sofo@ihuxm.UUCP (Terry Bermes) (12/05/84)
Recently an author of an article made a couple of comments regarding Brian
Eno's influence over Talking Heads that warrant another viewpoint.
The author stated that, until Eno, Talking Heads was an "ordinary new wave
band". I disagree. Their early music may have seemed ordinary in retrospect
because so many other bands have come and gone since that time. They were one
of the first of the minimalist bands who showed a total distaste for the
overproduction and overcommercialization that had become so prevalent in the
music industry by the mid-seventies. They were not following the "mainstream'
of the punk or "new wave" movements. Behind David Byrne's paranoid skepticism
there was a note of optimism ("Don't Worry About the Government" and "Uh Oh,
Love Comes to Town" to name two). They were one of the first and they are one
of the few to survive.
The second comment gave Eno full credit for Talking Heads' "transformation"
into one of the most important bands of the eighties. While I agree that they
are one of the most important bands, Eno's role was overemphasized. Yes the
producer does play an important part but the songs are still the band's and
the direction is still the band's choice. Eno didn't teach the Heads to write
songs, he didn't teach them to think. He didn't form their opinions for them.
Eno's role on "Remain in Light" nearly finished Talking Heads. As he moved
for more control (with Byrne's approval), resentment and discord grew among
the members. Basically, Eno tried to take over.
Talking Heads' success did not happen overnight with the release of "Remain
in Light" as was implied. The band's popularity grew with each successive
release. By this time "Take Me to the River" and "Life During Wartime" had
both been mild hits and, unfortunately if you remember the days of the small
clubs, their live audiences grew bigger and bigger.
I didn't find "Speaking In Tongues" to be a disappointment. More accessible,
yes that's probably true but you have to look at the situation of the band.
They're not quite as angry anymore, they're popular and David Byrne is in love.
This has definitly got to change their perspective. I like the songs on the
album even if the lyrics aren't as pointed. At this point maybe they need to
lighten up a bit, but they've done it without selling out and without losing
their integrity. As much as I preferred seeing Talking Heads in the smaller
clubs, the performance from the last tour was one of the most powerful and
intense performances I have ever seen. No, I'm not unhappy with their
progression.
Terry Bermeskdq@pthya.UUCP ( Kip Quackenbush) (12/06/84)
I agree with the author....
While it is true that Eno most surely did have SOME
influence over the band, it was David's idea to expand the band.
I was fortunate enough to see the Heads at UCB just prior to
'Speaking in Tongues' came out. Even though it was the seventh
time I'd seen them, their show is STILL one the most dynamic,
exciting events to be seen.
Eno is a force, but not too large to distort the Heads
just being the Heads!
--
Kip Quackenbush
pthya!kdq
{ihnp4,ucbvax,cbosgd,decwrl,amd,fortune,zehntel}!dual!pthya!kdq
Pacific Bell, Hayward, Californiastrock@fortune.UUCP (Gregory Strockbine) (12/08/84)
>The author stated that, until Eno, Talking Heads was an "ordinary new wave >band". I disagree. I agree, they were not an ordinary new wave band, I like the first couple of albums the best. >They're not quite as angry anymore, they're popular and David Byrne is in love. >This has definitly got to change their perspective. This probably explains why in their "Stop Making Sense Movie" that in spite of the lyrics "this ain't no disco, this ain't no party" in "Life During Wartime" they play the song with a disco beat and they're having so much fun it sure looks like a party. >As much as I preferred seeing Talking Heads in the smaller >clubs, I prefer seeing everyone in smaller clubs, I think a concert in a stadium is ridiculous.
jeff@dciem.UUCP (Jeff Richardson) (12/14/84)
Well, it looks like everybody and his brother disagrees with what I said
about Brian Eno and Talking Heads, so let me just (re)state my beliefs, and
hopefully fewer people will disagree with me. I believe in the following
points, even though other people have gotten the impression that I don't:
- Talking Heads are very creative and talented, and probably would have
made it big without Eno's help.
- The direction that the band took musically was their own choice, not Eno's.
- The pre-"Remain In Light" Talking Heads were not an ordinary new wave band.
They were great, revolutionary, and historically significant.
- Stadium and even arena concerts really suck. If you can't see a band in
a small place, don't see them at all.
However, I also believe in the following, which I don't think contradicts
anything I said above:
- Even though the band's musical direction was their own choice, I don't
think they'd be doing the type of music they've been doing since "Remain
In Light" if Eno, through his influence, hadn't provided them with that
alternative. The same can be said of Bowie's work with Eno, which in my
opinion is some of the best stuff he's ever done.
- By the time of "Remain In Light", the times were beginning to catch up with
Talking Heads as everybody else was recording the type of music that they
introduced. They needed a big change like "Remain In Light" in order to
continue to produce revolutionary and historically significant music, or
else they would have become just an ordinary new wave band.
- "Sp Eak In Gi N To Ngu Es" is a great album, but not, in my opinion, nearly
as good as "Remain In Light".
I hope that clears up some of the misunderstanding. I didn't mean to downgrade
the importance of Talking Heads themselves by emphasizing the importance of
Eno. Great albums like "Remain In Light" require excellence from both group
and producer.
--
Jeff Richardson, DCIEM, Toronto (416) 635-2073
{linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd}!utcsrgv!dciem!jeff
{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!dciem!jeff