TALKING HEADS: 77

1977. Such a fascinating year for music, not only the year where a new generation of bands tried to carve a new aesthetic, it's also a year where many of the dinosaurs put up a last good fight and delivered many strong releases such as Animals, Going For The One, Seconds Out, Songs From The Wood,... and eh no, not Works no.

Talking Heads were one of the new kids on the block: punk by spirit, art rock at heart, and the debut is the exact showcase of that duality, offering everything from standard pop songs to tentative world-beat rhythms, and from civilized punk to art rock pretensions. In other words, the kind of stuff that the "art police" listened to when I was in college at the end of the 80s. And rest assured, those keepers of good taste didn't listen to prog.

A lot of rambling to hide that I haven't much to say about this music. Everybody knows Psycho Killer of course, which is one of the more memorable moments here and a good indication of what the band was about back then. Quite original but I don't like it much actually. My favorite tune here is New Feeling that brings about that great feel-good vibe as the first two albums from the B-52's. But on the whole, the songwriting on this arty punk-pop debut is rather unremarkable and too docile.

The album sure has its fans, but for me, it's one that shows that the new generation of youngsters were still no match for the old geezers. Well, not yet at least... Luckily for Talking Heads, their best was still to come.