Talking Heads #1- Naked

Naked- 1988

Rating: 9

Chilly, chilly-willy

Best Song: (Nothing But) Flowers or Mr. Jones

Worst Song: The Facts of Life

             I'll explain "Chilly, chilly-willy" later, because it does actually tie in to one of my problems with this album. For now, I'll say that as far as final albums go, this isn't a bad one. It has a bit of a reputation as being not very good, but to be honest, I found a lot of merit in some of these songs. Some of the others ones, not so much.

Apparently David Byrne did spend a lot of time on this album, which is a little surprising, as there aren't exactly many songs on here that could compare to some of the tracks on earlier works such as Remain in Light or Fear of Music. Regardless, the first song, "Blind", grew on me quite a bit. At first, I was kind of annoyed by the fact that it wasn't too much like the Talking Heads and how Byrne kept yelling, "BLIND! BLIND! BLIND, BLIND, BLIND, BLIND, BLIND!" throughout a large majority of it, but as I am a huge fan of Byrne and his vocals, I did grow more accustomed to it. The playing of the instruments themselves is well-done, and the verses/choruses are memorable enough, working in their own right. Nothing really amazing, but I'd consider good. It happens to be outdone by the next song, "Mr. Jones". It is probably less like the Talking Heads than the previous song, but I find the overall vibe and a great chorus really make this song quite great. Byrne's singing is also a bit more normal (for Byrne, that is) than the previous song. It kind of has a salsa feel (especially with the horn section being there), and while it probably isn't for everybody, I thought it was an excellent idea.

"Totally Nude" has an almost Hawaiian feel to it, but if you can get past some more mediocre lyrics ("Nature boy, nature man, take me along" always sounds a little weird to me), you might enjoy it. Nothing really too great, but good if you take it for what it is. "Ruby Dear" isn't too memorable, but does have some interesting playing and a decent chorus. I'd consider it the weakest of the first four songs (well, actually maybe first six, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it). After that is my other favorite from the album, "(Nothing But) Flowers", which was released as a single from this album (as well as "Blind"). The lyrics are kinda silly, but to be honest, I can't say that are exactly stupid. They are still kind of clever and the idea behind the song (in which a man living in the modern world wakes up in a world of nature and reminiscences of all the fast-food and other places he loved) is quite creative. Also, it helps that the chorus is the best on the album (as well as the bridge before it). Of course, following it with "The Democratic Circus" wasn't the best idea, but I still find enjoyment in it. It has a bit of an atmosphere, but I feel it starts a little too slow and it isn't until a little more than two minutes in when I really start to like it a lot. Byrne demonstrates more brilliant singing, by the way.

Unfortunately, as good/decent as all of those songs were, "The Facts of Life" had to appear to ruin it. This song has a bad reputation, and I'm not going to defend it. The beginning synth line gets annoying, Byrne's singing towards the second half is falsetto and not very nice to listen to. The chorus (?) isn't even really defined and only slightly better than the verses. One of my big problems is that the song is so slow that you can't even find some enjoyment dancing or grooving to it unless you are a huge fan of really, really slow beats. I also take problem with the lyrics, particularly right at the beginning, in which Byrne sings:

"Mon-key-see and mon-key-do

Ma-king ba-bies, ea-ting food

Smel ly things, pu bic hair

Words of lo ve, in the air." 

I'm sorry, but these are just stupid lyrics that I can't imagine singing. Do you ever think you will wake up singing a line such as, "smelly things, pubic hair"? Of course not, because that would be really dumb. The lyrics improve a bit later on, but that beginning is just cringe-worthy, and this is a problem consistent throughout several songs on this album (such as "Totally Nude" from earlier). In addition, the drumming is robotic, and while the second half is slightly better, it isn't enough to save the song at all.

However, "Mommy Daddy You and I" makes up for it a little bit by having a really good chorus. Of course, it still has the line, "Chilly... chilly willy", but because I think the song grooves well by itself (I actually think the accordion helps drive the song, reminds me of "Road to Nowhere" from Little Creatures a bit), I can disregard it. "Big Daddy", however, isn't quite so good. The lyrics are rather below average (although not quite the beginning of "The Facts of Life" bad), and while it does kind of groove, it goes on too long that I get tired of it by the end. It doesn't help that "Bill", which follows it, is completely forgettable. It isn't memorable, but it also isn't bad, so I suppose it just sits in the mediocre middle. Fortunately, I believe "Cool Water" sort of makes up for some of the flaws. It takes a little too long to build up, but I feel that once it reaches the peak, it works nicely. Byrne sings well, and while the verses aren't great, the chorus actually works well when all the instruments come in towards the end. I see a lot of people who aren't fans of this song, which kind of surprises me, as I view it as a pretty good way to end the album.

So, despite the flaws, is Naked a great album? No, but I'd consider it above average still. I find a lot of songs in the good range, with some of the mediocre ones and one pretty bad one dragging it down. To be honest, if you are a fan of the Talking Heads, I'd still say to check this one out after you've checked out their other albums. You might surprise yourself.

