Search - Tom Tom Club :: Live at the Clubhouse

The Good, the Bad, and the Funky

Joseph Geni | Evanston, Illinois United States | 06/24/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Tom Tom Club is two ex-Talking Heads Tina Weymouth and Chris Franz and a large number of friends. They like drums, a lot. Take Talking Heads' "Remain in Light," add in a lot of shoutouts to James Brown and yes yes y'alls and a bit of Caribbean beats and synths a la Miami Sound Machine, and you've got a sense of it. It's fun and it's danceable, though not exactly intellectual.



As for this release, it's good, and from what I've heard of their studio albums the live takes are all better. This is a band that thrives on grooves and energy. Just as all the songs on the Heads' Speaking in Tongues sound much better on the live disc Stop Making Sense, the same holds true here, though the production quality is so-so and--I'll be honest--Tina Weymouth's largely deadpan vocal delivery can be a bit irritating after a while, especially on Punk Lolita, which is way too peppy and cheerful to have the word "punk" in the title. (The vox were always sorta the weak point for Tom Tom Club, though Mystic Bowie is pretty darn good when he takes the lead mic.)



This aside, the drums are infectious and the funk guitars are appropriately delicious and songs like As Above So Below absolutely soar, and the slinky 10-minute take of The Man With the Four Way Hips is dastardly good. Tom Tom Club fans should definitely get Live at the Clubhouse. Talking Heads fans should at least consider it. Apart from that, I recommend their self-titled debut, which can be had cheaper. Then if you like that, hunt this down.





Note: the major problem here is the price, as it's out of print. You can find it cheaper than it was available as of this writing but it's difficult. I finally got it at La La Land, but it was still about $32 with shipping and it took a fortnight to import from the Netherlands. Whether it's worth the hit on your wallet is up to you."

Yes Yes Y'all

L. E. Pearlman | New York, NY | 10/25/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album deftly captures the spirit of a live Tom Tom Club show, and they're one of the best live bands out there. It also serves as a greatest hits compilation for people just getting into the club now. Some of the live versions of songs rival their studio counterparts, such as the excelent extended jam on "Genius of Love" and the soulfully sung by Mystic Bowie "Holy Water". I highly reccomend this album."

Live in 2002

Hollis Golightly | San Jose, CA USA | 11/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Very good live presentation of the "fun half" of Talking Heads. First the tracks since they aren't listed:

CD1

1 Suboceana

2 Time To Bounce

3 Punk Lolita

4 Soul Fire

5 Who Feelin' It

6 Happiness Can't Buy Money

7 Sand

8 She's Dangerous

9 The Man With The 4-Way Hips



CD2

1 Genius Of Love

2 Band Introduction

3 You Sexy Thing

4 Holy Water

5 Wordy Rappinghood

6 As Above So Below

7 96 Tears

8 Take Me To The River



This CD is worth it, if only for the ten minute version of "the Man with the 4-Way Hips" which for some weird reason is the only album of theirs to NOT get released on CD? That is a shame. If the only time you ever saw the Tom Tom Club was as the extra bit on a Talking Heads DVD, then now's your chance to check out how fu fun these guys really are.



Yes, there is some classic music sampled to death by everyone and their brother, cool cover versions, a few newer funky songs from recent work in the studio, and some songs unavailable in any version other than these live tracks.



Sure I would have liked to hear live versions of Under the Boardwalk, Lorelei, Sunshine and Ecstasy, Love to Love You, Femme Fatale, Who Wants An Ugly Girl or L'Elephant, but I'd just be whining. You can't always have ALL your favorite songs fit on even two CDs. The songs that are here are good versions and a decent intro to the band if you haven't heard them before.



Also, there is a bonus mpg video of Time to Bounce that you can play on your computer.



If this CD is not available, be sure to pick up their first album first, then work your way through the rest of their catalog. Remember the other Talking Heads splinter group The Heads - No Talking which, although different from this, is also good."