Talking Heads or Blondie? [Archive]

Big Dave

19th February 2010, 15:24

Who is the most influential band?
Favourite song?

Dan Mapp

19th February 2010, 15:37

Both lol
10......

Genie

19th February 2010, 15:44

I'd have to say...talking heads for the party scene ....blondie was pretty good. hmmmmmm

onearmedbandit

19th February 2010, 16:03

Talking Heads are still one of my favourite bands, and the more successful but I'd say Blondie were more influential, solely because of the presence Debbie Harry had.

A lot of female singers cite her as an influence, not heard many say that of Dave Byrne.

Big Dave

19th February 2010, 17:13

The idea numb skulls is that we have a nice music thread and I don't have to do all the copy and paste huh? :-)

Motu

19th February 2010, 17:19

It's an era thing too,Blondie is more in my time...I know nearly every Blondie song,and can't even think of a Talking Heads song off the top of my head.Blondie were much more influential,turning punk into music.Debbie Harry was drop dead gorgeous,and didn't even seem to care.

I prefer to compare Blondie and The Eurythmics - The Eurythmics carried on with what Blondie started into the '80's....and Annie Lennox could hit the notes more accurately than Debbie Harry.

rapid van cleef

19th February 2010, 17:25

influential in terms of what? inspiring people in general , to do what? or, inspiring musicians? both very different. Musically, talking heads are way beyond blondie, however, i would stick my neck out here and say that blondie had more mainstream appeal, and had the upper hand in terms of creating 'moments'.

Coldrider

19th February 2010, 17:26

Debbie harry vs Suzy Quatro vs Pat Benatar........ definitely an era

spookytooth

19th February 2010, 17:37

Off hand i can only rember 1 talking heads song,and several of blondys so im goin have to go with Debbie

HenryDorsetCase

19th February 2010, 17:39

In my view TH were:

a better band
more innovative
more interesting
and far far more influential that Blondie or DH solo.

I am a major talking heads fan, and I consider their first four albums essential listening even now (TH 77, More Songs about Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light). Listen to them back-to-back and you will understand the progression from a sparse, proto-punk sound (though given the timing, and the intricacies of the New York music scene at the time, they were never a "punk" band, and in fact it is arguable that there were only ever two "punk" bands, the Ramones and the Sex Pistols) through to starting to incorporate some of the themes that were basically dropped later in their career.

Consider the personnel (and there are some similarities here): David Byrne is an odd man. And he's Ok with that. He grew up in Scotland, then moved to the US, went to art school in Rhode Island (where he met the other bandmembers), did some weird-ass "Art" stuff, then moved to NY: He and Tina Weymouth basically hated each other, particularly later in their career, and of course Chris Frantz was (and I believe still is) married to Tina. Jerry Harrison joined after his stint in Richman's Modern Lovers, then swearing off music for a career in architecture, and had to be cajoled back into the band. There are some very interesting youtube clips of early TH as a three piece at CBGB's and Tina is quite tentative on the bass (OK, she's just not htat good a player) and Byrne is doing what he does. Search for them, they're good.

What drove TH was David's quest for interesting different stuff, not necessarily a yearning to shift more units and play stadiums: the rest of the band just got carried along, and they didnt really like it. They went from a four piece to a nine piece, they had a massive stage show, they got a film, and achieved some mainstream success. Though I think I read that Byrne was always irked by the fact that the Tom Tom Club outsold TH records at the time (except perhaps for "Little Creatures"?)

Blondie are good, no question, but they're a fairly mainstream pop act: Sure Heart of Glass, CAll me and (my favourite of theirs) Atomic are GREAT pop songs, but they're fairly mainstream in content lurve songs, with very conventional structure, chording, lyrical content etc. Compared with, say "Psycho Killer" (<obvious choice I know) or "Pulled Up" or "Dont Worry about the Government" even the titles point up their differences. My personal favourite TH song is off "Fear of Music" and for a long time it was my favourite song of all time: "Life During Wartime".

So, um, yeah, thats a rant: in a nutshell: Both good. TH Better.

HenryDorsetCase

19th February 2010, 17:40

In my view TH were:

a better band
more innovative
more interesting
and far far more influential that Blondie or DH solo.

