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Talking Heads — I Zimbra
Album: Fear Of Music
Avg rating:
7.1

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2568









Released: 1979
Length: 3:06
Plays (last 30 days): 2
Gadji beri bimba clandridi
Lauli lonni cadori gadjam
A bim beri glassala glandride
E glassala tuffm i zimbra

Bim blassa galassasa zimbrabim
Blassa glallassasa zimbrabim

A bim beri glassala grandrid
E glassala tuffm i zimbra

Gadji beri bimba glandridi
Lauli lonni cadora gadjam
A bim beri glassasa glandrid
E glassala tuffm i zimbra
Comments (260)add comment
Great stuff! Basada Basunda! 
 joejennings wrote:

Great Tune!!!   Please play some tunes from JERRY HARRISON'S CASUAL GODS album!!   Thank You!!



I totally Second that motion! Jerry laid down some ripping, trippy stuff on that album, for sure! REV IT UP!
C'est bon ça. Un petit coup de Zimbra et ça repart. 
 coloradojohn wrote:

Makes me remember the magical, therapeutic and vital freak-out ritual of the Kecak Dance... When the groove is really strong, every person performing, every participant in the audience, every instrument of the gamelan, every insect, every gecko, every monkey in the jungle is in vibrational ecstasy, and the mysterious night sings as one, chanting "Kechak, kechak, kechak!" and Talking Heads are still my favorite groove-gods!


I totally Agree!!
Makes me remember the magical, therapeutic and vital freak-out ritual of the Bali Kecak Dance... When the groove is really strong, every person performing, every participant in the audience, every instrument of the gamelan, every insect, every gecko, every monkey in the jungle is in vibrational ecstasy, and the mysterious night sings as one, chanting "Kechak, kechak, kechak!" and Talking Heads are still my favorite groove-gods!
tedious byrne
 SpencerAR wrote:

Trippy and has a great beat, but I get stuck on the lyrics or in this case, the lack of my comprehension of them.




LOL!   GREAT TUNE!  ...I don't understand the lyrics also!   
First song of Talking Heads I heard.... !never forgot it !!!
It was about the time this album came out that Sony Walkmans  also came out. I remember listening to this album on a Walkman. Where'd those 40 some odd years go?
 joejennings wrote:

Great Tune!!!   Please play some tunes from JERRY HARRISON'S CASUAL GODS album!!   Thank You!!



Trippy and has a great beat, but I get stuck on the lyrics or in this case, the lack of my comprehension of them.
Unfortunately...the instrumental break with it's glorious congas and bass rhythm sounds incredibly similar to "Copacabana" by Mr. Manilow.
A bold, brilliant song to start off the album.  Then the stellar ending of the song which leads into Mind.  Such a fantastic album imo.
Picked up a recent pressing of this album and love it. New vinyl sounds great when done right.
 
Also, they did this album with Eno, who is famous for his Oblique Strategies cards and introducing random "accidents" in to the process. He would have band members all switch instruments, for example, or take a tape they just recorded and cut it up and splice it back together randomly to see what they got. On this album they would just jam for hours and record it, then listen back to it in the studio and pick out anything that caught their fancy. They would use happy accidents as the basis for songs.
 
I think this approach pushes the conscious mind away and allows things from the sub-conscious to bubble up. Like sleeping on a problem and waking up with the answer.
 
It's a great approach as it competely frees the artist to just trust instinct and have no "Fear of Music."
Great Tune!!!   Please play some tunes from JERRY HARRISON'S CASUAL GODS album!!   Thank You!!
Da da da.
 blackieray wrote:

DB is full of himself. Just ask the Tom Tom Club.



Maybe.  But he made great music with them.
Go Tina!
Weymouth High School is my alma mater as is Berklee.  Just coincidental.  
I always thought the chants sounded like the Ewok celebration song at the end of RotJ.
DB is full of himself. Just ask the Tom Tom Club.
did this influence "Fashion"?
wonderful TH with Eno and Fripp  collusion!
Gotta love the rhythm section of Weymouth and Frantz on this one.  Terrific restrained but potent bass playing.
 secretsauce wrote:

... Well ... if the AWB had Brian Eno production, djembe and surdo in the percussion, and a Robert Fripp guitar solo.
 
