX_x1xj6mU3TvF_KEaDrP1tzDSeyjOOGYJBCXPXCOxLVMWJ_8pCmWhd4vLtJE1Rh_AWq6IR0jsmFuPh0QRalIde_P6jpkBxEDZnNVSF_UXOTFVM8k-QUu30vLEplgnGAs4aYCH1AY35VElLqbJbV3X1-z0vYVepFZhCErmQ4ZdFTgxkv5Nyk09WqCzoL8mIpP0omHjozVIqkceWeIEc_fbcw-r-4yIBIMHaaaM4qeeavTObDgQO4TyGYBJ7UgoHYaSjkHyv5KrL6MFCRpVnoFxRA0Jt9Y3v1nD18zI9FFvAQPQ0qbPFusiX8Jq3jiONQvo9x8OAVt8uBCn-y4oiqsfBKd7dX7H8kq7F3G-dC5MoXfkcvE_HGl-znh9NHK4BplZIWxIhvsgtfZ2qCLE4ObNuDXxD7jNjnT4LFfaEnkgtGS-dQ=w500-h496-no
7. Stop Making SenseReleased: September 19841019 Points, 24 Votes, 5 Number Ones
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:49 (seven years ago) link
i believe there were two votes for the Film version of this and not the soundtrack version.
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:50 (seven years ago) link
I'm not surprised at MLITBOG being where it is, it seems like it's always been well loved (though idk if to the same extent as now), but very surprised at Naked beating LC. Clearly more people need to listen to The Catherine Wheel, which successfully combines the ambience of MLITBOG and real songs into a cohesive whole.
Stop Making Sense is a great performance but I don't rate it as high as I used to. The Speaking in Tongues songs on it are all better than the studio versions and What A Day That Was is incredible on it.
― ufo, Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:54 (seven years ago) link
MLITBOG: TOO LOW
― scattered, smothered, covered, diced and chunked (WilliamC), Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:56 (seven years ago) link
Stop Making Sense is my favorite film of 1984 and one of my touchstones but I didn't even vote for the album.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 March 2017 23:57 (seven years ago) link
i thought Stop Making Sense was a shoe-in for the top three or four, so i'm shocked at its placement.
― Bee OK, Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:01 (seven years ago) link
SMS was my introduction to Talking Heads and I was obsessed with both the tape and film for a big chunk of my childhood.
― Moodles, Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:11 (seven years ago) link
yeah and some of them are HILARIOUSLY nineties― Lennon, Elvis, Hendrix etc (dog latin), Wednesday, March 29, 2017 9:53 AM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Can you explain this to me please? Bush of Ghosts was 1981, so I'm not understanding the description.― You're going to see a lot of love. Okay? Thank you. (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, March 29, 2017 7:39 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― You're going to see a lot of love. Okay? Thank you. (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, March 29, 2017 7:39 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Lennon, Elvis, Hendrix etc (dog latin), Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:13 (seven years ago) link
Stop Making Sense does seem like the breaking-wide moment for them
― Dan S, Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:14 (seven years ago) link
should have called it MILTBOG in the first place
― Balðy Daudrs (contenderizer), Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:15 (seven years ago) link
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lojxwj9awien8dk/77%20m.jpg?dl=0
6. Talking Heads: 77Released: September 16, 19771235 Points, 32 Votes
― Bee OK, Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:21 (seven years ago) link
well that didn't work, was trying Dropbox for images.
― Bee OK, Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:25 (seven years ago) link
anyways, that is it for tonight, will do the Top 5 tomorrow.
― Bee OK, Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:26 (seven years ago) link
Talking Heads 77 - Surfer GirlMore Songs About Buildings And Food - Summer Days And summer NightsFear Of Music - Pet Sounds My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts = Smiley SmileRemain In Light = SmileSpeaking In Tongues = Holland Little Creatures = Love YouTrue Stories = MIU AlbumNaked = Keeping The Summer Alive
― Lennon, Elvis, Hendrix etc (dog latin), Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:33 (seven years ago) link
77 is too low, can't believe Speaking in Tongues is going to place higher
― ufo, Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:34 (seven years ago) link
Alfred, much as I have a soft spot for Love You, Smiley Smile is an incredible work of art in my estimation that appeals deeply to my senses, so sorry I disagree that Little Creatures is better than MLITBOG. But what's amazing is that we're even comparing these too vastly different styles of music in the first place
― Lennon, Elvis, Hendrix etc (dog latin), Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:36 (seven years ago) link
Also I agree with the person up thread who said that Naked sounds more like a return to form after the previous two. Sounds like a more natural continuation of Speaking In Tongues to me. It's paced in a similar way to RIL with lots of slower tunes toward she end but front-packed with bangers. Plus I enjoy every groove - I can hear Tina's playing again, which I couldn't on Little Creatures and True Stories
― Lennon, Elvis, Hendrix etc (dog latin), Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:41 (seven years ago) link
believe & endorse. i'm just shocked it's coming in under more songs.
