I think it’s a little overrated, but it’s still a great album. The last two tracks are a little weak I think. Definitely my favorite or at least second favorite from Talking Heads.
I tend to agree. It is indeed a masterpiece. I heard it on psychedelics- It blew my mind-literally. The guitar solos, the intense rhythms and textures- it's out of this world.
It felt like it at the time but I haven't wanted to hear it for decades. There's very little melody and it is very pretentious, hiring all these world musicians to come up with something kind of new, which it was, but to hear it years later, it's mostly boring. It rank #4 for me.
@@curly_wyn I always think of jeopardy when I hear that song on the radio. Goofy as heck. But I still try and give them a chance because of all the acclaim. They seem to be the godfathers of pretentious alternative music though.
Kram - as in most of the videos - makes the most sense by far. I love the dynamic between all three but Remain in the light at the number 7 is ridiculous.
8: Naked (1988) 7: More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978) 6: Talking Heads ‘77 (1977) 5: True Stories (1986) 4: Speaking in Tongues (1983) 3: Remain in Light (1980) 2: Fear of Music (1979) 1: Little Creatures (1985) Stop Making Sense is amazing too
Ok I know this is over a year old already, but I just have to say that I personally had ranked all Talking Heads studio albums the exact same order as Jason before I even knew you guys existed, and I was just sitting there going insane when he’d describe the same opinion as me on every album. Stellar video right here.
Talking Heads never made a bad album. I don't usually like bands that are overproduced as such. But they do that whilst still keeping an edge. Great band. P.S - "Stop Making Sense" is a great live album. 8. Naked 7. True Stories 6. Little Creatures 5. 1977 4. More Songs About Buildings.. 3. Remain In Light 2. Speaking In Tongues 1. Fear Of Music
Talking Heads is one of the rare bands where the albums that introduced me to them didn't end up as my favorites. As a teenager in the 80s, I knew about them through Speaking in Tongues, Little Creatures, True Stories and finally Naked, and only later familiarized myself with the debut album and the Eno era. The latter are my top 3, with Remain in Light as a probably obvious #1. Naked is their poorest but still a very fine album, having iconic ironic lyrics in "Nothing but flowers".
The live Name Of This Band Is... was reissued some years ago and that is what I gravitate to these days. But really everything Talking Heads did through Little Creatures ( Kram nailed it regarding the songwriting). Great analysis guys
ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...heard Psycho Killer on college radio when i was 13. bought the album and guess what? i liked all the other tracks more...youre rite Stuff...you had to be there when it happened!!
1. Fear of Music 2. Remain in Light 3. Speaking in Tongues 4. Little Creatures 5. 77 6. More Songs 7. True Stories 8. Naked Stop Making Sense is their definitive work.
I was 18 when they appeared and even among the ocean of new albums that came out in 1977 they stuck out and kept me hooked through their career. It helped that their one bad album was their last one. Their best release is "The Name of This Band is Talking Heads" that has superb versions of most of their songs. They made a long journey with just 8 albums from the CBGB background via the brilliant vehicle for Brian Eno's genius (call him their 5th member) to the world music approach that was still something special when they pioneered it. 1. More Songs About Buildings and Food (The Al Green cover is one of the greatest cover songs ever, and their version gets my credit for putting this singer onto my radar, I knew his hits before but Take Me to the River made me explore - pun intended - this artist deeper) 2. 77 3. Fear of Music 4. Remain in Light 5. Speaking in Tongues 6. Little Creatures 7. True Stories 8. Naked And I think that all except Naked are essential albums that still make great listening experience today. (I partly agree with Joe on his rant about Byrne - when I recall his solo stuff, he may not be the genius people think he was but just a weirdo who sometimes gets it together just enough to produce interesting material.) Their secret weapon was Jerry Harrison who had already proven his abilities with the fantastic Modern Lovers first album. PS - My list was ready before I started the video and I was sure that the only time we would agree on anything would be #8.
I’m late to the party guys, but I love your channel! Great reviews for so many incredible bands. I’ve subscribed and can’t wait to check out all your reviews. Cheers ✌️❤️🇨🇦
8. Little Creatures - '85 - but ... Road To Nowhere ...blows my mind - 7. True Stories - '86 - 6. Speaking In Tongues - '83 - 5. Naked - '88 - 4. 77 - 3. More Songs About Buildings And Food - '78 - 2. Fear Of Music - '79 - 1. Remain In Light - 1980 - also Album Of The Year -
"True Stories" is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's part mockumentary, part travel log, part Magical Realism, part treatise on Reaganomics and Modernism. It's largely a string of vignettes on dating, malls, architecture, civics, manufacturing, segregation, and colonialism. If you enjoy podcasts like "This American Life," or "99% Invisible" this is a fantastic predecessor to them.
1. Remain in Light (Their masterpiece, it needs repeated playing, so much going on) 2. Speaking in Tongues (Dated in sound and production, but besides "Swamp" its fantastic) 3. Talking Heads '77 (Brilliant debut, and worth checking is the CBS (?) 1975 Demos for simpler arrangements) 4. Stop Making Sense (Everything on this is classic, check the outtakes "I Zimba" and one or two more) 5. The Name Of This Band Is..... (Sublime, almost all songs are better here than offical studio versions) 6. More Songs About Buildings & Food (Some truly intresing Eno overdubs, but 77 Part II Really (?!) 7. Fear Of Music (an clustrophic album done in 4 days, very good though, but not essensial except opener!) 8. Naked (Highly underrated, ditches their 83-87 style and goes back to the 79-83 with a 88 production, great album!) 9. Little creatures (A couple truly fantastic ideas, but come on, its no Speaking In Tongues) 10. True stories (+O.S.T.) (Wild Wild Life is probably the only trly great song for me) Also not to be missed : "The Catherine Wheel" and "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts" which both to me is Talking Heads in all but name, and half of Jerry`s The Red & The Black is magnificent. The first Tom-Tom Club is fun, but nothing compared to Talking Heads 1975-1984. The Heads is a one time listen as is the rest, besides the odd one from later Byrne albums Worth checking is all those Bonus/Rarities and Outtakes spread over the expanded CDs and Boxsets.... ALso there are tons of good sounding concerts out there specially the 1975-1983 Period !
