Talking Heads 77 Music Cd

Talking Heads - Talking Heads 77

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Talking Heads: 77      Artist : Talking Heads      List Price : $11.98 USD        Your Price : $10.99 USD      ProductGroup: Music      Release Date : 1990-10-25      Studio : Warner Bros / Wea      Label : Warner Bros / Wea      Avg. Customer Rating : (37 reviews)

Reviews Customer Reviews for Talking Heads 77      The Beginning Of Something Great      Rating:      People picking up The Talking Head's debut album for the first time may be in for a surprise, especially if they're used to the eccentric experimentation of the "Remain In The Light" era, or the commercialized pop of the "Little Creatures" era. Back in 1977, the Talking Heads were a punk band but mostly only in their ethics. They played simple rock tunes but most of them lacked the raw energy of punk as played by the Ramones or Clash. Indeed, much of the music here sounds like late 60s and early 70 pop rock. What seperates these songs from post-psychedelic pop, however, is the lyrics and frantic atmosphere that would go on to characterise much of The Talking Head's music in the coming years. David Byrne's singing style is paranoid and tense and the lyrics are as abstract and arty as any art-rock album. In a way, this is art-rock brought done to a more pop like level. This was also a proto-type for the New Wave sound that was beginning to appear around this time. Songs like "Psycho Killer" have become early staples for the New Wave era and they also signaled the beginning of punk as being an art form rather than just a backlash against corporate rock. New wave can be seen as the first form of punk where the music was more important than the attitude. And that's what albums like this signify: A transistion of the popular music format. Music always goes through transistions and albums, like this one, that aid in those transistions are often the best representations of the new genres that are created. This was a beginning for The Talking Heads but it was also part of the beginning for the whole 80s new wave sound. Though in some ways the influence out ranks the music, this is still a fun listen and an essential addition to a person's music collection.     Customer Reviews for Talking Heads 77 Cd      Heady debut lacking their later brilliance      Rating:      Debut album for Talking Heads, they were one of the earliest new wave bands, and one of the most well-loved by the arty and punk in-crowd. It's not much of a surprise then that this didn't sell too well. For one, it's a young band still crystallizing their sound and style. For another, despite the disturbing power of the frantic classic, "Psycho Killer," it was a minor hit at best, and not an easy sell either. Most (including me) only picked this up after their later success. Like the band, "77" improves as it progresses. Unlike their bigger (and better) albums to come ("Fear of Music," "Remain in Light"), the songs on the second half are superior to the sometimes tepid first side. Byrne and crew almost sound reined in and tentative on songs like "New Feeling" and "Happy Day" before loosening up for side two. Compare that to the energy in "The Book I Read," "Pulled Up," and "Don't Worry About the Government." For a debut, it's pretty good, but Heads newbies should start with the aforementioned bigger records. Best cuts: "Psycho Killer," "No Compassion," "The Book I Read," "Don't Worry About the Government," "Tentative Decisions," "Pulled Up," "Uh-oh, Love Comes to Town" Editorial Reviews for Talking Heads 77 Audio Cd      Amazon.com essential recording      Next to CBGBs peers like the Ramones and the Voidoids, Talking Heads barely sounded like a punk band. After the startlingly non-conformist "Love Building on Fire," 77 made for a surprisingly tuneful collection of songs: nervy vignettes of urban unease, arranged for a tight little new wave quartet. The most overtly disturbed song, "Psycho Killer," now sounds a touch heavy-handed; more unassuming tracks like "New Feeling," "Happy Day," and "Don't Worry About the Government"--preppie pop with brains--have aged better. The first of four consecutive masterpieces for Sire, 77 is the work of a truly great American band. --Barney Hoskyns