If I had to pick an album that has meant the most to me, the one above would be it. And I bought it again last week ... that is, the new digital version, which adds some works-in-progress that either never evolved into full songs or were abandoned as the curious outtakes that they were. Remain In Light was my soundtrack not only from 1980 but for years that followed; I still (obviously) play it a lot. (At the time, it was a good indicator of how well I would get along with others; I remember putting it on my turntable at a party and my friend Jane instantly started moving - a good sign.)
I downloaded this version via iTunes - quicker, and all, and cheaper - although I instantly regretted not seeking out the CD version. Then I read this post - a bit of an anti-CD screed - on David Byrne's blog. He's not arguing against CDs themselves, of course, but what major labels are prepared to do to their customer base in the name of self-interest.
Talking Heads were awfully important to me too. Fear of Music was the first "punk" album I bought, and it's fair to say it changed my life.
Byrne lists 20 CDs that have copy protection on them. But I'm curious if these new issues of the Talking Heads catalog are copy protected. He doesn't mention that. I notice that they're "Dual Discs", meaning that they have CD-like audio on one side and DVD-like video on the other (but I think they're a little thicker than the standards allow for, so they're not officially CDs or DVDs, and can't display the logos). The other instance in which discs can't display the logos, of course, is when they're copy protected, because in order to copy protect a CD, you have to break the CD Red Book standard.
The extras on the new Talking Heads reissues look interesting, but if they're copy protected, I may just rip my old vinyl.
Posted by: ralph | Sunday, January 22, 2006 at 21:13