Fear Of Music

Experimental rhythms are entrancing and easy to get lost in, yet this is otherwise a largely immemorable album.

You know how sometimes you’ll read about a film or a book that people describe as world changing and you watch it/read it and afterwards you’re like have I missed something here? I’m like that with this album, it’s clearly good. Like a disco in a dystopian future it grooves but it unsettles but it’s too much vibe and not enough song for me. Another listen may help, but we are where we are now

aceptable.

Paranoico, Actor, Intrigante y sumamente expermiental. Aunque en los próximos álbumes posteriores tienen un concepto y sonido más definido, no cabe duda que algo distinto querían traer a la escena de la época.

Loved Life in Wartime. The album itself is a bit repetitive - the tracks I liked stood out.

Yaaaaas. I’ve been wanting to check out Talking Heads. Only know two of their songs. Oh. Okay. Well, maybe I’ll like their other albums better. Not exactly my cup of tea. I started vibing with some songs a bit more the second time around but then I gave up. Maybe later down the line I will revisit. They’re definitely a vibe. But this album wasn’t my vibe.

I listened to the original release (11 tracks). Typical goofy Talking Heads topics with typical Talking Heads music. “Life During Wartime” is one of my favorites, although the rest of the album is average.

The album cover looks like a tire, but apparently it is a floor. My subconscious's album is called Fear of Flat Tire. Some more nonsense lyrics here on 'I Zimbra'; what a thematic week we've had. But those lyrics are from a (bad, imo) poem, so although they might be nonsense, they aren't mysterious. Good lyrics on the rest of the tracks. 'Cities' would make for a good college decision theme song. 'Air' would make a good everyday theme song. 2nd iteration of 'Heaven' on this list, following Simply Red's cover. (The OG is better.) It would make a bad "The Good Place" theme song. This album feels funk-adjacent at points. I most like the points where it isn't. Words to live by: "Never listen to electric guitar" :)

It’s … ok. I don’t think I like them as much as I thought I did.

So Jim hates disco, but loves the Talking Heads. This is, fundamentally, a disco album. Ergo, Jim loves disco.

I feel like this is the wrong talking heads album. The debut album and speaking in tongues are way better.

3/5

2.8 stars, three songs I liked of the bunch. Not at all a bad listen, just kind of boring.

Unfortunate to listen to this right after Fela Kuti - feels like a pale imitation. But still very good - I Zimbra and Animals especially. Definitely not my favorite talking heads album though - no song is all that incredible.

Ok, didn't love it. Lot of subvocal moaning that was a tad distracting.

An okay album, I liked Heaven the most.

7/10 - This might be a product of me having too high of expectations going into an album. It’s a good album and maybe if the musician wasn’t Talking Heads I would have been higher on it. They might be a victim of their own success on this review.

Bell’album, non il migliore ma comunque sinbolo della new wave

kind of anxiety inducing!! “Animals” and “Cities” in particular. “Heaven” is such a gem

I can respect it but I don't have the time to dig into it lyrically which I believe is where the good stuff may be in this.

Pretty solid album, not my favorite of all time but Talking Heads are a unique listen every time

I didn’t recognize any of these songs, but still pretty good. I don’t like all their albums equally but I am growing to like their sound.

Perfectly functional talking heads. Still a strong album but not their best.

Quite enjoyed this but it is very similar to the other TH albums on this list. Still worth a re-listen. Heaven is a good track.

I can't stand the Talking Heads...

Fun. It's the Talking Heads.

5/10 Interesting music - Talking Heads was really doing something unique here, especially for the time. Unfortunately it's not really sonically appealing.

"I did not know this album until I got a vinyl copy last year. I played it one or two times, but it didn't really get me. So, the 1001 Albums Generator gave me the opportunity for another try today. It is not an easy record to grasp, understand, or appreciate. Reading some of the praise for this album—which ranks high on many '70s and especially 1979 album lists—I got the feeling I should love it if so many other people do. It's often seen as their best album. I like the Talking Heads—especially the Stop Making Sense concert movie—and I was already familiar with 'Heaven' and 'Life During Wartime.' But while some songs on here are really great, other tracks are difficult for me as a 'simple' music lover due to the unusual rhythms and sounds —especially the album closer, 'Drugs.' I am torn between 3 or 4 stars. I was leaning toward four, but the last three songs shift it back to a 3 for the moment."

