Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings And Food (1978)

EU import

This album was included in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, with the line "David Byrne and Brian Eno were a match made in art-school heaven." And that's an understatement if I've ever heard one. Eno took the quartet from a nervy art-school curiosity and got them sounding like a fully operational band that nervously locks in and really grooves (mainly thanks to Tina and Chris). David Byrne sings like he's having a panic attack, delivering lyrics that somewhat cover the topics of buildings and food, but they're really about the various systems we have to deal with in our lives.

Definitely no sophomore slump here, but the best was yet to come.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "superbly produced collection of 11 songs."
  
• CashBox: "The charm and humor of this minor classic are in giddy abundance."
• Record World: "should appeal to those outside of new wave circles as well as those from within."
• Rolling Stone: "so much humor and energy"
• Trouser Press: "very good"
• Roadrunner: "An extremely stimulating record"
• Robert Christgau (A): "Every one of these eleven songs is a positive pleasure"
• Record Mirror (+++++): "listen, and listen at length and with maximum attention. Here are the borders of pop music."
• Stereo Review: Recording of Special Merit

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #29
• CashBox: #70
• Rolling Stone: #33

The album was voted the year's fifth best album in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 1978. The album has consistently been listed in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time, #382 in 2003, #383 in 2012, and #364 in 2020 & 2023.

Tracks: I'm a big fan of the group's cover of Al Green's Take Me To The River (#26 pop), but of the originals here I've always been partial to Found A Job. Other favorites include Thank You For Sending Me An Angel, The Girls Want To Be With The Girls, and Artists Only.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When I visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October 2007, one of my favorite installations was the original Polaroid mosaic of the cover of this album. After seeing it for years as a 12" square, it was a pleasant surprise to see it as about a 6 foot square where I could get close and see each individual Polaroid. According to the exhibit, the mosaic sat above David Byrne's couch then the Polaroids were put in a shoe box for about 20 years before they made their way to Cleveland where the mosaic was reconstructed.

Previously revisited for the blog:

The Best Of (2004)	The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)
Little Creatures (1985)	Remain In Light (1980)
Stop Making Sense (1984)	Fear Of Music (1979)
Speaking In Tongues (1983)	Talking Heads: 77 (1977)

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense (2024 reissue)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD, later supplemented by a homemade "Special Edition" CD-R, finally replaced with this 2 CD + Blu-Ray set. This 18 track set is a far cry from the 9 track LP I purchased back in 1985.

As described on the band's website:

Stop Making Sense is widely regarded as the best concert film of all time. This 2CD/1Blu-Ray disc edition features the complete show on 2-CDs, additional liner notes written by Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison as well as photos not previously available with the CD, and the audio mixed in beautiful Dolby Atmos surround sound on the Blu-Ray audio disc. A live "best-of," Stop Making Sense starts strong with the band's hit off their debut album "Psycho Killer," and dives into favorites and deep cuts from "Burning Down the House" and "This Must Be The Place" to "Girlfriend Is Better" and "Heaven." The band also performs' the Tom Tom Club's "Genius Of Love."

Yes, Stop Making Sense is indeed the best concert film of all time and this album has long been my favorite Talking Heads release. I've heard a lot of versions of this music on many formats and I gotta tell ya: the sound on this set is far superior to any previous version and it's not even close. Kudos to Jerry Harrison and E.T. Thorngren for the mix. This new mix really brings out the contributions of the added musicians Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, and in particular, backing vocalists Lynn Mabry & Ednah Holt. Makes all previous releases (and rereleases) obsolete. 

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "a solid artistic statement from a band that's starting to have as much as they've given their listeners."
• Stereo Review: "a great live performance"
• Robert Christgau (B+): a soundtrack, albeit for the finest concert film I've ever seen"
• CashBox: "an electrifying LP"
• Billboard: "sustains remarkable polish"

Original album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #41
• Billboard Pop CD: #25
• CashBox: #29
• CashBox CD: #10
• Rolling Stone: #16

Tracks: I don't skip any tracks; my favorites are Found A Job, What A Day That Was, This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody), Once In A Lifetime, and Take Me To The River.