I saw them do Artists Only on SNL as a kid & was hooked. Remain In Light is a masterpiece & Eno & Byrne were doing the remarkable My Life In The Bush Of 👻 simultaneously. Amazing 👏
Thanks guys. I find Naked overwhelmingly dull. 8 Naked. 7 Speaking in Tongues. 6 Remain in Light. 5 True Stories. 4 Fear of Music. 3 Little Creatures. 2 More Songs About Buildings and Food. 1 Talking Heads 77.
1. Remain in Light (1 and 2 have changed places for me many times over the past 40 years) 2. Speaking in Tongues 3. Fear of Music 4. More Songs About Buildings and Food 5. 77 6. Naked 7. Little Creatures 8. True Stories Where did you find this Joe guy? His 7th place vote skewed the entire list. Otherwise, a nice discussion of my favorite band for over two decades (1980-2003). I do take issue with one thing that Jason said. Scary Monsters was not a straight up pop album. It was a masterpiece of avant garde rock as edgy as anything released in 1980. Ashes to Ashes was a hit single, but the even that song sounded nothing like anything Bowie had released before. To me, Scary Monsters and Remain in Light are more closely related. I will never forget the night in October, 1980 when I heard Remain in Light and Scary Monsters for the first time. My mind was opened to an expanded world of sound that was totally new to me. Some of the similarity is probably due to the personnel working on Remain in Light. Eno produced Remain in Light after working with Bowie for three previous albums and Talking Heads. Adrian Belew toured with TH after recording and touring with Bowie. They were drawing from the same well of influences. Both are remarkable albums that remain in my top 5 to this day.
I mean, it's not like a Madonna record or something like that, obviously. Nor is it Let's Dance. But I do think it's a refinement of what he had being doing on prior albums into something that was more accessible to unfamiliar ears. That's all I meant. Speaking in Tongues isn't really a pop record either, but they're both poppy in their own way. -Jason
Since Jason was sporting his "Speaking In Tongues" tshirt, I knew it had to be his #1 ! My list is quite similiar #8 - True Stories #7 - Naked #6 - '77 #5 - Little Creatures #4 - More Songs #3 - Fear Of Music #2 - Remain In Light #1 - Speaking In Tongues If we could include live records, I would put "Stop Making Sense" between "Speaking" & "Remain" and "The Name Of This Band" between "Fear Of Music" & "More Songs"...
Little Creatures is a great album! IMHO! My number 1 despite so many other greats in their discography. I know it is a live album and as a result does not count but Stop Making Sense may be their greatest album! Love the concert video as well! Wrote my comment prior to listening to your closing comments!
Fear of Music hands down. At the time there had been nothing like it. Their first lp opened a door in my listening world and this album kicked me in the room.
1. Remain in Light 2. Fear of Music 3. Stop Making Sense 4. More Songs About Buildings and Food 5. Speaking in Tongues 6. The Name of This Band is Talking Heads 7. 77 8. Little Creatures 9. Naked 10. True Stories
They're all really great, but I favor the Eno records. (He's my Rundgren) 1. Fear of music 2. Remain in light 3. More songs about buildings and food 4. Little creatures 5. Speaking in tongues 6. Talking heads '77 7. True stories 8. Naked
8) Naked 7) Talking Heads ‘77 6) Fear of Music 5) More Songs About Buildings and Food 4) Little Creatures 3) Remain In Light 2/1) Speaking In Tongues / True Stories SiT and TS could go either way depending on the day
I can actually releate to Joe in a sense think if Joe would give it a few more listens he will like it more. It slowly grows on you cause when I first heard remain in light I wasn't a fan at all
My talking heads ranking 1. Fear of music 2. Remain in light 3. More songs 4. Speaking in tongues 5. 77 6. Little creatures 7. Naked 8. True stories And I'm a huge talking heads fan
I do think Remain In Light is overrated, but I wouldn't put it at #7. Props to Joe for calling it as he sees it tho. My personal favorite is Fear Of Music. Phish covered the entire Remain In Light album on Halloween night 1996, I highly recommend for TH fans!
Good work guys. True Stories is produced by the same guy that did Squeeze's Babylon and On album (ET Thorngren) - worth listening to those 2 records back to back to hear the similarity in the sounds and arrangements. Looking forward to reading Chris Frantz new autobiography - apparently he's pretty down on David Byrne in it.
1. Speaking in tongues 2. Fear of music 3. Remain in light 4. Little creatures 5. Talking heads 77 6. True stories 7. More songs about buildings and food 8. Naked
In the early '80s I loved making compilation cassettes with my trusty Nakamichi, but I seldom bothered with pre-recorded cassettes. One big exception was the cassette version of 'Speaking in Tongues' which had extended versions of a number of tracks, like 'Making Flippy Floppy'. This stretches out L. Shankar's electric violin solo and transforms the track into something else. Very cool. Then there was the limited edition clear vinyl version in the plastic Rauschenberg designed cover. Even cooler...
Wow, Joe and I usually have the same favourites/similar rankings. I recently discovered Abba and love them. Also, I'm on a Talking Heads binge at the moment and I still don't get Remain in Light, but I love Fear of Music, which is my #1 too.
I bought the first four albums soon after they were released but I only have Little Creatures after that plus the two great live albums. I need to give More Songs and Fear of Music another listen before I can rank them.
