Talking Heads vs The Police

The Police by brutal beatdown.

Outlandos d'amour was a GOAT first album (right there with Van Halen 1 and Boston). The Talking Heads were the 80s version of a hipster band composed of hipsters.

The Talking Heads were not New Wave and in no way did anything for New Wave, that would be Gary Newman, The Cars, Devo and Blondie.

I don't consider New Order and Depeche Mode new wave (although it's arguable), they were more like second wave.
 
therealdope said:
The Police by brutal beatdown.

Outlandos d'amour was a GOAT first album (right there with Van Halen 1 and Boston). The Talking Heads were the 80s version of a hipster band composed of hipsters.

The Talking Heads were not New Wave and in no way did anything for New Wave, that would be Gary Newman, The Cars, Devo and Blondie.

I don't consider New Order and Depeche Mode new wave (although it's arguable), they were more like second wave.
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Wtf, I enjoy talking to you in the sports bar but this is one of the dumbest things I have read in the music forum. Post-punk or new-wave, the two terms are very closely intertwined, but the TH certainly did lots for new wave. Unless you are only taking new-wave to mean synth-pop or something (which is not what it meant originally). And the point anyway is they were both rock bands that used non-rock/world music influences in interesting ways.

All I can say to that "The Talking Heads were the 80s version of a hipster band composed of hipsters." is

<36>

Nothing wrong with picking The Police, but this is a hilariously ludicrous dismissal of the one of the best bands of that era (and of any era).
 
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fonzob1 said:
Lots of nostalgia for both, but I think the Police had more hits.

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The Police definitely more of a hit-machine type of band, more in the mainstream I suppose.
 
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fonzob1 said:
Lots of nostalgia for both, but I think the Police had more hits.

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I suppose it depends on the definition of hits. The Talking Heads had many hits that broke the Billboard top 200 but the police probably had higher peaks on the charts.

All of these songs were "hits."

Psycho Killer
Once in a Lifetime
Burning Down the House
Take me to the River
And She Was
Life During Wartime
Wild Wild Life

More I'm not recalling off the top of my head, I'm sure.
 
Always liked this video here with an odd cameo by a young John Goodman. One of my favorite Talking Heads songs

 
Seano said:
Always liked this video here with an odd cameo by a young John Goodman. One of my favorite Talking Heads songs

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Not one of my favourites but it is cool with Goodman, funny film too.
 
Rimbaud82 said:
Wtf, I enjoy talking to you in the sports bar but this is one of the dumbest things I have read in the music forum. Post-punk or new-wave, the two terms are very closely intertwined, but the TH certainly did lots for new wave. Unless you are only taking new-wave to mean synth-pop or something (which is not what it meant originally). And the point anyway is they were both rock bands that used non-rock/world music influences in interesting ways.

All I can say to that "The Talking Heads were the 80s version of a hipster band composed of hipsters." is

<36>

Nothing wrong with picking The Police, but this is a hilariously ludicrous dismissal of the one of the best bands of that era (and of any era).
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Speaking of era, I was actually alive at the time of their popularity so I think I can speak intelligibly about their fan base. The Talking Heads were loved by critics and people over 35. Their fans would now be called contrarian hipsters -- which at that time meant 80s Emos with John Lennon glasses who hung out in coffee shops -- before coffee shops were mainstream.

The didn't do shit for New Wave. I can still remember the moment I heard the Cars first Album and it was the hammer that broke Disco. The Cars and Blondie were DEFINITELY the mainstream success bands that ushered in New Wave, with Devo and Gary Newman rounding out the main players. Depeche Mode, New Order , Style Council, and others were more alternative pop. It cracks me up when Duran-Duran gets labelled as New Wave --- they were straight ahead well crafted mainstream pop.

Flock of Seagulls also gets labelled as prototypical new wave but they were just mid-80s modern techno pop.
 
therealdope said:
Speaking of era, I was actually alive at the time of their popularity so I think I can speak intelligibly about their fan base. The Talking Heads were loved by critics and people over 35. Their fans would now be called contrarian hipsters -- which at that time meant 80s Emos with John Lennon glasses who hung out in coffee shops -- before coffee shops were mainstream.

