Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS & RELATED ARTICLES

Audiophile Audition MARCH 18, 2006 - by Brian Bloom

TALKING HEADS: MORE SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND FOOD

Talking Heads is/was David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, and Brian Eno. This record is originally from 1978, but in many ways the record was ahead of its time. Byrne is an acquired taste for sure, but listening in 2006 it's hard to date the music. Song three is a perfect example of a refreshing, light, poppy song with harmonies that are still deeply rooted in what is associated with the Talking Heads' repertoire. The rhythm and beat of the music is always a driving force with lead vocals swaying along like a tree in the wind. There are dabs of punk rock, pseudo performance art, and Eno's synthesizer work gives many of the tunes a surreal, fantasy-like quality. It's wacky at times, but it's a fun wacky. Much of the material on this record is lesser known, but when taking the record as a whole, it's consistently good throughout. A popular remake of Take Me To The River is not representative of the sound of most of the material. The bonus cuts are different (only slightly in some cases), but are not better or worse.

Sound quality is quite good and doesn't have any of the edge or harshness that some CD-bashers complain about. The DVD side offers a DVD-A 5.1 track or a stereo track. Lead vocals are up front while instruments, backing vocals, and effects come from all around. Fidelity is much better than on the CD. There are still pictures over the music or you can navigate through the photo gallery. The section to navigate is not highlighted, so navigation is very difficult. The video in the Berkeley performance is similar to a home video while the New York show is more professional.

TRACKS: [CD] Thank You For Sending Me An Angel / With Our Love / The Good Thing / Warning Sign / The Girls Want To Be With The Girls / Found A Job / Artists Only / I'm Not In Love / Stay Hungry / Take Me To The River / The Big Country / [CD Bonus Tracks] Stay Hungry (1977 Version) / I'm Not In Love (Alternate Version) / The Big Country (Alternate Version) / Thank You For Sending Me An Angel ("Country Angel" Version) / [DVD] Same as CD - no bonus tracks / Found A Job (Live at Entermedia Theatre, New York, NY, 1978) / Warning Sign (Live at Sproul Plaza, Berkeley, CA, 1978)