Stellenweise ganz interessant, aber so richtig gecatcht hat es mich nicht.

Gesang nicht immer ganz so meins. Wobei ich auf 'Remain In Light" gut damit klar komme.

I love the talking heads. But I didn’t love this album. I wouldn’t say I disliked it. But there was just not much here that resonated with me. I like a lot of the sounds, and I respect what they’re going for. I liked the funk guitar especially. But at the end of the album it felt more like it was trying to be interesting than it was to be effecting. And that’s personally more of what I look for. I’ve always enjoyed the THs hits, and this album could’ve used more of their pop sensibilities to round out the bizarre vibe they were chasing.

Yeah not bad. Don’t do drugs kids

A few songs are good, too, but I think the album is mainly overrated, especially when I look at the 4.00 rating on Rate Your Music.

Listening experience was a little disjointed due to a bad internet connection. No particular complaints or compliments about the music itself. A little sad to have a typo in previous journal entry

This is my third Talking Heads album and still not sure what to think of them. This one seemed a bit weird for me and not something I’d choose to listen to. Still, it had some decent tracks. I think I would need to spend some more time with it to give it fair judgment.

It’s got the classic talking heads groove but I just couldn’t get into it like some of the others

Not my favourite THs album, but still odd, weird and using rhythms and sounds that are not new wave. I prefer the debut and the one after this.

great music, the tracks kinda all sound the same to me. nevertheless amazing to listen to during a long drive

It's alright.

Buen album

skulle inte lyssna på själv men ok

It was fine

Not my favorite Talking Heads record, but strong singles including Life During Wartime and I Zimbra. Makes me want to watch Stop Making Sense again.

Talking heads, such an iconic sound. I really appreciate some Byrne from time to time, but this album as a whole is a little too much for me.

15 songs I don't even know what to think of this album. It wasn't bad, but gun to my head I wouldn't be able to hum a single song after an hour had passed. So, because of that, I cannot rate it any higher than a 3.

gosssto disso

i'd never listened talking heads before except psycho killer. i didn't get bored or tired listening to this album and it was not bad but i guess i won't consider listening to it again. i saved only one song, heaven, it was not great but okay.

гаварящи бошке прикольно

Torn on this one but I think I needed more so it’s gonna stay as a 3. Super interesting though.

Another Talking Heads album. Another up and down experience.

Fear of reviewing this album. Talking Heads are one of my top favorite bands ever, but his album isn't. I understand it was groundbreaking at the time to incorporate Brian Eno behind the boards and made it much more moodier and filled all the spaces with ambient sounds which sound great in principle, but at the same time, they had assembled the greatest live lineup of their band ever with Andrew Below, Steve Scales and Bernie Worrell, and the explosive dynamism of their live shoes is bogged down by the ambient soundscapes they're trying to keep the album within. I Zimbra is one of my favorite songs ever, Life During Wartime is one of their best live songs, and Cities is such a great song, but the album version is so muted and incomplete. The rest of the songs are mostly memorable like Mind, Air, Memories and Heaven, but it doesn't really buyou the album to the heights of the rest of their early discography.

Classic Talking Heads tones. Hasn’t aged real well, but it’s a fun listen. 3.3/5.0

David Byrne is such a weirdo. I love this guy.

I just don't get Talking Heads. For me this music defines the idea of "it's there I guess".

I think this could probably be 4 stars for me with more listens.

Yeah these guys are good.

I liked this but it wads kind of unremarkable to me

Random encounter with Brian Eno!

Life During Waring is an epic song that never ages. The rest are good - some are too mellow or too similar.

It was alright, it has highs and lows. Overall pretty mid. Favorite track(s) Heaven

agitated, and propulsive

First listen

No es un género que escuche usualmente, pero me sorprendió, un rock mas suave y ochentoso, siendo accesible para aquellos que no estan tan involucrados en el género. Definitivamente un album que no hubiese escuchado por mi cuenta pero ahora lo volveria a escuchar varias veces sin duda. Sorprendida

This didn't land like other Talking Heads releases. It's good though, maybe good enough for a revisit. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit 🫳 ★★★☆☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 338 Already owned : 76 Purchased : 16 To buy : 3 Nope : 243

Talking Heads is a band I’ve never loved. This album was okay. Standard “some tracks are better than others” and overall while I didn’t have any issues with it I also wasn’t enamored with anything I was hearing.

