This is rated 290 on Rolling Stones top 500 albums of all time.
This is the Talking heads first release. The Talking Heads have released 12 albums in total, and out of the four of there albums that I own this remains my favorite by a long shot. Talking Heads are a post-punk/rock/psychadelic band and they blend a lot of genres together to make great music. This might be my favorite album of the 70's besides Pink Floyd's Animals and DSOTM. Talking Heads are great in so many ways, this is an amazing band and an amazing album.
Members - David Byrne - guitars, vocals
Chris Frantz - drums
Tina Weymouth - bass, vocals
Jerry Harrison - keyboards
Talking Heads have been classified as many different genres. I have heard some people call them pop, punk, psychadelic, new-wave, post-punk, and pop-rock. In my opinion the Talking Heads combine all of these genres, but they are ultimately a pop-rock group mixing in punk new-wave, and psychadelic rock into there sound. From the first time I listened to this album I loved it from start to finish. The music is catchy, simple, eerie, and sometimes psychadelic. The Talking Heads are good for driving music, relaxing, or you can rock out to them. This album is very accessible and I can listen to it no matter what mood I am in. The music goes from being depressing, to haunting, to catchy and poppy.
This band can play a lot of genres, they start the cd off with a simple pop song "Uh Oh, Love Comes To Town" which is ultra catchy and great to sing along to. "Happy Day" is an eerie psychadelic/pop/new-wave song which features some very high vocals and is overall a great song. "Don't Worry About The Govt." is a great rock song and has a simple rock song theme. "Pulled Up" is the most straightforward post-punk songs which features a simple guitar riff and great vocals. These songs are simple but they all are different and none sound the same. Talking Heads are expiremental with there music but it doesn't sound like they are pushing themselves to be different. The music is fairly simple, but it works well.
If you notice one thing when you listen to this album it is the odd-vocals. "Pulled Up" features some very odd shouted vocals which fits great with the music. In "Happy Day" the vocals are shrill and high-pitched and it goes perfect with the mellow feel of the song. "Tentative Descinsions" is a funky song with a very catchy chorus, the vocals sound sort of monotone in some parts, and then funky in other. David Byrne is all over the place with his vocals, they are fairly high-pitched and in some parts kind of annoying, but overall I really enjoy the vocals.
Talking Heads are a very unique band. Even though they only use three or four instruments they make very unique music. Most of the music sounds simple and just catchy pop songs but when you mix in the vocals Talking Heads sound very different. The music can be haunting, joyful, funny, quirky, tense, and sometimes Davids vocals sound a little bit paranoid. Even though these songs are quite simple if you listen carefully they are odd and different from anything else. Talking Heads will impress those who want catchy-pop songs and those who want some depth.
I would say that this album has a great replay value. I have owned this album for almost four years now and I still listen to it at least once every two weeks. This album can be used for so many different things and can be enjoyed in so many different ways. Every time I listen to this album I like it more and more each listen. Even though these songs are extremely catchy they don't get repetitive because of the vocals and the odd-sounding melodies. Talking Heads also have some creepy lyrics. " I can't sleep my beds on fire, Don't touch me I'm a real live wire." If you want some lyrical depth, this album has that also.
I would recommend this album to someone who wants something different and truly unique. Talking Heads are catchy, accessible, and there music is just different in so many ways. Talking Heads will keep you entertained with there quirky energetic songs. With everything that the Talking Heads do to keep you entertained you will not be dissapointed. If your scared off by the odd or high-pitched vocal delivery don't worry, the music is so catchy that you might not even notice. At first the vocals were sort of weird but once you get into the music the vocals are genious. I'm not aware of any people who really dislike the Talking Heads, there music really appeales to people who enjoy any type of music. '77 is possibly my favorite debut album of all time and it is definately a classic!
Overall rating : 5/5
Pros:
Joyful, haunting, funny, tense, quirky, music.
Extremely catchy songs
Vocals are very interesting and blend well with the music
Great replay value
Never a dull moment
Cons:
...Some people may think that the Talking Heads are to weird.
Recommended Tracks:
"Psycho Killer"
"Tentative Descisions"
"Pulled Up"
If your a fan of the Talking Heads you should already own this album. If your new to this band this is the perfect place to start.
