Record of the day: Talking Heads, “Remain in lights”

Talking Heads, “Remain in Light” (Cd Sire 256867)

The music produced in the 1980s is not held in particular esteem nowadays, which is fair enough given the proliferation of pop groups more dedicated to hairstyles than musical content in that period; but the same decade also saw the birth of excellent works that managed to combine experimentation and accessibility, funky grooves and atmospheres inspired by non-European cultures, mainly due to minds like Bowie, Eno, Fripp, Byrne, Anderson, artists engaged in an authentic renewal of the rock language that continues to make its influence felt today.

One of the fundamental records to have to understand this musical avant-garde is “Remain in light”, released in 1980 and immediately considered a cornerstone of a new sound, which shook the sclerotized world of chart music to its foundations. David Byrne’s dazed voice married wonderfully with the rhythmically compact arrangements provided by Jerry Harrison (guitar), Tina Weymouth (bass) and Chris Frantz (drums), faithfully recounting the disorientation and identity crisis that that generation was going through; Byrne himself appeared in the group’s videos as a little man barely able to keep himself upright, without a real center of gravity, who often spent his life waiting for something to happen (like the protagonist of the song “Crosseyed and Painless”).

The music was very powerful, obsessive, full of African flavors married with the influence of funk, often based on a single chord for several minutes, full of percussion and distorted electric guitars, and managed to combine viscerality and detachment in a hitherto unprecedented way. intellectual, acting on the stomach and simultaneously stimulating the brain.

This music was at ease both in an art gallery and in a nightclub and brought together strong influences from visual arts, choreography and literature; it is no coincidence that Byrne often collaborated with leading artists such as Twyla Tharp and Bob Wilson, also creating an original fusion between music and video in his own live shows which was subsequently taken as a model by many groups. Still fresh and vibrant, “Remain in Light” is a truly indispensable album.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical topics.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: A record for every day of the year” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.