I came across this CD while re-arranging my collection, and couldn't remember what it sounded like... with the exception of one song: opener "Damage I've Done", which I first heard on a free sampler CD given away with an American magazine called CMJ New Music Monthly, and which stuck with me. So when I found the Heads' sole album on sale I bought it, hoping it'd contain other, just as memorable, songs. Since then, it's happened countless times: I have boxes full of these magazine samplers, from Uncut and Mojo mostly, but also Q, NME, Classic Rock, Kerrang, Word, Songlines, as well as many Greek magazines. Each of them contains some tracks by bands I like, but more significantly also stuff by others I had never heard of but I invariably ended following up on. Nowadays free CD samplers are so commonplace as to be reduntant: with streaming, youtube, social media etc. there are so many other ways to discover music that a physical CD seems like a waste of plastic. But back then, CMJ seemed almost too good to be true: on occasion, magazines had given away cassettes, flexi discs (please tell me you know what a flexi disc is), or even the odd vinyl, but a whole CD of 20+ tracks by different bands, plus articles on all those bands? Every month? This was unprecedented. To top it off, these were all brand new (re)releases, and more often than not, they chose the lead single from each album. Still, this was highly specialized press: unlike Mojo and Uncut (which were soon to appear on the scene), you couldn't get them on just any foreign press agency. The Metropolis record store in downtown Athens brought 3 or 4 copies. I used to pass by at least twice a week anyway, so chances were good I'd be able to snatch one.
So yes, CMJ was my introduction to a lot of new artists, from Morcheeba to Cornershop and from Rammstein to 16 Horspower. And in this case, to a new/old band, seeing as The Heads are just The Talking Heads without their lead singer, David Byrne - ergo the title No Talking, Just Head. It seems strange that their only album would be so quickly forgotten. One reason is, of course, that Byrne tried to bury them legally: He argued their name and sound (and, I might add, the cover artwork) were too similar to his/their old band, and tried to stop them from performing and releasing even this one album. Another reason probably had to do with the cold reception they got from both fans and critics. The opener (and lead single) "Damage I've Done" gathers some of the harshest reviews, I think mainly because it doesn't sound similar to The Talking Heads at all. I, on the other hand, like the juxtaposition of the new-wavey intro and grungy chorus with Napolitano's angst-filled vocal. Critics call it garbage, but to me it sounds more like Garbage. The band. Who were at the time among the hottest alternative rockers around. So The Heads could have gone that way: get a singer with a completely different style and pursue a more "modern" sound. Or, alternately, they could choose to emulate their older selves. It might lead to uncomfortable comparisons, but it'd make sense if they intended to tour extensively. Instead, they do not seem to be able to choose a direction: they're torn between re-hashing their glory days and attempting to modernize their sound by adding loops and other electronic elements. And instead of settling on a singer, thay asked a bunch of guests to write lyrics and sing, resulting in an uneven patchwork of an album. (Concrete Blonde's) Johnette Napolitano is followed by (INXS)'s Michael Hutchence on the groovy "Like A King", and then by two CBGBs alumni, Debbie Harry on "No Talking Just Head" and Richard Hell on "Never Mind". The former is too electronic for my liking, while the latter is reminiscent of their art-funk style. Substitute Hell with Byrne, and it could be The Talking Heads at their more mediocre. Then we're back to pseudo-techno with "No Big Bang" (feat. Maria McKee). A song that might work for The Cardigans, but does not work for this band and this singer. A more interesting pairing is with (Happy Mondays/Black Grape singer) Shaun Ryder, who takes over "Don't Take My Kindness for Weakness" and makes it sound like one of his side-projects. I don't know who Malin Anneteg is, but she has a "sexy" spoken word piece here. It's OK for what it is - a spoken word interlude with sympathetic art-funk backing. "Punk Lolita" (bassist Tina Weymouth with guests Debbie Harry and Johnette Napolitano on vocals) is another interesting direction not taken, a dance/post-punk hybrid somewhat similar to Le Tigre, if not as riotous as them. "Indie Hair" (feat. Live's Ed Kowalczyk) sounds like it could have been a Talking Heads song, but the singer -while good- is a bad fit for the material. "Only the Lonely" (feat. Gordon Gano) sounds like a 50/50 mix of Talking Heads and Violent Femmes. Since I like both bands, and while the song isn't anything special, it's among my favorites here. "Papersnow" (with XTC's Andy Partridge) comes close to emulating the spirit of The Talking Heads without emulating its sound. Maybe the most interesting (almost "progressive") composition here. The album closes with the jazzy and atmospheric "Blue Blue Moon" featuring Gavin Friday, previously of Virgin Prunes, on vocals. The band toured for a bit with Napolitano as main vocalist. There's a full performance on youtube, which isn't half bad. In this live setting, and with basic rock instrumentation, the new songs mingle well with Talking Heads classics - of course they do, since it's 3/4 of the original band playing. Had they continued on the way hinted by the concerts rather than by the album, they might have had something interesting in their hands, but David Byrne had his way and shut them down. What we're left with is a flawed and directionless album with some interesting moments. Yet, I'm not sure it deserves the oblivion it has been designated to. If you're a fan of The Talking Heads, or have a penchant for lost albums, you should check it out.
**** for "Damage I've Done" (feat. Johnette Napolitano)
*** for "The King is Gone" (feat. Michael Hutchence), "Never Mind" (feat. Richard Hell), "Don't Take My Kindness for Weakness" (feat. Shaun Ryder), "Only the Lonely" (feat. Gordon Gano), "Papersnow" (Vocals by Andy Partridge), "Blue Blue Moon" (Vocals by Gavin Friday)
** for "No Talking Just Head" (feat. Debbie Harry), "No Big Bang" (feat. Maria McKee), "No More Lonely Nights" (feat. Malin Anneteg), "Indie Hair" (feat. Ed Kowalczyk), "Punk Lolita" (Vocals by Napolitano, Harry and Tina Weymouth)
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