No Talking, Just Head

No Talking, Just Head is an album released in 1996 by the Heads, a band composed of Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads, joined by a variety of guest singers. The project was commercially and critically unsuccessful, leading to the band members pursuing other interests.

No Talking, Just Head
A text cover listing the song titles and musicians
Studio album by
the Heads
ReleasedOctober 8, 1996 (1996-10-08)
RecordedNovember 1994 to late 1995[1]
Studio
  • The Boundary, London, England, UK
  • Clubhouse, Cock Island, Connecticut, US
  • G, London, England, UK
  • The Gentleman's Club, Miami Beach, Florida, US
  • Paramount, Hollywood, California, US
GenreNew wave, art punk
Length55:11
LabelMCA
ProducerThe Heads
Singles from No Talking, Just Head
  1. "Damage I've Done"
    Released: 1996
  2. "Don't Take My Kindness for Weakness"
    Released: 1996

Recording and release

The Talking Heads instrumentalists began recording this album in late 1994 after spending several years trying to get vocalist David Byrne to participate.[1] The title track was first released on the soundtrack to Virtuosity,[2] with recording continuing through 1995, as friends and musical acquaintances filled in as guest vocalists.[1] The album was intended to turn into a full-time project with further studio albums and a tour, culminating with a live CD/video release of the first tour, featuring performances of songs originally recorded by Talking Heads reinterpreted by the album's guest artists. However, Byrne sued the group, asserting that their name and presentation was too evocative of Talking Heads and that this release was a trademark violation.[3] The suit was settled out of court and only the studio album was released.[4][5] The band toured the US in late 1996, with Johnette Napolitano serving as the primary lead vocalist.[6]

"Damage I've Done" and "Don't Take My Kindness for Weakness" were released as singles, including several remixes by Moby, Lunatic Calm and others.[1] Both were promoted with music videos.[1]

Reception

Editors at AllMusic rated this album 2 out of 5 stars, with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing that the collaborators were "as barren of ideas as the Heads themselves", and that most of the music, bar the tracks with Andy Partridge and Shaun Ryder, was "simply bland".[7] Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club wrote that the songs were "alternately derivative of [the band's] former work and derivative of current musical trends", and that the "crushing mediocrity" of the music was only punctuated by the Partridge song.[8] Robert Christgau rated the album a B− and called it a "turkey", stating that it was not as bad as he expected, and that the music was strongest when sounding like Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club.[9] Chris Molanphy of CMJ New Music Monthly wrote that the musicians were "just fine" without Byrne and felt the strength of the music came from the rhythm section.[10] A brief review from E! called the album "frighteningly catchy" and just as "gimmicky" as Talking Heads' work.[11]

A review of "Damage I've Done" in Billboard recommended the track to retailers as having sales potential for being a "murky, oddly appealing rocker" that was "derivative but undoubtedly hit-bound".[12]

Track listing

All songs written by Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth and T. "Blast" Murray; other lyricists in parentheses.

  1. "Damage I've Done" (lyrics, vocals: Johnette Napolitano) – 6:19
  2. "The King Is Gone" (lyrics, vocals: Michael Hutchence) – 4:12
  3. "No Talking, Just Head" (vocals: Debbie Harry) – 4:34
  4. "Never Mind" (lyrics, vocals: Richard Hell) – 3:51
  5. "No Big Bang" (lyrics, vocals: Maria McKee) – 3:30
  6. "Don't Take My Kindness for Weakness" (lyrics, vocals: Shaun Ryder; vocals: Paul "Kermit" Leverage) – 4:43
  7. "No More Lonely Nights" (lyrics, vocals: Malin Anneteg) – 5:14
  8. "Indie Hair" (lyrics, vocals: Ed Kowalczyk) – 3:49
  9. "Punk Lolita" (vocals: Harry, Napolitano, Weymouth; lyrics: Weymouth) – 4:35
  10. "Only the Lonely" (lyrics, vocals: Gordon Gano) – 4:05
  11. "Papersnow" (lyrics, vocals: Andy Partridge) – 4:59
  12. "Blue Blue Moon" (lyrics, vocals: Gavin Friday; backing vocals: Napolitano) – 5:20

Personnel

The Heads

Additional musicians

  • Malin Anneteg – vocals on "No More Lonely Nights"
  • Sly Dunbar – loops on "Punk Lolita"
  • Gavin Friday – vocals on "Blue Blue Moon"
  • Gordon Gano – vocals on "Only the Lonely"
  • Debbie Harry – vocals on "No Talking, Just Head" and "Punk Lolita"
  • Richard Hell – vocals on "Never Mind"
  • Michael Hutchence – vocals on "The King Is Gone"
  • Ed Kowalczyk – vocals on "Indie Hair"
  • Paul "Kermit" Leverage – additional vocals on "Don't Take My Kindness for Weakness"
  • Abdou M'Boup – percussion
  • Maria McKee – guitar on "No Big Bang", synthesizer on "No Big Bang", vocals on "No Big Bang"
  • T. Blast Murray – guitar
  • Lenny Pickett – saxophone, flute on "The King Is Gone"
  • Johnette Napolitano – buzz guitar on "Damage I've Done", vocals on "Damage I've Done" and "Punk Lolita", backing vocals on "Blue Blue Moon"
  • Andy Partridge – vocals on "Papersnow", whistling on "Papersnow"
  • Shaun Ryder – vocals on "Don't Take My Kindness for Weakness"

Technical personnel

  • Chris Frantz – production, arrangement
  • Jerry Harrison – production, arrangement
  • Tina Weymouth – production, arrangement, cover artwork, design
  • Jeff Gibbs – assistant engineering
  • Jules Gondar – assistant engineering
  • Alex Gordon – engineering
  • Femio Hernández – mixing, mixing assistance
  • Heungman – photography
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Tom Lord-Alge – mixing
  • Doug McKean – engineering, mixing
  • J. C. Ulloa – assistant engineering

Chart performance

No Talking, Just Head debuted on the CMJ New Music Monthly Top 75 Alternative Radio Airplay in January 1997 at 43[13] and peaked at 32 the next month.[14]

References
  1. Rosen, Craig (September 7, 1996). "Radioactive/MCA's Heads Together With Friends". Artists & Music. Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 36. pp. 14, 20. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. Flick, Larry (August 25, 1995). "Mariah And Janet Tear Up The Dancefloor". Dance. Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 34. p. 26. ISSN 0006-2510.
  3. Rosen, Craig (September 7, 1996). "Byrne Goes Head To Head In Suit With Ex-Bandmates". Commentary. Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 36. p. 8. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. "Talking Heads". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  5. ATHITAKIS, MARK. "David Byrne Feelings". salon.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  6. Norris, Chris (November 18, 1996). "Performance: Cooler Heads Prevail". Nightlife. The New Yorker. Vol. 29, no. 45. p. 148. ISSN 0028-7369.
  7. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (n.d.). "The Heads – No Talking, Just Head". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  8. "The Heads: No Talking, Just Head". The A.V. Club. March 29, 2002. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  9. Christgau, Robert (October 15, 2000). "h". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Press. p. 132. ISBN 9780312245603.
  10. Molanphy, Chris (November 1996). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. p. 9.
  11. "Music Review – The Heads – No Talking Just Head". E!. 1997. Archived from the original on April 12, 1997. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  12. Flick, Larry, ed. (September 28, 1996). "Singles". Reviews & Previews. Billbard. Vol. 108, no. 39. ISSN 0006-2510.
  13. "Top 75". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 41. January 1997. p. 44. ISSN 1074-6978.
  14. "Top 75". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 42. February 1997. p. 44. ISSN 1074-6978.
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