Fear Of Music

Similarly to what I've said about other artists, I feel that David Byrne is being very true to himself in his music. I don't know if he could do any differently. And that is a great benefit to us all because he is such a unique thinker and performer. We're so lucky that Talking Heads came into existence alongside/inside the punk scene in NYC where there was a great shift happening in music. Almost like a new opening being torn that they were able slide through among the chaos. They don't fit the stereotypes of a punk band but they were defiantly themselves and I think that's the bravest and most difficult thing you can do as an artist and you have to respect that. To me Talking Heads is one of the finest examples of a band that is able to walk a line between pop music and experimentation with grace and style. I identify with the music of Talking Heads/David Byrne more deeply than I do with most music. He chooses subject matter and emotions and ways of expressing them that are staring us in the face all the time but somehow we don't recognize them as something that would be able to constitute a song. One of his many incredible gifts. He had the perfect band to support him and the perfect producer at the controls in Eno here.

A spooked ostrich in a house of mirrors.

Difficult to listen to sober.

Fabulous album. My brother had this on vinyl back in the day. When I bought my first car I figured its CD Player needed a friend so I bought F of M on  CD. In retrospect it’s quite amazing how creative this is. How could a group led by a pasty white boy make Zimbra? There must have been something in the water at Mud Club? Life During Wartime is a classic. I recently thought Taking Heads (or perhaps Weird Al) should remake it as Life During COVID. “Have sanitizer, some toilet paper to last a couple of days. But I got no face mask, ain’t got no haircut, ain’t got CERB from CRA.” This trips off the tongue  quite easily. Unlike Side 1, there are a couple of mediocre songs on side 2 but not so much to move it off a 5

Seems like this is the Talking Heads album you’d pick if you didn’t want to like or recognise any of the songs.

Sexy, weird, nerdy, wobbly but stunningly beautiful. This album is timeless but also a beautiful representation of the fusion intelligent music can bring.

Never really felt the need to listen to some Talking Heads deep tracks. I feel justified in that now.

"This white boy can freak it!" - Brian Eno

Y'know, I've always liked Talking Heads' first two albums, but I've never truly loved them. It's like, as great as I find their early New Wave, white nerd funk to be, I couldn't help but feel like there was something missing. Some extra element that'd truly kick things over the top into "Oh, gawd, I love this." Not even "Psycho Killer", the big hit it is, could go over. Listening to this album again, for the first time in forever, I finally realized what was missing. As it turns out, it was a disco influence. See, their first albums are, like, a bit stuff? And that's not a full-on bad thing; it fits with what I generally expect from early New Wave. Starting on this album, though, they become a bit looser, a bit dancier, and they're all the better for it. This material is infectious because of it. Like, sure, it might not have something on the level of a "Once In A Lifetime", but "Life During Wartime" has always stuck with me. And it's like, they can claim that this ain't no party, disco or foolin' around, but it sure feels like one to me. It's just an incredible augmentation to their sound. I don't even really feel like I have much more to say than that. Like, I'm very sure I'm missing some deeper themes in here about urban living or pollution, and I don't wanna act like this thing is 100% a dance record from front to back, but... For real, if the influence being more present than it ain't isn't the best thing that happened to this band. Goodness, and now I got myself wanting to listen to STOP MAKING SENSE again to re-hear how good the performances of these songs are on there — and I keep reading they're **very** good. But for the moment, yeah. I can't imagine who would fear music, and especially this stuff. Jus', good shit, good shut. Goodness.

Album to become unhinged to

Every Heads record back in this period sounds like a complete different band, and it's amazing they caught mainstream success. Wish I could have seen them live once. Basically you'll have equal numbers of people saying this, "Remain in Light," and "Little Creatures" is their best album, but 2/3rds of them are wrong. This is the one, just because coming out in 1979 it doesn't really fit with punk, disco, new wave or rock, but yet it does.

Best talking heads album!

