Talking Heads '77: Classic or Dud?

Always thought picking that 1910 Fruitgum Company song showed excellent taste on Byrne's (or the band's) part.

"wimps" was more their image, with the pressed white shirt buttoned up to the top and the nice slacks and the respectable haircut.

I had meant it in reference to the music fwiw.

Idg the Yes comparison at all.

I feel like I've read more hilariously wrong Christgau reviews than ones where I've thought "yeah, he's got a point there" by a factor of 10, at least.

But I mean, not going to go harder on Xgau for his 45yo comments than I'd want for my 20yo comments.xp

Not Xgau's last Yes comparison:

XTC: White Music [Virgin International, 1979]
Although it took a year and a half for this debut album by the premier English art-pop band to get released in the States, two Andy Partridge songs on side one aim directly at the American market--"Radios in Motion," which mentions Milwaukee, surely isn't about the BBC, and the avowed purpose of "Statute of Liberty" is to get a look up her skirts. The third, "This Is Pop," is why he missed--radio programmers resent anyone telling them their business, especially subversives who favor herky-jerk rhythms, jerky-herk harmonies, Lene Lovich radar noises, and depressing subject matter. Colin Moulding's songs, on the other hand, are aimed at bored Yes fans, which is why he missed--the lad doesn't know that Yes fans like being bored. B+

I'm annoyed that the early-mix version of "New Feeling" that is the B-side of "Love Goes To A Building On Fire" (the 3:01 version, with some added horns and effects) isn't on Youtube, but there is this horrifying version from the '77 sessions that was released in 2003 (I think the 7" is a stripped down version of this) that shows you why the band pushed back so hard on Bongiovi's ideas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t5ZS3vRE3Q

I could be wrong, but I think the LP take is the same as this minus all of Tony's nonsense, and the early 7" B-side is still the same but with just touches of the horns etc

lol holy shit

Wow, that is utterly bizarre. I can't believe I've never heard that before.

It's like the horns are pushing it into a different key.

That New Feeling remix is bad but is it as annoying as the Life During Wartime "Alternate Version" with the ridiculous revving guitar layered over the old track like a wacky hand buzzer?

One can say that much like Bowie's and REM's covers being almost always crap despite what you'd guess based on their excellent taste and talent for experimentation, Talking Heads should have been great at remixes and just didn't get the format at all.

huh, every rem cover i can think of is pretty good

You know what, scratch REM, I think I had just forgotten about the entirety of Dead Letter Office for some reason

Superman is pretty classic and I like their party take on Strange

The New Feeling original mix is actually hilarious. Trying to picture Byrne's reaction to this

Speaking of R.E.M., it reminds me of hearing this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUv4tn3zGj0