Blu-Ray: As if the 2 "regular" CDs weren't sounding spectacular enough, this set comes with a Blu-Ray disc containing a Dolby Atmos mix. When Atmos mixes starting appearing, I thought it would be a passing fad, much like other legacy music formats such as DualDisc, DVD Audio, CD+G, CD Video, etc., but I'll admit it has hung around longer than I thought it would. When I came across the first Atmos disc in my collection (Abbey Road), I didn't have a proper playback for the Atmos mix. I've since researched what it would cost to get me set up with a quality system and my fixed income quickly shot down that idea. However, I came up with a decent workaround. I discovered my Sony Xbox Series X is compatible with Atmos discs, so I purchased a wireless gaming headset and - Bob's your uncle - I was all set to enjoy the Atmos mix. And lemmetellya the surround sound is fantastic, especially with lights off and eyes closed. I won't go out of my way to buy Atmos discs, but it's nice to be able to listen to the discs I have.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When the movie was restored and rereleased in 4K for the film's 40th anniversary, I drove downtown to take it in at one of the local IMAX theaters. I went to the 11 AM screening, so there were only about 5 or 6 of us in the audience. As such, the typical movie theater distractions (talking, phone use, etc.) weren't there and I could focus on the show. It was glorious. My only regrets are 1) they weren't selling Stop Making Sense merch at the theater, and 2) I didn't stay for a second screening.

And, as I've mentioned before, a movie poster has been hanging out above my CDs for many years.

Previously revisited for the blog:

The Best Of (2004)	The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)
Little Creatures (1985)	Remain In Light (1980)
Stop Making Sense (1984)	Fear Of Music (1979)
Speaking In Tongues (1983)	Talking Heads: 77 (1977)

Talking Heads: 77 (1977)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1988 reissue.

I've written plenty about Talking Heads on this blog and there's still more to come. So, instead of discussing the band, I'll write about how unfairly I treat this album. In 1977, 11 year old Mark was an AM radio junkie with no connection to this sort of stuff. My first memory of Talking Heads is seeing David Byrne jerk around in the video for Once In A Lifetime when it aired on MTV in late '82/early '83. From there, I heard Remain In Light, then Speaking In Tongues helped soundtrack my senior year of high school, then I caught on to the live albums, and so on. So I didn't hear the music on Talking Heads: '77 until I was already deeply immersed in the band's later œuvre. As such, these songs didn't have the impact on me as they might otherwise have. Is that fair? Probably not. Is that way it is? Yup. Shrug.

Comparisons to Marquee Moon are common and not without merit. This album met with more critical success than commercial success, possibly because the press didn't know how to classify the eclectic rock/funk/pop/new wave sound of the music. As the CashBox review (below) states: "this band has been tagged with the 'punk' label, which fits them about as well as a tux at the beach." I'll leave you with this blurb taken from the CD booklet, also printed on the back of the CD longbox:

It is indeed a masterful debut, but today I'd place it either 5th or 6th if I was ranking the group's eight studio albums.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "a style that crosses precise and lightly funky arrangements with a shade of avant-garde/modal progressiveness that's neither hard, soft nor punk."
  
• CashBox: "An interesting and highly appealing band that bears watching."
• Record World: "The Heads are really far removed from this mainstream."
• Robert Christgau: A-
• Rolling Stone: "one of the definitive records of the decade."
• Trouser Press: "This album will test your capacity for wonder."
• Roadrunner: "it will get inside your head and it won't leave you alone. You have been warned."
• Record Mirror (++++): "An impressive debut."
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave (1998): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #97
• CashBox: #169

The album was voted the year's seventh best album in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll. It was also included in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, where it was written that the band "had taken elements of punk, funk, and disco and convincingly created a unique sound of their own." In 2013, Rolling Stone ranked the album at #68 on their list of "100 Best Debut Albums of All Time;" however, it was dropped from the 2022 revision of said list.

Tracks: Let's rank 'em!

11. Tentative Decisions
10. No Compassion
9. New Feeling
8. The Book I Read
7. Happy Day
6. First Week/Last Week...Carefree
5. Don't Worry About The Government*
4. Pulled Up
3. Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town
2. Psycho Killer
1. Who Is It?