When the Talking Heads formula works, it's funky, weird and uplifting. The latter half of this album fails to capture that for me. A lot of the melodies seem to be all over the place. It screams for more structure to reign in the fun and crazy rhythms. The tones on this are fantastic though. You can feel TH's searching for their sound and getting a little lost. I would recommend heading straight to their next album.

David Byrne is one of those artists who people are going to lose their collective shit over when he dies. Obviously he's adored and lauded (not many other pop stars could pull off what he did on Broadway with American Utopia), but the outpouring of hosannas thrown at him when he goes to his great reward will rival those bestowed on Bowie and Prince when they passed. It's like that old Bill Murray joke from Stripes about Tito Puente: "Tito Puente's gonna be dead, and you're gonna say, 'Oh, I've been listening to him for years, and I think he's fabulous.'" And part of that reassessment will include over-praising this album, which isn't as complete as their follow up, the brilliant "Remain In Light". The key issue I have with this album is that the songs here that are included in "Stop Making Sense" sound MUCH better during that concert. But you could pretty much say the same thing about all of the songs performed during "Stop Making Sense", which will go down as perhaps the greatest concert film of all-time. And maybe that's Byrne's true legacy. "Stop Making Sense" is, as Pauline Kael stated at the time, close to perfection. Byrne knew how to perform his songs live better than anyone could produce on record. And Kael got it somewhat wrong in regards to "Stop Making Sense". The versions of Heaven and Life During Wartime in that concert film aren't just close to perfection. They're downright perfect.

Another classic Brian Eno record, this time featuring Talking Heads.

Don’t fear this art rock masterpiece! 😱🤘 As Talking Heads rank among my all-time favorite bands and Fear of Music being my most enjoyed album of their discography, I wanted to avoid any personal bias with re-listening to the album from a purely subjective vantage point….which only reaffirmed the place it holds for me as a truly remarkable artistic feat. David Byrne and co. continued to ascend the musical landscape of the late 70’s post-punk and emerging new wave scene as true pioneers, uniquely crafting a sound all their own with genre defying releases that this one further eclipsed following their terrific first efforts respectively in each of the two years prior. For those keeping score, a record a year pace that would carry through to their landmark creative output on Remain in Light (as foreshadowed on the opener here I Zimbra). Artfully reinventing groovy disco funk with elements of world music influences (afro beat), punk and experimental rock with a jarring energy that steers clear of any commercial sensibility, yielding a heightened confidence and self assured maturity in these eclectic batch of songs. 🎧 Classic Track: Life During Wartime 🎧 Deep Cut Gem: Animals 🎧 Personal Favorite: Mind The central theme of fear is the focal point of the album’s tone, conveying a nervous anxiety through Byrne’s neurotic songwriting and vocal delivery, exploring the emotional complexity of life experiences in topics such as drugs, war, the environment, animals, cities, mindfulness, death and well….music. Not a single skippable track in the bunch, each one as entertaining and memorable as the last, coming in at a breezy 40 minutes that leaves an indelible mark. 🖼️ Album Artwork: Top tier 💿 A must own for your vinyl collection! Special mention must also be had for what producer Brian Eno brought to this record, a mainstay with the band throughout their career and for good reason. The chemistry between these musicians would have them breakthrough the mainstream with their 80’s output, however by that time stylistically were becoming a bit too toned down. Fear of Music are Talking Heads at their edgiest, weirdest, coolest, quirkiest, funkiest finest hour. **I recommend having a read of the Fear of Music book (Jonathan Lethem) in the 33 1/3 series, which is a great companion piece to the album 📗** Click the thumbs up icon below if you enjoyed my take on the album :)

10/10 why didn’t I start listening to these guys sooner?! this album is FUCKING AWESOME! definitely gonna check out this bands other stuff.

No songs on here that I recognised but they’re always an interesting band to listen to. Didn’t find this as memorable as some of their other stuff though

Strange experience: I kept waiting for "Life During Wartime" to turn into "Psycho Killer" haha. Classic Talking Heads album. Fully of catchy bops, and I don't even particularly like this band.

