POLL Me Up Up Up Up Up Up Up Up – TALKING HEADS – ILM Artist Poll #82 - (The Results Thread)

wonder if tina had a hendrix vs. buddy miles moment in the studio with frantz

Ah, totally missed that hyperlink to the live clip, thanks. xp

Yay it's here. Like dl I'd embarrassingly slept on The Catherine Wheel before - got The Red House on just now and it's pretty great.

i was just about to post about the red house as well. it was my #2.

So is My Life's reputation as this ancestor of hip-hop sampling warranted? Was this thing really a touchstone?

It came out around the same time as Ant Rap so there's a bit of debate about which of these white guys invented hip-hop.

xps: i can vouch for TTC album 2. this is the hipster's choice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf7xZBHVik4

James Rizzi's artworks for TTC's stuff was crazy good, and his animations in the Genius Of Love video are the best thing ever.

sorry, finally back.

Top 12 Albums

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IXN5A2FJTo1-RZBj53fi48J4AJTtIYJJS1PQxsRYOG2n-5eQe3qjmR02FRAenF6EwpKlQSKztEplSgthfjhOl9Tl509riErKLk_E6rqdDVgse8_PLE6y7YOsEJEKG30BPscTQjiaotIY0y1Q4hjrq1upAaAD5it1uEMRtl_ctCsjyogwMXK2TZT883D25r8WPoF04p5IhudD_4kwplrD2HpFO3CEr2oKDt_GQXuLcn233J_whvLCOaxVpQLH2t-3VID46nJ7P2BgemEpXqgihB16ea6_ljYCfBlVUVA21B7tLqzZ7cg1sAGQ2y-RjJ3t75KmTIfrEefMiwUDQ22DQAemPq4Bss3PD983pOPTX9Kw44f_8LWTw0SQqXpQUo3LSmc8a_moHuI48qN0qvoIQ3hf5axrSjGKGGkLfSwNbpCcU06qdc127XpnOETmDtIsCIKd-Qk7bBIaKlVwt3oT_1hEVAPoQc_MT0gBOljMVsIsTM9WU1nV2Yyx21b_dYFPo1FPsGly9bZiPjWA73y_Zyli0qfaqs1Fhzvmvi7IJgJIJS-AkkBtEjFeoFbpYixQMhzCY-WHTht6YP7tdqAELhlekWIpVnD9FALqFkeSRsCdYXUT27Y=s500-no

12. The Catherine Wheel
356 Points, 10 Votes
By: David Byrne
Released: December 1981

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/rR4Au_fs8MHIVfJTFwHd3x4XGXdjOa8Pve-ZxiwC-iiifT43d_IiQja31h5GwZI_QwY_z2pB-eALCPqaMknWdl9UjiA2j8S9SRktwQJRsBEmceNmKncub7iYyUynUG34E3RGXYUWY79PXWGle8m6sareVf5prmPw9RZSzodEtVYOHj5bK0pmemaFUHwtS7B-nLHhzIH0zzehkF3AwLyK-ndybC2LDjSP9_v4oJ9wtS5Ve276Hadq14iFUqE1YciOHT32yV7kwfUC4Wy9Vfahvyiduz-XAFMWDHdDWyw3w0mSbPAn8bTOo0G19M0pUe6zpfqHBDb4EVeux7HImAxs6Gy0l8gHoVXxE3nRP_SowAMCWiEru81GV273qPDa6F6U_b5LeIKXj1kTzZ6LpqnII3c8nj8PguJKRa90gtiUI9DOaC65zLciukenEEn0w0CftqfX62_19ZhwxMf-n_qKIrjWRP1kDVsN84El_v2vSR44ks-7kRqz8gJMtZlHMpDL2EI0cIJKEcPZCE_o_j6vkAcCPwWUeBsyq7EtIHfOsS5m3AIXn8QeaxBlnJklkqMQ2_7est7d2fcUItsELb9N8fFxfqIz_G48RECSc8cBW2XXRrDnfgg=s500-no

11. Little Creatures
497 Points, 14 Votes
Released: June 10, 1985

whoa, that seems low

would also have thought The Catherine Wheel would be higher! it's hard to believe there are 11 TH albums/side project albums better than it

