Customer Reviews

David Byrne

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Understand that I am a huge fan of Byrne's solo work. (Saw him live just last week!) While the Talking Heads were great, Byrne's solo career keeps moving farther and farther into new worlds of creativitiy and social commentary.

But there's something missing from this album. I may be doing Byrne an injustice, but this album seems a bit pretentious, or perhaps 'self-conscious' would be a better descriptor. The lyrics tend to be either more obscure or more blunt than his other albums; the rhythms and song structures tend to plod along instead of picking you up; and many of the songs lack a strong 'hook'. The elements of his stronger albums are there, but they are do not come together as powerfully as his other albums.

At the least, I'd say it will take you longer to learn to appreciate this album. If you're just getting into Byrne's solo stuff, I'd recommend the following first:
- "Rei Momo" is a great release from his earlier forays into latin rhythms.
- "Feelings" is good.
- "Look Into the Eyeball" - When I got this one, I thought it would be impossible to release a better album...
- "Grown Backwards" - But then "Grown Backwards" was released, and totally knocked me out.

I'd recommend you acquire any of the above before the album being reviewed.

This is by far my favorite CD by David Byrne, who's music I love. It's a bit more mature and mainstream in some ways than the previous title "Uh Oh" but it's also a little more quirky than "Feelings", although I do like both of those albums. With touchingly funny songs like "My Love is You" and bitingly funny tributes like "Buck Naked" (written for his daughter's friend who passed away as a result of AIDs) this CD is like reading a really interesting book of short stories. Each tune is completely different and they all seem to stick in your head. FOr any Heads fans or Byrne fans, you have to love this CD.

but didn't turn me on nearly as much as a lot of his other stuff. Pretty straight-up songs overall, nothing too wacky or extemely interesting . . . the big exception is "Crash." For me, "Crash" really stands out. "I met my looooooooove at a funeral . . ." . . . the rhythm and percussion on that song is so cool. It's a sort of melancholy tune but really bizarre. Love the spastic breakdown in the middle before the song recovers again.

Note: This is coming from the point of view of a fan who really loves UH-OH and the Heads' NAKED, unorthodox views according to many reviewers on this site, so take my opinion with (at least) a grain of salt!

As major-domo of the Talking Heads, David Byrne created a body of work that was successful on commercial and artistic levels, as well as extremelly influencial. His solo works have pretty much paled in comparison. This self-titled release ranks as his best. The songwriting is his strongest since Remain in Light and the musical performances are varied, but cohesive. Any fan of the Talking Heads would be pleased to own this. Back in the Box, A Long Time Ago and Buck Naked are the keepers from this set.

Not great but notably better than Uh-Oh. Some of the tunes are memorable such as "Back in the Box" and "Strange Ritual". The rest of the album seems to level off to the level of average, musically but the lyrics are interesting and at times extremely disturbing ("Buck Naked"). A solid album but will probably only appeal to those who are fans of Byrne already.

David Byrne is unquestionably one-of-a-kind. While Talking Heads was a band of great note, Byrne's solo work stands quite well on its own. This CD has a good deal of variety, with humor, incessant quirkiness (and I mean that in the best sense) and for the most part a high degree of polish.

"a long time ago" is haunting and dark, funny and trivial simultaneously.

"angels" is the best number on the CD. Opening with powerful guitars, Byrne narrates the exodus of angels (truth?), and his hopeful anticipation of their return

"crash" is just fun. Hysterical lyrics, although the message is mixed.

"a self-made man" is to be taken quite literally, being about genetic engineering.

"back in the box" is a snappy, funky piece with lyrics about the desire to hide from life's problems.

"sad song" reverts to great humor again. He can teach you to be sad too, but "you must practice like I do"

"nothing at all" is sort of laid back and quiet - just not sure what happened...

"my love is you" is a love song that only Byrne could deliver.

"lillies of the valley" Hmm.. Did I say that "angels" was the best? Tough call here, as this number is very, very strong. Hard to get the chorus out of your mind once you hear it. Ends with a cool vibe outtro.

"you and eye" Back to delicious comedy - a song about going to hell, and finding it quite enjoyable.

"strange ritual" is almost overpowering. There are some heavy sonic overtones throughout to give the song a feel of incredible fantasy, as we journey into bizarre areas of the human psyche ... a wierd trip indeed.

"buck naked" I honestly laughed out loud at this one - outrageously funny !

I have not heard all of Byrne's work, but overall this CD offers a good sampling of his talent and versatility. Might be a good place to start with this artist.

I heard this cassette in Ukraine and was blown away. The song, Strange Ritual, is just absolutely amazing. Profound, poetic and riveting music. The other songs are fun and typically Byrne stuff. Strange Ritual hearkens back to Once in a Lifetime days.

I've always loved David Byrne, taking us on a trip to his imagined future. Now that I've owned Rei Momo for some time, I'm compeled to come back give the man his due. He certainly anticipated the current Latin takeover in music. My favorite album.

This album really isn't for the casual listener... It has the feel of an intense labor of love, not easily swallowed with a spoonfull of sugar, You really gotta commit to this album, and once you have, you'll be immensly happy you did...

I've always loved the Talking Heads and while I've been intrigued by much of David Byrne's solo work and loved individual songs off of Rei Momo and Uh-Oh, this album is his best. I love every song on it. "Angels" ranks among my Top 25 Songs of all time which is quite an accomplishment considering how much I love music and how varied my tastes are. If you like inventive and passionate singers like David Byrne, this album is a must-have.