Spiky guitars, nice bass from Tina Weymouth, spoiled by the irritating voice of David Byrne

I like the majority of the background music, the chord progressions, and the musicianship. The voice and the melodies don’t do much for me. Pretty cool music….but also, not. Not a real fan. Not sure they deserve all of the accolades they get. More like a weirdo leading a band without a ton to offer. Not for me.

I'm looking forward to reading the reviews of people who gave this fewer than five stars, because I wonder what it was like discovering this record from some source other than growing up with an older sibling who owned it and played it a lot? Surely able to listen to it more objectively than I can. I can't help but think about the tween who fantasized about one day being old enough to to find my own city to live in, and who was shocked by the idea of heaven being a place where nothing ever happens, and who was truly terrified by the sound effects on "Drugs" (confession: when I was home alone, I would usually pick up the needle after "Electric Guitar" because like The Beatles' "For The Benefit of Mr Kite" and Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced?" this tune scared the shit out of me and even though if you asked me I would tell you that I didn't believe in the devil, deep down I was pretty sure that playing one of these songs at the wrong time could open the gates of hell and summon a demon right into our living room. In any event, certainly not worth the risk.). If you asked me which Talking Heads studio album was my favorite, I would likely say either '77 or Remain in Light. However, upon reflection, this one somehow pulls off a wild balancing act of sounds that are experimental and yet catchy, paired with lyrics that are somehow weird and also relatable.

The type of album where you listen through once and it's not all that impressive but hey it was only 20 minutes. So I may as well give it another spin. Finish it again, hey may as well give it another spin. Then you've realised you've been listening to it all day and the album is over 40 minutes 10/10

How does one conjure up a fear of music? Is it the air that we breathe? The drugs we take? The animals we walk amongst and consume each day? The paper that informs us of the daily happenings in our lives? Is it something that could change our mind? A way to justify finding a city to live in? Whatever it is, Talking Heads seemed to have a good grasp on the feeling. On their third album, and first in a fabled and contentious collaboration with Brian Eno, Talking Heads increasingly eek themselves out of their latent punk roots and roam across a little more global soundscape whilst keeping their toes in firmly experimental waters. As the 70s drew to a close and the 80s began to burst, it was proper time for the band to come to light and remain there for us to see and examine their influence and their fear of music was a means to get there.

This ain't no party

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no foolin' around. This is just another awesome Talking Heads record. It might be my third or fourth favorite Talking Heads record depending on the day but it's still a great time.

I think it's their best album.

Great! I didn't know this album from Talking Heads, but I loved it!!

It's Talking Heads. It's one of 3 consecutive masterpieces. (Though, here's a fun little tidbit about me, it's my least favorite of the 3 consecutive masterpieces!)

Each track is able to invoke a certain kind of strangeness in my imagination that is controlled just as equally between the lyrics, the vocals, and the melody. The latter of which due to Eno's excellent production work that compliments Byrne's style. "I Zimbra" is a great opener that gives us a taste into the type of experimentalism we're dealing with. But it is "Mind" that establishes this constant anxiety and desperation in the protagonist. Someone who is helpless to change his lover's mind. Someone frantically looking a place in the city. Someone obsesses with some urban unrest. Someone stuck living in the highlights of his past. Someone at the mercy of air itself. Each song's lyrics and music builds up to an increasing level of disorder. And then we reach "Heaven" to calm us down in self-reflection. But not for long as we jump into what I find to be the strangest track, "Animals." Not sure if there's something deeper going on due to how much the lyrics seem to only be applicable to literal animals, but it reflects a severe level of psychosis bringing about the kind of absurd level of anxiety we saw in "Air". The next track "Electric Guitar" is probably my least favorite but I really enjoy that scifi atmosphere. I found the last track interesting as the instrumental opening puts us into this trip sequence. The protagonist tries explaining what he sees, but he's so far out of it he can only make out few details. My personal favorite is "Mind", but I found all the first side to be most imaginative. It makes me excited to give a deeper look at their other albums.

