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From: jeff@dciem.UUCP (Jeff Richardson)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Record review:  Talking Heads' "Little Creatures"
Message-ID: <1627@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 10:16:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: dciem.1627
Posted: Fri Jul 12 10:16:54 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 12-Jul-85 14:07:10 EDT
References: 
Reply-To: jeff@dciem.UUCP ( Richardson)
Distribution: net
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 56
Summary: 

> One thing Talking Heads isn't is predictable.  The newest album,
> "Little Creatures", is a departure from "Speaking in Tongues" in almost
> every way.
> ....
> The musical style of "Little Creatures" is a lot closer to "Talking
> Heads 77" and "More Songs about Buildings and Food" than it is to
> anything that came after them.
> ....
> Final rating:  *** (out of ****) if you prefer early Talking Heads to
> recent, **1/2 if you don't.

While I agree mostly with the review quoted above, it could be a little
misleading.  It's true that it is probably more like "77" and "Buildings
And Food" than anything that came after them, but:

1. It's still very different from "77" and "Buildings And Food", and

2. You don't have to like "77" and "Buildings And Food" to like "Little
Creatures".

Let me explain:  "Speaking In Tongues" started a trend back toward the
leaner sound of their earlier work, and "Little Creatures" goes much further
in that direction, but instead of being just a regression to their earlier
style, it's also a PROgression because traces of their "Remain In Light" to
"Speaking In Tongues" period remain, and new influences (like country) are
added.  So although the basic framework of the music is close to their early
work, it's definitely not an album that could have been done right after "More
Songs About Buildings And Food" or "Fear Of Music".  It might not make much
sense to call it regressive and progressive at the same time, but that's
exactly my impression of it.

And now for a little history about what kind of Talking Heads fan I am:
"Remain In Light" is by far my favourite Talking Heads album, and my second
favourite is Jerry Harrison's solo album "The Red And The Black", which is
more Remain In Light-like than any other Talking Heads album is.  I think
their first two albums are not bad, but I don't think they're all that
great either (although I recognise their great historical importance and how
original and revolutionary they were at the time).  I doubt that I would
replace them if they got stolen or something.  I was disappointed with
"Speaking In Tongues" because I saw it as a departure from something I liked
toward something that I didn't really like, and it didn't seem to be breaking
any new ground.  After listening to "Little Creatures" a couple of times, I
felt pretty much the same way, and that it was an even further slide into
mediocrity.  I even thought to myself that Talking Heads may have been a
one album band, and that I'll never buy another one of their albums.
HOWEVER, after giving "Little Creatures" a few more plays, I'm more able to
judge it independently rather than by comparing it with their earlier work,
and I find that the more I play it, the more I like it.  Now I think it's
great, and I'm glad they went the direction they did.  After all, if I want
to listen to music in the style of "Remain In Light", I can listen to "Remain
In Light" or "The Red And The Black".  "Little Creatures" is something new
and different, and it's great too.
-- 
Jeff Richardson, DCIEM, Toronto  (416) 635-2073
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