I am a major talking heads fan, and I consider their first four albums essential listening even now (TH 77, More Songs about Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light). Listen to them back-to-back and you will understand the progression from a sparse, proto-punk sound (though given the timing, and the intricacies of the New York music scene at the time, they were never a "punk" band, and in fact it is arguable that there were only ever two "punk" bands, the Ramones and the Sex Pistols) through to starting to incorporate some of the themes that were basically dropped later in their career.

Consider the personnel (and there are some similarities here): David Byrne is an odd man. And he's Ok with that. He grew up in Scotland, then moved to the US, went to art school in Rhode Island (where he met the other bandmembers), did some weird-ass "Art" stuff, then moved to NY: He and Tina Weymouth basically hated each other, particularly later in their career, and of course Chris Frantz was (and I believe still is) married to Tina. Jerry Harrison joined after his stint in Richman's Modern Lovers, then swearing off music for a career in architecture, and had to be cajoled back into the band. There are some very interesting youtube clips of early TH as a three piece at CBGB's and Tina is quite tentative on the bass (OK, she's just not htat good a player) and Byrne is doing what he does. Search for them, they're good.

What drove TH was David's quest for interesting different stuff, not necessarily a yearning to shift more units and play stadiums: the rest of the band just got carried along, and they didnt really like it. They went from a four piece to a nine piece, they had a massive stage show, they got a film, and achieved some mainstream success. Though I think I read that Byrne was always irked by the fact that the Tom Tom Club outsold TH records at the time (except perhaps for "Little Creatures"?)

Blondie are good, no question, but they're a fairly mainstream pop act: Sure Heart of Glass, CAll me and (my favourite of theirs) Atomic are GREAT pop songs, but they're fairly mainstream in content lurve songs, with very conventional structure, chording, lyrical content etc. Compared with, say "Psycho Killer" (<obvious choice I know) or "Pulled Up" or "Dont Worry about the Government" even the titles point up their differences. My personal favourite TH song is off "Fear of Music" and for a long time it was my favourite song of all time: "Life During Wartime".

So, um, yeah, thats a rant: in a nutshell: Both good. TH Better.

Headbanger

19th February 2010, 17:42

Both are destroyed by Zodiac Mindwarp and the love reaction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIjSav7QEoQ

HenryDorsetCase

19th February 2010, 17:42

you missed Joan Jett and the Runaways...

Headbanger

19th February 2010, 17:52

Now, If you had said, "You missed L.A. Guns" I would have agreed with you. Luckily I anticipated the situation and sorted it before anyone could get upset.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG-FTAOT5wg

vifferman

19th February 2010, 17:59

I am a major talking heads fan, and I consider their first four albums essential listening even now (TH 77, More Songs about Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light).
Awwrrriiight! :niceone:
Me too.

You didn't mention the David Byrne /Bryan Eno hookup.

vifferman

19th February 2010, 17:59

I am a major talking heads fan, and I consider their first four albums essential listening even now (TH 77, More Songs about Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light).
Awwrrriiight! :niceone:
Me too.

You didn't mention the David Byrne /Bryan Eno hookup.

Big Dave

19th February 2010, 18:42

Clem plays drums in my all time fantasy band.
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Stop Making Sense is my Favourite Concert Film ever.
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Big Dave

19th February 2010, 18:55

Trudes

19th February 2010, 19:05

I liked Talking Heads a lot when I was a kid, but like Blondie more now that I'm older. Fav Blondie songs.... Rapture, Call Me and Atomic.

rapid van cleef

19th February 2010, 19:09

Zodia Mindwarp and the Love reaction................I saw them in around 1983. Now thats a band! Anyone know the guitarist, Yan Cyrka?...........hes ok. you can't tell from his zodiac mindward stuff but hes a bit of a virtuoso..............almost as good as me!

crazyhorse

19th February 2010, 19:09

Blondie. I remember walking along the school corridors and we had our radio station blarring out her music......

oh, memories! Feels like it was just yesterday :lol:

Coldrider

19th February 2010, 19:28

you missed Joan Jett and the Runaways...

and Blackhearts, chicks broke new boundaries back then.

Cloggy

19th February 2010, 19:50

Blondie for me.
Best song in my opinion was "The Hardest Part"
Still love that song.