*Note: I'm really worried about the government.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:

The Best Of (2004)	Speaking In Tongues (1983)
Little Creatures (1985)	The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)
Stop Making Sense (1984)	Remain In Light (1980)
	Fear Of Music (1979)

Talking Heads - Remain In Light (1980)

Note: the CD I own is the 1989 reissue.

I've read quite a few books* concerning this band and the making of this particular album. I've come to the following two conclusions:

1. At the time of this album's production, there was quite a bit of tension between Brian Eno, David Byrne, and Tina Weymouth.
2. Nobody's personal account of that time comes close to agreeing with the recollections of others involved. In the words of movie producer Robert Evans: "There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each differently." Memories can't wait, maybe?

In any case, us kids don't like it when parents fight and the squabbling only detracts from the music here.

I somewhat disagree with the critics - I think it's a very good album, don't get me wrong, but I just don't understand all the hubbub. I'd rank this album in the middle of the band's releases. Maybe you just had to be there? There was a lot of talk surrounding this album using words like Afro-beat and polyrhythms. While those influences are there, the music is just another progression of the Talking Heads' funky art rock. From the May 1982 edition of Mother Jones magazine:

Some observers suggested they were ripping off African culture. But the objection doesn't hold. As Harrison puts it, "We're not going back to the source - we're meeting it halfway." (p. 39)

To my ears, Remain In Light is simply an extension of I Zimbra from the most excellent (and better) album, Fear Of Music. Take that extension, add an immersion into the music of Fela Kuti (particularly the 1973 album Afrodisiac), plus the Eno-Byrne collaboration, My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts and you've got the music heard here, for the most part. Ghosts was recorded in '79-'80 - before Remain in Light - but problems clearing the spoken word samples delayed its release.

I'm sure I'm just missing something and it wouldn't be the first time that's happened. The album placed at number #4 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of Top 100 Albums of the Eighties and the write-up contains conflicting recollections as mentioned above. Worth a look, though. Speaking of Rolling Stone, they ranked the album at number 39 in the 2020 edition of its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, writing "Just try not dancing to 'Once in a Lifetime.'" I haven't even bothered trying. Why would I want to?

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "yields scary, funny music to which you can dance and think, think and dance, dance and think, ad infinitum."
• Robert Christgau (A): "In which David Byrne conquers his fear of music in a visionary Afrofunk synthesis--clear-eyed, detached, almost mystically optimistic."
• High Fidelity: "Not since the early Velvet Underground has an American band forged such an artful combination of breathtaking aesthetic exploration with straightforward pop culture awareness."
• Stereo Review: "an often arresting effort"
• Roadrunner: "Immense, gigantic, do yourself a favor..."
• Smash Hits (8 out of 10): "A great band."
• Trouser Press: "Their music gains in meaning with each listen."
• DownBeat (★★★★): "not a radical departure, but the truest Talking Heads of all."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #19
• CashBox: #32
• Rolling Stone: #10

Tracks: I like all of what was side one: Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On), Crosseyed And Painless, and The Great Curve. It plays like a great dance album should. Then we're treated to Once In A Lifetime which is easily my all-time favorite Talking Heads song. Even after all these years, I never tire of hearing it. The music, the lyrics, the preaching - it all works perfectly. Houses In Motion is next and is just ok, especially when compared to what precedes it. Then I lose interest.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My first exposure to Talking Heads that I can recall was seeing the video to Once In A Lifetime on MTV at some point in 1982 or '83. My buddy Jim lent me his copy of the LP and, when the rest of the album didn't measure up to Once In A Lifetime upon first listen (how could it?), I quickly returned it without recording to a blank cassette and giving it a fair shot. Yet another folly of my youth.

Previously revisited for the blog:

The Best Of (2004)	Speaking In Tongues (1983)
Little Creatures (1985)	The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)
Stop Making Sense (1984)	Fear Of Music (1979)

*The best of these is This Must Be The Place: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the Twentieth Century by David Bowman (Harper Collins, 2001)

Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues (1983)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1998 European reissue.