Dober

I like the talking heads, but not this album

It's alright but I've never been super into the talking heads outside of their hits

Talking Heads is one of the ultimate acquired tastes I need to develop. Like Steely Dan, I figure "if you listen, it will come" so just keep putting them on. I've seen David Byrne live but wish I'd seen them to get the full effect!

Não conhecia nenhuma música do álbum, mas até é interessante

This isn't their best album there are a couple of standout numbers. Always liked some of their songs but not their albums.

cover reminds me of the gym, music is more art than really listenable music

A pretty fun time. I didn't like everything here, especially the more zaney tracks, but it was produced in a really satisfying way with good soundstage and diversity among all the songs so I'll be coming back to a few of these for sure.

Perfectly fine in every way

im not really into them tbh

Mid

Quirky. Sometimes quite good, sometimes not so good. Vocals are just odd and a bit off-putting but the music is quite catchy on some tracks. Favourite songs are Cities and Life During Wartime. 2.5/5.

3/5

Pretty good

It's fun, it's weird, it's David Byrne, what more can I ask for out of a Talking Heads album? It's not my favourite and not something I'm likely to come back to but I had fun listening to it.

Too much art, not enough rock. I’m fine with Byrne and Eno making music mostly to entertain themselves but this is just not particularly successful as a piece of popular culture.

And you may ask yourself- who wrote this song. It was the Talking Heads. There were quite a few catchy parts, but very little caught my attention.

Nunca me gustó este grupo

One of the weaker Talking Heads albums in my opinion. Has a some good songs, but the music doesn't carry the same punch as, say, Remain in Light... Which queued up after this album and the vibe was so noticeably different.

Creo que ya escuche un disco de esta banda en este proceso. Sigue sin aparecer su canción que conozco. Es un rockcito tranka y medio psicodelico. Me gusta, no es la gran cosa 7/10.

I like the talking heads but i’m never really like “man i wanna listen to the talking heads”. i know that might be controversial but it’s true. in my mind their music is like good playlist filler.

As always, this quirky punk rock leaves me a little cold

This was pretty good

Du rock

Je connais déjà le groupe, c’est chouette mais faut reconnaître que l’album est assez calme

- Has some groovy beats - Cluttered instrumentals, but crispy - I like the piano in Heaven - Obviously hearing some similarities to Discipline by King Crimson, but this doesn't hit as hard as that one for some reason

Agree with Pat, feeling a little disillusioned and Frank’s points about this distance between the artist and audience is hard to shake. This one was very ENO, great sounds and grooves but a bit empty. Sort of unrelated, last weekend I was in New Orleans for Jazzfest and saw a LOT of live music. Many acts that were fine but saw Tedeschi Trucks for the first time and it blew my mind. Live acts either connect with you or they don’t, and when it hits and you’re locked in it’s so good. I think where I’m going is I’ll be eagerly looking for those shows and albums that I connect with and maybe spending less time with the ones that don’t. Feels obvious, but I do think I spend a fair amount of time trying to connect when it’s not there.

I expected to be more of a talking heads guys than I’ve turned out to be. Life is full of little disappointments

Ok, 6/10.

I do like it, don't get me wrong. The grooves that are present are great, the production is awesome, makes everything sound tight. But I've been spoiled by Stop Making Sense. Talking Heads are at their best when they are jamming on a strong groove, and even the best songs here don't get the chance to do that for long enough. I love the song Life During Wartime. But I love the Stop Making Sense version ten times more. Same goes for the song Heaven, unfortunately, I love how it's really able to soar in the live version! I forgot how much I liked the song Memories Can't Wait. That one kicked ass. Talking Heads have always been in my orbit, but I've never really fallen for them completely. No individual album has enough strength to win me over. But I'm sure I'll get there eventually.

