Remain in Love

I remember buying the Talking Heads '77 album as an import back in... well 1977 on the basis of having read a single paragraph in one of the music papers of the day that raved enthusiastically about them. I was seeking a "different" sound.Well it took me several spins of the somewhat weighty American vinyl on my turntable for my ears to adjust to David Byrne's unusually harsh staccato..esq vocalisations. However I persisted with the album solely on the basis of my immediate admiration for the impressive rhythm section the band had. Clean, neat and funky. For me it was this rhythm section that made the band something extra special and unique. Talking Heads soon became, and to this day still are, one of my favourite bands.This book is essentially the inside story of that great rhythm duo. Told by Mr Franz from his perspective, but without any of the over elaboration, self promotion or self importance so many of these auto biographies tend to suffer from. Franz comes across as a real Gent, who worked hard to achieve his dream.......both in music and in love. Generous to, and appreciative of those around him, while not sulking or pontificating with unproductive bitterness over some of the injustices he and Tina put up with during their Talking Heads days........just a little clarification here and there...... and the odd dig!Chris Franz writes in a very straight forward and unpretentious style, relaying lots of inside stories about himself, Tina Weymouth and the various supporting characters they've encountered throughout their musical and romantic journey together. Impressively Mr F appears to have an exceptional memory for detail, as he recalls just about every meal eaten, every street walked down and every hotel he stayed in from the 1970's onward.While writing this review I realise that Chis and Tina have been together as lovers, and in parallel as a musical team, for the best part of 50 years. A pretty amazing achievement in the hedonistic world of rock n roll. There must be something in those rhythms and beats they create! Well done both.....and thank you Chris for a great read.

I was massively impressed by 'Talking Heads' when I was Art College in the 80's. Their impression with music became something highly enjoyable to me. The lyrics were profound and each instrument in the mix of their records was purposeful and apart from Tom Waits, there really wasn't any other band that achieved for me what other bands were attempting to but usually failing badly at. With 'Talking Heads' dancing was mandatory.Chris Frantz was the drummer in this band and manages to achieve through writing of 'Remain In Love' just how influential the band became. Most of the book works but falls flat occasionally when describing the mundane angle of touring. Hence four stars. Most of the book manages to convey his enthusiasm for being a musician in one of the best bands to exist on the planet and how it all began.'Remain In Love' is creative and does any 'Talking Heads' fan a good service by explaining what actually happened to the band overtime, as well as being a warning to any creative people who want to start a band. It's an incredible and detailed account which does explore the highs and lows very well and considering his enthusiasm and talent, it's a very versatile conclusion to explain what actually happened. Definitely recommended.

A strangely dissatisfying and disappointing memoir that seems like a wasted opportunity. An insider's view of one of the best bands to emerge from New York punk, becomes an exercise in settling scores at the expense of any real insight into what made this unique group of creative individuals tick.Frantz and Weymouth have been notably critical of David Byrne over the years, but the constant series of digs at the singer left me reassessing my view of the author rather than the singer by the end of the book. While any memoir will always be subjective by definition, Remain In Love feels like an overt attempt to create a narrative that credits all the creativity in the band to him and his wife. Frantz scarcely has any positive comment to make about Byrne who, for all his faults, has had a creative career subsequent to the band's dissolution. Frantz criticises Byrne's "omissions" throughout the book, but makes the same error himself to the detriment of the book. Jerry Harrison is barely mentioned at all.Frantz also presents any actions of himself and Weymouth in the best light. The fallout from Remain In Light around credits for the individual Heads and Brian Eno could easily be seen as an attempt to reframe a collaborative project as a pure Taking Heads album. Frantz himself acknowledges that Eno was attracted to the album by presenting it to him as a collaboration, but backtracks on this later. Indeed, the artwork design by Frantz and Weymouth is based entirely on portraits of the four band members, hinting that the idea of collaboration was pointedly being discarded.Ultimately Frantz's flat style and the lack of any real attempt at insight or analysis makes the book unexpectedly dull. Surely something that the band and the scene they emerged from never were.