I started doing this discography simultaneously with the SOTY-lists. Before doing it I only knew ‘Remain in Light’ and a few other singles. After going through all these albums, I absolutely love them. Probably a Top 5 band of all time for me now. I always hate when people say this, but I think this band has no bad song in their entire discography. Very remarkable. Good Albums (3 Stars): 8. More Songs About Buildings and Food (This album is way less inventive and interesting than the debut. It’s still good and all, but compared to its predecessor it’s missing a lot. ‘Found A Job’ and ‘Warning Sign’ are great though.) Really Good Albums (4 Stars): 7. Naked (A great final album. It connects all their 80s albums and therefore wraps up their work in a good way. I don’t see them going anywhere after this album, so I think it was the right move for them to disband. It may be not as strong as their other 80s albums, but it still contains fantastic songs like ‘[Nothing But) Flowers’ and ‘Democratic Circus’.) 6. Little Creatures (The Talking Heads‘ poppiest album. If I would have lived back in the 80s it would’ve disappointed me after that two spectacular albums before it, but it’s a really solid album without bad tracks.) 5. Fear of Music (‘I Zimbra’ as an album opener is really interesting, but doesn’t really sound like anything else on the album. The album is pretty good though, no bad songs at all. I like it a lot!) Amazing Albums (5 Stars): 4. Talking Heads: 77 (Bold, inventive, eventful. One of the best debut albums I’ve ever heard. Full of amazing and unique ideas mark the start of their amazing career. I love it. ‘Psycho Killer’ is actually the least interesting track on this album, still a good song.) 3. True Stories (‘Puzzlin’ Evidence’ may be a bit too long, but apart from that, an awesome and very underrated album. Possibly their most varied album, stylistically. They try to incorporate a lot of genres on this one, and they’re so good at it!) 2. Speaking in Tongues (This is the Pop version of ‘Remain in Light’, which means it’s a fantastic album that keeps your toe tappin’ all the time. This record is a lot of fun and the best songs like ‘Girlfriend is Better’ and ‘This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)’ challenge the brilliance of its predecessor. While overall not as consistent as ‘Remain in Light’, it is more accessible and a proof that they still have great ideas after their Magnum Opus.) 1. Remain in Light (A masterpiece. Unparalleled in creativity. No weak spots, a perfect album that pushes the boundaries and redefines Pop and Rock Music.)
My list: 8) Naked 7) True Stories 6) Speaking in Tongues 5) Little Creatures 4) Fear of Music 3) Talking Heads: 77 2) More Songs About Buildings and Food 1) Remain in Light
my ranking 8.naked 3/10 7.True Stories 5/10 6.Little Creatures 6/10 5.Talking Heads 77 7,5/10 4.Fear Of Music 8,75/10 (I know it's a bad opinion) 3.Speaking In Tongues 9/10 2.Remain In Light 9,75/10 1.More Songs About Buildings And Food (again a bad opinion
Talking heads thank you. I’m a big fan of the channel some of the artists not so much so - I’m sure my earlier post had no influence but it made my Tuesday True Stories was sung by the cast in the movie - it was a film then an album - worth a watch. Speaking in tongues the best album I have to agree completely There’s no ‘the’ in talking heads unlike the u2 lol Boys you made my week again
1. Remain in Light 2. Fear of Music 3. Talking Head: 77 4. More Songs About Buildings and Food 5. Speaking in Tongues 6. Little Creatures 7. True Stories 8. Naked
I can see Speaking in Tongues as the best album front to back, so solid. But Fear of Music eclipses it with the experimentation and their greatest 1,2 punch - Cities & Life During Wartime.
1 - Speaking In Tongues 2 - Remain In Light 3 - Fear of Music 4 - More Songs About Buildings And Food 5 - Talking Heads 77 6 - Naked 7 - Little Creatures 8 - True Stories
Definitely no other band like Talking Heads: 1. Fear of Music - 5 stars 2. Remain in Light - 4.5 stars 3. More Songs About Buildings and Food - 4.5 stars 4. Talking Heads '77 - 4 stars 5. Speaking in Tongues - 4 stars 6. Little Creatures - 3.5 stars 7. True Stories - 3.5 stars 8. Naked - 3 stars
1.More Songs About Buildings and Food 2.Fear Of Music 3.Remain in Light These 3 are a tier above their rest. They're best live album is Name of this Band is The Talking Heads.
1. Fear of Music 2. More Songs About Buildings & Food 3. Remain in Light 4. '77 5. Speaking in Tongues 6. Little Creatures 7. True Stories 8. Naked I'd say my top three are 5 star classics and "'77" and "Tongues" are 4-and-a-half star near-classics.
"Naked" sounds like a different band entirely - still, not a bad record. I think I enjoy "True Stories" more than all of you. I couldn't believe how good it was the first time I heard it. The rest of their albums are approximately on par with one another...I think I might like "Fear of Music" the most.
I genuinely don't understand why naked is universally derided.the songs are incredible Johnny marrs playing and kirsty maccolls vocals compliment the brilliant arrangements on their best album since remain in light
It's head music - no pun intended. I recently got into the habit of listening to music through (big) headphones, and suddenly I appreciate this band all the more 😎
Mine is 1. Fear Of Music 2. Remain In Light (probably would be #1 but I don’t like “The Overload” that much) 3. 77 4. Little Creatures 5. More Songs About Buildings And Food 6. Speaking In Tongues 7. Naked 8. True Stories. I agree that Stop Making Sense might be the best Talking Heads release, but it most definitely needs to be seen rather than just heard for that, and also agree that Remain In Light at #7 might be the channel’s biggest hot take (or at least after Jason putting Manifesto as the #1 Roxy Music album 😜). That might be like ranking The Beatles and putting Abbey Road at #11.
FINALLY, a band Jason and I actually agree on! And I don’t like Remain in Light either, Joe. Once you guys see the film True Stories, you will appreciate the album a lot more. Here’s my ranks: 8. Remain in Light 7. 77 6. Speaking in Tongues 5. Little Creatures 4. Naked (I prefer the back half) 3. True Stories 2. More Songs About Buildings and Food 1. Fear of Music!
Tina is my favorite part of talking heads. I love the tina love in this video she is amazing especially for not known ng how to play bass til she join the band
I guess that if No Talking, Just Head were to be included, it'll be easy to see where it gets ranked. That's of course assuming anyone acknowledges its existence.