Je ne sais plus si j'ai déjà essayé d'écouter du Talking Heads. Je crois que oui, mais ça ne m'a pas laissé un souvenir indélébile, si c'est le cas. Je suppose que leur genre musical ne me parle pas (et oui, encore un album comme ça, on les collectionne !). C'est vrai que pour l'époque, cela dit, Fear of Music devait être franchement novateur et osé. J'aurais du mal à décrire cet album, faute de référence proche dans ma culture musicale. Je suppose qu'il y a des influences assez post-punk, mais en même temps, ça n'a rien à voir avec du Joy Division, qui a le mérite d'offrir une ambiance plombée qui te prend un peu aux tripes. C'est aussi un peu de la new wave ? Franchement, j'en sais rien, j'ai juste compris qu'il était important dans son genre. Je me rends sûrement pas compte parce que c'est pas mon genre de prédilection, mais en même temps, je vais pas me plonger pendant des jours dans des albums de new wave et de post-punk dont je me fiche éperdument pour saisir le génie de Talking Heads. C'est le défaut d'écouter les albums de la liste sans le livre ou sans explications externes. Les spécialistes du genre en parleront bien mieux que moi. Je sais qu'il est très populaire et que beaucoup de gens l'adorent, mais ça ne sera pas mon cas.

Started strong and then collapsed a bit. I'm not a huge fan of Talking Heads in general but there were some bright spots and some terrible/corny songs. Still a decent album overall

Just okay

Not bad. 3/5. Some good, ageless music here. Some less so.

Quite enjoyable, fairly easy listening. Not particularly memorable though. Wouldn't change the station, but wouldn't buy a ticket

This was pretty good, especially Paper and Heaven. Unfortunately this day kinda sucked because my favorite person at work quit and the vibes were awful. So maybe another day this would’ve been a 4. That’s life.

hmmm.. not for me but you gotta appreciate david byrne for doing his thing

Not the music I knew from Talking Heads, but an interesting sound. Not my favourite but I can see why people like it.

This kinda music must be heard in England

I have had a tough relationship with the Talking Heads. I never really got into them and even their big hits sat quietly with me. Not sure why. I don't hate on them or the genre, a sort of pop rock 70's to 80's sort of thing, it is simply that every time I hear them I am like "meh." Funny how musical tastes work.

pretty cool but not my taste i guess

Based on a single listen it went as interesting as I expected it to be. Maybe a drier listen would reveal more but I’ve heard better from Taking Heads, sadly. 3

Meh. Wanted to like it more but aside from a couple of songs it all sounds the same.

A couple of songs on this record were Talking Heads at their best - Life During Wartime was a highlight. A lot of filler, though, every song melded into one. Not bad but not great.

Had two talking heads albums and have to say I’ve been a bit underwhelmed considering their standing within the music community. Some great moments as I saw with ‘77 but a fair few forgettable tracks too. Maybe I need to wait to get Remain in Light

One of the weaker Talking Heads albums in my opinion. Has a some good songs, but the music doesn't carry the same punch as, say, Remain in Light... Which queued up after this album and the vibe was so noticeably different

Generally good music. I like the Talking Heads (am actually thinking about going to see Jerry Harrison play with the Violent Femmes in a month or two), but this album isn't my favorite. A SOLID 3.5, but not quite a 4.

3.5 stars Talking Heads can be brilliant. This album has moments of brilliance. The production is great. I particularly appreciate it because I first would listen to the album from illegally downloaded mp3s on my iPod that were terrible quality and broken files. It took me a long time to know that “Memories Can’t Wait” actually did cut out, because other tracks would do similar things because of bad files. But listening to the album now I can really appreciate how great the instrumentation is on this record. But as can happen on a lot of their records, it just kind of fizzles out. The last few songs have never been interesting to me. I had the same experience this time around. Half of a brilliant album is still half a not so brilliant album. The great moments are there but they don’t hold the whole album.

Very much enjoy this group. Dig the album, but not my fave. Love OG *Cities,* but that song is forever in a ph context in my brain first. This DB fella tho, fkn brilliant. 3.49 stars.

I get what they were going for on some of these songs but it doesn't always Sound Good™

Didn’t properly listen but what I heard was decent. Always groovy and different with David so appreciated that on this album wouldn’t say it’s their best tho.

I’m not going to lie I do enjoy the talking heads but I also thought my speaker had broken multiple times during this album… nope, it’s just like that

Okay. Not sure I like the lead's singing style but the music is fine.