Listening to my #1 right now

xp yeah I was expecting the later Byrne/TTC albums to be in these places

They had 8 studio albums and 2 live albums as a band. Even if 1 or 2 don't make this list, that doesn't leave many more slots.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9rhixhf9-0Hh7CZj13DJuA-XCCn1nAkjz8fWR71y5c4ENZPseaHniRIUmhyzPCRAOMpQXyO2iHpLp8wuirDI02vn85wp9UgsI7ao7zyDTDdPtAseSJ8N0zICyRqztMHpQ5AhgkGxjzDpEFzNUrUMLy99drLHx-8zIOv51dhNxdFOqkqq8_PPJnSYUZrCQQLEv45itBcdOwWNdthq1Mhf6xxlpZ-ZJKWzVcZJJ8tqYqQFBVFFWRlrXCKmeKDqiLcMb11sIvjCMxeRrMoCttcN1X4BsfDRmCa4jMQ-jThhm22Cd7gNLQ_DqWTQvglTefKDYLPPNCzstWQ4S9KM9UD1JtFq2nYd-Qdp9fjaH3Lb2sVCW2HiOaL5lCTFMnT7iAYy2hJimVIgTmCqdNKpL-_oWI3dIgw9zdyo5_yoneerVNOxuHARYWafo2jeF1wu_tqeYLcNGMG1Y91EHNp_jvMOFACD9EJDAcf1HcNaG4x07Th8N9cxm_8JU-sqKoBKyYrYqtmu397foyragZerOcV8RhKXWPlRrtRmd4nOpwKcaDtS9Pq5lyU84Rlg4L6PP2XXBF04TKq22decVZZYdBHQnHTqUvCkWi_j7cOJMaOKrogwLjA_42k=w500-h495-no

10. Naked
Released: March 15, 1988
560 Points, 15 Votes, 1 Number One

i can't believe Naked beat Little Creaqtures.

that is a surprise

Dammit, now I wished I'd done an albums ballot. Little Creatures would've been my #3 or #4.

There was a time in my life when i would have called Naked my all-time favorite album.

TCW > LC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Naked

There was a time in my life when i would have called Naked my all-time favorite album.

― Moodles, Wednesday, March 29, 2017 6:49 PM (twenty-one seconds ago)

and you said to yourself MY GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE

I still like it and think it's quite underrated

I also liked Little Creatures when it came out, but lost interest in it a long time ago. I really related to Stay Up Late because my little brother had just been born around this time.

i can't believe Naked beat Little Creaqtures.

― Bee OK, Wednesday, March 29, 2017 3:37 PM (eleven minutes ago)

prior to the conversation in the poll announcement thread, i'd have been surprised. now, not so much. it's smooth, i guess? that seems to count for a lot with certain folks.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oxaeo02rTxHRLda2VOG9a_a0TVciw6be3njXrv6hy9rsfxHEpRIqauN-yK7qV1_tHqVzUjZ5iNhLCQxy4fwgrcRgoJZf8p1BtFp9K1SzUHJvJRzo8Vcz_tzPnB2G1kbieHmMZw5Hhm1fNFT-jyfEhNmWhiLkyVegFfXUrFyd3vjjpcsL50TG8-J-j2ck4DxDXpUett2OZbiw-Qo4ksxsOo0gxb4_5YBMan1tCpURpr6GHwAmvxrEQWOHVrJmzP5CQfADBJypFs2FWxVUxJJ4Sampj_Ln3sIIuFTNEwZzAabq-O7zVDiMNprGfGIKbZDJIQNdLYWM7PPIbdAmiHYOYhZy3FaO8dXylXkw8y7eCcVzG5DBEroqjDSyAoP6MUVVVdpL35sc3jezMxtqM0qvAfsBXVoRjhTREH8VsxSEcOcV_mq6v2TVDOpVC1z87Qrwul0jGxul8T95pmkZiOmbLd_I3GG7xFFCSWkcBPhFC1VxfAYbCwsy52ghFExcy7ngYGy84q48SNm_auLVOJqpyukqAQO8YCqu9EVmkbwWz-O-csxfrsiYp0JWP1hsGBlhyucjVgbV7KdYOkLExgdNYFiZHc_w-vtL_-5qIIeborS8wwOP6ZE=s500-no

9. Tom Tom Club
Released: October 1981
563 Points, 15 Votes

Re: Naked
I like how all the extra musicians help fill things out

I revisited Naked for the first time in a long while when putting my ballot together. The last time I heard it was when that white-brick box set of all their studio albums came out in, what, 2008? It held up really well. Much better than Little Creatures.

don't know if you're posting #1 votes, Bee OK, but this was mine! I still remember how electrifying it felt to hear this for the first time

hmm, not sure what happened as i was counting the number ones. i just checked and your number one is there and the points did count but somehow overlooked your number one vote. i hope that is the only mistake i make.

i also wanted to say thanks again to pplains for finishing out the solo stuff for me today. that was a huge help. even though i had the day off, i still had something to take care of this morning.

i will start at a decent hour, Pacific time, going forward.

xp
that's ok! this is a fantastic rollout, thank you so much for doing this!

so I'm guessing either True Stories or one of the live albums won't make this list

I didn't vote in albums, but Little Creatures probably is the catchiest album in their entire discography. "And She Was," "Stay Up Late," "Road to Nowhere," "Little Creatures"

Ridiculous

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 Ghosts
By: Brian Eno and David Byrne
Released: February 1981
740 Points, 19 Votes, 1 Number one

god really?

i guess this ranking is justified, with as many songs form this album making the Top 15 in the solo part of this poll.

but yeah, i'm sort of shocked too.

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!

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.

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.

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. "

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.

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+

"worktapes" is the key word. These tracks sound like drafts of what the RIL and CW tracks do naturally.

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 Sense
Released: September 1984
1019 Points, 24 Votes, 5 Number Ones

i believe there were two votes for the Film version of this and not the soundtrack version.

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.