Great album for chilling

David Byrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn

I had heard some talking heads tracks before but never sat and properly listened to them till now. I love the lead singers atonal wails, and each track on the album paints a landscape of a dreary industrial area with an unusual element to keep me interested. Favourite track is either air or the dancing for money outtake. I’m not sure why they never finished dancing for money with proper lyrics because it felt almost finished but it made me smile to see the creative process raw like that

Are ass to this

Little bit Bowie-esque sometimes

Groundbreaking album by Talking Heads. Fear Of Music is spectacular art, giving foreshadow to the diverse creativity that David Byrne expanded into the 80z and beyond.

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🧑‍🏭⛓️⬛ Production (2005 Remaster): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 😨👁️‍🗨️🌀 Rating: ⚠️⚠️⚠️/5

It's a great album. Don't get me wrong. It has that slight disco feel but still scratches that minimalist edge that you don't really get with many albums from the seventies. It's original, it's creative, it's unique, it's talking heads, but unfortunately, after 3 or so songs, they don't really know what to do with themselves. The pressure to release another good album after their previous hits were high and they didn't take that time that they needed to really carve out and perfect every track. They keep that original feel throughout the album but they don't use it properly; and you eventually get tired of it. For someone who likes this kind of style, it's a great album; but if you're looking for fresh and interesting music, you might get bored with this one. 3/5 stars

Not bad, you can hear the bowie influence

For the ears of those proud to be quirky.

He always sounds so scared and unsure. It’s kinda funny 🕺

He somehow has an English punk voice but the music is not punk? And simultaneously kind of boring.

It's funny to listen back and realize what was considered 'good' music back then. Repetitive, off-key, monotonous vocals; Clangy but cheesy guitar riffs. To be fair, it's still better than the over-produced, auto-tuned garbage that we are forced to listen to today. Stand out tracks: Drugs, Life During Wartime.

Two reviews ago, during my 532nd review, I wrote a little statement about it finally "clicking" for me and how I only just now understood the reason for all of these albums having been included on the list, even the ones I did not personally like and I was able to understand the cultural impact that some albums have had on musical culture as a whole. I rescind my statement. Since that far gone time (yesterday evening) I have listened to yet two more albums on this list of 1001 albums you MUST hear before you die. Those albums were *Bringing It All Back Home' by Bob Dylan and this album that I am reviewing right now. I no longer understand why any of these two horrendous albums are on any list of albums someone ought to have heard according to the music critics and authors of the book(s). I only now realize that it was specifically Elvis Presley that I could understand the cultural importance of; almost all of the other worthless albums on this long list of sonic torture carry no importance and are only there because the author heard these albums once upon a time at a friend's brother's girlfriend's nephew's party that he had attended at the time and the memory of ingesting his first shot of alcohol (4,2% ABV Coors Lite) and getting "totally wicked!!" during the 80s imprinted the names of these groups and their songs into his mind. For my review of this album in particular, the only song I kind of "liked" (very loosely stated) was the one where they weren't trying to sing properly, which somehow made it the most well-sung

Definitely not for me – one of my least favorites I’ve listened to and really lacked any charm. The songs all carried an awful weird energy, and even when I switched to the remastered version and it was mixed way better and less empty-feeling, it still felt like it would be bland regardless of what mood I could be in or drug I could be on. All I could picture was the frontman trying to bring this real kooky energy to a standstill crowd while some geezers play some boring ass music in the back. I’d find it really hard to believe people think they pulled off something interesting or worthwhile; there’s so little in terms of redeeming qualities, besides giving me so many ways to describe how much I didn’t like it and don’t want to hear it again. 0.5/10

when talking heads works it works really well. when talking heads doesn't work it is the most annoying music on the planet. this is an entire album where it doesn't work.

This record was my “go to” for a really long time. After Remain In Light and the rest, this kind of got loft behind, like the singer in Almost Famous. Playing it again today was like hearing it gir the first time all over again. It REALLY holds up. Short and sweet, all killer no filler. Mind. Drugs. Heaven. Cmon! Five big stars!!!!

