Talking Heads: Little Creatures poll

this might be my favorite TH album even though I think that's a wildly unpopular opinion.

― hop up out the bed, turn my Drag-On (surfboard dudes get wiped out, totally), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 01:06 (nine years ago) Permalink

toss up between And She Was and The Lady Don't Mind

― caek, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 01:06 (nine years ago) Permalink

tight album

― caek, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 01:06 (nine years ago) Permalink

"Walk It Down"

― hop up out the bed, turn my Drag-On (surfboard dudes get wiped out, totally), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 01:07 (nine years ago) Permalink

I really don't think I like any of these songs. I really don't like this album. Even True Stories has some good moments, Naked is brilliant in comparison but this is yuck. I think I'll have to vote for Television Man even though it's almost a self parody.

― the next grozart, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 01:07 (nine years ago) Permalink

And She Was is baout the most likeable song ever imo

― wilter, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 01:10 (nine years ago) Permalink

The first one I ever bought, and while far from a favorite, I really enjoy about half of it. In retrospect it pointed to a second chapter in Byrne's emotional life that he was, unfortunately, uninterested in exploring with the band in the best position to articulate it. "Television Man" is an underrated jam, and "And She Was" and "Road to Nowhere" are terrific singles.

But I'm voting for "Creatures of Love," the silly love song that too often gets passed over in favor of "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)." Its guitar lines sound more like King Sunny Ade than we knew at the time.

― I'm crossing over into enterprise (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 01:14 (nine years ago) Permalink

"And She Was" is about the most cheerful shit I can stand to listen to but "Road to Nowhere" at either the very beginning of a road trip or when your road trip destination is in sight (esp if it's the OCEAN) is about the best pop music gets.

― bread will never maybe attack your brain again (nickalicious), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 01:45 (nine years ago) Permalink

"Stay Up Late" was made into a very creepy children's book that my parents used to read to me, so I voted for that.

― I'm the head soul brother in the US. Where to now? (bernard snowy), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 01:49 (nine years ago) Permalink

cover: http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/0e/c4/fa87024128a0f167aa160110.L.jpg

― I'm the head soul brother in the US. Where to now? (bernard snowy), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 01:51 (nine years ago) Permalink

I am very sad to be reminded that this is where a band I adored entirely, utterly, and eternally lost all appeal for me. There is not a single song in that batch that I care to ever hear again.

― Fishes, You Hit Me With A Flounder (Dr. Joseph A. Ofalt), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 01:51 (nine years ago) Permalink

this might be my favorite TH album

to be fair i'm gonna SB this cock-mongler until they ban me from the site

― Straight from the Top of My Dom (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 02:12 (nine years ago) Permalink

"Stay Up Late" vs "Road To Nowhere"

― I can sit in my car all day, and that doesn't make me a car. (HI DERE), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 02:25 (nine years ago) Permalink

I can't figure any serious method of this being yr fave TH album unless you're making some kind of "the Byrne Dies Screaming" party anthem.

― Straight from the Top of My Dom (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 02:28 (nine years ago) Permalink

a) what the fuck are you talking about?
b) David Byrne dies screaming party anthem sounds amazing
3) no YOU'RE a cock-mongler

― hop up out the bed, turn my Drag-On (surfboard dudes get wiped out, totally), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 02:31 (nine years ago) Permalink

to be fair

― hop up out the bed, turn my Drag-On (surfboard dudes get wiped out, totally), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 02:31 (nine years ago) Permalink

I can understand why this might be a fan favorite (and it's one of the band's best sellers): it's weird! the tunes are catchy! Their personality was intact. What's hard to understand?

― I'm crossing over into enterprise (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 02:34 (nine years ago) Permalink

LITTLE CREATURES being yo fave Talking Heads album is like Ball Cancer being yo fave death how much clearer cd I be?

― Straight from the Top of My Dom (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 02:35 (nine years ago) Permalink

This is the only album I don't own and/or listen to as an ALBUM but 7/10 of these songs are permanently lodged in my 8GB ipod so there's that!

― bread will never maybe attack your brain again (nickalicious), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 02:39 (nine years ago) Permalink

And tbh 7-10 on this album is maybe the best ENDING of any TH album (besides I guess maybe MSABAF?).

