Little Creatures
1985 studio album by Talking Heads
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Little Creatures is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Talking Heads, released on June 10, 1985, by Sire Records. The album examines themes of Americana and incorporates elements of country music, with many songs featuring steel guitar. It was voted album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll, and is the band's best-selling studio album, with more than two million copies sold in the United States. The cover art was created by outsider artist Howard Finster, and was selected as album cover of the year by Rolling Stone.
| Little Creatures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 10, 1985 | |||
| Recorded | October 1984 – March 1985 | |||
| Studio | Sigma Sound (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:38 | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| Producer | Talking Heads | |||
| Talking Heads chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Little Creatures | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Hot Press | 11/12[6] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[9] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | A[10] |
| Uncut | 9/10[11] |
| The Village Voice | A[12] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by David Byrne, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "And She Was" | 3:36 | ||
| 2. | "Give Me Back My Name" | 3:20 | ||
| 3. | "Creatures of Love" | 4:12 | ||
| 4. | "The Lady Don't Mind" | 4:03 | ||
| 5. | "Perfect World" |
| 4:26 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Stay Up Late" | 3:51 |
| 7. | "Walk It Down" | 4:42 |
| 8. | "Television Man" | 6:10 |
| 9. | "Road to Nowhere" | 4:19 |
| Total length: | 38:38 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "The Lady Don't Mind" (Extended Mix) | 6:51 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Road to Nowhere" (Early version) | 4:37 |
| 11. | "And She Was" (Early version) | 3:36 |
| 12. | "Television Man" (Extended mix) | 7:52 |
Personnel
Talking Heads
- David Byrne – vocals, guitars
- Chris Frantz – drums
- Jerry Harrison – keyboards, guitars, vocals
- Tina Weymouth – bass guitar, vocals
Additional musicians
- Ellen Bernfeld – backing vocals (tracks 5, 7)
- Andrew Cader – washboard (track 9)
- Erin Dickens – backing vocals (tracks 8, 9)
- Diva Gray – backing vocals (track 9)
- Gordon Grody – backing vocals
- Lani Groves – backing vocals
- Jimmy Macdonell – accordion (tracks 9)
- Lenny Pickett – saxophones
- Steve Scales – percussion
- Naná Vasconcelos – percussion (track 5)
- Eric Weissberg – steel guitar (tracks 3, 7)
- Kurt Yahjian – backing vocals
Recording
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | — | 150,000[39] |
| Germany (BVMI)[40] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[41] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[42] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[43] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||