Less the instrumentation and more the pacing and syncopation. The perfect combination of up front and laid back. I love this stuff!! Long Live RP!!
 pianocomposer wrote:
This song is dadist nonsense with Robert Fripp on guitar makes this an outstanding piece of art! I can't give it a 10, however, b/c the music just doesn't go that far. 9 will suffice.
 

Yes. For a good explanation of this tune, watch American Utopia. Great film of the stage performance. 
Funkedelic
Should have been the segue from Fear of Music to Remain In Light.
The release date on the RP page is wrong. This came out in 1979.
As great as it ever was.
I traded a half bag of low grade Columbian for this album back in my 1979 college daze. Kept the good stuff for me and my headphones and got lost in this for months. Not my fave track but the whole album is stellar.
  This is one of their best! 
David Byrne is in a league of his own!
.... and when you think that I Zimbra poem was written by Hugo Ball almost 100 years ago... 
 lizardking wrote:
 I always enjoyed the Average White Band sound of this track ...  
 
... Well ... if the AWB had Brian Eno production, djembe and surdo in the percussion, and a Robert Fripp guitar solo.
David Byrne is still performing this in his shows. Great videos of his most recent tours can be found on YouTube. 
Killerrr
 LPCity wrote:

Really?  and the French think Americans have bad taste?

 
Oui  T-Heads ROCKS!
 
justin4kick wrote:
1978: More Songs About Buildings and Food
1979: Fear of Music
1980: Remain in Light

Best three albums in a row by a band. Ever!

(and yes, I have considered LZ I, II and III)

 
1980: Permanent Waves

1981: Moving Pictures

1982: Signals

{#Notworthy} (IMHO)

 Skydog wrote:

1965: Help!
1965: Rubber Soul
1966: Revolver 
.
or
.
1995: The Bends
1997: OK Computer
2000: Kid A 
 
Beggars' Banquet
Let It Bleed
Sticky Fingers
Exile on Main Street
Dig it!
 I Zimbra was created around the time fripp and the alien math scale rhythmic discipline thing went public, before this thing crawled into the belew-levin-bruford-fripp crimson - I Zimbra might be the debut of that thing even...perhaps it needed the hive mind of eno/byrne/belew/fripp to rupture itself up. "Larks tonuges" was close, but outside in.  This thing breathes inside out, like a cool ivory jacket with it's warm blue veins on the outside. Check out the much earlier "Dance of Maya" ( preferably about 3 times faster for cross-examination ) by Mahavishnu Orchestra ( CGTw/levin&masteleto also bow to it beautifly ) - this is wherethe thing first clawed thru the blood-brain barrier, stretched it's scaly head thru our lovely scabs, sniffed about and decided to come back when we were ready... ( oh yes, the lyrics might be in it's alien language which has no earthly interpretation we humans can bear to comprehend (? )  I Zimbra could be the name of this language, or the Thing's name ( "I Zimbra, you Jane" ) or the coming invasion's name...what do you think?boober wrote:

I'll have what he's having.

 
Just half a hit for me please.

 


I used to think the album cover was cool because it had a "raised pattern" on it.  I guess that's what passed for cool 39 years ago (to me, anyway).
 Steely_D wrote:
1971 - Islands
1973 - Larks' Tongues in Aspic
1974 - Starless & Bible Black
1974 - Red
 
Nice!
 justin4kick wrote:
1978: More Songs About Buildings and Food
1979: Fear of Music
1980: Remain in Light

Best three albums in a row by a band. Ever!

(and yes, I have considered LZ I, II and III)

 
1971 - Islands
1973 - Larks' Tongues in Aspic
1974 - Starless & Bible Black
1974 - Red
 On_The_Beach wrote:

A great trio for sure, but I think you have to consider the Stones 4 consecutive studio albums:
Beggar's Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers & Exile on Main Street.
Bump BB if you want to keep it to 3.

 
I love Talking Heads, and these are 3 great consecutive ones.  Consider also Floyd's run in the 70's:
1971 Meddle
1973 Dark Side
1975 Wish You Were Here
1977 Animals
1979 The Wall
C'mon....this is Parliament and  the Funkadelics. Go George and Bootsy. 
This is the TH tune that got me to take note and delve into the entire TH catalog.  I always enjoyed the Average White Band sound of this track, nice and brassy, bass heavy with a great rhythm.  9 for the track and the entire album really....great stuff!  Long Live RP!!
Ah....1979!!! Would be super cool if it came out this Tuesday. 
 justin4kick wrote:
1978: More Songs About Buildings and Food
1979: Fear of Music
1980: Remain in Light

Best three albums in a row by a band. Ever!

