A catchy, over-bashed record...
Zach Wilson | Wheeling, WV, USA | 03/06/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I first got into the Talking Heads at 14, and I'm 24 now, so you can imagine with the music scene the way it was in 1997 that middle school bullies would find the idea of a fellow student into the music from "I Love The 80's" ripe for the pickin'. I was actually embarrassed of this band (and most other 80's bands) and put them away until I got to college and realized what I'd been missing. But this stands as the first Talking Heads record I got, so I saw the previous reviews and decided to take a stand for this, my sentimental favorite for Talking Heads as a group.
This entire project (book, film, and record) was years ahead of its time. The newest movie that I can think would fit into this mold would be "A Mighty Wind," down to the structure, characters, and even financial backers (Karen Murphy worked on both films). I read on another site that this particular album should never had existed, but was made (in 5 days!) to appease the financiers for the flick. For five days' worth of work, this is admittedly a pretty damn fine record. Very 80's, of course, but as with the entirety of the Heads' catalog the production techniques date the recordings instantly. This is without a doubt the POPPIEST that the Heads have ever sounded in the studio, but the songs are still quite good (especially when compared to everything else that hit the Top 40 in 1986). It's not their best (hell, for me nothing in the studio touches either one of the recently expanded live albums), and most people don't like this one because of the (deserved) legacy left behind by the preceding six records. But as a sentimental favorite to this fan, cut this one some slack. As David himself says at the end of "The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads," "Once again, you can dance if you want to." And really, what's so wrong with a mid-80's dance record by people who actually know how to make one?
(Further recommended listening: check out the artist rosters for Sire, Slash, Epitaph and Virgin Records from 1976 to 1996.)"
Significantly Under-Rated
Gary F. Taylor | Biloxi, MS USA | 11/12/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Variously described as punk rock, art rock, alternative rock, and new wave, The Talking Heads (David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth) originally formed in 1974 and became one of many cutting-edge bands to emerge from New York's legendary CBGB'S, the proving ground of such diverse acts as Patti Smith, Blondie, Television, and Mink DeVille. By the late 1970s and early 1980s the band was critically lauded, extremely influential, and commercially profitable--but creative differences began to divide the members. The 1986 TRUE STORIES would be among the band's last recordings.
Fans of the band frequently savage TRUE STORIES as "not a real Talking Heads recording." There's some truth to this: it was essentially a David Byrne project, with songs written for the film of the same name. But that aside, much of the complaint seems to arise from the fact that the songs were written to serve a film rather than the band's more typical style. TRUE STORIES is not a stylistically cohesive release in the same sense as, say, SPEAKING IN TONGUES; it bounces from funky to country-inflected to bluesy. Certainly many of the cuts are more pop-inflected than what Talking Heads usually did. But that isn't to say that they do them badly.
TRUE STORIES contains a lot knock-outs. It opens with the fairly hard-rocker "Love For Sale," a commentary on consumerism and the television culture, as memorable and jolting as the best the band ever did. There follows a series of songs that range from Gospel hysteria to Voodoo chants to pop fun. But the real departure in style is the distinctly country-western edge that most of the selections seem to possess. It is perhaps most noticeable in "People Like Us" and "City of Dreams," both of which have a plantive quality evocative of open, empty spaces. It is also worth noting that while Talking Heads were always extremely witty and often ironic in terms of lyrics and music, the music for the film TRUE STORIES is flatly, overtly satirical--a fact that seems to escape most people who dislike this particular recording.
The "DualDisc" release has pluses and minuses. The CD side includes every cut from the original release as well as bonus tracks: an extended mix of "Wild, Wild Life" (which is not greatly inspired) and "Papa Legba" as performed by Pops Staples and "Radio Head" as performed by Tito Larriva in the actual film. The DVD side offers the original album in 5.1 surround sound, a photo gallery, and vides of "Wild Wild Life" and "Love For Sale." But frankly, the DualDisc format is a royal pain in the backside. It plays readily enough on most DVD players, on most computer systems, and my Bose accepts the CD side without complaint. But don't hold your breath on being able to get the CD side to play on the average boom box: it simply won't play.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer"
I'm wearing fur pajamas, it's tickling my fancy.
Jason Stein | San Diego, CA United States | 03/10/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I bought "True Stories" on cassette tape when it was released in September 1986. I didn't see the film until a few years later. I remember liking this album a lot back then, but now I see it's not as good as their earlier work. Yet, there are several songs I still like such as "Love For Sale", "Hey Now", "Papa Legba", "Wild Wild Life", "Radio Head" and "City Of Dreams". The digital remastering is excellent and the cd side has an extended version of "Wild Wild Life" (so did the original cd version of this album) that is forgettable. I can't say I really enjoy the Pop Staples version of "Papa Legba", and the same goes for Tito Larriva's version of "Radio Head".
Since this album is simplistic in its approach, the dvd 5.1 mix doesn't really do anything for me. I find it's much better in stereo on the cd side. Two videos are included, "Wild Wild Life" and "Love For Sale" which are both good. There's also a 5.1 mix of Pop Staples' version of "Papa Legba" which is wasted space. The booklet comes with no lyrics and there's a brief blurb from Jerry Harrison about the remastering of this album.
I don't know if my disc is defective, but on the dvd side, it seems that the first few seconds of "Love For Sale" have been cut off. It sounds like a disc mastering error. I wonder if anyone else has this same problem with their disc?
Overall, a good album from the Heads, but not great."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1