Talking Heads - Remain in Light
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On this episode, we look at what is regarded by most critics as the Talking Head's masterpiece: Remain in Light. Brian Eno, who had produced their previous two LPs, took a more active role in the songwriting and playing and pushed the band to explore the African rhythms he had been exploring with the band's singer and main songwriter, David Byrne. It is an album of experimentation with songs culled from jam sessions where the members frequently changed instruments. Perhaps the album's most interesting elements come from the guest guitarist, Adrian Belew (formerly a member of Frank Zappa and David Bowie’s touring band and later a member of King Crimson).
THINGS WE DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
The Talking Heads performing at CBGS.
The Talking Heads opened for the Ramones for a tour of Europe. Here’s a poster for their show at the famous (infamous) London club the Roundhouse.
Brian Eno and David Byrne.
Brian Eno and David Byrne started collaborating My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, an album of sampled vocals and found sounds, integrated over African and Middle Eastern rhythms, and electronic music. Here is “America Is Waiting” from that LP.
Watch Fela Kuti, who inspired the polyrhythmic approach the Talking Heads embraced on Remain in Light, and his band Africa 70, playing at a jazz festival in Berlin, 1978.
The video for “Once in a Lifetime” off of Remain in Light. David Byrne’s performance was inspired southern preachers.
Here is Talking Heads performing “Cross-eyed And Painless” from Remain in Light in Dortmund, Germany in 1980. Adrian Belew, who played guitar on the LP, toured with them as well. You can see him among the myriad of other musicians they needed to recreate the sounds off of the album live.
As mentioned on this episode, here is Jimmy Buffet performing “Once in a Lifetime” in 2007 for your listening pleasure (displeasure?).