From the CD liner notes:

Sp eak in gi n To ngu es has proven to be both a continuation and a retrenching for the Talking Heads. The first studio recording by the Heads in more than two years, the album is built on tracks done by the core band: David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth. On the previous studio effort, Remain In Light, this nucleus had been variably expanded from between five to nine pieces, creating a much denser base for fluid tunes such as "Once In A Lifetime" and "Crosseyed And Painless." This album retains the fluidity, the rhythmic emphasis, the ethnic (predominantly African) influences and some of the same guest musicians (percussionis Steve Scales, synthesist Bernie Worrell of Parliament-Funkadelic, and vocalists Nona Hendryx and Dolette MacDonald), but the essence is more compact and the basic tracks were worked out by fewer musicians.

The songs, "Swamp," "Burning Down The House," "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)" and the rest, emerge as mood pieces. As Byrne has said, he rarely writes the kind of story-song lyrics he used to; his newer work evolves from randomness he contributes as the band develops the songs instrumentally.

That's a lot of words not saying very much, but the album became the band's commercial breakthrough and produced the band's sole US top-ten hit, Burning Down the House. More importantly (to me), the subsequent tour was documented in the greatest concert movie ever made, Jonathan Demme's 1984 film Stop Making Sense. That movie and soundtrack were responsible for moving me from casual Talking Heads listener to full-fledged fan club member. But I digress.

As for Speaking In Tongues, I dig the thing. It's as funky as white rock musicians can get; the album (all cuts) peaked at #2 on the Billboard Dance chart. Plus, it fits nicely within the epic six album run that started with Fear Of Music in 1979 and ended with Little Creatures in 1985.

Press of the time:

• High Fidelity: "quietly brilliant"
• Smash Hits (9 out of 10): "nine splendid dance cuts overflowing with great bass lines, powerful hooks and irresistible rhythms"
• Billboard: "arty, edgy, funky, jazzy, busy and never boring"
• Stereo Review: "mostly tepid art-school funk"
• Rolling Stone (★★★★½ ): "a new model for great party albums to come"
• Robert Christgau (A-): "this funk is quirkily comfortable"
• Trouser Press: "can make the most thought-provoking subject matter palatable through their unique combination of talents."
• DownBeat (★★★★): "an imposing contemporary musical force."
• Musician: "their sunniest album ever"

In 1989, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album at #54 on its list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s:

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #15
• Billboard Rock: #11
• Billboard R&B: #55
• CashBox: #12
• CashBox CD: #10
• Rolling Stone: #5

Tracks: Quite literally, you come for Burning Down The House and stay for This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody). Back in '83, the former was my favorite cut, but over the years my opinion has shifted to the latter. Other highly-danceable favorites include Making Flippy Floppy, Girlfriend Is Better, Slippery People, Swamp, and Moon Rocks.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: As my senior year in high school began in Fall 1983, I bought the 45 single of Burning Down The House and was lucky enough to find one with a coveted picture sleeve (below). Wish I had kept it. If memory serves, that single was the last 45 I purchased before exclusively buying albums, cassettes, and the occasional 12" single.

And I can't hear Swamp without thinking of the movie Risky Business.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Best Of (2004)
Little Creatures (1985)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)
Fear Of Music (1979)

Talking Heads - Little Creatures (1985)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by this CD.

After releasing 5 innovative studio albums, 2 amazing live albums, and the best concert film of all time, this was the beginning of the end for Talking Heads. While not the first TH album with filler tracks, it was the first TH album with a majority of filler tracks. Sadly, that trend would continue until the band ultimately split later in the decade. But the good stuff here is very good, with the singles being the most commercial tunes the band ever released.

Some of the cuts recycle previous Talking Heads grooves and melodies, but try to cover it up by adding a folkish-country-feel or atypical instrumentation to many of the lesser tunes:

"Hey, David, isn't this the same melody as Girlfriend Is Better?"
"Yeah, but we'll add an accordion or steel guitar and nobody will know."

It's as if Byrne's musicological interests moved from an international focus to Americana, a trend that would continue into the frustrating True Stories album. Can you tell I was disappointed in this one? Despite initial critical praise (see below), this album hasn't held up like most of the band's other albums. But after the amazing run that proceeded it, something had to give eventually - nothing lasts forever. Still, as I mentioned, there's a few peaks among the valleys.

