Is "Remain In Light" a good entry point for the Talking Heads?

You can't go wrong with Remain in Light, unless you're looking for their more tuneful, song stuff, which is more evident on later records; I think they're largely poor.

Remain in Light sounds like a weird mix of James Brown, Dr.Feelgood and inevitably Brian Eno. It's a terrific record.

The first one I had as a kid was Speaking in Tongues, and it seemed to do the job of making me a life-long fan. If not the first one you buy, it should be the second or third.

And then follow with the second, the third...

Remain in Light is probably Talking Heads' most adventurous album, and certainly one of the best, but IMO you can't go wrong with any of the first five studio LPs ('77, More Songs, Fear of Music, Remain in Light and Speaking in Tongues.

Get Speaking in Tongues first if you're interested in their poppiest stuff, Fear of Music for post-punk, or Remain In Light if you want like some of the awesomest shit ever

YESYESYESYES... it's an hour and a half of joy.

-- Anthony Miccio (anthonymicci...), June 5th, 2004.

I was about to say the exact same thing. It was the first I got, and I don't think it was a very good entry point, I'd say any of the first 3 albums, or a comp, or even Stop Making Sense would be better starters.

Is it getting re-released ONLY in DVD audio, or also in a regular CD version?

But that said, Remain in Light was my personal entry point, when my dad happened to bring it home because he liked "Once in a Lifetime." It's a spectacular record, and definitely their best studio album. I don't know that it's exactly "representative," because its vibe is really different than any other Talking Heads record (or any other record, period). But then, they went through so many different phases that it's hard to call any one album representative. I think everything through "Little Creatures" is worth having for one reason or another.

The Name of This Band is Talking Heads will apparently be reissued on CD for the first time in August, according to talking-heads.net.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

77
more songs about building and food
then the eno tryptich.

then stop making sense.

fear of music is undoubtably one of the most perfect records start to finish ever made. but since practically every record th ever made has its own sense of genius, yr bound to enjoy it all. (Pre-1986 IMO). the once in a lifetime boxset is worth it for 'storytelling giants' alone, but it does bring in the whole album context argument, which certainly matters, in a clash on broadway sense.

'Fear of Music' might be more of a grower, originally my fave was 'RIL' but perhaps I find it a bit strident now.

2) I like the first side of RiL more but I don't see what "more rock crit friendly" has to do with it... I find RiL more enjoyable than Fear of Music in a most non-crit-like way

3) the idea of an "entry point" makes perfect sense. If not, why not recommend he start with 77? why recommend anything at all? The first album you buy from a given group most definitely influences how you hear their other albums

xpost obv

'FOM' is sort of very conventional AND very not at the same time, I think...

'77 > Fear Of Music > Speaking In Tongues > Remain In Light > Little Creatures > More Songs About Buildings And Food.

However, much as I love it, I don't think '77's particularly representative as a first purchase.

If you must get a comp. then get Once In A Lifetime / Sand In The Vaseline; if you want a studio album then Fear Of Music's probably the one to go for; but I think the absolute best thing you can do is to get yourself the DVD of Stop Making Sense.

Broken Witch, I'm sure there'll be a standard CD remaster as well as the DVD-audio version. It isn't clear yet when either will be coming out, though — hopefully by the end of the year.

goddamn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul7I3Z5LA5M

wow, that was awesome, thanks.

excellent picture quality

great clip. i think this is their best album. it still sounds futuristic somehow.

goddam, that's a hell of a thing. wish to god i'd seen this version of the band, and agree that it still sounds fresh. except maybe for the frippertronic gtr, for w/e reason? dig it, but it seems somehow of a moment.

wowwww

3:33 on is ridiculous

will agree that more than 10 minutes of Belew's screech-o-tronics is way more than we need

Loved them during that era

http://talkingheadsconcerthistory.blogspot.com/2013/01/1982.html

lol what is Tina Weymouth even doing in this clip cuz it isn't playing bass

I don't think Byrne's guitar is plugged in either. Nevertheless that's completely marvellous.

weymouth's definitely playing, i think she and busta jones are doubling parts most of the time -- you can hear weymouth do some slides that jones isn't doing there.

Weymouth is playing.

the remain in light band really is incredible -- almost hard to believe talking heads had the imagination/ambition/balls to pull something like that off so successfully.

belew is amazing, though someone should've talked to him about his wardrobe. Nona Hendryx is a dazzling ray of light.

I can't imagine watching this in fall '80 knowing what I knew about how the band sounded 18 months earlier.

Yeah, it's extraordinary that they ever got to a place like that, and so quickly too.

belew is amazing, though someone should've talked to him about his wardrobe. Nona Hendryx is a dazzling ray of light.

― tylerw, Monday, April 29, 2013 5:32 PM (1 hour ago)

That's Dolette McDonald in that clip, though, right?

yep

i kinda like the implication that that's how belew dressed when byrne/demme weren't stage-directing everything

my favorite part of the commentary on the SMS dvd is when there's a water bottle in the bottom corner of a shot and byrne says "that shouldn't be there"

xp watch the vids of belew in king crimson wearing a pink suit.

I watched that Live in Rome concert from the same tour recently and Belew gets to be a bit much over the course of it.

That's Dolette McDonald in that clip, though, right?
oops, my bad - Dolette McDonald is a dazzling ray of light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTeTcrvSQms

Lol "Houses in Moion" totally jacks "Better By the Pound"

^t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrgVppXrK64

Jacks as in,"they're both funk-based and in the same key"?

yeah and "houses" is slower

i mean i tried to verify the similarity by working out the rhythm parts to both, but found that i own no instrments and do not know how to play them anyway

still i drop the needle on the last :10 of "better by the pound" and it all makes sense

http://www.wnyc.org/story/angelique-kidjo-reimagines-remain-light-in-studio/

Saw Angelique Kidjo do a bunch of songs from Remain in Light last night, outside W. DC. Femi Kuti opened. Kidjo and band's renditions mostly worked, though on some songs I don't like her changes to the vocal flow and vocal melodies.

Cool you saw her

Kidjo's bringing this tour to the US now, and said onstage she wants to bring it everywhere including Africa

She encored with "Burning Down The House" the night before.

sounds like a party!

bringing this tour to the US now

?? as opposed to April & May, when she was touring it in the US?

She said onstage last night outside DC in Virginia that the show was the second of her tour. I guess she has separated this current tour from the April/May one you are referring to. Or perhaps I misheard her.

actually, looks like she may have only done three dates on the west coast in May (though she'd also done it at least in NYC a year earlier) - I was bummed because promo and TV appearances all happened after the Seattle show, which I hadn't heard about, but that could have been the first one, and was before the album release.

her version of listening wind is amazing