Early Talking Heads, that is, Talking Heads feat. Brian Eno, is pretty much what is there in terms of new wave, purely. I would even place them above The Cure and Joy Division, as far as precocity, congruity and development are concerned.
8 More Songs About Buildings and Food 7 Speaking in Tongues 6 True Stories 5 Naked 4 Little Creatures 3 Talking Heads 77 2 Remain in Light 1 Fear of Music
1. Remain in Light (1980) 2. Little Creatures (1985) *super underrated! 3. Fear of Music (1979) 4. More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978) 5. Speaking in Tongues (1983) *some stellar heights, but a tiny bit overrated 6. Naked (1988) 7. Talking Heads: 77 (1977) 8. True Stories (1986)
@@curly_wyn F. Of M. is my 2nd fav LP. You’re in the minority. Critical reception for Remain In Light was then, and is still now, greater. So, actually, you’re wrong- deal with it. 😂
@@acemacgruber6593 That doesn’t make it better. Remain in Light is front loaded and too varying from track to track while Fear of Music is the most consistent throughout.
@@curly_wyn Sure it does. The critics are right. Fear of Music was a transitional LP. Pop songs with their expanding rhythmic experimentation. Remain In Light was their fully realized LP. Speaking in Tongues was post peak imo, and my third favorite of theirs.
I've been (semi-alphabetically) been listening through the artists featured on your channel, so sorry for spamming lol One of my friends is a massive Talking Heads fan and he have tried getting me into them for a couple of years, but while they have a couple of really good songs I don't think have a great album. 8. Naked (1988) ★★ 7. True Stories (1986) ★★½ 6. Remain in Light (1980) ★★★ 5. More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978) ★★★ 4. Fear of Music (1979) ★★★ 3. Little Creatures (1985) ★★★ 2. Speaking in Tongues (1983) ★★★ 1. Talking Heads: 77 (1977) ★★★½ ★★★★★ - Masterpiece ★★★★½ - Really great ★★★★ - Great ★★★½ - Really good ★★★ - Good ★★½ - OK ★★ - Bad ★½ - Really bad ★ - Awful ½ - The worst
wow...im surprised 77 ranked so low. its not only my favorite TH album it is one of my favorites ever. i like the fact that its stripped down...sounds like four people starting a band. not flashy or over produced...not a dance freak show.
I'm shocked as well. 77 is the T-Heads at their most natural and immediate and Byrne at his quirky best, not pretentious like much of the later work. It's my #1 T-Heads and many classic rock loving friends back in the day could handle 77.
Mine is PRETTY predictable: 8. Naked; 7. Little Creatures; 6. True Stories; 5. Fear of music; 4. Talking Heads: 77; 3. More Songs About Buildings and Food; 2. Remain in Light; 1. Speaking In Tongues
Remain is not the most over-rated album in history - it's a masterpiece.
I think it’s a little overrated, but it’s still a great album. The last two tracks are a little weak I think. Definitely my favorite or at least second favorite from Talking Heads.
personal y bordes me to death. repetitive and same tone all over.
Absolutely. It’s perfect, and some people really need to expand and broaden their musical horizons lol.
@@distantsalutations9120The last two tracks are awesome, nothing weak.
I tend to agree. It is indeed a masterpiece. I heard it on psychedelics- It blew my mind-literally. The guitar solos, the intense rhythms and textures- it's out of this world.
Remain in light is a god damn masterpiece.
It felt like it at the time but I haven't wanted to hear it for decades. There's very little melody and it is very pretentious, hiring all these world musicians to come up with something kind of new, which it was, but to hear it years later, it's mostly boring. It rank #4 for me.
Yeah, I try not to write hyperbolic comments, but Joe is a moronic piece of shit for ranking it so low.
@@alankoslowski9473 Relax, lol
Agreed- I’d rank it maybe 6th or even 7th too
@@curly_wyn I always think of jeopardy when I hear that song on the radio. Goofy as heck. But I still try and give them a chance because of all the acclaim. They seem to be the godfathers of pretentious alternative music though.
Remain in light is one of The best Albums in Pop History.
Don’t know about that lol. Best in pop history? Come on now.
Me neither!
Kram - as in most of the videos - makes the most sense by far. I love the dynamic between all three but Remain in the light at the number 7 is ridiculous.
Genuinely
My face when Joe said “Remain in Light” 😳🙄 Great vid guys. Great band and one of the most solid discographies in music history. Consistent.
Then followed it up by saying he also doesn't get In Rainbows lol
@@aleksandarfrick2656 Are u sure? He looks like the oldest one there.
@@curly_wyn I think they're all like 35 or older. Certainly not too young to have an opinion.
@@mck7646yeah, you’re right. Joe’s the middle child. Jason was born in 1984, Joe was born in 1985 and Kramzer was born in 1986.
8: Naked (1988)
7: More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)
6: Talking Heads ‘77 (1977)
5: True Stories (1986)
4: Speaking in Tongues (1983)
3: Remain in Light (1980)
2: Fear of Music (1979)
1: Little Creatures (1985)
Stop Making Sense is amazing too
Way to go, Joe. Love your skepticism of phoniness and the acknowledgement of Fear of Music.
Ok I know this is over a year old already, but I just have to say that I personally had ranked all Talking Heads studio albums the exact same order as Jason before I even knew you guys existed, and I was just sitting there going insane when he’d describe the same opinion as me on every album. Stellar video right here.
'The Great Curve' is a revelation. One of the greatest songs of all time. Kramzer's expression when Joe ranks it speaks for all of us.
completely agree.
I've never been into Talking Heads that much, I'll try to listen to them again, I'll come back when i've finished
@@elmotm5441 oh yes, i quite like them, I bought a couple of CD's, maybe a second hand vinyl too soon
Talking Heads never made a bad album. I don't usually like bands that are overproduced as such. But they do that whilst still keeping an edge. Great band.
P.S - "Stop Making Sense" is a great live album.