Three Talking Heads albums in, I’ve come to accept that I will never understand the appeal of David Byrne, and that’s fine. To each his own. I do think the rest of the band sounds great.

Хороший альбом, но понравился меньше, чем предыдущий альбом Talking Heads.

Britpop from the eighties

Definitely an interesting album, i enjoyed the listen and the music was pretty funky but i dont think i will revisit any of the songs. didnt dislike or overly love the album.💿

Not blown away by this one but it was still enjoyable. Didn’t love any of the songs but overall I liked the album more than I didn’t.

I like talking heads but not their best work in my opinion

Αυτό το αλμπουμ είχε ιδιαίτερη προσωπικότητα. Παντού υπήρχε το στοιχείο της funk με τον δικό τους τρόπο. Η φωνή του τραγουδηστή όπως και στο Unknown Pleasures ένιωθα δεν τραγουδούσε αλλά κάπως μιλούσε απο πάνω Zimbra

This was better than the last talking heads album, but still not amazing.

Enjoyed this album more than the previous Talking Heads one

What an inconsequential album. No hit songs, nothing interesting or noteworthy, just pretty generic early new wave stuff. I would love to give this a 2.5 because it's perfectly average, inoffensive music, but this rating system is not the greatest, so I'll bump it up to a low 3/5.

Måske har jeg hørt for meget talking heads of er ikke klar til en renaissance endnu. Jeg kan høre alt det jeg kan lide ved talking heads, men det rammer ikke helt for mig. En stærk treer og det har jeg ikke noget imod ift tidligere ratings, UD OVER der er lige han Elton jeg gav fire...

Liked it but not my favorite

Interessantes Album, ich muss es noch einmal vernünftig ich tun mich ein bisschen schwierig damit dem Album zuzuhören

I was looking forward to this one. It was alright. A bit surprised that I didn't get into it more.

Erstes Lied meh, danach cool!

Characters alone I zimbra Life during wartime

Favorite songs: Mind, Paper, Life During Wartime, Heaven

What's not to like about Talking Heads, I've always liked them, loved Stop Making Sense, but never delved into the back catalogue in any meaningful way. I suspect there will be better albums on the list by Talking Heads, but this was a good listen. They never let up. They are confident in their sound and they take influence without leeching into appropriation.

A bit too experimental for me. Love the band but this isn't my favorite album

Its not bad

Saved? ✅ Would listen again? ✅ Would recommend to anyone? ✅ Would buy on Vinyl? ✅

I’ll be honest, I really just don’t think talking heads are for me. I liked stop making sense, but I’ve heard two of their studio albums now and both of them just feel weird. Like they undoubtedly have their strong moments, but I just don’t like them. I don’t really like David Byrne, I don’t really like their instrumentation. It’s just not my thing, but the bright spots are pretty bright. Favorites: Mind, Heaven, Drugs

On brand for Talking Heads. A number of solid songs that enjoyed a lot of airplay back in the day. It’s an enjoyable album and I’m sure was novel in 1979 but not really something I’d go searching for on the regular. PS yay me for reaching album #300. 3/5

No es de mis favoritos, tendría que escucharlo durante algún tiempo

-freaky - I enjoyed but I don’t know if it’s my favorite album of theirs - fun sounds and vocals - would probably listen again

Fun and quirky, etc. Highlights: "Paper", "Memories Can't Wait"

Not bad, sort of lost me in the second half of the album.

Good songs and good riffs but nothing got me super excited.

Some good bops. Byrnes voice is still weird. ⭐⭐⭐

First half was pretty good, but then I zoned out.