Press of the time:

• Spin: "new-wave folk music"
• Robert Christgau (A): "The music is rich in hidden treasures the way their punk-era stuff never was"
• Rolling Stone: "The songs are simple and clearly rooted in pop structures, and Byrne injects a feeling of lyrical giddiness that almost makes this sound like a different band."
• CashBox: "characterized by its relatively simple songwriting"
• Smash Hits (8 out of 10): "finds them calming down and returning to slightly more straightforward melodic pop songs."
• Billboard: "the band's most accessible work yet"
• High Fidelity: "Byrne adheres rigorously to a logic you sense but only he understands"
• Stereo Review (Best of the Month): "back to playing their original quirky, hyperactive variety of avant-garde garage-band rock."
• DownBeat (★★★★): "a taut, compact record that rocks with a vengeance from beginning to end."
• Musician: "the Talking Heads variety show, with something for everyone"

Regardless of what I think, the album is the band's top seller and it topped the 1985 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll as well as the Rolling Stone Critics Poll. The cover art, created by outsider artist Howard Finster, was selected as album cover of the year by both the critics and readers of Rolling Stone:

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #20
• CashBox: #12
• Rolling Stone: #5
• Billboard Pop CD: #6
• CashBox Top CD: #4

Tracks: The cream of the crop here is And She Was (#54 pop, #33 dance, #11 rock), Stay Up Late (#24 rock), and Road To Nowhere (#25 rock). I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite from that trio. However, the first release was track 4, The Lady Don't Mind; that single didn't chart despite having a promotional video directed by the incomparable Jim Jarmusch. I'd include that cut in a second-tier of tracks along with Walk It Down. When compared to the top three, the remainder is fairly bland to these ears.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. When I played a Talking Heads album in 1985, it was usually Stop Making Sense.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Best Of (2004)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)
Fear Of Music (1979)

Talking Heads - Fear Of Music (1979)

Before we get started, I feel the need to mention that the title and Jerry Harrison's embossed, industrial cover design are some of my all-time favorites.

I'd love to tell you the story about a hip 13 year-old living on the rural Texas coast, compulsively listening to Fear Of Music amid the rice farms while his polyester-wearing friends were listening to disco records. Alas, that wasn't to be. Like many kids my age, I discovered Talking Heads when I saw the video for Once In A Lifetime on MTV in the early '80s. I'd guess I didn't hear this album until 5 years after its release.

I love this thing - the quirkiness, Eno's production, the grittiness, the white-boy funk, the cautionary realism, the music-noir. I recently picked up a used copy of The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave (from the Chicago Public Library discard heap - eBay can be a wonderful thing sometimes), let's see what it says about this album. Welp, it only receives 3 of 5 stars and earns but one sentence in the band's section: "Eno's services were retained for the opaque Fear of Music, which included the popular Life During Wartime." Uh, ok then. Personally, I'm at around 4.5 of 5 stars and the following blurb quote: "The band's most consistently satisfying album to date." Let's check out some other retro review quotes, offered up like a lazy TV ad:

• "...its better songs are as good as any Talking Heads ever did." - allmusic
• "wildly and wonderfully varied" - Irish Times
• "There are no bad tracks or bad ideas present, only unique and thrilling post punk that helped define the upcoming decade of music." - Sputnik

And for what it's worth, I'm enjoying this album more today than I ever have before and just listened to it complete twice through.

Press of the time:

• Robert Christgau (A-): "David Byrne's celebration of paranoia is a little obsessive, but like they say, that doesn't mean somebody isn't trying to get him." 
• Rolling Stone: "rock music that warps and suspends time"
• Smash Hits (7½ out of 10): "Few musical developments here"
• Stereo Review: "I think it's just bloody mahvelous."
• Trouser Press: "so far beyond anything else they've accomplished"
• Roadrunner: "If I call this record a masterpiece will that make me hipper than thou?"
• Slash: "They are geniuses. I am jealous."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #21
• CashBox: #30
• Rolling Stone: #13

Tracks: My favorites are I Zimbra, Mind, Cities, Life During Wartime (the most successful single on the album, peaking at #80), Memories Can't Wait, Animals, and Drugs. While Heaven is a good tune and fits in perfectly in the album's sequence, I've never much cared for it nor Electric Guitar.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I recently read the following book:

Like most books in this series, the author goes to great lengths to point out that the book isn't about the album itself, but rather his experience of the album. Yawn. Thanks for spending 4 pages stating the obvious, guys. While I can't recommend this volume in the series, it does give us this great line: "...my identification was so complete that I might have wished to wear the album Fear of Music in place of my head so as to be more clearly seen by those around me." (p. x) Well put. I think we've all had albums like that at one time or another.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Best Of (2004)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense (1984)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD, later supplemented by a homemade "Special Edition" CD-R (see below).

Simply put, this album represents the best concert movie ever filmed.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "a solid artistic statement from a band that's starting to have as much as they've given their listeners."
• Stereo Review: "a great live performance"
• Robert Christgau (B+): a soundtrack, albeit for the finest concert film I've ever seen"
• CashBox: "an electrifying LP"
• Billboard: "sustains remarkable polish"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #41
• Billboard Pop CD: #25
• CashBox: #29
• CashBox CD: #10
• Rolling Stone: #16

Tracks:  I don't skip any tracks; my favorites are Found A Job, What A Day That Was, This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody), Once In A Lifetime, and Take Me To The River.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  I've loved this album and movie from the get-go. Even though the album was released in September 1984, it didn't reach heavy rotation at my place until the summer of 1985, so it's definitely a summertime album for me. For years, a movie poster (below) from the 1999 re-release was on the wall of my office; it currently sits in my closet waiting for my wife to approve a "music only" room.  The DVD is in heavy rotation around the house (favorite scene pictured above).  And now I'll have to watch it again today, which exhausts me because I dance during the whole thing.

Frustrated with the different mixes on various versions, I decided to create my own "Special Edition" version about 10 years ago.  I simply connected the DVD player to my Philips CDR-765 CD burner and made an 2 CD set that contains the actual audio (2.0 stereo) from the DVD, including bonus songs.  With 18 tracks covering 96 minutes, it's the version I listen to most frequently.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Best Of (2004)
The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)

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)

Talking Heads - The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)

2004 Re-release by Rhino.

An epic landmark release (2 discs, 33 tracks, 141 minutes of music) from one the best bands to come out of NYC in the late '70s. The first CD features the original quartet in recordings from 1977 through 1979, and the second CD the expanded ten-piece Talking Heads that toured in 1980 and 1981. The ten-piece group features the addition of such musicians as guitarist Andrian Belew (whose playing belies his age) and Parliament/Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell. Overall, I prefer the second disc to the first. Contained on this set are live versions of songs that appear on the band's first four albums: Talking Heads: 77, More Songs About Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light. The group's early work is generally better than their later work, but their other live album, 1984's Stop Making Sense, ranks right up there with this.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #31
• Billboard Rock: #38
• CashBox: #53
• Rolling Stone: #12

Tracks: This re-release was rated 93 out of 100 on metacritic.com, one of the highest ratings in that website's history at the time. Since it's so good, I'll just try to pick a few favorites from each disc.

Disc 1 (1977-1979): Psycho Killer, Who Is It?, The Girls Want To Be With The Girls, Found A Job, and Love → Building on Fire.

Disc 2 (1980-1981): Warning Sign, Drugs (Electricity), Once In A Lifetime, Crosseyed And Painless, Life During Wartime, and Take Me To The River (one of the greatest covers of all time).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I remember being introduced to this recording when I was 16 by my friend Jim. I was too young to appreciate and understand this group at the time for another 3 or 4 years, so I didn't give it the chance it deserved. When I bought these CDs around 2005, they kept me company on many of my grad school trips between Bay City and the University of Houston campus.

When I visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in October 2007, one of my favorite exhibits was the Polaroid mosaic of the cover of the band's 1978 album More Songs About Buildings And Food. After seeing it for years as a 12" square, it was a pleasant surprise to see it as about a 6 foot square where I could get close and see each individual Polaroid. According to the exhibit, the mosiac sat above David Byrne's couch then the Polaroids were put in a shoe box for about 20 years before they made their way to Cleveland where the mosaic was reconstructed.