[Review] Talking Heads: Little Creatures (1985)
Platinum pop art that was proferred to the masses through the magic of MTV.
Kronomyth 8.0: I was bored in a laundromat.
Let’s talk about pop music. Maybe you have an idea of what it is in your head, and you’re certain that it doesn’t apply to an “artistic” band like Talking Heads, but I would beg to differ. Little Creatures sold millions of copies and earned the band a kind of crown as MTV’s artists in residence (which Byrne and the band wore with an uneasy acceptance). It’s interesting that pop art doesn’t carry the same negative connotations as pop music. I guess it comes down to intent: most pop musicians don’t set out to challenge the austerity of serious music, they just want to be popular. And, so, Little Creatures is a case of Talking Heads having their cake and eating it too. David Byrne’s absurd observations belie the seriousness underneath. Television Man, Give Me Back My Name, Road to Nowhere, Walk It Down… those are some pretty serious songs. But Talking Heads offer a counterargument to their own internal angst with songs about happiness: Perfect World, And She Was. Byrne wrestles with this paradox on Creatures of Love, asking “Doctor, doctor, tell me what I am / Am I one of those human beings?” For artists who equate art with suffering, happiness is an existential crisis. Fortunately for us, Byrne’s crisis is our frosted chocolate cake. The album generated three more radio/video hits (I always found Stay Up Late a bit obnoxious) and fought the good fight against the intellectual stupor of television. Personally, everything after Remain in Light was a disappointment to me (except, surprisingly, Naked), but that probably speaks more to my own arm’s-length relationship with happiness and humanity than anything.
Original elpee version
A1. And She Was (3:36)
A2. Give Me Back My Name (3:20)
A3. Creatures of Love (4:12)
A4. The Lady Don’t Mind (David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Tina Weymouth) (4:03)
A5. Perfect World (David Byrne/Chris Frantz) (4:26)
B1. Stay Up Late (3:51)
B2. Walk It Down (4:42)
B3. Television Man (6:10)
B4. Road to Nowhere (4:19)
Expanded CD reissue bonus track (1993)
A10. The Lady Don’t Mind (extended mix)
Remixed, expanded CD+DVD bonus tracks
A10. Road to Nowhere (early version)
A11. And She Was (early version)
A12. Television Man (extended mix)
All songs by David Byrne unless noted, arranged by Talking Heads.
The Players
David Byrne (guitar & vocal), Chris Frantz (drums), Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitar & background vocals), Tina Weymouth (bass & background vocals) with Ellen Bernfeld (backing vocals), Andrew cader, Eric Dickens (backing vocals), Diva Gray (backing vocals), Gordon Grody (backing vocals), Lani Groves (backing vocals), Jimmy Macdonell, Lenny Pickett, Steve Scales, Nana Vasconcelos, Eric Weissberg, Kurt Yahijian (backing vocals). Produced by Talking Heads; engineered and mixed by Eric E.T. Thorngren.
The Pictures
Cover painting by Rev. Howard Finster.
The Plastic
Released on elpee, cassette and compact disc on June 10, 1985 in the US (Sire, 25305-1/4/2), the UK (Sire, TAH/TAHC2), Argentina (EMI, 8319), Australia (EMI, EMC 240352), Brazil (EMI, 064 240352), Canada (Sire, 92 53051/4), Japan (EMI, EMS-91122), the Netherlands (EMI, 1C 064 24 0352 1/1C 264 24 0352 4) and Yugoslavia (Jugoton, LSEMI 11122) with lyrics innersleeve. Reached #20 on the US charts (RIAA-certified 2x platinum record) and #10 on the UK charts.
- Re-issued on compact disc in Europe and Australia (EMI, 746158).
- Re-issued on expanded compact disc in 1993 in the UK (Fame, CD FA 3301) with one bonus track.
- Re-packaged w. True Stories on 2CD in 2003 in Taiwan (EMI, 582370).
- Re-issued on expanded, remixed CD+DVD in 2006 in the UK (EMI, 348 6602).
