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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A juicy blend of present and past in strings..., October 3, 2007
Some twenty years after the iconoclastic Talking Heads silently dropped their instruments and went their separate ways, their frontman David Byrne remains a fervent presence on the art and music scene. Though no longer producing mega-hits (pop music has morphed into something almost unrecognizable since "Wild Wild Life" blared from every speaker), Byrne retains a solid and dedicated following. Some ten solo albums and a handful of books and art exhibits later, the spirit of Talking Heads lives on in Byrne's solo work. "Live from Austin, TX" gives a good sample of his continued energetic output.
This CD was recorded way back in 2001, soon after Byrne released "Look into the Eyeball." So why did it take six years to release this tasty disc? First, the "Austin City Limits" show, for which this material was recorded, didn't air until early 2002. Second, the CD was "cancelled." Some time passed, Byrne recorded another full length album, "Grown Backwards," and three years later "Live from Austin, TX" appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Not a gripping tale, but not much information is available. In short, no material from "Grown Backwards" appears here. The set does contain voluminous morsels from the Talking Heads catalog set to lush string arrangements. It's as if Byrne arranged his standards to fit the mood of the sea of strings sound of "Look into the Eyeball." The results, for the most part, are fantastic.
The ensemble, referred to as "Tosca" in the liner notes, breathes new life into songs that don't need new life: "Life During Wartime," "This Must be the Place," and "What a Day that Was" swim with orchestral rhapsody. "(Nothing But) Flowers" and "And She Was" receive a paired down acoustic treatment ala the days of "unplugged." "Once in a Lifetime" was also successfully modified to fit the sound of the set. The new and the old flow together as a coherent sonic whole. This saves the set from sounding like many of the now prevalent "greatest hits" tours.
One major surprise is the chilling and staccato "God's Child," which Byrne recorded with the late Selena. The original bilingual duet appeared on Selena's 1995 album "Dreaming of You." The second biggest suprise comes at the very end: Byrne does Houston. "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" gets rearranged in like manner to the rest of the numbers. As such, it also swings with strings and fits right in. It works, really it does. Most of the non-Talking Heads material comes from "Look into the Eyeball." One song from "Rei Momo," "Marching Through the Wilderness," sneaks in.
Byrne fans will welcome this surprise since more and more time seems to elapse between each of his solo releases. But soon they will have much to succor: "The Knee Plays" will finally appear on CD this year after a long obscure life on vinyl and cassette. Also, the Talking Heads albums were reprinted with voluminous bonus material. When the future presents nothing new, revel in the past. "Live from Austin, TX" provides a great opportunity to do just that.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Conga Line, January 7, 2009
As an aging Talking Heads fan I was amazed at how well a small orchestra enhanced David's songs.This is a must have.
Excellent quality recording.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you're a fan of David Byrne, Talking Heads or like live sets, November 10, 2008
I highly recommend this album for fans of Talking Heads, David Byrne, or fans of live sets. I've bought a lot of music recently, and this is the best album I've bought in several months. He plays a mix of songs from the multiple groups he's played with, as well as some of his personal favorites(the last song).
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