8. Naked
7. True Stories
6. Little Creatures
5. 1977
4. More Songs About Buildings..
3. Remain In Light
2. Speaking In Tongues
1. Fear Of Music
Agree, they never made a bad album.
Been hoping for this one for some time. You guys are the best.
Remain In Light at #7 hehe...
Once again: great rundown!!! 👍
Talking Heads is one of the rare bands where the albums that introduced me to them didn't end up as my favorites. As a teenager in the 80s, I knew about them through Speaking in Tongues, Little Creatures, True Stories and finally Naked, and only later familiarized myself with the debut album and the Eno era. The latter are my top 3, with Remain in Light as a probably obvious #1. Naked is their poorest but still a very fine album, having iconic ironic lyrics in "Nothing but flowers".
The live Name Of This Band Is... was reissued some years ago and that is what I gravitate to these days. But really everything Talking Heads did through Little Creatures ( Kram nailed it regarding the songwriting). Great analysis guys
My list would be like Jason's exactly. Fantastic comments guys. Keep up the good work!
If you were around when 77 was released, you would appreciate it more. It was very unique for it's time.
ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...heard Psycho Killer on college radio when i was 13. bought the album and guess what? i liked all the other tracks more...youre rite Stuff...you had to be there when it happened!!
Exactly
@@waynedexter even though I watch their channel, they're stuck in the college rock genre.
Little Creatures was THE album in my last year of high school and still the Talking Heads album I reach for most often. Just fun, catchy pop. Love it.
1. Fear of Music
2. Remain in Light
3. Speaking in Tongues
4. Little Creatures
5. 77
6. More Songs
7. True Stories
8. Naked
Stop Making Sense is their definitive work.
My list;
1.remain in light
2.fear of music
3.77
4.naked
5.speaking in tongues
6.more songs about buildings n food
7.little creatures
8.true stories
I was 18 when they appeared and even among the ocean of new albums that came out in 1977 they stuck out and kept me hooked through their career. It helped that their one bad album was their last one. Their best release is "The Name of This Band is Talking Heads" that has superb versions of most of their songs. They made a long journey with just 8 albums from the CBGB background via the brilliant vehicle for Brian Eno's genius (call him their 5th member) to the world music approach that was still something special when they pioneered it.
1. More Songs About Buildings and Food (The Al Green cover is one of the greatest cover songs ever, and their version gets my credit for putting this singer onto my radar, I knew his hits before but Take Me to the River made me explore - pun intended - this artist deeper)
2. 77
3. Fear of Music
4. Remain in Light
5. Speaking in Tongues
6. Little Creatures
7. True Stories
8. Naked
And I think that all except Naked are essential albums that still make great listening experience today. (I partly agree with Joe on his rant about Byrne - when I recall his solo stuff, he may not be the genius people think he was but just a weirdo who sometimes gets it together just enough to produce interesting material.) Their secret weapon was Jerry Harrison who had already proven his abilities with the fantastic Modern Lovers first album.
PS - My list was ready before I started the video and I was sure that the only time we would agree on anything would be #8.
Your list is mine exactly
For me Remain in Light is my favourite TH album, simple as that.
Enjoying these thoughtful album rankings (p.s. I've never seen a Matthew Sweet worst-to-best anywhere. You could be first!)
I’m late to the party guys, but I love your channel! Great reviews for so many incredible bands. I’ve subscribed and can’t wait to check out all your reviews. Cheers ✌️❤️🇨🇦
Jason’s equation of Speaking In Tongues being analogous to Bowie’s Scary Monsters is PERFECT
8. Little Creatures - '85 - but ... Road To Nowhere ...blows my mind -
7. True Stories - '86 -
6. Speaking In Tongues - '83 -
5. Naked - '88 -
4. 77 -
3. More Songs About Buildings And Food - '78 -
2. Fear Of Music - '79 -
1. Remain In Light - 1980 - also Album Of The Year -
77 is the best for me but they are fairly consistently good. Byrne's later stuff is always interesting too.
"True Stories" is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's part mockumentary, part travel log, part Magical Realism, part treatise on Reaganomics and Modernism. It's largely a string of vignettes on dating, malls, architecture, civics, manufacturing, segregation, and colonialism.
If you enjoy podcasts like "This American Life," or "99% Invisible" this is a fantastic predecessor to them.
1. Remain in Light (Their masterpiece, it needs repeated playing, so much going on)
2. Speaking in Tongues (Dated in sound and production, but besides "Swamp" its fantastic)
3. Talking Heads '77 (Brilliant debut, and worth checking is the CBS (?) 1975 Demos for simpler arrangements)
4. Stop Making Sense (Everything on this is classic, check the outtakes "I Zimba" and one or two more)
5. The Name Of This Band Is..... (Sublime, almost all songs are better here than offical studio versions)
6. More Songs About Buildings & Food (Some truly intresing Eno overdubs, but 77 Part II Really (?!)
7. Fear Of Music (an clustrophic album done in 4 days, very good though, but not essensial except opener!)
8. Naked (Highly underrated, ditches their 83-87 style and goes back to the 79-83 with a 88 production, great album!)
9. Little creatures (A couple truly fantastic ideas, but come on, its no Speaking In Tongues)
10. True stories (+O.S.T.) (Wild Wild Life is probably the only trly great song for me)
Also not to be missed : "The Catherine Wheel" and "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts" which both to me is Talking Heads in all but name, and half of Jerry`s The Red & The Black is magnificent. The first Tom-Tom Club is fun, but nothing compared to Talking Heads 1975-1984. The Heads is a one time listen as is the rest, besides the odd one from later Byrne albums
Worth checking is all those Bonus/Rarities and Outtakes spread over the expanded CDs and Boxsets....
ALso there are tons of good sounding concerts out there specially the 1975-1983 Period !
Remain in Light = W
But Little Creatures is super underrated and I think definitely better than Speaking in Tongues.