I’m not gonna lie I cried just seeing this album pop up. This has what we call big feelings songs. Sure it busts out the gate with the worldly disco funkish I zimbra and you can tell Eno influenced it. Every song is so touching for me. I’m a fan tho. I get that it’s more experimental than buildings and food and definitely more prog than punk but it’s great for just that reason.

The logical next step after Buildings and Food. I used to be contrarian and say that this was my favourite Talking Heads album but I can't act like Remain in Light isn't the peak. Still a favourite though. It gets me going.

I know, I know Eno produced it- so it's perfect.

Nunca havia ouvido algo tão louco e eletrizante. As composições são divertidas e interessantes. É um album que tem instrumentais e arranjos estranhos e misteriosos.

I'm a longtime Talking Heads fan but I don't listen to this album as much as Remain in Light or Speaking in Tongues, but this is typically great stuff from them. The band is really hitting its stride here, an energetic album start to finish. Standouts: Cities, Life During Wartime, Memories Can't Wait

This is one of my favorite records, period. This album and "Remain in Light" are both outstanding and while they didn't have the commercial success of "Speaking in Tongues" they are better!

4,5/5

Great Talking Heads album. One of my favorites.

peak

Big fan of David Byrne and the Talking Heads in general. Had not heard this album before but it's filled with the groovy beats and quirky guitar licks I crave. Would listen again

I’m incredibly biased on this album cause I am a huge Talking Heads fan and a huge David Byrne fan. This is probably in the top 5 Talking Heads album. It’s not as iconic as Remain in Light, ‘77, or Speaking in Tongues. However it is probably the most under appreciated album in their catalogue. You could make the argument that the most underrated is More Songs About Buildings and Food which I could see cause it definitely doesn’t get the love it deserves, but Fear of Music I like better personally. Seriously if you have never heard the Talking Heads you should check out this album as well as the other 4 I mentioned and then go watch True Stories, that movies really crazy and really funny.

After its dadaist entrance, Fear of Music gets frightfully realist: 'Science won't change you, looks like I can't change you / I try to talk to you to make things clear'; 'Had a love affair but it was only paper'; 'I will find a city, find myself a city to live in / Help me'; 'This ain't no mudd club, or C.B.G.B / I ain't got time for that now.' This is the heaviest Talking Heads out there, by far, w/ 'Memories Can't Wait' boarding on Joy Division's later innovations, and 'Heaven' presaging R.E.M's sincere ballads, but somehow there's still a party, rhythmically prompted, happening between the lines. The Talking Heads are never my first thought to throw on, but whenever I do, I am reminded of how impossibly creative, seamlessly inventive they really are.

The sewers singing.

Serious hooks with deep grooves

One of the weirdest TH releases is also one of their best. Byrne and crew are on in this one. Not my favorite TH album but certainly one of their best.

The Good: Talking Heads… part 3! The Bad: It seems that they fear the music… The Ugly: Trying to figure out what it would sound like if it were Love the Music instead… Yes, third Talking Heads album! We’ve done 77, and Remain In Light, now Fear of Music. Previous albums both getting 4* because, though very entertaining listens, they were missing that special something to boost them to 5*. Which leaves me with this album… does it deserve 5*? Let’s see… it contains the song “Heaven” which, in my opinion, is one of the greatest songs ever written… and I only was exposed to that song as it was included in Simply Red’s freshman effort Picture Book… But then, then the most insane thing happens, while I am listening to this album, my brain instantly recognizes a song, but I’ve never listened to this album before. Then it hits me, Living Colour… and their freshman effort Vivid contains These Memories Can’t Wait… What???? So I played the album again… and listened with different ears… and I am going to have to dish out 5* as this album is what 5* albums should be, a trip through some soundscape that makes you wonder what is coming around the corner!