― Balðy Daudrs (contenderizer), Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:42 (seven years ago) link
I'm also a bit surpised although I've never completely loved Tongues or More Songs.
― Moodles, Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:46 (seven years ago) link
Remain In Light is actually Beach Boys Today.
― gospodin simmel, Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:47 (seven years ago) link
Alfred a lot of ppl (including me) love and have loved Bush of Ghosts for a long time irrespective of Pitchfork or whether it's "important" or whatever, pls chill
― albvivertine, Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:52 (seven years ago) link
Naked sounds more like a return to form after the previous two. Sounds like a more natural continuation of Speaking In Tongues to me.
dgi. naked places the emphasis back on funk, but the pop constructions seem of a piece w/ little creatures. just drained of energy & half as good (other than "nothing but flowers", which holds up fine).
― Balðy Daudrs (contenderizer), Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:53 (seven years ago) link
xxp yeah I had a think about that but I figure RIL is the one people popularly hold up as their pinnacle (viz: Sgt Peppers also) and makes lists and is considered 'canon' and all the trappings and problems that go with holding a record on a pedestal.I love RIL and PS an incredible amount but each had its faults. and as with both bands, their fans tend to have their personal favourites which aren't these albums
― Lennon, Elvis, Hendrix etc (dog latin), Thursday, 30 March 2017 00:57 (seven years ago) link
contenderizer - what about Blind? That is a corker. It came on the radio the other day while I was driving and I gave out an involuntary yelp and a fist-pump. What about the tropical niceness of Totally Nude? the Sphinx-like eeriness of Democratic Circus?I guess one of the big draws for me with TH is the rhythm section, and with Little Creatures and TS they seem swallowed-up by this boxy 80s-rock production which sounds really horrible to me.
― Lennon, Elvis, Hendrix etc (dog latin), Thursday, 30 March 2017 01:03 (seven years ago) link
xp RIL and BBT are my favorites and they have the same structure with a clear distinction between a fast and a slow side. BBT has better ballads and RIL has better bangers.
― gospodin simmel, Thursday, 30 March 2017 01:04 (seven years ago) link
― Dan S, Wednesday, March 29, 2017 8:14 PM (fifty-nine minutes ago
like I said in the other thread, it went double platinum and spent two years on the album chart. Their commercial peak.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 30 March 2017 01:15 (seven years ago) link
what about Blind?
2nd best track on the album. groove is nice, but byrne's affected delivery (esp the awful "blah-blah-blah-blah-blind" chorus) sinks it. imo...
― Balðy Daudrs (contenderizer), Thursday, 30 March 2017 01:30 (seven years ago) link
the horn arrangement >>>>>>>>>>>>>> the rest of "Blind"
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 30 March 2017 01:41 (seven years ago) link
accurate
― flappy bird, Thursday, 30 March 2017 02:13 (seven years ago) link
Dan pointed out earlier that his number one didn't show up in the solo countdown. i hit a wrong button and somehow messed up the number ones data.
so here are the full results of the solo poll with updated number ones.
