TALKING HEADS
REMAIN IN LIGHT (1980)
REMASTER
320 KBPS
REMAIN IN LIGHT (1980)
REMASTER
320 KBPS
Remain in Light is perhaps the Talking Heads' best album. Technically it is flawless, and as far as music goes, Remain in Light unifies electronica, African rhythms, guitar riffs and Bryan Eno's signature minimalism to hypnotic effect. The music is captivating and melodic - great dance music, but also great careful-listening music - and David Byrne's halting, discordant voice and thoughtful lyrics transcend each song to a more intellectual and compelling level. Ultimately, Remain in Light is a piece of art as well as a piece of music - Byrne and Eno have carefully layered music, vocals and thoughtful lyrics to create perhaps one of the best albums of the eighties.
The first three tracks are primarily dance tracks, but each one is subtly constructed and multi-layered. `Born Under Punches' combines repetition, African rhythm and a variety of eclectic instruments Tom Waits would be proud of. The end result is a dance track with a political slant: "Take a look at these hands... I'm a tumbler/ I'm a government man... I'm so thin... all I want is to breathe." `Crosseyed and Painless' is another dance track, however the weakest of the three. `The Great Curve' is perhaps one of the Heads' best work - it is an exemplary piece of music that showcases the great song-writing and compositional aptitude of the band's frontman, David Byrne. The Great Curve is a haunting, melodic and multi-layered work that stays with the listener for a long time - but, if you like, you can get up and dance to it because it's got one hell of a rhythm pounding through it.
The next five songs are exceptional, however the focus shifts from dance to more of an art-rock. `Houses in Motion' is brilliant, `Seen and Not Seen' is a spoken conversation piece and `Once in a Lifetime' was the big hit from the album, and has a very catchy and musical chorus. `Listening Wind' revisits the African elements of the album and is quite a haunting piece of music, and finally, the album anti-climaxes with the Eno-Byrne collaboration `The Overload', which fails to live up to it's initial horrific promise.
But altogether Remain in Light rivals Speaking in Tongues for the Talking Heads' best album. It exemplifies their artistic and musical ability that started to mature with the advent of the captivating Fear of Music, yet still retains the pulsating rhythm of More Songs About Buildings and Food and Talking Heads '77. Remain in Light is a unique listening experience - one that you can dance to and listen to all the same - and is a worthy addition to anyone's music library.
1. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)
2. Crosseyed And Painless
3. The Great Curve
4. Once In A Lifetime
5. Houses In Motion
6. Seen And Not Seen
7. Listening Wind
8. The Overload
Bonus tracks
9. Fela'S Riff
10. Unison
11. Double Groove
12. Right Start
1 comment:
Your site is awesome, but perhaps you're too busy to know the context of each album you post. 'Remain In Light' is, upon even a cursory listen of their oeuvre, one of a kind for this band (just peruse 1979s 'Fear Of Music' and 1983s 'Speaking In Tongues' for proof). And, upon closer scrutiny, the reason for this fact is the presence of Adrian Belew on guitar (and various effects). Shortly after 'Remain In Light' Belew entered the realm of King Crimson, and, notice that all following albums by The Talking Heads lacked the edge he provided with his unique musical style. Don't get me wrong: Belew's solo efforts are, in my opinion, mostly not so great; in fact, I find him a much better contributor than leader. Hell, listen to any Crimson album since he joined the band; as part of the whole his bits are great. Regardless, his effect on 'Remain In Light' remains, to this day, underrated.
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