― bread will never maybe attack your brain again (nickalicious), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 02:40 (nine years ago) Permalink

"Walk It Down" is secret weapon on this LP

― sleeve, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 02:55 (nine years ago) Permalink

I rilly like this album btw

― Straight from the Top of My Dom (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 02:56 (nine years ago) Permalink

I thought "And She Was" would be a smash single as a follow-on to "Burning Down the House." Not quite. In the US it peaked at #54 vs. "BDTH" which made it to #9. In the UK, "And She Was" went to #14 and "BDTH" failed to chart. I'm with the US.

I think I'll vote for the Lady.

― that's not my post, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 03:23 (nine years ago) Permalink

i had no idea this won Pazz & Jop in 1985, that was a big surprise!

― Bee OK, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 05:09 (nine years ago) Permalink

"Road to Nowhere" at least has a hint of "The Big Country". Other than that, after looking at this tracklisting again (and I listened to this dozens of times in high school), I'd be happy not hearing this again.

― Eazy, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 05:27 (nine years ago) Permalink

Stay Up Late is a great song. And She Was and Road to Nowhere are too, but going with my first instinct.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 05:46 (nine years ago) Permalink

This album is awesome! Such a diverse discography, they have.
Great album cover, too:
http://radiovalentinletelier.cl/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/talking-heads-little-creatures-1985.jpg

― Shannon Whirry & the Bad Brains, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 06:17 (nine years ago) Permalink

voted for "stay up late," which besides affectionate evocation of bemused parenthood has a good breakdown and that out-of-left-field david ruffin moment.

this is a pretty great pop-rock album, i can't understand antipathy toward it. unless people either hate pop-rock or just don't think it's something talking heads should have sullied their hands with.

― would you ask tom petty that? (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 06:21 (nine years ago) Permalink

shouldn't have, i mean.

― would you ask tom petty that? (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 06:21 (nine years ago) Permalink

should have, i mean. (i got my negatives all criss-crossed.)

― would you ask tom petty that? (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 06:22 (nine years ago) Permalink

"And She Was" was a great little pop song, so I voted for that one.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 08:21 (nine years ago) Permalink

i had no idea this won Pazz & Jop in 1985, that was a big surprise!

I didn't know that either. There were several great albums released that year, but this wasn't one of them.

― featuring Strawberry and the Shortcakes (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 08:27 (nine years ago) Permalink

Well done to Geir for picking out the great little pop song buried in all those 15 minute Prog epics.

― Passantino Complexion (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 08:43 (nine years ago) Permalink

'Stay Up Late' wins, and I haven't heard that for ages.

― zeus, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 14:40 (nine years ago) Permalink

stay up late

― dan selzer, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 14:58 (nine years ago) Permalink

"Road to Nowhere" easily. The rest of this album practically made me hate the band.

― Alex in NYC, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:51 (nine years ago) Permalink

All I remember about this album is loving the singles and skipping over everything else.

― I can sit in my car all day, and that doesn't make me a car. (HI DERE), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:53 (nine years ago) Permalink

i have an oddly vivid memory of hearing "and she was" (then brand new) blaring over the p.a. pre-show while lying on the lawn at an outdoor concert space waiting for graham parker to open for ... eric clapton, maybe? i don't remember for sure who the headliner was, but i totally remember hearing that song there.

― would you ask tom petty that? (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 16:11 (nine years ago) Permalink

(i think the reason i remember it is the "lying in the grass" line, while i was lying in the grass, whoa dude)

― would you ask tom petty that? (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 16:12 (nine years ago) Permalink

Road to Nowhere - best lyrical conceit on the record

― Pre-Beatles Yoko Ono (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 16:37 (nine years ago) Permalink

LITTLE CREATURES being yo fave Talking Heads album is like Ball Cancer being yo fave death how much clearer cd I be?

― Straight from the Top of My Dom (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, April 14, 2009 10:35 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

so in this analogy death = talking heads albums. what is your point and why post in this thread? If I made a BEST CANCER TO DIE FROM poll on ILE and I picked ball cancer would you be like "baaawww what an IDIOT!! who picks ball cancer I mean clearly THE worst sugban!!"

also

I rilly like this album btw

― Straight from the Top of My Dom (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, April 14, 2009 10:56 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

my conclusion: you like ball cancer so you're an idiot

― hop up out the bed, turn my Drag-On (surfboard dudes get wiped out, totally), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 16:46 (nine years ago) Permalink

i probably think "Creatures of Love" is their best pop song they have ever done.

