A Wolf At The Door...: My Great Curve...

Saturday, February 6, 2010

My Great Curve...

the concert last night was awesome, but it was rough as far as beer slinging goes. lol still, i had a good time and the reverb from the speakers always makes me feel good. heh heh so, it's another saturday and i woke up late again. i decided to make dinner tonight and it turned out well. i'm happy to say, that my experiment was worth it. i won't say what all i made, but the shells and cheese turned out good. i just wish i had some commodity cheese to add to the mix instead of that slimy, bright orange/yellow stuff they send with the package.

i'm ready for another mega post, so here is a very influential band from the early days of american punk rock and nu-wave. they were ahead of their time, much like their peers, and they slummed it out in the clubs known for having such acts. (cbgb's and max's kansas city) i'm of course, talking about non other than, the Talking Heads.

the talking heads formed in new york city, in 1974 and played many shows all over the place until they broke up in 1991. (their first show was in 1975, opening for The Ramones at cbgb's.) led by charismatic lead singer, david byrne, the rest of the band consisted of chris farantz on drums with his wife, tina weymouth on bass and jerry harrison on guitars and keyboards. the band was highly influential in the early days of punk rock/post-punk/nu-wave/pop music in new york. they were always the odd one's out of the bunch when they played, what with their art rock and all being weird on the crowds who came. non-the-less, they started making huge noise in the city's underground and were snatched up by sire records. they released their first single, "love → building on fire" and then began the process of making their debut record.

over the next years the band released more albums, eventually making MxTxVx airplay for singles such as, "once in a lifetime" "burning down the house" and "road to nowhere". the band was documented in the live concert film, Stop Making Sense, and sadly, that was their final tour ever. they released three more albums after that moment in time, then called it quits. members of the band cite, "artistic differences" as the reasons why, but in a more juicy story, it came down to friendships and fame which is a tragic reality that happens to so many artists. the band reunited in 2002, to play at their rock and roll hall of fame induction. this would be the last time they played together. during the time off from the band and the subsequent break-up, members tina and chris went on to form the popular nu-wave band, Tom Tom Club, and david has released several solo records as well. despite those highlights, there will never be anything as awesome as the talking heads. several attempts to get the band back together has taken place, but alas, it seems it won't happen anytime soon. ego's aside, this band made stellar, experimental music that has reached the masses, and is held up high in today's modern music. without talking heads, there wouldn't be bands like, Man Man, LCD Soundsytem, The Killers, MGMT, White Lies, and Datarock. heck, even the mighty, Radiohead, owe them influence since they cite that they got their name from the song, "radio head". so, with that i hope your interest is peaking a bit...

going over this list, i think this might be the biggest one i've done yet. i'll eventually top it later with other artists, but for now i think this will be the record holder for most music. this, my friends, is the bands entire discography, minus their first live album and compilation records. we first start with the single, "love → building on fire" and then follow that with their debut album, Talking Heads 77. oh, and on a minor note, four of their albums appear in the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums, issue and talking heads 77 is one of them. next album is More Songs About Buildings and Food, which is another in the top 500. after that we have, Fear Of Music, and then the amazing, Remain In Light. this album was produced by Brian Eno, and it ranks the highest in the top 500, and for good reason. this is the bands high mark, and even though the next albums would conquer it in sells, it stands as their best work and my personal favorite. look for the tracks, "the great divide" "houses in motion" and of course, the infectious single, "once in a lifetime" so, after that they made the album, Speaking In Tongues. this is the bands breakthrough album. it garnered their first top ten single, ("burning down the house") and the tour to support it was documented in the film i mentioned above. with that film came the soundtrack to it, with the same title, Stop Making Sense. this is the last of the albums to make the top 500, and is considered one of the best live albums ever made. after their final tour, the band retreated back to the studio to make the album, Little Creatures. this was also a huge seller, and the last album by the band to make huge money heh heh... okay, so we finally reach the end, and the final two albums. they are, True Stories and Naked, both of which showcase the band with a more pop friendly sound, and less experimentation. actually, they went more pop with the album, speaking in tongues, but this was the final straw, and it all led to their eventual breakup. ssssssoooooooo, with that (i like that phrase!!!) we come to the end here. i hope you enjoyed reading my obsessive rant on music, and i hope it brings something different to ya. enjoy!!!