I saw them do Artists Only on SNL as a kid & was hooked. Remain In Light is a masterpiece & Eno & Byrne were doing the remarkable My Life In The Bush Of 👻 simultaneously. Amazing 👏
My favorite one is SPEAKING IN TONGUES followed by REMAIN IN LIGHT
Just like Jason, I'm not a live albums person either.
Once in a Lifetime killed me when I was eight years old
Thanks guys. I find Naked overwhelmingly dull. 8 Naked. 7 Speaking in Tongues. 6 Remain in Light. 5 True Stories. 4 Fear of Music. 3 Little Creatures. 2 More Songs About Buildings and Food. 1 Talking Heads 77.
1. Remain in Light (1 and 2 have changed places for me many times over the past 40 years)
2. Speaking in Tongues
3. Fear of Music
4. More Songs About Buildings and Food
5. 77
6. Naked
7. Little Creatures
8. True Stories
Where did you find this Joe guy? His 7th place vote skewed the entire list. Otherwise, a nice discussion of my favorite band for over two decades (1980-2003).
I do take issue with one thing that Jason said. Scary Monsters was not a straight up pop album. It was a masterpiece of avant garde rock as edgy as anything released in 1980. Ashes to Ashes was a hit single, but the even that song sounded nothing like anything Bowie had released before. To me, Scary Monsters and Remain in Light are more closely related. I will never forget the night in October, 1980 when I heard Remain in Light and Scary Monsters for the first time. My mind was opened to an expanded world of sound that was totally new to me. Some of the similarity is probably due to the personnel working on Remain in Light. Eno produced Remain in Light after working with Bowie for three previous albums and Talking Heads. Adrian Belew toured with TH after recording and touring with Bowie. They were drawing from the same well of influences. Both are remarkable albums that remain in my top 5 to this day.
I mean, it's not like a Madonna record or something like that, obviously. Nor is it Let's Dance. But I do think it's a refinement of what he had being doing on prior albums into something that was more accessible to unfamiliar ears. That's all I meant. Speaking in Tongues isn't really a pop record either, but they're both poppy in their own way. -Jason
I agree with Joe on Remain in Light. He’s the voice of the people!
I thought that side one of Fear Of Music was absolutely incredible.
1. Remain. 2. Fear. 3. Speaking. 4. More Songs. 5. True Stories. 6 Little Creatures. 7. 77. 8. Naked.
Since Jason was sporting his "Speaking In Tongues" tshirt, I knew it had to be his #1 !
My list is quite similiar
#8 - True Stories
#7 - Naked
#6 - '77
#5 - Little Creatures
#4 - More Songs
#3 - Fear Of Music
#2 - Remain In Light
#1 - Speaking In Tongues
If we could include live records, I would put "Stop Making Sense" between "Speaking" & "Remain" and "The Name Of This Band" between "Fear Of Music" & "More Songs"...
Fun fact: the band radiohead got their name from the song radiohead
Little Creatures is a great album! IMHO! My number 1 despite so many other greats in their discography. I know it is a live album and as a result does not count but Stop Making Sense may be their greatest album! Love the concert video as well! Wrote my comment prior to listening to your closing comments!
Fear of Music hands down. At the time there had been nothing like it. Their first lp opened a door in my listening world and this album kicked me in the room.
Agreed. - Joe
Do Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Lucinda Williams, Nick Cave and Tom Waits!
1. Remain in Light
2. Fear of Music
3. Stop Making Sense
4. More Songs About Buildings and Food
5. Speaking in Tongues
6. The Name of This Band is Talking Heads
7. 77
8. Little Creatures
9. Naked
10. True Stories
They're all really great, but I favor the Eno records. (He's my Rundgren)
1. Fear of music
2. Remain in light
3. More songs about buildings and food
4. Little creatures
5. Speaking in tongues
6. Talking heads '77
7. True stories
8. Naked
8) Naked
7) Talking Heads ‘77
6) Fear of Music
5) More Songs About Buildings and Food
4) Little Creatures
3) Remain In Light
2/1) Speaking In Tongues / True Stories
SiT and TS could go either way depending on the day
I can actually releate to Joe in a sense think if Joe would give it a few more listens he will like it more. It slowly grows on you cause when I first heard remain in light I wasn't a fan at all
I’ll eventually give it another listen - Joe
My talking heads ranking
1. Fear of music
2. Remain in light
3. More songs
4. Speaking in tongues
5. 77
6. Little creatures
7. Naked
8. True stories
And I'm a huge talking heads fan
Remain In Light is probably my favorite album they ever put out, but I also recognize that it may not exactly be everyone’s flavor
I do think Remain In Light is overrated, but I wouldn't put it at #7. Props to Joe for calling it as he sees it tho.
My personal favorite is Fear Of Music.
Phish covered the entire Remain In Light album on Halloween night 1996, I highly recommend for TH fans!
1. Remain in light
2. Fear of music
3. 77
4. Speaking in tongues
5. More songs...
6. Little creatures
7. True stories
8. Naked
Kram's comment about Talking Heads being at their best when exploding within the bubble of traditional pop... very well put. 5 stars!
Good work guys. True Stories is produced by the same guy that did Squeeze's Babylon and On album (ET Thorngren) - worth listening to those 2 records back to back to hear the similarity in the sounds and arrangements. Looking forward to reading Chris Frantz new autobiography - apparently he's pretty down on David Byrne in it.
1. Speaking in tongues
2. Fear of music
3. Remain in light
4. Little creatures
5. Talking heads 77
6. True stories
7. More songs about buildings and food
8. Naked
Fear of Music and Remain in Light are by far their two best albums.
In the early '80s I loved making compilation cassettes with my trusty Nakamichi, but I seldom bothered with pre-recorded cassettes. One big exception was the cassette version of 'Speaking in Tongues' which had extended versions of a number of tracks, like 'Making Flippy Floppy'. This stretches out L. Shankar's electric violin solo and transforms the track into something else. Very cool. Then there was the limited edition clear vinyl version in the plastic Rauschenberg designed cover. Even cooler...
brian eno is the indispensable ingredient to the band's creative zenith between more songs and remain in light
Brian Eno, more like Brian oh no. - Joe
Wow, Joe and I usually have the same favourites/similar rankings. I recently discovered Abba and love them. Also, I'm on a Talking Heads binge at the moment and I still don't get Remain in Light, but I love Fear of Music, which is my #1 too.
