Something about their sound just never clicked for me.

Fair enough.

Now if you want to talk about a great run, the first four TALKING HEADS records are pretty impressive back to front,

t nodding along with tommyrot

Plus they did one of the greatest concert films of all time.

They used to run Stop Making Sense every now and then at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor (a great marquee theater with a beatiful balcony section). Every time they did, you'd have thought you were at a concert. Everybody would get up and dance in the aisles and shout and generally have a great time.

Glenn Mercer's MySpace page (with sound) says that he has new CD coming out.

They used to run Stop Making Sense every now and then at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor (a great marquee theater with a beatiful balcony section). Every time they did, you'd have thought you were at a concert. Everybody would get up and dance in the aisles and shout and generally have a great time.

That was just out in theaters when I was a freshman at BU, and I think a group of us went to see it three times in one week.

Also, they were my first concert (the same tour as SMS), so I may not be capable of being objective about them.

That said, I've recently listened to several of them (a CD player in the car is SO useful), and I'm astonished how well they still sound amazing and unlike anything else. I was also surprised to find that out of the first four, it was the one that used to be my favorite - FEAR OF MUSIC - that had aged the worst for me. Still an awsome record, but it sounds like it's trying a little too hard to be...something. I'm not so surprised to find that of the last four, it was the most popular one (LITTLE CREATURES) that held the least interest to me now.

Glenn Mercer's MySpace page (with sound) says that he has new CD coming out.

I have a Wake Ooloo album and a bunch of Sunburst demos, all of which are somewhat lacking. Don't get me wrong: there's a few good songs on each, but the overall effect is mostly wet pasta.

Speaking of, Buffistarawk is almost full. Should we delete some early posts or just abandon it and move on?

We've already got BR2. I say we just add BR3.

Getting back to Rip it Up And Start Again it was fascinating reading about the Sheffield music scene in the seventies.

I had forgotten how socialist much of the UK was in the seventies. Sheffield was a huge labour stronghold, and went so far as to have a socialist city council, and it was not uncommon for kids to join the Young Communist League at that time.

Also, apparently, psilocibin mushrooms grew freely in the parks so teens and twenty y.o.s would get stoned for free and live on the dole.

My favorite thing, though was something called Meatwhistle, which was a city funded arts program for kids. (And yes, "meatwhistle" was slang for the male member.) It was so successful it was allowed to take over a huge old Victorian school which had been abandoned. They put on a show every week - theater, performance art, bands. Tons of open rooms for practicing. It was all very glam (super popular in Sheffield) and experimental and all the teen geeks were soldering together their home kit synths and getting stoned on mushrooms. Rock and Roll paradise!

Now if you want to talk about a great run, the first four TALKING HEADS records are pretty impressive back to front, and the last four have a lot of good-to-great songs even if they aren't quite as awe inspiring a LPs. Plus they did one of the greatest concert films of all time.

Also? French lyrics.

Now, if someone could just defend Bondie's first four albums we'd have a trifecta of random Frenchitude.

Now, if someone could just defend Bondie's first four albums we'd have a trifecta of random Frenchitude.

They are great! I love their first four albums.

It must be noted, also, that Television's Tom Verlaine took his name from the French poet. Rimbaud was also a major influence on Richard Hell and Patti Smith. Those wacky French Symbolists - so rock and roll.

Bringing things full circle, I should mention that one of the Feelies' first college radio hits was "Fa Cé-La," which is, I believe, French.

And a totally excellent song. Off a totally excellent album.