I love this album. There's the strangeness of I Zimbra where I always start this album wondering if David Byrne is going to go Paul Simon on us, but he's exploring the huge diversity of musical styles, which I think has always been a strength of the Talking Heads. Mind is good. I don't know or care if there are any other words in the song. It's good talking heads. This was the first Talking Heads album I every owned. It was my point of entry past "Burning Down the House." Recommended by the dude in the record store where I went to college. This whole album makes me think of driving around Texas listening to music. Paper opens like a conventional song... until Byrne starts singing. Then we're back on familiar/unfamiliar ground. I met an Argentine music journalist who complained about David Byrne. Apparently he got really into bicycling and traveled around the world riding his bike and he wrote a book about it. His entry on Buenos Aires was really critical, which she said wasn't fair because it's a country that doesn't have a tradition of bicycling. So no matter what I always have a picture in my head of David Byrne as an angry bicyclist. Air I always think I'm not going to like because it begins with so much Talking Heads strange energy but then it resolves itself into a really nice song. I don't know what he's talking about but I find it very relatable. Heaven is maybe my favorite song on this album. I catch myself humming it. William Blake has this idea of a kind of heaven that he calls Beulah, and it's the conventional idea of heaven where everything is at peace and is tranquil, but to him that's a false kind of heaven because it's static, nothing happens, and it robs us of our dynamic human potential. I don't know the most about Blake or really about the Talking Heads, but that's what this song always makes me think about. I saw the talking heads perform one time and it was bizarre. They had these choreographed dancers doing a routine with office chairs. End of the day, not my favorite Talking Heads album. I'll hold that out for Speaking in Tongues (and the excellent movie). But this is a super solid album that delivers on what I love the Talking Heads for which is their strangeness and unexpectedness.

You get in the car. Turn on the engine. Things are in motion. Road is clear and endless. Windows down, you floor it. There is no need for hesitance, no buildup, you just go, no stopping on this journey. Maybe you slow to turn a corner or coast looking up to the heavens, maybe you don’t but this car can’t drop below 50 mph or the vibe will explode. Oh and all your friends are in the car and it’s a party, love is in the air. Pupils dilated everything hits at once and then we crash….queue Drugs. What a fantastic album listen to it a bunch growing up. Used it as pump up music when I used to paint the dorm rooms for Northwestern. It was my secret weapon. I found this album on my own. It was random and I just fell in love with it. I think it was the first Talking Heads album I ever listened to in full. Heaven is such a beautiful song. The guitar work, insane. Bass riffs galore and the drums are steady and danceable. Thanks 1001 gods… no more chocolate cake.

Just awesome. Still holds up over 45 years later. Many of the non-hit songs have been stuck in my head pretty much all those years. I didn't understand how good Tina's bass work was, esp when she was a latecomer to the instrument. Not many life regrets but not seeing these guys live is near the top of that list.

The first TH album I bought. Probably not the best introduction. But appreciated having the time as a teenager to learn to love it. Heaven.

i adore this record from top to bottom, it’s been an all-time favorite of mine going back years.

I love Talking Heads so much. Great music and song writing, and vocals that are my kind of weird. I was worried about this album since it's earlier than what I usually listen to, but nope, it was just what I wanted

Love. I prefer some of the live versions of this on Stop Making Sense but I can't just give it a 4

Autism: The Album. This is a top 20 album for me. Just a terrifyingly tense, yet danceable, nightmare of a record.

The lyrics of this record are masterful and Byrne’s vocals are among my favorite in rock and music in general. Life During Wartime Cities Memories Can’t Wait Mind Animals Electric Guitar Heaven Drugs Air I Zimbra Paper

Give me all the Talking Heads.

