Talking Heads - The Best Of (2004)

I'm not an all-out Talking Heads fan because I didn't start with the group until about their third or fourth albums and lost interest after Little Creatures (have you seen the movie, True Stories? No? Well, don't). So while I don't have all their individual albums on CD, this compilation fills in the gaps. Even though they don't measure up to Rhino's usual standards, the liner notes are good. Some people might tell you that this CD is a great introduction to the band, but I think the best intro to Talking Heads will always be Stop Making Sense (both the DVD and CD, take your pick).

Tracks:

Song	Album	Year	Hot 100	Rock*
Love → Building on Fire	non-album single	1977
Psycho Killer	Talking Heads: 77	1977	92
Uh-oh, Love Comes To Town	Talking Heads: 77	1977
Take Me To The River	More Songs About Buildings And Food	1978	26
Found A Job	More Songs About Buildings And Food	1978
Life During Wartime	Fear Of Music	1979	80
Heaven	Fear Of Music	1979
Memories Can't Wait	Fear Of Music	1979
Once In A Lifetime	Remain In Light	1981
Houses In Motion	Remain In Light	1981
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)	Speaking In Tongues	1983	62
Girlfriend Is Better	Speaking In Tongues	1983
Burning Down The House	Speaking In Tongues	1983	9	6
Road To Nowhere	Little Creatures	1985		25
And She Was	Little Creatures	1985	54	11
Wild Wild Life	True Stories	1986	25	4
Blind	Naked	1988		39
(Nothing But) Flowers	Naked	1988		5

*Billboard magazine started a Rock chart on March 21, 1981

I certainly wouldn't skip any of these 18 tracks, but if I had to pick a few favorites, they would be Love → Building on Fire, the cover of Al Green's Take Me To The River, Found A Job, Once In A Lifetime, This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody), Burning Down The House, And She Was, and Road To Nowhere.

Take Me To The River is certainly on my top 10 list of covers. As Kate Pierson of the B-52's says in the liner notes, "It's a rare thing that a band can do a cover song and make it their own. Simply put, they made Al Green's 'Take Me to The River' into a Talking Heads song."

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Purchased at a Best Buy in Corpus Christi, this disc kept me company on travels around the South Texas/Gulf Coast region in my little Toyota Corolla.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)