― Bee OK, Thursday, 30 March 2017 02:34 (seven years ago) link
Genius Of Love - Tom Tom Club 841 Points, 19 Votes, 6 Number OnesWordy Rappinghood - Tom Tom Club 558 Points, 13 Votes Number OnesRegiment Eno/Byrne 382 Points, 9 Votes 1 Number OneThe Jezebel Spirit (David Byrne/Brian Eno) 295 Points, 7 Votes, 2 Number OnesAmerica is Waiting (David Byrne/Brian Eno) 229 Points, 6 Votes Help Me Somebody Eno/Byrne 205 Points 5 Votes 1 Number OneStrange Overtones - Byrne and Eno 186 Points, 4 Votes, 2 Number OnesMea Culpa Eno/Byrne 184 Points, 5 Votes 1 Number OneQu'ran Eno/Byrne 171 Points, 4 Votes, 1 Number OneWhat A Day That Was 170 Points 4 Points Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open) Bryne 163 Points, 4 Votes, 1 Number OneThe Carrier Byrne and Eno 156 Points 4 Votes 1 Number OneLorelei Tom tom Club 149 Points, 4 Votes The Red House - David Byrne 125 Points, 3 Vote On, On, On, On... – Tom Tom Club 122 Points, 3 Votes 1 Number OneBig Business (Byrne) 119 3 As Above, So Below – Tom Tom Club 114 3 Make Believe Mambo 110 3 Mountain of Needles - Eno/Byrne: 85 2 1A Long Time Ago (Byrne) 78 2 Pleasure of Love 78 2 Two Soldiers David Byrne 73 2 Life is Long (Byrne-Eno) 72 2 Rev It Up 72 2 Moonlight in Glory – Byrne Eno 69 2 Cloud Chamber David Byrne 67 2 Don't Want to Be Part of Your World 50 1 1Eggs in a Briar Patch 50 1 1Roadrunner (Modern Lovers) 50 1 1They are in love 50 1 1A soft seduction 46 1 Girls on My Mind 46 1 L'éléphant - Tom tom Club 46 1Very, Very Hungry – Byrne Eno 46 1A self-made man 43 1Crash (Byrne) 43 1Lazy - X-Press 2 43 1Someone I Care About (Modern Lovers) 43 1Toe Jam - The BPA ft David Byrne 43 1Under the Boardwalk" - Tom Tom Club 43 1Optimist 40 1She's Mad (Byrne) 40 1Who 40 1Bonzo Goes To Washington 38 1Carnival Eyes 38 1His Wife Refused 38 1Modern World (Modern Lovers) 38 1The dream police 38 1the man with the 4-way hips 38 1Dirty Old Town 36 1Just the Motion - David Byrne 36 1Marching Through the Wilderness 36 1The Great Intoxication 36 1Angels 35 1Astral Plane 35 1Don't Fence Me In David Byrne 35 1Ice Age 35 1Ade 34 1Dark Sneak Love Action 34 1Hanging Upside Down 34 1happiness can’t buy money 34 1Hospital (Modern Lovers) 34 1In the Future 34 1My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks) 34 1Old World 34 1Suboceana 34 1The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Thievery Corporation 34 1The last emperor main theme 34 1A Walk in the Dark 33 1Girlfriend (Modern Lovers) 33 1I know sometimes a man is wrong 33 1Lazarus 33 1She Cracked 33 1Strange Currencies 33 1sunshine and ecstasy 33 1A Secret Life 32 1Booming and Zooming 32 1I Should Watch TV 32 1innocent sex kiss 32 1Light Bath 32 1Like Humans Do 32 1Pablo Picasso 32 1
― Bee OK, Thursday, 30 March 2017 02:35 (seven years ago) link
Wordy Rappinghood - 3 Number Ones
― Bee OK, Thursday, 30 March 2017 02:36 (seven years ago) link
regretting not submitting a solo ballot now but it would have been something like this:What a Day That WasBig Blue PlymouthMea CulpaHis Wife RefusedHelp Me SomebodyStrange OvertonesBig BusinessGenius of LoveAmerica is WaitingPoison
the production on 77 isn't as good as the three Eno-produced albums but it's pretty solidly their second-best studio album on the strength of the songs
― ufo, Thursday, 30 March 2017 03:04 (seven years ago) link
I like to think my unabashed praise of Naked in the sister thread has had the effect of swinging the votes in its favour, or, at the very least, making some take a good second listen to it. I still fail to understand criticisms of it - to me it's one of the great major, big-budget art-pop albums of that charmed late-eighties period for that kind of thing. I put it in the esteemed company of Passion, The Sensual World, Blaze of Glory, Spirit of Eden, Yellow Moon, The Rhythm of the Saints.
― Max Florian, Thursday, 30 March 2017 05:29 (seven years ago) link
your praise was persuasive, but not so much as the free delivery grubhub coupon that was offered to anyone who voted for naked
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 30 March 2017 06:06 (seven years ago) link
Did everyone just plain forget about "Lazy" in the solo ballot?
― Mark G, Thursday, 30 March 2017 06:57 (seven years ago) link
yeah plain forgot
― Lennon, Elvis, Hendrix etc (dog latin), Thursday, 30 March 2017 07:13 (seven years ago) link
I certainly did! indeed, a strange collective... 'Amnesia'.
xpost - haha : )
I'm a sucker for mature, mid- or late-era works, especially if they are left turns of sorts, and feel strong and inspired. I'll be the guy cheering for Spiritchaser when a future Dead Can Dance album poll comes along.
― Max Florian, Thursday, 30 March 2017 07:25 (seven years ago) link
Didn't forget about "Lazy" but did forget about the Last Emperor soundtrack. think the main title theme would have snuck onto my ballot
― Vinnie, Thursday, 30 March 2017 07:38 (seven years ago) link