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Talking Heads - Remain In Light




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http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/Talking_Heads/Remain_In_Light/

Serge's RateYourMusic review::

Can you believe it RYM? Serge is just now getting this. This ~censored~ of an album, hailed by all critics far and wide as the best album of the 80's, or at least in the top five. So why the long wait Serge? Why wait to get one of the greatest albums ever?

Well, a few legitimate and not so legitimate reasons. The first is that I came upon this album about four years back when I was just getting into music. At that time I was huge into classic rawk and nothing else - nothing but Floyd, Zep, Beatles, etc. The Heads were mentioned among the greats of course, but I had little recourse for action after reading the album description, something along the lines of "African tribal beats and drums". Remember, "Echoes" was as experimental as I was at that time (and I was awed at THAT amount of experimentation). 

I also never got it, simply because I couldn't. I searched the net far and wide, checking every crack and warez site known to man. Nada. I went to s to look for it. Nothing. It wasn't until I finally broke and got an Amazon account did I find a copy of it (and even then it was a bit limited of a selection). 

In my extensive listening experience, from Robert Wyatt to Sigur Ros to Soda Stereo and beyond, the Talking Heads have always eluded me. They stand as a statistical anomaly. I don't dislike them for any reason. But somehow I've just "skipped over them." Be it my indie phase, my rawk phase, or anything, I have somehow avoided them. I still can't figure it out, because they seem to be ~censored~ cool and legitimately cool. I suppose I’m just an ass, huh?

Good enough for an excuse? Okay, now that that’s out of the way I can just say this: this is the ~censored~ it was made out to be.

I'm glad I didn't hear it four years ago, because I would have shrugged it off back then and wouldn't have given it the proper appreciation.

Everything is just glorious, free-flowing, crisp, and fresh. Byrne's lyrics are delicious: "Lost my shape-trying to act casual!/Cant stop-i might end up in the hospital".

The pique of this opus is obviously the monumentus "Once in a Lifetime". I seem to remember disliking this song for some reason when it came on the radio. I surely had it mistaken for another song, because not a second of it is boring, trite, or unnecessary. The chorus is almost certainly the best I've ever heard. I now understand when my dad said it was one of the greatest songs ever written. The only folly here is that, like the title track from Marquee Moon, it causes the album to reach its apex too soon. 

Not to say that the b-side is by any means weak, only in comparison to that song it can feel like a comedown. Everything is surprisingly melodic and, dare I say, poppish. It flows perfectly. I suppose after all these years I expected some zany African ~love~ or something. Twas not meant to be.

I cannot write a real review without mentioning the closing track, the infamous 'trying to sound like Joy Division without ever hearing them' song. Ironically, I like it better than any Joy Division song I've ever heard (save for "New Dawn Fades"; nothing can ~censored~ beat that). It manages to be dark and downtrodden but maintain the energy of the rest of the album. That’s how you know you're listening to something special.

So the wait (and the money) was well worth it. And now I can begin the arduous (read: expensive) task of looking through the Talking Heads back catalogue.

9.7/10.0

Tracklisting:

1. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) 5:48 
2. Crosseyed and Painless 4:44 
3. The Great Curve 6:26 
4. Once in a Lifetime 4:20 
5. Houses in Motion 4:30 
6. Seen and Not Seen 3:21 
7. Listening Wind 4:41 
8. The Overload 6:00

DOWNLOAD

http://rapidshare.com/files/115640631/Remain_In_Light.rar.html

Terrific album as I said, one of my top ten albums of the 80's. Say thanks and enjoy!
Link checked on Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:31 am [WBB_Linkchecker_Bot]