I bought the first four albums soon after they were released but I only have Little Creatures after that plus the two great live albums. I need to give More Songs and Fear of Music another listen before I can rank them.
I started doing this discography simultaneously with the SOTY-lists. Before doing it I only knew ‘Remain in Light’ and a few other singles. After going through all these albums, I absolutely love them. Probably a Top 5 band of all time for me now. I always hate when people say this, but I think this band has no bad song in their entire discography. Very remarkable.
Good Albums (3 Stars):
8. More Songs About Buildings and Food
(This album is way less inventive and interesting than the debut. It’s still good and all, but compared to its predecessor it’s missing a lot. ‘Found A Job’ and ‘Warning Sign’ are great though.)
Really Good Albums (4 Stars):
7. Naked
(A great final album. It connects all their 80s albums and therefore wraps up their work in a good way. I don’t see them going anywhere after this album, so I think it was the right move for them to disband. It may be not as strong as their other 80s albums, but it still contains fantastic songs like ‘[Nothing But) Flowers’ and ‘Democratic Circus’.)
6. Little Creatures
(The Talking Heads‘ poppiest album. If I would have lived back in the 80s it would’ve disappointed me after that two spectacular albums before it, but it’s a really solid album without bad tracks.)
5. Fear of Music
(‘I Zimbra’ as an album opener is really interesting, but doesn’t really sound like anything else on the album. The album is pretty good though, no bad songs at all. I like it a lot!)
Amazing Albums (5 Stars):
4. Talking Heads: 77
(Bold, inventive, eventful. One of the best debut albums I’ve ever heard. Full of amazing and unique ideas mark the start of their amazing career. I love it. ‘Psycho Killer’ is actually the least interesting track on this album, still a good song.)
3. True Stories
(‘Puzzlin’ Evidence’ may be a bit too long, but apart from that, an awesome and very underrated album. Possibly their most varied album, stylistically. They try to incorporate a lot of genres on this one, and they’re so good at it!)
2. Speaking in Tongues
(This is the Pop version of ‘Remain in Light’, which means it’s a fantastic album that keeps your toe tappin’ all the time. This record is a lot of fun and the best songs like ‘Girlfriend is Better’ and ‘This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)’ challenge the brilliance of its predecessor. While overall not as consistent as ‘Remain in Light’, it is more accessible and a proof that they still have great ideas after their Magnum Opus.)
1. Remain in Light
(A masterpiece. Unparalleled in creativity. No weak spots, a perfect album that pushes the boundaries and redefines Pop and Rock Music.)
My list:
8) Naked
7) True Stories
6) Speaking in Tongues
5) Little Creatures
4) Fear of Music
3) Talking Heads: 77
2) More Songs About Buildings and Food
1) Remain in Light
my ranking
8.naked 3/10
7.True Stories 5/10
6.Little Creatures 6/10
5.Talking Heads 77 7,5/10
4.Fear Of Music 8,75/10 (I know it's a bad opinion)
3.Speaking In Tongues 9/10
2.Remain In Light 9,75/10
1.More Songs About Buildings And Food (again a bad opinion
Talking heads thank you. I’m a big fan of the channel some of the artists not so much so - I’m sure my earlier post had no influence but it made my Tuesday
True Stories was sung by the cast in the movie - it was a film then an album - worth a watch.
Speaking in tongues the best album I have to agree completely
There’s no ‘the’ in talking heads unlike the u2 lol
Boys you made my week again
1. Remain in Light
2. Fear of Music
3. Talking Head: 77
4. More Songs About Buildings and Food
5. Speaking in Tongues
6. Little Creatures
7. True Stories
8. Naked
I can see Speaking in Tongues as the best album front to back, so solid. But Fear of Music eclipses it with the experimentation and their greatest 1,2 punch - Cities & Life During Wartime.
I love how jason always has something in the background on his video, be cat, a dog , and I think his wife one time
I liken "Wild Wild Life", which I love, to Bukowski's line "Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead".
1 - Speaking In Tongues
2 - Remain In Light
3 - Fear of Music
4 - More Songs About Buildings And Food
5 - Talking Heads 77
6 - Naked
7 - Little Creatures
8 - True Stories
Jason’s ranking is almost completely the same as Anthony Fantano’s list except he switched remain in light and speaking in tongues
Definitely no other band like Talking Heads:
1. Fear of Music - 5 stars
2. Remain in Light - 4.5 stars
3. More Songs About Buildings and Food - 4.5 stars
4. Talking Heads '77 - 4 stars
5. Speaking in Tongues - 4 stars
6. Little Creatures - 3.5 stars
7. True Stories - 3.5 stars
8. Naked - 3 stars
Enjoyed this. I’d contribute my own ranking but this one is TOUGH. Top notch band...
1.More Songs About Buildings and Food
2.Fear Of Music
3.Remain in Light
These 3 are a tier above their rest. They're best live album is Name of this Band is The Talking Heads.
I agree - More Songs is their best album, with Fear and Remain jostling for 2nd and 3rd places. The groove just keeps on coming in More Songs.
Joe was crazy for ranking RIL #7; however, I applaud him for putting Fear of Music at #1.
1. Fear of Music
2. More Songs About Buildings & Food
3. Remain in Light
4. '77
5. Speaking in Tongues
6. Little Creatures
7. True Stories
8. Naked
I'd say my top three are 5 star classics and "'77" and "Tongues" are 4-and-a-half star near-classics.
8. True Stories
7. Naked
6. Little Creatures
5. Speaking in Tongues
4. More Songs About Buildings and Food
3. Fear of Music
2. 77
1. Remain in Light
"Naked" sounds like a different band entirely - still, not a bad record. I think I enjoy "True Stories" more than all of you. I couldn't believe how good it was the first time I heard it. The rest of their albums are approximately on par with one another...I think I might like "Fear of Music" the most.
