|
''Remain in Light'' is the fourth studio album by American new wave band Talking Heads, released on October 8, 1980, on Sire Records. It was recorded at locations in the Bahamas and the United States between July and August 1980 and was produced by the quartet's long-time collaborator Brian Eno. The album peaked at number 19 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the US and at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart. Two singles were released from ''Remain in Light'': "Once in a Lifetime" and "Houses in Motion" as well as promotional single "Crosseyed and Painless". The record was certified Gold in the US and in Canada during the 1980s. The members of Talking Heads wanted to make an album that dispelled notions of frontman and chief lyricist David Byrne leading a back-up band. They decided to experiment with African polyrhythms and, with Eno, recorded the instrumental tracks as a series of samples and loops, a novel idea at the time. Additional musicians were frequently used throughout the studio sessions. The lyric writing process slowed ''Remain in Light''s progress, but was concluded after Byrne drew inspiration from academic literature on Africa. The artwork for the album's cover was crafted with the help of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's computers and designing company M&Co. Following the album's completion, Talking Heads expanded to nine members for promotional concerts. ''Remain in Light'' was widely acclaimed by critics. Praise centred on its cohesive merging of disparate genres and sonic experimentation. The record has been featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of the 1980s and the best albums of all time, and it is often considered Talking Heads' magnum opus. In 2006, it was remastered and reissued with the addition of four unfinished outtakes. == Origins == In January 1980, the members of Talking Heads returned to New York City after the tours in support of their 1979 critically acclaimed third album, ''Fear of Music'', and decided to take time off to pursue personal interests. Byrne worked with Eno, the record's producer, on an experimental collaboration named ''My Life in the Bush of Ghosts''.〔 Jerry Harrison produced an album for soul singer Nona Hendryx at the Sigma Sound Studios branch in New York City; the singer and the location were later used during the recording of ''Remain in Light'' on Harrison's advice.〔Bowman, p. 165〕 Husband and wife Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth discussed the possibility of leaving the band after the latter suggested that Byrne's level of control was excessive.〔Bowman, p. 164〕 Frantz was not open to the idea of ending Talking Heads, and the two decided to take a long vacation in the Caribbean to ponder the state of the band and their marriage. During the trip, the couple became involved in Haitian Vodou religious ceremonies and practised with several types of native percussion instruments. In Jamaica, they socialised with the famous reggae rhythm section of Sly and Robbie.〔 Frantz and Weymouth ended their holiday by purchasing an apartment above Compass Point Studios in Nassau, the Bahamas, where the band had recorded their second album ''More Songs About Buildings and Food''.〔 Byrne joined the duo and Harrison there in the spring of 1980.〔Bowman, p. 167〕 The band members realised that it had been solely up to Byrne to bear the creative burden of crafting songs even though the tracks were performed as a quartet. The conception of ''Remain in Light'' occurred partly because they tired of the notion of a singer leading a back-up band; the ideal they aimed for, according to Byrne, was "sacrificing our egos for mutual cooperation".〔Pareles, p. 38〕 The frontman additionally wanted to escape "the psychological paranoia and personal torment" of what he had been writing and feeling in 1970s New York City.〔 Instead of the band writing music to Byrne's lyrics, Talking Heads performed instrumental jam sessions without words using the ''Fear of Music'' song "I Zimbra" as a starting point.〔 Eno arrived in the Bahamas three weeks after Byrne and was at first reluctant to work with the band again after collaborating on the previous two full-length releases. He changed his mind after hearing the instrumental demo tapes and noted, "I absolutely love the direction you're going in."〔 Both parties decided to experiment with the communal African way of making music, in which individual parts mesh as polyrhythms to create a cohesive whole.〔 ''Afrodisiac'', the 1973 Afrobeat record from Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, became the template for the album.〔 Weymouth has commented that the advent of the 1980s marked the beginnings of hip-hop music, which made Talking Heads realise that the musical landscape was changing.〔 Before the studio sessions, long-time friend David Gans instructed the band members that "the things one doesn't intend are the seeds for a more interesting future". He encouraged them to experiment and improvise when recording and to make use of "mistakes".〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Remain in Light」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|