ROCK Sex: "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo

"I'm changing my shape, I feel like an accident,
They're back to explain their experience..."

ROCK Sex says "facts continue to change their shape".

Another cultural relay handoff today, centered around a TALKING HEADS song.

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Nigerian FELA Ransome Kuti is the father of AfroBeat, a polyrhythmic and political funk-jazz inspired by James Brown and the counterculture rebellion of the '60s.

These propulsive jams had enormous musical influence, from the late '70s New York DIY scene and London's dub culture, to son Femi Kuti and Antibalas today.

FELA -"Roforofo Fight" (1972)



New York's Talking Heads and producer Brian Eno expanded their palette with a kind of abstract Punk take on AfroBeat, starting with the crucial album REMAIN IN LIGHT (1980).

Their expanded touring band included keyboard sorceror Bernie Worrell (P-Funk) and guitar maniac Adrian Belew (King Crimson).

TALKING HEADS -"Crosseyed And Painless" (1980)



New York's Brazilian Girls stirs the pan-cultural stew further with their take on the Heads' song. Singer Sabina Sciubba scats across five different languages.

BRAZILIAN GIRLS -"Crosseyed And Painless" (2006)



In 2018, Benin's favorite musical maverick Anglelique Kidjo remade the entire REMAIN IN LIGHT album.

ANGELIQUE KIDJO -"Crosseyed And Painless" (2018)



"The feeling returns whenever we close our eyes
Lifting my head, looking around inside..."


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

• "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers

• "Radio Head" - Talking Heads > Tito Lariva > Radiohead

• "Warning Sign" - Talking Heads > Local Natives

• ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"

• "Wordy Rappinghood" - Tom Tom Club > Chicks On Speed


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Warning Sign" - Talking Heads > Local Natives

ROCK Sex says it happened before and it will happen again.

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One of the great producer and band partnerships in Rock is Brian Eno's collaborations with Talking Heads.

This song has a killer drum break by Chris Frantz, mesmeric bass by Tina Weymouth, and stellar guitar work by David Byrne.

Its paranoic edge and polyrhythmic dynamics embody their musical transition from The Velvet Underground toward Fela.

TALKING HEADS -"Warning Sign" (1978)



Talking Heads set the template for most every indie band for the next three decades, with their normal anti-style look and mercurial style shifts.


The British electronic group The Black Dog uses the drums in this reaction.

THE BLACK DOG -"Seer & Sages" (1990)



English songwriter Sophie Michalitsianos interpolates the song as a folky dream with TripHop textures.

SOL SEPPY -"Love Boy" (2006)



Here's another descendent, Local Natives, doing "Warning Sign" with a harmonic emphasis that would also please Beatle or Brian Wilson fans.

LOCAL NATIVES -"Warning Sign" (2010)



© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

• "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers

• "Radio Head" - Talking Heads > Tito Lariva > Radiohead

• "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo

• ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"

• "Wordy Rappinghood" - Tom Tom Club > Chicks On Speed


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Radio Head" - Talking Heads > Tito Lariva > Radiohead

Thom Yorke and David Byrne

"Transmitter, picking up something good/ Hey, Radio Head/ The sound of a brand new world!"
-Talking Heads


ROCK Sex transmits another example of how everyone relays a wavelength.

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David Byrne co-wrote and starred in an indie film called TRUE STORIES in 1986. Naturally TALKING HEADS made a soundtrack record, including this song:

TALKING HEADS -"Radio Head" (1986)



The trick was that, in the film, the songs were sung by the actors. "Radio Head" was sung by Tito Lariva, backed up by famed accordianist Esteban "Steve" Jordan and his band.

Tito Lariva had been a pioneer in the Los Angeles Punk scene with his band The Plugz. They're most famous for their cover of "Secret Agent Man" as "Hombre Secreto", and for their Morricone-esque work on the REPO MAN (1984) soundtrack, such as the closer song "Reel Ten". He then fronted The Cruzados with their hit "Motorcycle Girl". And he's been a staple in Robert Rodriguez films as TITO + TARANTULA from the El Mariachi trilogy to the theme for "MACHETE".

TITO LARIVA -"Radio Head" (1986)



An English band named ON A FRIDAY was signed in the early-'90s, but then changed their name to Radiohead based on this song. Here's Thom Yorke signaling his feelings.

RADIOHEAD -"Creep" (1992)



"Baby, you're mind is a radio
Got a reciever inside my head
Baby, I'm tuned to your wavelength
Let me tell you what it says...