The didn't do shit for New Wave. I can still remember the moment I heard the Cars first Album and it was the hammer that broke Disco. The Cars and Blondie were DEFINITELY the mainstream success bands that ushered in New Wave, with Devo and Gary Newman rounding out the main players. Depeche Mode, New Order , Style Council, and others were more alternative pop. It cracks me up when Duran-Duran gets labelled as New Wave --- they were straight ahead well crafted mainstream pop.

Flock of Seagulls also gets labelled as prototypical new wave but they were just mid-80s modern techno pop.
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giphy.gif
 
therealdope said:
Speaking of era, I was actually alive at the time of their popularity so I think I can speak intelligibly about their fan base. The Talking Heads were loved by critics and people over 35. Their fans would now be called contrarian hipsters -- which at that time meant 80s Emos with John Lennon glasses who hung out in coffee shops -- before coffee shops were mainstream.

The didn't do shit for New Wave. I can still remember the moment I heard the Cars first Album and it was the hammer that broke Disco. The Cars and Blondie were DEFINITELY the mainstream success bands that ushered in New Wave, with Devo and Gary Newman rounding out the main players. Depeche Mode, New Order , Style Council, and others were more alternative pop. It cracks me up when Duran-Duran gets labelled as New Wave --- they were straight ahead well crafted mainstream pop.

Flock of Seagulls also gets labelled as prototypical new wave but they were just mid-80s modern techno pop.
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I have heard other perspectives from other people alive at the time in regards to their fan base. From a UK perspective -

"From one who was there this seems an odd comparison but I can kind of see where the OP's coming from. Two quirky voiced front men and distinctive sounding bands, US vs UK..

Talking Heads were always seen as beyond cool, edgy, with a unique pioneering sound. Whereas Police were pop punk and seen as rather naff, like the Boomtown Rats..."

In any case dismissing a band because you think their fan base is "hipster" is incredibly cheap.
 
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Rimbaud82 said:
I have heard other perspectives from other people alive at the time in regards to their fan base. From a UK perspective -

"From one who was there this seems an odd comparison but I can kind of see where the OP's coming from. Two quirky voiced front men and distinctive sounding bands, US vs UK..

Talking Heads were always seen as beyond cool, edgy, with a unique pioneering sound. Whereas Police were pop punk and seen as rather naff, like the Boomtown Rats..."

In any case dismissing a band because you think their fan base is "hipster" is incredibly cheap.
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TBF he is using it as a bad thing but there were alot of great "hipster" bands.I allways took it to mean arty or quirky rock music, which is something I allways loved growing up. Now people just use to mean the way people dress.
MI0001396617.jpg
 
Jimmy Jazz said:
TBF he is using it as a bad thing but there were alot of great "hipster" bands.I allways took it to mean arty or quirky rock music, which is something I allways loved growing up. Now people just use to mean the way people dress.
MI0001396617.jpg
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Yeah if you just take it to mean 'art rock', then Talking Heads are clearly closer to that thanThe Police...if you are trying to use it as a criticism, well it's one of the cheapest you can go for and says nothing about the band's music.
 
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Rimbaud82 said:
Yeah if you just take it to mean 'art rock', then Talking Heads are clearly closer to that thanThe Police...if you are trying to use it as a criticism, well it's one of the cheapest you can go for and says nothing about the band's music.
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haha I hear you. I don't know how old you are but I'm 29 and in high school I got called a "scenester" because I liked music, even though I didnt wear trucker caps, white belts, skinny jeans or converse. So I understand your frustration. lol
 
Rimbaud82 said:
Yeah if you just take it to mean 'art rock', then Talking Heads are clearly closer to that thanThe Police...if you are trying to use it as a criticism, well it's one of the cheapest you can go for and says nothing about the band's music.
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you think so? I always thought the Talking heads seemed like more of a party band while the Police struck me as more artsy.
 
Seano said:
you think so? I always thought the Talking heads seemed like more of a party band while the Police struck me as more artsy.
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I definitely thought so. Obviously you have songs like Burning Down the House, but even on their first album which is definitely still funky, it's always got funky grooves but channelled through David Byrnes quirky paranoid vibe. Byrne is the main thing, then you get his interest in experimental stuff and the influence of Eno.
 
Yeah put me down as another for Talking Heads, especially live...



The Police tends to be certain songs that stand out for me like So Lonely, Beds To Big Without You, Walking on the Moon, Message in a Bottle, Don't Stand So Close To Me, Every Little Thing She Does It Magic, King of Pain etc. Every Little Thing especially is one of my favourite pop songs.

 
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