My Top 20 albums for 1980 No 8

REMAIN IN LIGHT
Year Of Release: 1980
Completely spaced out and dizzy, this is the Heads' debacling on a HUGE scale. Be cautious! Asteroids are falling!
Best song: THE GREAT CURVE
Track listing: 1) Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On); 2) Crosseyed And Painless; 3) The Great Curve; 4) Once In A Lifetime; 5) Houses In Motion; 6) Seen And Not Seen; 7) Listening Wind; 8) The Overload.

[Gotta start with a pretentious and attention-drawing introduction.] Man, this is a tough, tough, tough call. Good thing I'm not reserved to giving out just one highest rating to any particular band, or I would have to spend my days in a mental asylum trying to figure out whether Fear Of Music beats out Remain In Light or it is vice versa. See, on one hand, Fear Of Music appeals somewhat more to me personally, with catchier melodies, a larger number of songs, and cute little philosophic twists of the lyrics/performances that render Mr Byrne more, well, humane. On the other hand, Remain In Light is, without a doubt, a far more accomplished record, a grand canvas that steps over the narrow New Wave borders of the Heads' two previous offerings, and thus is more innovative and everything. What should I do? Give 'em an equal rating, of course!
[Okay, I'm gonna play serious rock critic now and offer a Serious Rock Critic Metaphor]. If Fear Of Music was just the equivalent of preliminary training within the spacecraft, then Remain In Light is more like a true venture into outer space. [Next, the expected Metaphor Expansion and Explanation]. The reason of my saying this is simple - the production. Either the band has completely signed control over to Eno or they just felt more and more at ease with Eno every day, but I don't even feel the studio boundaries while listening to this stuff. The 'live' feeling of that last record, which was still present, is completely gone - at times, this sounds more like a sealed package aliens have sent on Earth, containing recordings of an alien cruise around Alpha Centauri. Synth bleeps and beeps, all kinds of psycho effects, roaring and screeching guitars that appear out of nowhere only to disappear in that same direction, 'heavenly' or 'ugly' vocal harmonies, all of them completely unpredictable, this will certainly bug you and debug you for several times before you get used to it.
But oh man, is that stuff actually cool. [The metaphor being expanded, we now proceed to depicting the songs - otherwise, the review will be too short and nobody will get bored. That won't work, eh?]. The first side is by far the best, as it concentrates on faster rhythms, rhythms that are neither disco nor world beat, rather just totally crazed out percussion-heavy dance rhythms that take a little bit of everything. I suppose that lyrics do matter on here, occasionally, offering more of Byrne's interesting views on society, but I tell you, the sounds on here don't really make me wanna sit back and pull out the lyrics sheet, as I did want to do while enjoying Fear Of Music. Instead, I just revel in the pure hypnotic grooves of that stuff. For instance, the guitars and synthesizers on 'Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)' play all kinds of jagged riffs, solos, half- and quarter-riffs and half- and one-eighth-solos and almost seem to be playing hide and seek with each other. You know, like little green Meeps jumping around and making your head spin. It's fun to just cling on to one of those guitar tracks and pretend you're clinging on to a comet which is whirling you around a planet or something. But then you get shaken off, only to follow 'Crosseyed And Painless' into the depths of 'dynamic lethargy' - how can a track thus obviously rocking and energetic be so dang lethargic? I suppose it's those vocal harmonies that lull you, but aren't all those whizzing guitar noises supposed to wake you up? Oh well, just more spacey pandering...
...and if you think you're out of it, you're wrong! 'The Great Curve' is the centerpiece of the album - as fast as anything else, and based on the record's best gimmick, a brilliant call-and-answer session between sparkling lead guitar trills and playful bass runs. And if that, and the brilliant vocal polyphony, ain't enough, then perhaps guitar wiz Adrian Belew's manic guitar parts will be enough to convince you of the song's paranoid greatness. I get in the groove so much that for me, this even overshadows the arguably best known track off the album, Byrne's glorious anthem 'Once In A Lifetime'. Great pop harmonies on that one, great groove, but not all that outstanding to be the perfect epitome of the Heads' idiosyncratic magnificence - heck, it could have as well been written by Eno himself, while 'The Great Curve' could only have been penned by the Heads. But why bitch about them? [Reaching a consensus here.]
The second side is real hard to sit through, now. It's slower and even more atmospheric - we're reaching our destination, folks, so fasten your belts and take one last short nap. 'Houses In Motion' is the one number on here that's closest to 'filler' definition, but it's perfectly compensated for by the robotic pulsation of 'Seen And Not Seen' and the mantraic chanting of 'Listening Wind', both great songs that I'll never love to the point of gluing my ears to the speakers whenever they come on, but at least I'll never be willing to push the 'fast forward' button on either of them, and that's more than I can say about Grand Funk Railroad, for instance.
[Grand exit now.] And, of course, Eno wouldn't be Eno if he hadn't made the band end the album on a super-slow, creepy, pseudo-goth note with 'The Overload', which sounds more or less 'industrial', I guess, but is far more accessible and impressive than most industrial I've heard so far. And hey, if you're one o' dem D&D fans, just replace the 'a' in the middle of the title with an 'r' and the song will immediately turn into a mystical medieval fantasy. Who knows - perhaps it was meant to be that way? That old hoot Eno.
[A note of pessimism wouldn't hurt.] The biggest problem, of course, is that nothing particularly good was influenced by this record (and don't try to convince me otherwise), but then again, that classic Police sound was also lost to the waves, wasn't it? Admit it - New Wave, at best, didn't influence anything, and at worst, influenced lots of crap, like all the synth-pop scene and the techno beats. Okay, I know that I'm not exactly right here, but I know that I'm not exactly wrong, either. Heh heh. Actually, I'm only doing this to emphasize the importance and glory of Remain In Light. Admit it, it would be painful to speak of it as a 'transitional link' or some shit like that - let's speak of it as a transcendent value in itself! Go buy it now!

Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)"

[Verse 1]
Take a look at these hands
Take a look at these hands!
The hand speaks
The hand of a government man
Well I'm a tumbler
Born under punches
I'm so thin

[Chorus 1]
All I want is to breathe (I'm too thin)
Won't you breathe with me?
Find a little space so we move in-between (in-between it)
And keep one step ahead of yourself

[Verse 2]
Don't you miss it, don't you miss it
Some 'a you people just about missed it
Last time to make plans, well, I'm a tumbler
I'm a government man

[Chorus 2]
Never seen anything like that before
Falling bodies tumble 'cross the floor (but I'm a tumbler)
When you get to where you wanna be (Thank you, thank you)
When you get to where you wanna be (Don't even mention it!)

[Verse 3]
Take a look at these hands, they're passing in-between us
Take a look at these hands
Take a look at these hands, you don't have to mention it
No thanks, I'm a government man

[Outro]
And the heat goes on, and the heat goes on
And the heat goes on, and the heat goes on
And the heat goes on, where the hand has been
And the heat goes on, and the heat goes on
And the heat goes on (Got time?), and the heat goes on
And the heat goes on, and the heat goes on
And the heat goes on, where the hand has been
And the heat goes on, and the heat goes on
And the heat goes on (I'm not a drowning man)
And the heat goes on
And the heat goes on (And I'm not a burning building)
And the heat goes on (I'm a tumbler)
And the heat goes on (Drowning cannot hurt a man)
Where the hand has been
And the heat goes on (Fire cannot hurt a man)
And the heat goes on (Not the government man)
And the heat goes on (All)
And the heat goes on (I want)
And the heat goes on (Is to breathe)
And the heat goes on (Thank you, thank you)
And the heat goes on (Won't)
And the heat goes on (You breathe)
And the heat goes on (With me?)
And the heat goes on
And the heat goes on (Find)
And the heat goes on (A little space)
And the heat goes on (So we)
And the heat goes on (Move in-between) (No smoking)
And the heat goes on (And keep)
And the heat goes on (One step ahead)
And the heat goes on (Of yourself)
And the heat goes on (I'm catching up with myself!)
And the heat goes on (All)
And the heat goes on (I want)
And the heat goes on (Is to breathe)
And the heat goes on
And the heat goes on (Won't)
And the heat goes on (You breathe)
And the heat goes on (With me?)
And the heat goes on (Hands of a government man)
And the heat goes on (Find)
And the heat goes on (A little space)
And the heat goes on (So we)
And the heat goes on (Move in-between)
And the heat goes on (And keep)
And the heat goes on (One step ahead)
And the heat goes on (Of yourself)
And the heat goes on (Don't you miss it, don't you miss it)
And the heat goes on (All)
And the heat goes on (I want)
And the heat goes on (Is to breathe)
And the heat goes on
And the heat goes on (Won't)
And the heat goes on (You breathe)
And the heat goes on (With me?)
And the heat goes on (Hands of a government man)
And the heat goes on (Find)
And the heat goes on (A little space)
And the heat goes on (So we)
And the heat goes on (Move in-between)
And the heat goes on (And keep)
And the heat goes on (One step ahead)
And the heat goes on (Of yourself)