The sound of a brand new world"


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

• "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers

• "Warning Sign" - Talking Heads > Local Natives

• "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo

• ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"

• "Wordy Rappinghood" - Tom Tom Club > Chicks On Speed


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers

ROCK Sex ties to get a grip on the slip.

Today, the relay hand-off of "Slippery People".

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Possessed by the fever somewhere between Fela and New Orleans, here's Talking heads in fluid delirium. They're backed by Nona Hendryx on vocals and Bernie Worrell on keyboards.

TALKING HEADS -"Slippery People" (1983)



And here's the ever wonderful STAPLE SINGERS putting their own liquid moves on it.

THE STAPLE SINGERS -"Slippery People" (1984, remix)



Not long after, POPS STAPLES played the man with the mojo in David Byrne's film, TRUE STORIES.

POPS STAPLES + Talking Heads -"Papa Legba" (1986)




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

• "Radio Head" - Talking Heads > Tito Lariva > Radiohead

• "Warning Sign" - Talking Heads > Local Natives

• "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo

• ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: A Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Wordy Rappinghood" - Tom Tom Club > Chicks On Speed

ROCK Sex quickies are in one ear and then the other.

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Here's TOM TOM CLUB giving us the lowdown on the downlow:

TOM TOM CLUB -"Wordy Rappinghood" (1981)



And here's CHICKS ON SPEED relaying the message:

CHICKS ON SPEED -"Wordy Rappinghood" (2004)




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"

• "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

• "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers

• "Radio Head" - Talking Heads > Tito Lariva > Radiohead

• "Warning Sign" - Talking Heads > Local Natives

• "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo


• "APACHE", HipHop's Sacred Secret Beat! - Bongo Band > Bambaataa > EVERYONE EVER

• "Amen Break" - How 6 Seconds From 1969 Propel All Modern Music


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: A Music Player Checklist


Read:
• • Love Goes To Buildings On Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever, by Will Hermes

• • Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor, 1980–1983, by Tim Lawrence

• • Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984, by Simon Reynolds

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ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"

ROCK Sex Orgies are songs where everybody gets rewarded.

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Here's another example of a song giving a giant shout-out to other musicians.

The rhythm section of Talking Heads, bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz, had more to say with their side project, TOM TOM CLUB. "Genius Of Love", their celebration of funk, soul, reggae, and dance heroes became a surprise dance hit in 1981 with massive influence.

Listen for the call-outs to James Brown, Bob Marley, Smokey Robinson, Hamilton Bohannon, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Sly and Robbie, and Kurtis Blow.

"Clinton's musicians such as Bootsy Collins/
Raise expectations to a new intention!"
Also beloved is the graffidelic video, based on the album art of James Rizzi.

TOM TOM CLUB -"Genius Of Love" (1981)


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"We met (Grandmaster Flash) and he said to us, 'You know this is a very cool beat. You're going to be hearing a lot of this.' I said 'Oh really?' He said 'Oh definitely.'"
-Chris Franz


The song was a perfect synthesis of the early '80s New York scene, where Disco, Punk, HipHop, Dub, and noizey Jazz were intertwined in the dance clubs, vinyl stores, art galleries, and indie films. Naturally it had an immediate impact in HipHop where responses were swift.

Here's are the first two HipHop responses made:

DR. JECKYLL AND MR. HYDE -"Genius Rap" (1981)


GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS FIVE -"It's Nasty (Genius Of Love)" (1981)



From there it became one of the most sampled songs of all time, popping up in tracks by The X-Ecutioners, Redman, Cam'Ron, 2nd II None, Fresh Kid Ice, Tupac Shakur, Mark Morrison, Busta Rhymes, Ant Banks, P.M. Dawn, Annie, Menajahtwa, and Eric Sermon. It also dreamt up Mariah Carey's huge hit "Fantasy".

"Genius of Love" is a shout-out song that got plenty of amen corners itself!


"There's no beginning and there is no end/
Time isn't present in that dimension..."


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Wordy Rappinghood" - Tom Tom Club > Chicks On Speed

• "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

• "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers

• "Radio Head" - Talking Heads > Tito Lariva > Radiohead

• "Warning Sign" - Talking Heads > Local Natives

• "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo


• "APACHE", HipHop's Sacred Secret Beat! - Bongo Band > Bambaataa > EVERYONE EVER

• "Amen Break" - How 6 Seconds From 1969 Propel All Modern Music


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: A Music Player Checklist


Read:
• • Love Goes To Buildings On Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever, by Will Hermes

• • Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor, 1980–1983, by Tim Lawrence

• • Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984, by Simon Reynolds

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