HenryDorsetCase

19th February 2010, 20:39

Awwrrriiight! :niceone:
Me too.

You didn't mention the David Byrne /Bryan Eno hookup.

"My Life in the bush of ghosts" which had its genesis in the sessions for "MSABAF" which Eno produced. It is awesome to this day. snippets of found audio (the creepiest ones are on "Jezebel": so you hear voices and you are PO sessed") stonking beats = genius. (their one released last year "Everything that happens will happen today" is only OK by contrast.

I also lost a lot of my original post: must have timed out, but to answer the original post, my favourite TH song is "Life During Wartime" which for many many years was my favourite song of all time. Hard to imagine Blondie doing a song that starts "There's a van, and its loaded with weapons, packed up and ready to roll"

Even TH's later very commercially successful stuff is OK: the affro beat stuff and the radio friendly stuff is listenable still, unlike, say the Blondie rap crossover, and most of DH's solo career.

HenryDorsetCase

19th February 2010, 20:43

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbuei9AIq9U

three piece TH: when they got Jerry on keyboards it really fattened up the sound.

HenryDorsetCase

19th February 2010, 20:47

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MYp0VIbwZk

I dont like this as much as the early four piece versions: Adrien Belew on gittar makes it worthwhile though.

HenryDorsetCase

19th February 2010, 20:52

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COlw977yrmE&feature=PlayList&p=CA07AAD4C2164FF1&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=27

this is the album version.

"the sound of gunfire off in the distance, I'm gettin' used to it now"

Skyryder

19th February 2010, 20:59

Debbie harry vs Suzy Quatro vs Pat Benatar........ definitely an era

Now if the thread wss it was 'Giving Head'.........................Debbie all the way.................but its not..................so it's still Debbie.

Skyryder

Coldrider

19th February 2010, 21:02

Now if the thread wss it was 'Giving Head'.........................Debbie all the way.................but its not..................so it's still Debbie.

SkyryderI thought any head was good head.......................................so i took what i could get........doh BTO

HenryDorsetCase

19th February 2010, 21:02

Both are destroyed by Zodiac Mindwarp and the love reaction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIjSav7QEoQ

fairly generic "pop with visuals that mark us out as original, daring and exotic" innit: very KISS-like, or Twisted Sister or any of those other generic awful bands of the day (say Def Leppard, or Judas Priest)*

I like Rob Zombie a lot because of his tongue in cheek humour: he does similar stuff to those guys but better. much better

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPNFVj-pISU

*that should get a few going....

Headbanger

19th February 2010, 21:14

My god man, You included the video in the quote, Hitcher will smote thee down when he sees that.

As for Zodiac Mindwarp they were created as a joke band, A bunch of non-metalheads giving themselves silly names, adopting the ridicules look, and throwing every cliche they could into the project as a giant piss-take. The funny part was the album rocked and they had enough success that the lead singer has been trying to milk it ever since.

And Def Leppard are just total shit, If anyone invents a working time machine they should use it to go back in time and shoot those fucks before they went homo.

As for Rob Zombie, I can't get into it, Anyone that uses fake beats needs to be shot.

Drunken Monkey

19th February 2010, 23:58

... but they're a fairly mainstream pop act: Sure Heart of Glass, CAll me and (my favourite of theirs) Atomic are GREAT pop songs, but they're fairly mainstream in content lurve songs, with very conventional structure, chording, lyrical content etc. ...

In general I agree with your post, but Blondie should at least be credited with the first pop/rap fusion ("Rapture") track in 1981 - 5 years before the more commonly quoted Run DMC vs Aerosmith "Walk this way". They were also innovative, probably just not as innovative as TH.

HenryDorsetCase

20th February 2010, 16:41

As for Rob Zombie, I can't get into it, Anyone that uses fake beats needs to be shot.

"fake beats"? He uses a live drummer, always? Or are you talking about the last White Zombie record which he did all by himself (ahd which yielded "More Human than Human" among other works of genius?)

I actually bought his latest today, havent listened to it yet.

RDjase

20th February 2010, 16:56

In general I agree with your post, but Blondie should at least be credited with the first pop/rap fusion ("Rapture") track in 1981 - 5 years before the more commonly quoted Run DMC vs Aerosmith "Walk this way". They were also innovative, probably just not as innovative as TH.