Pretty good Talking Heads album, not their best, but pretty good. Hopefully "Speaking in Tongues" comes up later because that album is undisputably their best produced and musically intriguing album. This album is good, but definitely doesn't showcase what Talking Heads is all about. It's a solid 7/10 and would've been higher if they didn't keep producing banger after banger. Just knowing what's to come drops this score a little. Musically, it's so unique. Only Talking Heads sounds like Talking Heads. No imitation band or cover can even come close to the swagger and pure passion that comes from this band. Stand-out songs on this album are "Life During Wartime", "I Zimbra", and "Heaven". Every song has that Talking Heads sound, but those three are a preview of what this band is known for.

yo entiendo que es un discazo, pero escucharlo de pe a pa no me entretiene tanto como debería. Para mi lo mejor de Talking Heads viene justo después

The only track I was familiar with before listening to this was ‘Life During Wartime’, which is a good one, but most of the rest of the album is not up to this high standard. I found it hard to get into it, with David Byrne doing his usual weird vocal stylings, but somehow less engaging than in most other Talking Heads recordings that I know. There is plenty going on here, but I’m just not sure I’d be rushing back in a hurry to listen to it, especially when there are other Talking Heads albums that do it a lot better

70’s New Wave ⭐️Air

Callie approved.

Good! I Zimbra goes hard and the rest of the album is pretty good too

album #15 weird and wacky! i can't hate on this album, even though there were moments that fell flat for me. i've never listened to this talking heads album, and i do have to say the basslines throughout are sooo scrumptious to listen to. that being said, sometimes david byrne's vibe is just not for me. i do have to rate animals having the line "shit on the ground!", though. it's more a 2.5 for me, but have rounded up :--) favourite track(s): heaven, animals least favourite track(s): drugs, air number of albums left to review: 1,074 number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 7 albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 3 albums from the list I won't include on my list: 12

They still needed some work at this point, but are well on their way to greatness.

Not their strongest effort.

I enjoy the unique sound of Talking Heads, but is it really unique if all of their songs sound the same? The only memorable part of this album was the rhythm of Cities

They are ok

Fun, clever. Talking Heads is a band where something always happens.

it was kinda boring to ME. maybe a must listen but not their best stuff

Inte riktigt min grej

Really sick stuff but I seem to either love or hate Talking Heads music. Here I found some middle ground and did like a good amount of songs for what they are trying to be. Most of it is effective and the musicality is by far the standout character throughout. Decent storytelling but it overall feels a bit jumbled as an album probably due to the nature of the individual songs. While there is the similar sound throughout, it still is a bit not fully conceived.

3.3 plenty are bops some are kinda not it but not bad

J’aime bien, mais je suis un peu déçue 3,5!

me gustó el instrumental

Joah 👍 kann

Some very good and fun songs but some of the other songs completely missed the mark for me, or (like Animals) had bits I really liked and bits I could do without. And the last few songs really ended the album poorly. Overall fine but I know enough Talking Heads songs to imagine they could make a truly great album. Favourite song: Cities Least: Drugs

I want to like them, but I don't. I feel like less of a person because of it.

My least favorite Talking Heads album, although I haven’t heard anything after Speaking In Tongues. Still good, I love Paper, Memories Can’t Wait, Heaven, Drugs, and I wish Dancing for Money got fully produced.

good but def not their best

This album was fun and weird. I enjoyed most of the songs and the quirkiness associated with them, but a few of them it was too much. The choices in instrumental were interesting and sounded great and really complemented the weirder vocals on this album. Their were some songs I just couldn't get into because the weird vocals mixed with some of the cringey lyrics really made it hard to take it serious.

Si, tienen un sonido muy característico. Pero no me importa, porque es muy bueno. Igualmente, no creo que sea su mejor album.

It's a solid album. But I'm not a huge Talking Heads fan. Their songs usually have a very consistent "style" that I have to be in the mood for and I find that hard to maintain throughout an entire album in a single sitting. But this one has some of my fave tracks by them such as Life During Wartime, Memories Can't Wait, and Heaven. I enjoyed it, but it's unlikely I'll listen to it as a single unit again. But I will probably go back to those tracks I've always liked.

Fear of music is pretty good. I liked "I zimbra", "mind", "air", "heaven", and "drugs". It has a cool sound that I don't really think of when I think of the talking heads. They have a lot of different sounds under their belt, which is cool. Their albums are very different from eachother I feel like. I mean I guess a lot of artists are like that as their music tastes or styles evolve, but in my mind theirs is very different. I dunno I guess I haven't listened to a FULL album of theirs, but I know a lot of songs on their other albums. Also, "heaven" sounds like David Bowie.

It's a repeated statement at this point, but I don't see the justification for so many artists having multiple albums on this list... let alone FOUR, as is the case for Talking Heads. And this is coming from a Talking Heads fan.