Crosseyed and Painless"

[Verse 1]
Lost my shape, trying to act casual
Can't stop, I might end up in the hospital
Changing my shape, I feel like an accident
They're back to explain their experience

[Chorus 1]
Isn't it weird? Looks too obscure to me
Wasting away, that was the policy

[Verse 2]
I'm ready to leave, I push the fact in front of me
Facts lost, facts are never what they seem to be
There's nothing there, no information left of any kind
Lifting my head, lo-lo-looking for danger signs

[Chorus 2]
There was a line, there was a formula
Sharp as a knife, facts cut a hole in us
There was a line, there was a formula
Sharp as a knife, facts cut a hole in us

[Bridge]
I'm still waiting
I-I-I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I-I-I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I-I-I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I-I-I'm still waiting

[Chorus 3]
The feeling returns whenever we close our eyes
Lifting my head, looking around inside

[Verse 3]
The island of doubt, it's like a taste of medicine
Working by hindsight, got the message from the oxygen
M-m-making a list, find the cost of opportunity
Doing it right, facts are useful in emergencies

[Chorus 3]
The feeling returns, whenever we close our eyes
Lifting my head, looking around inside

[Verse 4]
Facts are simple and facts are straight
Facts aren't lazy and facts aren't lame
Facts don't come with points of view
Facts don't do what I want them to
Facts just twist the truth around
Facts are living turned inside out
Facts are getting the best of them
Facts are nothing on the face of men

[Outro]
I'm still waiting
I-I-I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I-I-I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I-I-I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I-I-I'm still waiting

The Great Curve"

[Verse 1]
Sometimes the world has a load of questions
Seems like the world knows nothing at all
The world is near, but it's out of reach
Some people touch it, but they can't hold on

[Chorus 1]
She is moving to describe the world
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
She has messages for everyone
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
She is moving by remote control
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
Hands that guide her are invisible
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)

[Verse 2]
The world has a way of looking at people
Sometimes we feel that the world is wrong
She loves the world and all the people in it
She shakes 'em up when she start to walk

[Chorus 2]
She is only partly human being
(Divine to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
She defines the possibilities
(Divine to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
Holding on for an eternity
(Divine to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
Gone, ending without finishing
(Divine to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)

[Guitar Solo]

[Verse 3]
The world moves on a woman's hips
The world moves, and it swivels and bops
The world moves on a woman's hips
The world moves, and it bounces and hops

[Refrain]
A world of light, she's gonna open our eyes up
A world of light, she's gonna open our eyes up
She's gonna hold it, move it, hold it, move it
Hold it, move it, hold it, move it
A world of light, she's gonna open our eyes up

[Chorus 1]
She is moving to describe the world
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
She has messages for everyone
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
She is moving by remote control
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
Hands that guide her are invisible
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)

[Outro/Refrain]
She....
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
A world of light, she's gonna open our eyes up
A world of light, she's gonna open our eyes up
She's gonna hold it, move it, hold it, move it
Hold it, move it, hold it, move it
A world of light, she's gonna open our eyes up
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)
(Divine, to define, she is moving to define, so say so, so say so)
(She wanna define, so say so, so say so)
(Night must fall, now! Darker! Darker!)
(She has got to move the world, got to move the world, got to move the world)

Once in a Lifetime"

[Verse 1]
And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?"

[Chorus]
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

[Verse 2]
And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?"
And you may ask yourself, "Where is that large automobile?"
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful house"
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful wife"

[Chorus]
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

[Refrain]
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

[Verse 3]
Water dissolving and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Under the water, carry the water
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean
Water dissolving and water removing

[Chorus]
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

[Verse 4]
You may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?"
You may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?"
And you may ask yourself, "Am I right? Am I wrong?"
And you may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?"