(and yes, I have considered LZ I, II and III)

 
1965: Help!
1965: Rubber Soul
1966: Revolver 
.
or
.
1995: The Bends
1997: OK Computer
2000: Kid A 
 justin4kick wrote:
1978: More Songs About Buildings and Food
1979: Fear of Music
1980: Remain in Light

Best three albums in a row by a band. Ever!

(and yes, I have considered LZ I, II and III)
 
A great trio for sure, but I think you have to consider the Stones 4 consecutive studio albums:
Beggar's Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers & Exile on Main Street.
Bump BB if you want to keep it to 3.
1978: More Songs About Buildings and Food
1979: Fear of Music
1980: Remain in Light

Best three albums in a row by a band. Ever!

(and yes, I have considered LZ I, II and III)
Fond memories of seeing David Byrne perform this song at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley many years ago, with a fabulous group of three dancers. Just amazing. One of my all-time favorite Talking Heads songs.
 LowPhreak wrote:
Best record by the Heads if I had to pick just one.

Putting this on the stereo rig back when it was new did freak some people out...thus "Fear of Music" was apt. I've always said it was best discovered with proper use of the dreaded lysergic and ample cold beverages...

 
Agreed.  And psilocybin worked too.  So I've been told.
 
Best record by the Heads if I had to pick just one.

Putting this on the stereo rig back when it was new did freak some people out...thus "Fear of Music" was apt. I've always said it was best discovered with proper use of the dreaded lysergic and ample cold beverages...
Yo! Black Hurt danke
 LastGaspMusic wrote:
Reminds me of the church 

 
Good vibe
Reminds me of the church 
This particular album was one of my most well-worn pieces of vinyl.
Divine pine-fruity smell of crushed Dew cans fermenting in the belly of the Golden Goat...spark is applied...we full-freakin Zimbra, man.
Being from Smyrna turned out to be a good thing.
   What the hell happaned to seven churches?
 Axelito wrote:
Let s stop with talking heads Bill?!  It just sucks! :D

 
Really?  and the French think Americans have bad taste?
 Axelito wrote:
Let s stop with talking heads Bill?!  It just sucks! :D

 
Lets see average out of 900 + ratings is 7.2 I think you AXELITO, are in the minority, and need to use the PSD button or take off you hoser! {#Drunk}
I'll have some more please.
Just rediscovered this piece on the YouTube video and can't stop dancing: David Byrne - Sessions At West 54th (November 15, 1997)



I eternally dig how the frantic snatches of imaginative lingos, fractal strumming, & quantum drumming in this take my mind right to Zen!
 Axelito wrote:
Let s stop with talking heads Bill?!  It just sucks! :D
 
Not gonna happen; Bill knows this song and album are extra cool.
Also you've rated 350+ songs "sucko barfo" and only about 20 as godlike, so you obviously just like to whine.
Let s stop with talking heads Bill?!  It just sucks! :D
 greensnard1 wrote:
I Zimbra was created around the time fripp and the alien math scale rhythmic discipline thing went public, before this thing crawled into the belew-levin-bruford-fripp crimson - I Zimbra might be the debut of that thing even...perhaps it needed the hive mind of eno/byrne/belew/fripp to rupture itself up. "Larks tonuges" was close, but outside in.  This thing breathes inside out, like a cool ivory jacket with it's warm blue veins on the outside. Check out the much earlier "Dance of Maya" ( preferably about 3 times faster for cross-examination ) by Mahavishnu Orchestra ( CGTw/levin&masteleto also bow to it beautifly ) - this is wherethe thing first clawed thru the blood-brain barrier, stretched it's scaly head thru our lovely scabs, sniffed about and decided to come back when we were ready... ( oh yes, the lyrics might be in it's alien language which has no earthly interpretation we humans can bear to comprehend (? )  I Zimbra could be the name of this language, or the Thing's name ( "I Zimbra, you Jane" ) or the coming invasion's name...what do you think?