Once again, this album gives Sing Street vibes. Easy rock, but fun and nice to listen to. 3/5

Lacks the killer tunes of some of their others, but an average Talking Heads record is nevertheless a great record

Ok. Talking heads are cool. Moving on

Liked it better than I expected to.

Surprised how much I enjoyed this album, especially I Zimbra and Air. Animals was hilarious too. For such a depressing theme, the lyrics are funny.

It was alright.

You have to appreciate the leap from the previous album, and how comparatively weird it is, but a lot of this one just doesn't grab me as hard as other TH stuff.

They are pretty fun to listen to and slightly unhinged in a good way

It's quite a good post punk album, might listen to it more later

Such an interesting sound. Unique and fun. I enjoyed this album.

Surprisingly I enjoyed this one more than the 77 album, despite not knowing any of the tracks. I think I'll have to spend some time listening to them more, as there was a lot I enjoyed here!

intriguing but i can't adequately rate it, since i listened to it in a bad place and my head hurt from these constant screamy vocals

Listened to this twice. I really appreciate Talking Heads. Byrne's vocals and the punky instrumentation are really fun. But with the exception of a couple songs, I found this album faded into the background a bit. 6/10

Decent

I don't mind the talking heads but i also seem to sort of ignore them when listening. Not sure how to rate them. They feel like a band that should elicit a stronger reaction.

LUV talking heads

Solid but not as good as Remain in Light

This one is mid for me. I suppose it’s not the Talking Head best album.

Cool, weird, funny…everything you want from Byrne and the boys

I think I get it but maybe I don't.

🤷‍♀️

6/10

Nowhere near as good as Stop Making Sense. Bit disappointing to be honest

This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, this ain’t no foolin around!

I thought this was fine. I know people love or hate David Byrne, but I'll at least say he is distinctive, and through to himself and his craft here. Like everyone it seems, I enjoyed I Zimbra, Life During Wartime, but also Cities (which feels weirdly Halloweeny), and Dancing for Money (which is obviously unfinished but feels like the evolution of Irish lilting into the 21st century). Was surprised to hear this is from 1979, it sounds and feels way more modern.

Nice wierdo album I have no complaints

Not a Talking Heads fan, but I enjoyed this. David Byrne is sort of the same every song, spoken words of a lunatic genius. Life During Wartime was familiar, and as a big Living Colour fan, I was unaware that Memories Can't Wait was from the Talking Heads originally.

Pretty good - Songs were nicely varied - Got that Fela funk

Very important record from the American band. I was never a huge fan but this album and 'Remain in Light' are such relevant milestones that they deserve inclusion. 8/10 [KEEP]

Very fun, great dancing album, not super catchy just pure fun and good vibes

He’s always been a little too avant-garde for me. Just okay.

it’s definitely an interesting album

it sounds cool, unusual to me. great

They just have so much better than what this has to offer.

um ravi? iyo ra!

It was okay

Previously unknown (mostly). I don't know that I'd seek this out specifically but I like how their albums always feel so purposeful.

To me, talking heads seems like the kind of band where you just had to be there. I don’t think they’re bad but I feel like the hype and reputation eclipses the actual product…

Kind of down the middle for me. Not my fave kinda music but not terrible

Some bangers then a few eye rolls

Okay, I guess. Nothing stand out. The final track, Drugs, certainly sounded like they were on them.

Meh

Definitely a higher rate than the first Talking Heads album I listened to

It's good to finally hear them but I don't think I'll listen again

A bit weird but not bad.

It's alright

Started well, but lost interest as it went on...

A few good songs, but a lot of David Byrne shouting over funk guitar. Just gets old after a while. Standout Tracks: I, Zimbra, Life During Wartime, Heaven

This is my second talking heads album and I like it but it gets repetitive

This entry is leagues better than the last one we got but I am still just not a fan. Its just too zoinky and wacky weird overall for me. Also the vocals just grate on me something fierce. However the song compositions are pretty fun outside the more outlandish stuff. Life During Wartime sounds fun and funky, but again, those vocals take me right out. Overall thats my biggest gripe I suppose, great aspects taken down a notch by strange noises and off kilter voice affectations.

