Talking Heads vs Sonic Youth

Buick6

too punk to drunk
I say this as both were prolly the most influential white-boy alternative bands of the modern era. Both were helplessly art-school confidential damaged. Boy had sorta sex-symbol female bassists (though Weymouth is a WAAAAYY better bass player)...It's interesting how today Talking Heads seem to be the more far reaching band, as most of todays hipngroovyfashionmagazine New York darling seem to owe more musically to Talking Heads than SY...
 

henry s

Street Fighting Man
hells yeah Talking Heads were the more far-reaching band...it only took them a couple of albums to get "experimental" (hooking up with Eno, exploring African rhythms and what have you)...how long did it take Sonic Youth to "embrace" hip hop?...(not counting the fun but half-hearted Ciccone Youth thing...and while we're on the subject of side projects, Tom Tom Club had it all over the likes of Ciccone Youth and Free Kitten)...TH were also more media-savvy in their choice of collaborative artists (Jonathon Demme, vs. SY's Mike Kelley or Richard Kern)...let's face it, as far as imagery goes, it's tough to compete with David Byrne's oversized suit...of course, Talking Heads "broke" much earlier than Sonic Youth (who missed the post-punk bandwagon by a few years, and as such are ineligible for Vice magazine deification)...I think Sonic Youth will probably be best remembered for their "teenage alienation" period circa Sister/Daydream Nation, and will get lumped into the Great Grunge Revival of 2010...
 

shudder

Well-known member
it's true. In fact, I'd love to be in such a band... ALtho there's no shortage of talking heads aping about. Did you ever hear that band that was huge in pitchfork land last year, Clap Your Heads Say Yeah (ugh.. that name...)? I just heard them at a book shop last week, and it was amazing how much the guy was trying to sound like David Byrne...
 

Buick6

too punk to drunk
seahorsegenius said:
Definitely Sonic Youth. Believe me, there's more "noise bands w/guitars" that jack them than than anyone......ever. :eek:

I'm guilty of this too...BUT..these days there are more 'white art funk bands with trippy noises' than there are 'noise bands w/ guitars'..whether this is becuase the kids are better musicians these days, or have grown up in a hiphop/dance zeitgeist is yet to be tested. Though part of the reason is that Sonic Youth are the finest exponents 'diminshing returns' in rock, in much the same way Scorses is to cinema, but thats another discussion...
 

BrokenFist

Crackin Skulls
shudder said:
Did you ever hear that band that was huge in pitchfork land last year, Clap Your Heads Say Yeah (ugh.. that name...)?

Oh god, I'd rather rip the ears right offa my head than listen to their sorry excuse for a vocalist. He has one of the most irritating voices I've ever had the displeasure of hearing.

BUT, "In This Home on Ice" is an excellent song. :)
 

satanmcnugget

Well-known member
i think the Heads were more influential in the UK, with their herky-jerkiness and funk overtones melded with dissonant/minimalist gtr bluh

never made much of an impact here in NA, but i hear them aaaallll over a lot of post-punk that came out of the UK after 1977, for sure

SY were much more influential here in NA


so it comes down to NA vs the UK (well, at least in what is left of my mind, anyway :))


and im soooo not going there :)
 

Grievous Angel

Beast of Burden
Definitely some scope for interesting comparisons. I loved both bands. Da Yoot were GREAT live around the time of Bad Moon Rising, still very good for the Day Dream Nation gigs. But Remain in Light was the first LP I got, still love it, obviously. I think TH have more of an abiding interest for me just cos they is funkier, and to wit, they had Tom Tom Club, which was genius. I wouldn't under-play Sonic Death's love of eighties hip hop though - they were just smart enough to avoid trying to ape it.
 

Gabba Flamenco Crossover

High Sierra Skullfuck
I heard CYHSY at word the other day, I thought they sounded like a cross between the modern lovers & the who. I quite liked his voice... not sure if I could take a whole album of it in one sitting though.

Being objective, surely the smiths are the most influential white boy alternative band ever?
 

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
Gabba Flamenco Crossover said:
I heard CYHSY at word the other day, I thought they sounded like a cross between the modern lovers & the who. I quite liked his voice... not sure if I could take a whole album of it in one sitting though.

Being objective, surely the smiths are the most influential white boy alternative band ever?
Velvet Underground, innit.
 

Buick6

too punk to drunk
shudder said:
people always say that about the smiths, but on this side of the atlantic, i just dont see it...

Too right..The Smiths defintely for that over-produced 'nothing' guitar sound that every UK guitar band copied from the late 80s on..But there were more and prolly BETTER UK guitar bands that were sorta Vlevet influenced eg: JAMC, noisier C86 bands etc..I mean shit even the SMiths took a large chunk of the warhol/Velvets deal. espesh the whole 'How soon is now' video clip..

I dunno, Marr in his own right was a pretty nifty guitarist, but farken hell, if I hear another bullshit neo-UK-indie guitar band with a duller than dogshit 'washed out' guitar sound claiming to be Velvet's influenced and they sound like the fuggen Smiths, I dunno, I might just vomit.
 
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