Funny thing, we were at the Whangamomana last saturday arvo and Rapture was on the stereo . We came to decision helping rap into main stream Music wasnt a good idea

TH for me

"Stop making Sense" the movie is Awesome

smoky

20th February 2010, 17:02

The idea numb skulls is that we have a nice music thread and I don't have to do all the copy and paste huh? :-)

I don't think they get it dude
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smoky

20th February 2010, 17:09

Nice...
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smoky

20th February 2010, 17:12

no question she influenced this chick

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smoky

20th February 2010, 17:17

sorry i typed in Dirty Harry instead of Debbie Harry
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Maha

20th February 2010, 17:22

I like this from Debbie Harry.

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smoky

20th February 2010, 17:27

Indiana_Jones

20th February 2010, 17:28

Favourite Talking Heads song is Once in a lifetime

Favourite Blondie song would be Atomic, I guess

-Indy

smoky

20th February 2010, 17:40

Hitcher

21st February 2010, 19:15

Favourite song?

I can play Psycho Killer on my uke.

Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa better

Swoop

22nd February 2010, 10:17

I prefer to compare Blondie and The Eurythmics - The Eurythmics carried on with what Blondie started into the '80's....and Annie Lennox could hit the notes more accurately than Debbie Harry.
The lovely Annie.
A darned good concert at Western Springs, back in '87!

HenryDorsetCase

22nd February 2010, 10:37

http://www.musicofsound.co.nz/blog/i-love-tina-weymouth

I was at that Sweetwaters South festival at QE2 stadium. Pretenders and Simple Minds and TH (the stop making sense tour). Big suit and whatnot. It was great.

I busted out this album at the weekend: Damn its good: two distinct phases: 1977 to 1979 which is their early stuff, and 1981 Remain in Light tour. Shit yes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_This_Band_Is_Talking_Heads

Absolute killer version of Life During Wartime.

In fact I'm getting back to my early 80's stuff in a big way: Jesus and Mary Chain, Talking Heads, Echo and the Bunnymen, Shriekback, Public Image Ltd, Motorhead all getting a good seeing-to at present.

Ive grown older, Ive not grown up. I am looking forward to having the loudest stereo in the rest home, and blasting White Zombie and the Dead Kennedys and shouting "What, dear? I'm a bit deaf" to the comely young maiden who will be sponging my crevices, while I ogle her cleavage. .........

Big Dave

22nd February 2010, 15:04

Never been off my prime playlist:
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phred

22nd February 2010, 18:05

The idea numb skulls is that we have a nice music thread and I don't have to do all the copy and paste huh? :-)

It's our thread too and we like doing it this way ;-)

Headbanger

8th March 2010, 20:07

"fake beats"? He uses a live drummer, always? Or are you talking about the last White Zombie record which he did all by himself (ahd which yielded "More Human than Human" among other works of genius?)

I actually bought his latest today, haven't listened to it yet.

I'm not overly familiar with his music (funny enough I just had a look in my CD collection and have two White Zombie CD's) but after listening to this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXpbrGBIGxw

To my ear it sounds synthetic, layered, sampled, looped, distorted and engineered all the way to (fake) hell and back, even with a real life drummer buried somewhere in the loop under the mountain of fake beats.

However, My ears maybe way out of whack so I won't argue the matter.:innocent:

98tls

8th March 2010, 20:18

I'm not overly familiar with his music (funny enough I just had a look in my CD collection and have two White Zombie CD's) but after listening to this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXpbrGBIGxw

To my ear it sounds synthetic, layered, sampled, looped, distorted and engineered all the way to (fake) hell and back, even with a real life drummer buried somewhere in the loop under the mountain of fake beats.

However, My ears maybe way out of whack so I won't argue the matter.:innocent:
Comes with riding a Triple mate.

MisterD

9th March 2010, 09:55

Never been off my prime playlist:

This is not a love song is better....

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I just can't listen to TH, they're on my "change the channel" list when they come on the radio along with U2...there's another thread in that "Bands you can't stand that Radio Station's you listen to think you should like..."

Big Dave

9th March 2010, 16:07

I just can't listen to TH

I'm sure David is losing sleep over it too.

MisterD

10th March 2010, 07:33

Couldn't say, but Debbie's chuffed to bits.