Te amo Talking Heads, te amo Brian Eno! Meu terceiro disco favorito da banda, integrando parte da triplice entente junto de Remain in Light e Speaking in Tongues (Lembrando que esses 3 foram lançados em sequencia, que absurdo!). Não acho esse disco melhor que os dois que mencionei, mas sem ele, os outros dois não existiriam. Quando você ouve a discografia da banda em ordem cronológica voce percebe o salto IMENSO que esse disco deu ! Se você fica parado ouvindo faixas como Cities, Air ou Life During Wartime, pode se enterrar porque tu ja morreu xD... E no mesmo album com essas pedradas dançantes voce tem tambem faixas como Memories Can't Wait, Mind ou Drugs que chegam a te paralizar... David Byrne é um mestre em evocar emoções fortes, nesse disco ele brinca bastante com medos e ansiedades e angustias e inseguranças e arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Heaven is a place... a place where nothing .... nothing ever happens : - ) Não sei explicar, mas esse album, e outros do Talking Heads, conseguem borrar a linha entre experimental e acessivel de uma forma magistral. Eu amo as texturas, cada detalhe, cada ritmo não-ortodoxo... Banda brilhante. Meu primeiro 5/5, e é sinistro pensar que esse não chega nem perto dos picos dos MELHORES albuns do Talking Heads. Que banda ein!!!! A definição de 5 estrelas, na minha opinião. Não vejo sequer uma falha, album consistente do começo ao fim! Lindo.

i zimbra- 8 or 9 mind- 8 paper- 7 cities- 8 life during wartime- 9 memories cant wait- 7 air- 7 heaven- 9 or 10 animals- 7 electric guitar- 7 or 8 drugs- 7 mwah

I had never listened to this album. I would pick it up and think I don’t know many of the songs, but I am so happy I do now. It can’t be overstated what a great thing that Eno and the Talking Heads had going for a while.

Classic albums. Lots of great songs. Good feel throughout

Love this album by talking heads!

Starting to wonder if this band ever put out a miss. Overlooked them for years and have really kicking myself for it. Here's another solid release, jam-packed with creativity. They're constantly experimenting, but can still write hooks that never make the weirdo shit feel off-putting; all the while still undeniably rocking. This one in particular feels like a perfect waypoint between More Songs and Remain In Light.

Their best album.

Groovy, entretenido, suena bien. SImple pero efectivo

Stellar tunes by a stellar band. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 5. The last time we got Talking Heads was 38 albums into this whole thing, and I just don’t think I was prepared back then. I thought it was especially weird & avant garde, and took a million different directions lyrically in a way that distracted from the production. I gave it a 3.5 bumped down to a 3, and that’s probably “incorrect” in light of the 410 albums we’ve since gotten, some of which took exponentially weirder turns. It feels good to remedy that with this album, which certainly feels more normal, stylized & consistent than Talking Heads: 77 did. Of course, bubbling underneath the surface of some excellent Brian Eno-infused production through a variety of styles & some really good guitar/percussion/synth melodies, is an album entirely based around fear & paranoia. Certainly a bit similar thematically to Peter Gabriel 3, but not quite in the same way – that album tended to focus more on individual stories and snapshots of melting minds, as opposed to this album, with a sort of chronic panic that exists in broader strokes, with the intent to capture a feeling as opposed to tell a specific story. For the most part, this album REALLY succeeds in doing so – there are great lyrics abound on this thing, & the instrumentals do a great job of complimenting them, but David Byrne’s vocal performance enhances the panic in those lyrics & the instrumentation to an incredible degree, and he is an absolutely highlight of the album. The eccentricities of his voice that made Talking Heads: 77 feel captivating but inconsistent lyrically are channeled really nicely here as a way to fully capture the mood of each track, with “Cities” as probably the best example here. Much like Peter Gabriel 3, I think this does need a bit more attention to really get the album, but it feels equally as rewarding to me. There are a few tracks that didn’t land as well as they could / should have (namely “Electric Guitar”), but I really enjoyed a lot of this. It might just be the 400+ days since the last one talking, & the amount of music I’ve since heard that made this one feel better, but I do think they found a really nice balance between the eccentric captivating production & storytelling on this one, in a way that fully clicked for me. It’s a pretty good 5, and I’m glad it’s on the list.

Absolutely rips, start to finish. One of the greats. Byrne rules, band rules.