Remain in Light is awesome, but I think I like Speaking in Tongues better.
I know I do. - Joe
I genuinely don't understand why naked is universally derided.the songs are incredible Johnny marrs playing and kirsty maccolls vocals compliment the brilliant arrangements on their best album since remain in light
Little Creatures is my fave.
It's head music - no pun intended. I recently got into the habit of listening to music through (big) headphones, and suddenly I appreciate this band all the more 😎
That's a good habit. -Jason
Mine is 1. Fear Of Music 2. Remain In Light (probably would be #1 but I don’t like “The Overload” that much) 3. 77 4. Little Creatures 5. More Songs About Buildings And Food 6. Speaking In Tongues 7. Naked 8. True Stories. I agree that Stop Making Sense might be the best Talking Heads release, but it most definitely needs to be seen rather than just heard for that, and also agree that Remain In Light at #7 might be the channel’s biggest hot take (or at least after Jason putting Manifesto as the #1 Roxy Music album 😜). That might be like ranking The Beatles and putting Abbey Road at #11.
Actually I don’t think anything could be a hotter take than Kramzer’s putting Cut The Crap third on The Clash list. 😜
1. Speaking in Tongues
2. 77
3. Remain in Light
4. Fear of Music
5. True Stories
6. More Songs
7. Naked
8. Little Creatures
FINALLY, a band Jason and I actually agree on! And I don’t like Remain in Light either, Joe. Once you guys see the film True Stories, you will appreciate the album a lot more. Here’s my ranks:
8. Remain in Light
7. 77
6. Speaking in Tongues
5. Little Creatures
4. Naked (I prefer the back half)
3. True Stories
2. More Songs About Buildings and Food
1. Fear of Music!
Tina is my favorite part of talking heads. I love the tina love in this video she is amazing especially for not known ng how to play bass til she join the band
I guess that if No Talking, Just Head were to be included, it'll be easy to see where it gets ranked. That's of course assuming anyone acknowledges its existence.
I own it. It does exist. -Jason
I only really need Remain in Light and Fear of Music. U2??? David Byrnes guitar playing on Fear of Music is outstanding
There are a lot of individual tracks I love but Remain in Light is the only one I listen to as an album.
3. Fear of Music
2. Speaking in Tongues
1. Remain in Light
Naked always feels like a david byrne solo album more for sure
Early Talking Heads, that is, Talking Heads feat. Brian Eno, is pretty much what is there in terms of new wave, purely. I would even place them above The Cure and Joy Division, as far as precocity, congruity and development are concerned.
8 More Songs About Buildings and Food
7 Speaking in Tongues
6 True Stories
5 Naked
4 Little Creatures
3 Talking Heads 77
2 Remain in Light
1 Fear of Music
1. Remain in Light (1980)
2. Little Creatures (1985) *super underrated!
3. Fear of Music (1979)
4. More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)
5. Speaking in Tongues (1983) *some stellar heights, but a tiny bit overrated
6. Naked (1988)
7. Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
8. True Stories (1986)
I also know why Joe doesn't like remain in light, adrian belew
Remain In Light was…and is, brilliant. It was The Talking Heads pinnacle achievement.
Wrong. It’s overrated as hell. Fear of Music is much better.
@@curly_wyn F. Of M. is my 2nd fav LP. You’re in the minority. Critical reception for Remain In Light was then, and is still now, greater. So, actually, you’re wrong- deal with it. 😂
@@acemacgruber6593 That doesn’t make it better. Remain in Light is front loaded and too varying from track to track while Fear of Music is the most consistent throughout.
@@curly_wyn Sure it does. The critics are right. Fear of Music was a transitional LP. Pop songs with their expanding rhythmic experimentation. Remain In Light was their fully realized LP. Speaking in Tongues was post peak imo, and my third favorite of theirs.
I've been (semi-alphabetically) been listening through the artists featured on your channel, so sorry for spamming lol
One of my friends is a massive Talking Heads fan and he have tried getting me into them for a couple of years, but while they have a couple of really good songs I don't think have a great album.
8. Naked (1988) ★★
7. True Stories (1986) ★★½
6. Remain in Light (1980) ★★★
5. More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978) ★★★
4. Fear of Music (1979) ★★★
3. Little Creatures (1985) ★★★
2. Speaking in Tongues (1983) ★★★
1. Talking Heads: 77 (1977) ★★★½
★★★★★ - Masterpiece
★★★★½ - Really great
★★★★ - Great
★★★½ - Really good
★★★ - Good
★★½ - OK
★★ - Bad
★½ - Really bad
★ - Awful
½ - The worst
We love it.
LITTLE CREATURES IS MY TOP 1 : TELEVISION MAN , PERFECT WORLD ,THE LADY DON T MIND ARE THEIR PEAK. MAYBE YOU NEED TO HEARD IT AGAIN
Heard it many times. It’s pretty good. - Joe
wow...im surprised 77 ranked so low. its not only my favorite TH album it is one of my favorites ever. i like the fact that its stripped down...sounds like four people starting a band. not flashy or over produced...not a dance freak show.
and brian eno can bugger off!!
I'm shocked as well. 77 is the T-Heads at their most natural and immediate and Byrne at his quirky best, not pretentious like much of the later work. It's my #1 T-Heads and many classic rock loving friends back in the day could handle 77.
Equal closest with Pavement that I've found so far to my own ranking, and once again it's Jason. This time he has 1 & 2 reversed.
Mine is PRETTY predictable: 8. Naked; 7. Little Creatures; 6. True Stories; 5. Fear of music; 4. Talking Heads: 77; 3. More Songs About Buildings and Food; 2. Remain in Light; 1. Speaking In Tongues
Joe you won me overrrrr with your top 2 where friends now
If you don't get 'Remain in Light', you don't get it.
I don’t want it. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic Rookie!
Fear of Music is the top stop for me.
Me to with close remain in light at 2nd