 
I'll have what he's having.
 greensnard1 wrote:
I Zimbra was created around the time fripp and the alien math scale rhythmic discipline thing went public, before this thing crawled into the belew-levin-bruford-fripp crimson - I Zimbra might be the debut of that thing even...perhaps it needed the hive mind of eno/byrne/belew/fripp to rupture itself up. "Larks tonuges" was close, but outside in.  This thing breathes inside out, like a cool ivory jacket with it's warm blue veins on the outside. Check out the much earlier "Dance of Maya" ( preferably about 3 times faster for cross-examination ) by Mahavishnu Orchestra ( CGTw/levin&masteleto also bow to it beautifly ) - this is wherethe thing first clawed thru the blood-brain barrier, stretched it's scaly head thru our lovely scabs, sniffed about and decided to come back when we were ready... ( oh yes, the lyrics might be in it's alien language which has no earthly interpretation we humans can bear to comprehend (? )  I Zimbra could be the name of this language, or the Thing's name ( "I Zimbra, you Jane" ) or the coming invasion's name...what do you think?

  Right on, daddy-o. STAY on that exact mixture of drugs you were on when you wrote that. I hope you wrote it down, IT'S PERFECT!


Return with me to art school, y'all!
{#Whipit} {#Music}
{#Dancingbanana} {#Bananasplit} {#Dancingbanana_2} 
it is godlike in its ability to boost my silly ass onto the dance-floor
This is so damned good!!!
For me, fear of headache. Not their finest hour, or Eno's.
 
 kcar wrote:

I think you should post on these boards more often. Provided you don't fall off some table of sanity when you come down from the heights of your...inspiration. 

BTW—did you mention hive mind



 
I expect that s/he dropped the mic on the way out.  :-)
Remain in Light by a mere six years paved the way for Paul Simon's Graceland. IMHO, "I Zimbra" represented one of the earliest representations of pan-African lyric and rhythmic sensibilities in pop music.
Never, ever get bored of this{#Bananajam}
 greensnard1 wrote:
I Zimbra was created around the time fripp and the alien math scale rhythmic discipline thing went public, before this thing crawled into the belew-levin-bruford-fripp crimson - I Zimbra might be the debut of that thing even...perhaps it needed the hive mind of eno/byrne/belew/fripp to rupture itself up. "Larks tonuges" was close, but outside in.  This thing breathes inside out, like a cool ivory jacket with it's warm blue veins on the outside. Check out the much earlier "Dance of Maya" ( preferably about 3 times faster for cross-examination ) by Mahavishnu Orchestra ( CGTw/levin&masteleto also bow to it beautifly ) - this is wherethe thing first clawed thru the blood-brain barrier, stretched it's scaly head thru our lovely scabs, sniffed about and decided to come back when we were ready... ( oh yes, the lyrics might be in it's alien language which has no earthly interpretation we humans can bear to comprehend (? )  I Zimbra could be the name of this language, or the Thing's name ( "I Zimbra, you Jane" ) or the coming invasion's name...what do you think?

 
I think you should post on these boards more often. Provided you don't fall off some table of sanity when you come down from the heights of your...inspiration. 

BTW--did you mention hive mind




The Heads at their least commercial, and arguably their best.
This frantic, hyperschizoid little number certainly holds up.
Like a caffeine buzz without the coffee.

May I recommend this bonus track from the Stop Making Sense film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYFqdrOMqk4
 Michaeljs28 wrote:
It rocked then, it rocks now.
 
ABSOLUTELY!
Fripp playing guitar?  That would explain... sounds like King Crimson sentiment.
It rocked then, it rocks now.
 jbunniii wrote:
Nice segue from "The Dead 60s." Most Talking Heads songs sound very stale to me these days, but this one still holds up OK.

 

I agree on both counts...
 wlpendley wrote:
All the dogs and cats in our house are dancing to this!  (Whether they like dancing or not...)

 
are you sure they aren't seizing?
Casually listening to song and immediately heard weird guitar and thought, "Hello there Post David Bowie-stint young Adrian Belew!"
Yup.   Brilliant.
Brilliant, Nuf said!
Yeah, well, Bill loves Byrnin' down the house...

 
terrapin52 wrote:
After RP, I never want to hear Talking Heads again as long as I live.
 