Talking Heads 4/4 Before diving into this, I revisited More Songs About Buildings and Food, my lowest rated TH (though at a respectable 3/5). And honestly, it was better than I remember. What probably led to me rating it below their debut, 77, came down to two things: It wasn’t as immediately fascinating as their 80s output was (aka Remain in Light, Speaking in Tongues), and also that I was still on the fence about Brian Eno’s touch. Now, thanks to this list essentially waterboarding me with Eno-produced albums, I’m a lot more inclined to his sound than I used to be. And I’m happy to report, not only is it immediate, the Byrne/Eno combo gets right up in yer face. There's enough freaky, auxiliary noise to make this live up to its name, though somehow it doesn't overwhelm everything. It can also be disarmingly beautiful at times ("Heaven", "Air") HL: “Heaven”, “Cities”, “Air”, “Life During Wartime”, “Animals”, “I Zimbra” March 18, 2025

I was debating a 4 or 5 for this one because I really liked it and feel like the Talking Heads just deliver nonstop. There’s so much fun and and creativity that you feel the passion and goofiness in every song. I was thinking a 4 but realized it was because I didn’t know any of the songs and didn’t have any attachments coming in, but I couldn’t find a single fault. It was solid all the way through and had several stand out songs and variety but felt like a coherent project at the same time. I would def relisten multiple times and even let it loop 2/3 on Friday.

Better than Remain in Light!

Simply some of the best, weirdest, new waviest, funked out shit ever

My head also speaks. 5

STR8 FYRE!! I loved this!! Specifically I love the band. They sound so good together.

I really really enjoyed this. The mixing and the bass on this are insane. Great songs great album flow. This was amazing.

Another excellent album by Talking Heads. Though, if they have a bad one, I've never heard it.

Exceptional

Absolute gem of an album! Love this one front to back.

Great album--love Heaven, I Zimbra (how many times have I danced to that?), Life During Wartime, Electric Guitar, well, basically, it's all terrific. I still prefer Remain in Light as the best Talking Heads album, but this might have the best songs.... so good.

Love this album. It’s funky and groovy and way ahead of its time, as the Talking Heads were. I never delved this deep into their stuff before but I’m glad I did.

Enjoyed more on average than Songs about Buildings and Food, also includes one of my favourite songs from the group. Really not sure what to say. I feel that the band is just going to be a love it/hate it deal for most people that mostly comes down to your feelings on David Byrne's vocal style & delivery

I found it difficult to rate this album since it contains two of my top five favourite Talking Heads songs, it also contains some deep cuts that are enjoyable enough but aren't particularly memorable. Except Mind, that one is memorable but not in a particularly good way. Another issue with this album is that the songs I do like on here are better performed on Stop Making Sense. Having said all of that, the songs on here that I consider to be GREAT are lumped in with songs that I would call GOOD. It is better to interpret Talking Heads as the musical output of an art collective rather than a band. And unlike CERTAIN art collectives who make 'albums' (Throbbing Gristle), this shit actually rocks. I was umming and ahhing over whether to score this a 4 or a 5, but then Drugs came on and I remembered my favourite video of my cat Charlie (the queen of my world) has her thousand yard staring the camera to this song. So for personal reasons I am giving this a 5. Special shoutout to Animals for sounding exactly what I think it must sound like in the head of the guy who yells at me on the bus sometimes. Also the guy who played congas on I Zimbra is named Gene Wilder. Not the same person as the actor. Highlights: I Zimbra, Cities, Life During Wartime, Heaven, Drugs

Hot Dang!! I forgot how good this was- it just drills into your psyche and sits there shivering and twitching. A restless eclectic Post-Modernist masterpiece before such things existed. So many ideas, so fast, mind.....can't....cope........

it took me a while and multiple tries, but i finally get this album and love it as much as i love other talking heads projects. it proves that the best way to convey the doom of modern living is not through drudgy gloomy sounds, but through perky synths and syncopated groovy beats. it makes the case that one wouldn't want to trade the hellish present for the promise of a better afterlife, because nothing happens there.