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Tom Tom Club Escapes to Rock

radiohead1095 | Boston, MA | 01/15/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This album actually deserves 3 and a half stars, it is very good, but at the time it was an unwelcome departure from the sunny funk/New Wave/hip hop mix that had worked so well in the past. Looking back however, it is the least dated of all Tom Tom Club records, and it retains the sort of "dance-ability" that made 'Genius of Love' a Platnum hit.The synths for the most part have dissapeared or have atleast become less prominent in the final mix, however Chris Franz turns out his best preformance on drums loosening up his usually heavy handed 4/4 drumming for more a fast and funky style. The percussion has a very African feel, and Tina actually robs Fela Kuti of a damn good bassline on the spactaular opening track, which can only be described as a happier 'Great Curve' (see Remain in Light, Talking Heads).The lyrical content is light and fluffy, which typical Tom Tom Club affair, which is happy without being obnoxious. And if you can't smile and dance to the tracks on this album, you need therapy. However, as the album wears on the tracks often become repetative, and the individula songs don't do anything to distinguish themselves from one another torwards the middle of the album, hense the three stars.If you enjoy Talking Head's (no the) Remain in Light, and especially Speaking in Toungues."

Not their best.....kind of flat

kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 10/03/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Tom Tom Club was (is?) an occasional side project from Tina Weymouth and Chris Franz of the Talking Heads. They were formed in 1981. They release an album on average of every 5 years.



Released in 1989, this is the third release from the Tom Tom Club. There are a number of different versions. The one listed here, shows only 10 tracks. My version has 11 tracks, with the addition of She Belongs to Me.

There is a Euro version that only has 10 tracks, but includes She Belongs to Me instead of Shock My World.



She Belongs to Me is one of the best songs on the CD. It sounds like something that might have come from Lou Reed. You will want to get a version of this CD that has that track.



Like many CD's from the late eighties, this has issues with the sound quality. At least my copy does. I haven't heard the other versions to know if the sound quality is any better. Bad sound quality from the early CD's was why there were vinyl snobs.



The high end is very thin and tinny. It really detracts from some of the songs. On the plus side, the low end is full and vibrant. The bass and drums sound very good.



This is mostly standard eighties new wave/disco/electronica stuff. Although, by 1989, this type of music was on its way out, and this CD would have seemed dated at the time.



The music at times is similar to Banarama or Blondie. It has hints of other female led bands, such as Berlin. There is one purely electronica instrumental track, that includes Weymouth heavy breathing. I don't think it is very good.



I think that the best Tom Tom Club CD is Dark Sneak Love Action (I can never remember that title). It is fantastic, 5 star material. I like the first two also. I don't care for The Good The Bad The Funky. It is sort of reggae/new wave mix that doesn't quite work."