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80 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compilations piling up, November 18, 2003
This review is from: Once In A Lifetime (Audio CD)
It must be Christmas time again. All the majors are looking to release (or re-release in this case) boxsets of classic rock acts, etc. Well I have to give credit to Rhino (and Talking Heads) for originality. Once In A Life Time is the boxed set The Heads should have gotten when Sire released Sand In The Vaseline. This three CD, 1 DVD set is packaged in a long coffee table style book (hardcover)with a number of essays, rare photos and contributions from the band members. Don't trade in Sand In The Vaseline just yet. The track listing for both sets aren't identical. I Want To Live (included on Sand In The Vaseline) isn't included here. Disc One has 21 tracks focusing on the band's first two albums (plus A Clean Break from the MIA The Name of This Band is Talking Heads). Disc Two focuses on albums 3, 4 and 5 over the course of 17 remastered tracks. However, Cities and Drugs are alternate versions. In the case of Life During Wartime it sounds quite a bit different from the version on Fear of Music because of the sound effects and the mix. Drugs also has a slightly different mix making it memorable when compared to the version on Fear of Music. 5 Tracks appear from the seminal Remain In Light. A couple of the selections from Speaking In Tongues are from the cassette (and early CD)versions and, as a result, are slightly longer than the verisons currently available (and than those on Sand). Finally Disc Three pulls together the twilight of the Heads' career. There are no songs from Stop Making Sense (which is just as well since this has already been remastered with bonus tracks). The last 17 songs are drawn from the band's last three albums with the exception of one outtake/previously unreleased track (In Asking Land which is a stunning song. I'm surprised that it wasn't released before now)and two songs drawn from the Sand compilation (which means that Gangster of Love and Popsicle the "lighter" tracks from the compilation don't appear here at all). Altogether an odd assortment that crosses over somewhat but not completely with Sand In The Vaseline. A pity that they don't cross over completely and add a fourth disc featuring the MIA The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads (guess I'll continue listening to my CDR transferred from vinyl). Still, the DVD is a nice bonus as it features all the important videos and a couple of ones that have previously been unreleased. It's a bit annoying that some of the dialog that connects the videos overlaps with the music. Additionally, the book itself is beautifully designed and small enough to avoid the self important look of an art book. A bit of warning on the DVD. Rhino hasn't labeled it as such but a parental advisory sticker would warn you that the DVD has a significant bad word mentioned a number of times in one of the linking segments. I had forgotten about it being on the video (none of the band members say it nor is it in any of the videos except for a brief moment in the lyric to the song Sax and Violins). Luckily, my kids had left the room prior to the words coming on. The remastered sound is exceptional. Rhino has put out a number of exceptional albums this year and I have to say that Once is one of the best looking career compilations I've ever seen. It makes others of this type appear cheap and gaudy by comparison (well, except the exceptional XTC Coat of Many Cupboards set). This is a great gift for Heads fans and is shaped distinctively enough to fool the heck out of everyone as to what it is. A note also to fans of Adrian Belew who played guitar on Remain in Light for some reason Belew isn't credited (more than likely an oversight)as playing on the sessions at all. I've already alerted Rhino to this oversight as they promised to fix any misinformation on the credits. My advice--record the songs missing from Sand In The Vaseline and make some customized artwork for it. Add it to this set and make it a "personalized" CD boxed set.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Essential - Sets new standard for Boxed Sets, January 28, 2004
This review is from: Once In A Lifetime (Audio CD)
I'm not a Talking Heads fanatic, but I am a fan. I have 3 of their albums, so this boxed set was a very welcome addition to my library. The quality of sound on Sand in the Vaseline is inferior and I'm happy I passed up its purchase in anticipation of this. I've read alot of reviews complaining about the artwork. The individuals behind these comments may know the Talking Heads music, but blatantly miss the TH theme. The artwork is exceedingly relevant to TH by merit of it's irrelevancy. It's colorfuly done and admittedly graphic. A paradise of nude figures and gentle looking animals in a colorful eden with small details of acute to dull menaces within. Similar to TH's musical observations..no? While the illus. are graphic, they do provoke, shock and make you think - the purpose of any art. Each time you look at it you notice something different. It's tempting you to look for some sort of plot, continuation or relevance to the talking heads. While colorful and intriguing, it just does not make any sense....which, after all, is the purpose: Stop Making Sense. The selection of songs is what you'd expect. The requisite back catalog with outtakes, alt versions, etc....all commonplace expectations w/Boxed sets. The DVD addition, however, I found ingenious. Thank you Sire for issuing the DVD with the boxed set and not attempting to sell it separately. Die hard TH fans should be greatful as they are the ones who'd readily pay upwards of $19 to $29 for the DVD alone - consider that when you criticize the price (ie 1st Storyteller dvd, etc..). To moan about Sire issuing another rip off boxed set is ridiculous. Price: okay, $60 is a bit expensive for a boxed set - particularly if you're not a talking heads fan or if you are a fanatic. But for the majority of us in between, it hits the mark. Incidentally, with a little educated shopping you can find this boxed set for as low as $39.99 - I got mine for $45.99 at the local Media Play / Rhino's website has it on sale for $51 and in NYC a freind of mine just bought his today for $39. Shop around. The music's great. The clarity and magnitude of the sound is outstanding. You hear things that were not apparent on the original releases. A solid and BEATUIFUL boxed set - Artsy in a non-sensical way with no seeable connection to the band yet at the same time very Talking Heads If you're a die hard fan with all the individual albums and can do without the essays, don't get it. If you're not a fan and considering adding them, start w/the one cd greatest hits. If you are a fan but not a fanatic and feel your collection is short some Talking heads, then for an investment of 2 1/2 cd's you have the boxed set. Until they decide to re-master TH in 5.1, I thank you Sire, for a truly worthwhile boxed set.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for some Talking Heads fans; not so for others, November 13, 2004
This review is from: Once In A Lifetime (Audio CD)
I love this set and was intrigued by poor reviews from some other Talking Heads fans submitted here.
Who am I? A 43 year old Australian; I can't begin to remember how many times I danced the night away to "Take Me To The River", or sang "You might find yourself..." while driving in my youth without a care in the world (other than very serious thoughts about the state of the world etc.).
Why I loved Talking Heads? Pure pop plus pure art. A thousand ideas per cubic centimetre, but always with an attempt to polish the most esoteric notions into an accessible presentation. ALWAYS extremely interesting, and danceable.
Why I bought this set? I had Sand In The Vaseline, but was still hungry, and when I saw this set, I liked the look of it.
Satisfied? YES. There's some good reading in the "booklet". A highlight for me is David Byrne's discussion about the change in his own creativity, and while he likes his own expressions from Talking Heads early days, he can't continue to deliver that style of expression, because he's moved on. It's an inspiring essay about art. And I've really enjoyed listening to all of this music again (a few alternate takes are minor surprises; heaps of pleasure in so many old favourites). And it's ideal for creating an iTunes/iPod playlist.
Casual fans - try the one disc best of, or maybe Sand In The Vaseline.
Talking Heads maniacs - buy all the original albums and do a web search for essays about / by the band.
Old time fans of the art and pop mix that was Talking Heads - this is a great package.
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