Little Creatures Archives

Album: Little Creatures
Year: 1985

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One of the things about Little Creatures and the albums that followed it was that Talking Heads decided not to tour them. And, of course, when I say “Talking Heads,” I mean David Byrne, who had the True Stories project already percolating while doing press for Stop Making Sense. And as you’ve probably noticed, Talking Heads was one of the all-time great live bands, and I occasionally wonder what the songs from those records might have become in a live setting. Especially given that none of the Little Creatures (or True Stories, for that matter) songs were all that technically difficult.

So one wonders what a song like “Road to Nowhere” might have been in a live setting, even with just the original quartet playing it. Which isn’t to say that it’s not awesome in the studio incarnation, which begins with a gospel acapella.

Album: Little Creatures
Year: 1985

. . .

At the time, 1985’s Little Creatures was kind of seen as Talking Heads “back to basics,” a return to basic rock and pop after two albums of afro-funk. The truth, of course, was more complicated, as one of the things about most purported “back to basics” albums, from Let it Be to Some Girls to All That You Can’t Leave Behind is that you can’t unlearn all the things you’ve learned. And so Little Creatures sounded fuller than say Talking Heads ’77, because it was eight years later. Also, there was what seemed like a conscious lack of of danceable songs, focusing more on straight rock or even country rhythms and sounds.

Little Creatures

Certain Songs #2631: Talking Heads – “Road to Nowhere”

Certain Songs #2630: Talking Heads – “And She Was”