FOM one of my top 10 favorite albums, baby!
All the dogs and cats in our house are dancing to this!  (Whether they like dancing or not...)
Nice segue from "The Dead 60s." Most Talking Heads songs sound very stale to me these days, but this one still holds up OK.
I have this on vinyl, a staple from my days at art college. Thinking back, the last time I heard it was in 1991, just before the removal man broke the lid and stylus on my deck. That's why it's still in the movers' box. Time to finally go get a new one me thinks {#Drummer}
 greensnard1 wrote:
I Zimbra was created around the time fripp and the alien math scale rhythmic discipline thing went public, before this thing crawled into the belew-levin-bruford-fripp crimson - I Zimbra might be the debut of that thing even...perhaps it needed the hive mind of eno/byrne/belew/fripp to rupture itself up. "Larks tonuges" was close, but outside in.  This thing breathes inside out, like a cool ivory jacket with it's warm blue veins on the outside. Check out the much earlier "Dance of Maya" ( preferably about 3 times faster for cross-examination ) by Mahavishnu Orchestra ( CGTw/levin&masteleto also bow to it beautifly ) - this is wherethe thing first clawed thru the blood-brain barrier, stretched it's scaly head thru our lovely scabs, sniffed about and decided to come back when we were ready... ( oh yes, the lyrics might be in it's alien language which has no earthly interpretation we humans can bear to comprehend (? )  I Zimbra could be the name of this language, or the Thing's name ( "I Zimbra, you Jane" ) or the coming invasion's name...what do you think?
 

What do I think?  I think that your comments herein should be enshrined, marveled at and generally enjoyed as pure poetry.
When this came out, it almost seemed TOO FAR OUT, even for Talking Heads...but we knew these guys were like, Casual Gods, right? so, thankfully, we kept playing it until WE GOT THE BLESSED GROOVE THAT SLITHERS AND SQUIRMS SO MIGHTILY WITHIN; DIG IT!
Jonathan Lethem has written an entire book about this album: https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Heads-Fear-Music-33/dp/1441121005
 Proclivities wrote:

I'm pretty sure it was Robert Fripp playing that guitar on this track, so maybe it doesn't matter.
 

definitive FRIPPERTRONICS there...
 2cats wrote:


HUH?  WTF
Apparently greensnard1's only vist to RP was for this song, on that date.  We call that a plug.

 More_Cowbell wrote:
This album was a staple in our college dorm!
 
In our dorm, it was required listening. 

(I mean, you had to listen to it whether you wanted to or not) 
After RP, I never want to hear Talking Heads again as long as I live.
Okay......since no thing is listening..... I'll try and contribute more
 manda wrote:
who came firast this as the source of the fretless guitar lick in the background or did King crimson lift this lick from here?
 
I'm pretty sure it was Robert Fripp playing that guitar on this track, so maybe it doesn't matter.


 greensnard1 wrote:
I Zimbra was created around the time fripp and the alien math scale rhythmic discipline thing went public, before this thing crawled into the belew-levin-bruford-fripp crimson - I Zimbra might be the debut of that thing even...perhaps it needed the hive mind of eno/byrne/belew/fripp to rupture itself up. "Larks tonuges" was close, but outside in.  This thing breathes inside out, like a cool ivory jacket with it's warm blue veins on the outside. Check out the much earlier "Dance of Maya" ( preferably about 3 times faster for cross-examination ) by Mahavishnu Orchestra ( CGTw/levin&masteleto also bow to it beautifly ) - this is wherethe thing first clawed thru the blood-brain barrier, stretched it's scaly head thru our lovely scabs, sniffed about and decided to come back when we were ready... ( oh yes, the lyrics might be in it's alien language which has no earthly interpretation we humans can bear to comprehend (? )  I Zimbra could be the name of this language, or the Thing's name ( "I Zimbra, you Jane" ) or the coming invasion's name...what do you think?
 
Word up, well said my man.
This is so cool!!
I be dancin' !!!!

You with me Romeo? 
Awesome mix today!!  That's what I love about Radioparadise  {#Dancingbanana}
 merobreno wrote:

For any night. Any place, any time. Just plain fun...Whatever the technicals.