[Chorus]
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

[Outro]
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was and look where my hand was
Time isn't holding up, time isn't after us
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Letting the days go by, same as it ever was
Here a twister comes, here comes the twister
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was (Letting the days go by)
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was (Letting the days go by)
Once in a lifetime, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground

Houses in Motion"

[Verse 1]
For a long time I felt without style or grace
Wearing shoes with no socks in cold weather
I knew my heart was in the right place
I knew I'd be able to do these things

[Verse 2]
And as we watch him digging his own grave
It is important to know that was where he's at
He can't afford to stop, that is what he believe
He'll keep on digging for a thousand years

[Chorus]
I'm walking a line, I'm thinking about empty motion
I'm walking a line, just barely enough to be living
Get outta the way, no time to begin
This isn't the time, so nothing was done
Not talking about, not many at all
I'm turning around, no trouble at all
You notice there's nothing around you, around you
I'm walking a line, divide and dissolve

[Verse 3]
Never get to say much, never get to talk
Tell us a little bit, but not too much
Right about then, is where she give up
She has closed her eyes, she has give up hope

[Chorus 2]
I'm walking a line, I hate to be dreaming in motion
I'm walking a line, just barely enough to be living
Get outta the way, no time to begin
This isn't the time, so nothing was done
Not talking about, not many at all
I'm turning around, no trouble at all
I'm keeping my fingers behind me, 'hind me
I'm walking a line, divide and dissolve

[Verse 4]
I turn myself around, I'm moving backwards and forwards
I'm moving twice as much as I was before
I'll keep on digging to the center of the Earth
I'll be down in there moving the in the room...

[Chorus 3]
I'm walking a line, I'm visiting houses in motion
I'm walking a line, just barely enough to be living
Get outta the way, no time to begin
This isn't the time, so nothing was done
Not talking about, not many at all
I'm turning around, no trouble at all
Two different houses surround you, 'round you
I'm walking a line, divide and dissolve

Seen and Not Seen"

[Spoken Verse 1]
He would see faces in movies, on TV, in magazines, and in books
He thought that some of these faces might be right for him
And that through the years
By keeping an ideal facial structure fixed in his mind
Or somewhere in the back of his mind
That he might, by force of will
Cause his face to approach those of his ideal
The change would be very subtle
It might take ten years or so
Gradually his face would change its shape
A more hooked nose
Wider, thinner lips
Beady eyes
A larger forehead

[Spoken Verse 2]
He imagined that this was an ability he shared with most other people
They had also molded their faces according to some ideal
Maybe they imagined that their new face
Would better suit their personality
Or maybe they imagined that their personality
Would be forced to change to fit the new appearance
This is why first impressions are often correct
Although some people might have made mistakes
They may have arrived at an appearance
That bears no relationship to them
They may have picked an ideal appearance
Based on some childish whim, or momentary impulse
Some may have gotten halfway there
And then changed their minds

[Outro]
He wonders if he too might have made a similar mistake

Listening Wind"

[Verse 1]
Mojique sees his village from a nearby hill
Mojique thinks of days before Americans came
He serves the foreigners in growing numbers
He sees the foreigners in fancy houses
He dreams of days that he can still remember, now
Mojique holds a package in his quivering hands
Mojique sends the package to the American man
Softly he glides along the streets and alleys
Up comes the wind that makes them run for cover
He feels the time is surely now or never, more

[Chorus]
The wind in my heart, the wind in my heart
The dust in my head, the dust in my head
The wind in my heart, the wind in my heart come to
Drive them away, drive them away
The wind in my heart, the wind in my heart
The dust in my head, the dust in my head
The wind in my heart, the wind in my heart come to
Drive them away, drive them away

[Chorus]
The wind in my heart, the wind in my heart
The dust in my head, the dust in my head
The wind in my heart, the wind in my heart come to
Drive them away, drive them away

[Verse 2]
Mojique buys his equipment in the market place
Mojique plants devices through the Free Trade Zone
He feels the wind is lifting up his people
He calls the wind to guide him on his mission
He knows his friend, the wind, is always standing... by
Mojique smells the wind that comes from far away
Mojique waits for news in a quiet place
He feels the presence of the wind around him
He feels the power of the past behind him
He has the knowledge of the wind to guide him on

[Outro]
The wind in my heart, the wind in my heart
The dust in my head, the dust in my head
The wind in my heart, the wind in my heart
(Come to)
Drive them away, drive them away
The wind in my heart, the wind in my heart
The dust in my head, the dust in my head
The wind in my heart, the wind in my heart
(Come to)
Drive them away, drive them away

The Overload"

[Verse 1]
A terrible signal
Too weak to even recognize
A gentle collapsing
The removal of the insides
I'm touched by your pleas
I value these moments
We're older than we realize
In someone's eyes

[Verse 2]
A frequent returning
And leaving unnoticed
A condition of mercy
A change in the weather
A view to remember
The center is missing
They question how the future lies
In someone's eyes

[Verse 3]
The gentle collapsing
Of every surface
We travel on the quiet road
The overload