― Bee OK, Friday, 17 April 2009 00:39 (nine years ago) Permalink

for The Beginning Of The End this is a great, great record

"And She Was" vs. "Creatures Of Love" with "The Lady Don't Mind" coming up fast on the outside. I kinda like that style.

― butt-rock miyagi (rogermexico.), Friday, 17 April 2009 02:05 (nine years ago) Permalink

I liked it a lot when it came out, being a Heads freak, but it's barely held up over the years. I wouldn't call it a bad album; there are some good pop songs, but they're far less interesting or unique pop songs than anything on the first 2 albums.

I disliked Speaking in Tongues from the start, yet I'm more likely to listen to that than Little Creatures nowadays. Speaking in Tongues = Interesting failure. Little Creatures = Boring success.

Voted "Road to Nowhere," which is kind of odd because I usually hate songs in march tempo.

― Hideous Lump, Friday, 17 April 2009 03:00 (nine years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― System, Saturday, 18 April 2009 23:01 (nine years ago) Permalink

I love this band to death, but have never really liked this album, as hard as I have tried. It's hurt so much by not really bad production but just really plain, boring production, which tends to bring the songs down with it. I mean, the songs aren't bad. It's just sort of ... there. I even listen to "Naked" a lot more.

― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 19 April 2009 00:31 (nine years ago) Permalink

naked is ok, but i think the songwriting on this one is a lot stronger. i even think the songwriting on true stories is better than naked. i sort of think naked gets overrated for having been somewhat a return to art-rock form after their two pop albums.

― would you ask tom petty that? (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 19 April 2009 00:58 (nine years ago) Permalink

is Naked ever overrated? You get it right in your first sentence: it was a sign that the Heads could "expand" all over again, without being a totally successful album in its own right. Naked is one of the rare examplesin my canon of a perfectly good album whose quality fails to compensate for its redundancy.

― I'm crossing over into enterprise (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 19 April 2009 01:15 (nine years ago) Permalink

Controversy: "(Nothing But) Flowers" >>> anything on "Little Creatures." Except maybe "Creatures of Love."

― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 19 April 2009 02:13 (nine years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― System, Sunday, 19 April 2009 23:01 (nine years ago) Permalink

Very reasonable.

― I'm crossing over into enterprise (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 19 April 2009 23:16 (nine years ago) Permalink

This was the most Soto-esque of their albums, though, was it not?

― Kevin John Bozelka, Monday, 20 April 2009 15:10 (nine years ago) Permalink

haha -- you'll have to explain that one.

― I'm crossing over into enterprise (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 20 April 2009 15:11 (nine years ago) Permalink

Controversy: "(Nothing But) Flowers" >>> anything on "Little Creatures." Except maybe "Creatures of Love."

― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 19 April 2009 02:13 (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

You'll have to do better than that - "Nothing But Flowers" is one of my favourite TH songs on any album. I'll defend "Naked" and place it as high as any of their classic stuff really.

― the next grozart, Monday, 20 April 2009 15:23 (nine years ago) Permalink

xpost

You're the ILM keeper of the mature, Apollonian, usually 1980s, well-produced, well-made song. This Talking Heads album dealt in such creatures more than any other.

― Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 21 April 2009 11:32 (nine years ago) Permalink

entire album is worth it for the way he sings "from a bott-ull" on Stay Up Late.

― piscesx, Saturday, 3 May 2014 13:22 (four years ago) Permalink

Naked is my favourite Talking Heads album. I'm not so keen on Remain in Light, it sounds too 'whitey' and cold - I'd rather go listen to King Sunny Ade's stuff of the same period.
I also like David Byrne's solo stuff way more than the Heads'. his singing voice, songwriting, emotional power all developed further since the band's demise and no-one's ever pointing that out. I prefer davidbyrne and Feelings to anything Talking Heads released (except maybe for Naked).
I like Little Creatures. I'd have voted The Lady Don't Mind.

― Max Florian, Saturday, 3 May 2014 15:01 (four years ago) Permalink

Stay up late!

― Droni Mitchell (Ross), Friday, 13 April 2018 05:19 (six months ago) Permalink

max florian has some opinions up there
they're different, those opinions
i don't like it

― Karl Malone, Friday, 13 April 2018 05:31 (six months ago) Permalink