 
I just read that as "Just plain fun. . . Whatever the testicles."

I thought I would share that.  
Unmistakeably Robert Fripp in there.
 greensnard1 wrote:
I Zimbra was created around the time fripp and the alien math scale rhythmic discipline thing went public, before this thing crawled into the belew-levin-bruford-fripp crimson - I Zimbra might be the debut of that thing even...perhaps it needed the hive mind of eno/byrne/belew/fripp to rupture itself up. "Larks tonuges" was close, but outside in.  This thing breathes inside out, like a cool ivory jacket with it's warm blue veins on the outside. Check out the much earlier "Dance of Maya" ( preferably about 3 times faster for cross-examination ) by Mahavishnu Orchestra ( CGTw/levin&masteleto also bow to it beautifly ) - this is where the thing first clawed thru the blood-brain barrier, stretched it's scaly head thru our lovely scabs, sniffed about and decided to come back when we were ready... ( oh yes, the lyrics might be in it's alien language which has no earthly interpretation we humans can bear to comprehend (? )  I Zimbra could be the name of this language, or the Thing's name ( "I Zimbra, you Jane" ) or the coming invasion's name...what do you think?
 

HUH?  WTF

For any night. Any place, any time. Just plain fun...Whatever the technicals.


who came firast this as the source of the fretless guitar lick in the background or did King crimson lift this lick from here?
definetively not for sunday night
 maryte wrote:

Eno.
 
in the credits for when i was a boy jane siberry thanks eno's knee. really. just making sure you knew that.
 skindy wrote:

Wow! Pass that doobie over... I wanna get that 3D feeling too!

P.S. Still can't stand this song.  {#Puke}
 
strange - i thought of that cover the other night for no reason ( after years of not thinking about it ) ...what's going on??
ok, when can i have the 3 piece suit, all socks, all underwear, all toilet paper, toilet seat,all dinnerwear, all appliances, all furniture and house interior / exterior with that pattern sticking out of them? also please give me car with it inside and out, driveway, black bumpy glass windows. and tattoo. thanks. now we listen only I Zimbra all day all night please. i go away now whew
 HazzeSwede wrote:
Just for your annoyance !         (#8)
                              
{#Bananasplit}
 
thank you


 
Marr wrote:


Not sure but I think the guitar is Adrian Belew on this album as well as some others of THs.

Added later; not Belew, but Fripp on this song. So still not really surprising.
 

that is why i ended up at this site

I Zimbra was created around the time fripp and the alien math scale rhythmic discipline thing went public, before this thing crawled into the belew-levin-bruford-fripp crimson - I Zimbra might be the debut of that thing even...perhaps it needed the hive mind of eno/byrne/belew/fripp to rupture itself up. "Larks tonuges" was close, but outside in.  This thing breathes inside out, like a cool ivory jacket with it's warm blue veins on the outside. Check out the much earlier "Dance of Maya" ( preferably about 3 times faster for cross-examination ) by Mahavishnu Orchestra ( CGTw/levin&masteleto also bow to it beautifly ) - this is where the thing first clawed thru the blood-brain barrier, stretched it's scaly head thru our lovely scabs, sniffed about and decided to come back when we were ready... ( oh yes, the lyrics might be in it's alien language which has no earthly interpretation we humans can bear to comprehend (? )  I Zimbra could be the name of this language, or the Thing's name ( "I Zimbra, you Jane" ) or the coming invasion's name...what do you think?
This whole album is a keeper!
 grignr wrote:

Cute — I just was just listening to this song on RP and thought the same thing, and Googled for "I Zimbra" + "Thela Hun Ginjeet" to see if anyone else had the same thought. {#Lol}
 

Not sure but I think the guitar is Adrian Belew on this album as well as some others of THs.

Added later; not Belew, but Fripp on this song. So still not really surprising.

Woah! Had to give this a "7"...which is unusual if it includes anything with David Byrne...but can't deny that this is when Talking Heads were really good. They should have stayed this good.
 willrobinson wrote:
This should be followed by "Thela Hun Ginjeet" by King Crimson
 
Cute — I just was just listening to this song on RP and thought the same thing, and Googled for "I Zimbra" + "Thela Hun Ginjeet" to see if anyone else had the same thought. {#Lol}