ELP #7- Works Volume 1



Works Volume 1- 1977
Rating: 9
Emerson: Classical. Lake: Melodies. Palmer: ?
Best Song: Hallowed Be Thy Name or Closer to Believing

Worst Song: L.A. Nights or Two-Part Invention in D Minor

      Now here is where ELP starts to spread apart a bit. The problem was that they all wanted to do solo work, but they knew that if they released it themselves it would not sell as well. So they said "Hey! I know! Let's make a bunch of solo stuff and put it on one album!", and that is exactly what they did. Of course, it is not even as close to as good as previous albums, but it has some great moments.
       The biggest problem with the album is that, while Emerson and Lake do fantastic jobs, Palmer flops around with the song writing like an idiot. I don't have anything against Palmer (this is my favorite band, so if I hated him why would I like the band) but I think that he is not a very good songwriter by himself. Notice that on every album, there is no complete song writing credit by Palmer. Consider this a good thing.
       Anyway, Emerson wrote his contributions on the first side, with a single 20 minute song. It is classic music with three parts, titled simply "Piano Concerto No. 1". The whole song features extremely impressive piano parts by Keith. At most times he sounds just like the old classic music composers that you learn about in General Music and forget about because you like different types of music. The thing is, this song was plenty of variety to be very interesting to mainly anyone. Besides, Emerson is backed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and who doesn't like them? The only flaw is that it isn't something I would always actively listen to exactly.
       Next in line is the Greg Lake tunes. All of them are ballads, even if "Hallowed Be Thy Name" really doesn't fit with the rest of the songs. First is "Lend Your Love To Me Tonight", in which Greg conjures a nice melody with decent lyrics. The drum line is simple, and the guitar too. Following that is "C'est la vie". The song is excellent, with a slow build-up. At the beginning it is just his guitar and his singing, which soon is joined by back-up instruments and backing vocals. Only on the last verse do you hear pretty much everything in the song. After that is the fun and great "Hallowed Be Thy Name". The lyrics are definitely the best on this album, and the piano that comes in between when Greg sings is pretty awesome. The orchestra line is strange, but fits perfectly. I even hear some brass here in there. For the last lyric, Greg keeps finding words that rhyme with it as the madness of the instruments continues. This song is memorable, with no doubt about it.
       When the amazing "Hallowed Be Thy Name" is done, "Nobody Loves You Like I Do", the next Greg ballad, comes in. It has a harmonica to back up the main melody. The lyrics are okay, but when Greg sings them they sound much better. Synths are heard during the chorus, most likely not played by Emerson (unfortunately). The final ballad is "Closer to Believing". The melody is beautiful, which is undeniable. These lyrics are just as good as "Hallowed Be Thy Name", and Greg's voice sounds perfect. With it's mellow piano, Greg's soothing voice, the quiet guitar, and some great orchestra parts, this song is a great ending to Greg's set.
       By moving on to Palmer's set, you quickly ask yourself what exactly you are listening to. The first song is "The Enemy God Dances With The Black Spirit", which is just some weird orchestra stuff with Palmer being experimental. It is actually good, and certainly better then the rest of the Palmer songs to come. "L.A. Nights" seems cool at first, but once the stupid voice says the title 5 seconds in, it just becomes boring, overlong, and experimental. Following that is "New Orleans", which is the other good Palmer track on the album. The guitar melody is catchy, and it is not extremely long. After that is "Two-Part Invention in D Minor", which is quiet and boring. The entire song is just what sounds like a triangle, the orchestra, and marimbas. The next Palmer song is "Food For Your Soul", which actually isn't half bad. It starts off well, but is ruined by a drum solo, which is followed by a cool melody with a flute (I love Jethro Tull). The final Palmer song (YESSSSSSS) is "Tank", which is just a remake of "Tank" from their first album. It is not even as close to as good, and is pretty much just unnecessary.
      Once Palmer's madness is done, the band finally goes to their common side. This includes two songs, the first being the cool Aaron Copeland tune, "Fanfare For The Common Man". The only part that sounds like the actual song is the beginning part that appears every now and then. The rest is Emerson jamming and having a good time. It could be the best song on the album, but I feel it is overlong by about a minute. Other then that, no complaints. The last song on the album is "Pirates". It begins quietly until it suddenly starts to sound like, well, pirates sailing. After Emerson and Palmer's intro, Lake starts singing. The lyrics are okay, mostly because of the fact that they are a bit too pirate-like. After about 7-8 minutes, a lot more variety comes into the song, as it starts to blend some more different ideas. After Greg sings more fast paced things to fit the music, it goes back into a slow version of the earlier part until Greg finally sings the final lyrics and the album is over. To be honest, it isn't too interesting. There are bonus tracks on my version, but they are just 2 Palmer ones and "Nutcracker" from "Pictures At An Exhibition".
       "Works Volume 1" is still a good album, even though Palmer's side is terrible. It shows that Emerson and Lake were the main songwriters, and that Palmer simply made drum lines and other things related to his role in the band. This does not mean that the band was the same as ever. This album has many new different things never in an ELP album, along with the taking away of some too. ELP was starting to run out of fantastic material, but this albums proves that they still had some originality left until their career turned sour.