Talking Heads

Talking Heads: '77 (Sep. 1977), ***

Just like modern furniture, Talking Heads stripped down the sound of rock music. The group had a wider palette than others, thanks to Harrison's usfulness, but '77's tone is locked down and simple, without distortion or elaboration. While the Sex Pistols revolted against the order of society and promoted anti-virtues, Talking Heads dealt in a different way. They had not reached rebellion, and instead internalized it, making it frustration and control. The control is pervasive in the rhythm section's funk feeling. It is felt in the clear guitar tones of both Jerry Harrison and David Byrne, and the scripted guitar lines (the opening of "New Feelings", "Who Is It?"). In fact, the band usually created a couple of odd rhythms based on some sort of minimalist funk or blues, and then shifted between them. If this was all the band did, they would not be very interesting. Frustration makes this album, and that frustration usually appears as David Byrne. The quintessence of this is "Psycho Killer", the band's first hit. Over the set, rigid rhythm section comes Byrne's lyrics about a person whose frustration with society has led him to the boiling point, and beyond. Where Rotten was the psychotic, Byrne is the stylist. His tenor vocals are clean, clipped, precise and while the frustration builds in the music ("Who Is It?", or his singing the word "day" in "Happy Day"). His lyrics also demonstrate distaste for contemporary society and others ("No Compassion" about people with problems, "Tenative Decisions" about indecision), and frequently writes in first person. Certainly everyone has a lighter side and sometimes Byrne's lyrics are a bit childlike (the delightful "Don't Worry About the Government" sounds like it was written while lying on a hill looking at clouds, or the catchy 60s dancer "Pulled Up"). The band also does dorky love songs (a mixed bag), so for every "Uh Oh Love Comes to Town" there's a fluffy "Happy Day". The band's later interest in world music is presaged in a couple places (steel drums on "Uh Oh Love Comes to Town" and the delightful "First Week/Last Week"), but not really explored. A promising debut. Produced by Ramones producer Tony Bongiovi, former session guitarist Lance Quinn and the group.

Still going down the same road. Eno's production is suitably layered and inscrutible, and the band still maddening. Byrne stopped using his uncut thoughts as lyrics, resulting in less self-involved rambling. Their polyrhythms, now slipping further towards worldbeat, keep moving around and are tremendous their re-working of Hugo Ball's dada poem "Gadji Beri Bimba" into one of their funk+beat masterpieces ("I Zimba") is immencely clever, while the bubbling "Mind" and "Paper" both kick the beat as well. Beyond that, every track has something going for it. The more dance-tempo tracks have Byrne's off-kilter lyrics ("Cities" and "Animals"), although the lyrics are the weak part. Some interesting hybrids blues-funk (the intrigue and paranoia of "Life During Warfare" or more rock ("Memories Can't Wait" with the great line "There's a party in my mind / and I hope it never stops"). Other tracks rely too much on the production and animatronic rhythms to evade lethargy ("Electric Guitar", slow-speed disorientation of "Drugs" or a goofy ode about "Air"). Still, I found a little guitar line from "Electric Guitar" inhabiting my brain up to a week after listening. Loopy, in every sense of the word.