Here's another album that is unabashedly itself. David Bryne's vocals and lyrics lead the way through this album, but not in a way that resonates with me. It feels like an album that you really need to pay attention to. There wasn't anything on here that I was itching to skip through, but I don't think there was much of an earworm anywhere either. I'll kick a couple of the hits around, but otherwise I think this will blend into the background of this list for a while. Highlight: Life During Wartime Lowlight: Electric Guitar Surprise Hit: Cities

It was fine. Very standard sound for Talking Heads, but nothing I super loved

Always love me a Talking Heads album! Don't think I've heard this before, but it delivers as expected: lots of quirky tunes, some really good and some less! One thing I appreciate with Talking Heads is you never know what's going to show up next, but it's guaranteed to be weird, and almost always pretty good. 'Life During Wartime', 'Cities', and 'Air' stood out as the more stellar tracks to me. More up-tempo with rememberable and cool grooves. Overall there were a tad too many songs, and it could have been condensed a bit to make it tighter. Not their best album, but fun to listen to as always!

A thing I’ve learned on this list is that Talking Heads is always a good time. They consistently give out good albums. I hadn’t heard any of the songs on this album and I still enjoyed it. It still feels fresh, whimsical and fun. No big hitters and it does feel a bit long (Did “Electric Guitars” really need to be on the list?) but still a good time. The start with “I Zimbra” and “Cities” felts stronger than the end. Mid 3.

Pretty good a little long and compared to remain in the light this ain’t shit but still really good and I love the vocals.

I usually like TH, but this didn't really grab me immediately apart from the hits. Maybe another listen at a different time

OK background music, expected more out of them.

Feel like they will have albums I prefer more

Great album, great sound. Not my favorite from them, but easy to listen to a couple times.

It’s the best I’ve heard from them but I still don’t particularly like it

Solid enough

It's listenable

Thought this was decent but it’s not something I would normally pick

Some great songs: Heaven, Life During Wartime. Tina Weymouth's bass lines contribute so much to the songs. There are a few skips here.

Talking heads are like.... a car wash. Always around, nice to do once in a while, but not something I'm interested in doing all the time.

not so fearful tbh 3.5

Es el disco más oscuro y experimental que escuché de Talking Heads. Que banda del carajo!! Es realmente bueno.

a very funky album with random sounds an structures that weirdly works in some songs, tbh it’s not my type of album however i liked some songs on it like drugs! i guess it depends on what u like but found some songs all over the place with some rhythms not easy listen but overall it was ok! ill check out more music from the talking heads tho favs: cities - drugs

I don't think this is their best music, but I definitely bobbed my head to a few of these.

Decent but not the most enjoyable Talkings Heads I've ever listened to. Kinda abrasive 5.9/10

A little upbeat for my mood (I was sick)

none of their good songs, but nothing bad

Pretty good album, it was very experimental and funky in a good way. I really liked heaven, air, and mind. I really disliked animals and electric guitar tho as those aren’t songs I would listen to. I really liked I Zimbra which I don’t usually like instrumentals but it was probably the best I have heard. The first and middle of the album was the best and the end was weak other than drugs.

Slightly pretentious lyrics, weirdly funk sounds, the more funky they get, the less cool it becomes. Cool is highly subjective, but I thought the album came across as uncertain as to its maturity.

Enjoyable listen. Not a huge talking heads fan

6.5/10

really enjoyed the vibe to this. some songs with a bit of spookiness in it was fun. animals is the true standout for me. david byrne is that diva.

Songs are ok for passive listening but I wouldn't actively listen to

Vibes: 4 Instruments: 3 Production: 3 Emotional Value: 2 Storytelling: 3 AC: 0 Stand Outs: Heaven, Air Overall: 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've heard a lot about Talking Heads, this is my first real listen to them. I liked their unique style and some of the songs really stood out to me emotionally, but I can't say the same about the album (I might need to listen to some of their other albums to get a more accurate read though).

Eh, it sound like Talking Heads. Life During Wartime is a classic of theirs...

Songs were hit or miss, fairly middle of the road album for me.

1. Paper 2. Life During Wartime 3. Memories Can’t Wait I don’t really know enough about Talking Heads to fully comment on this, but I did quite like it. From what I gather, it’s quite different to their previous albums. I liked the instrumentals and the lyrics seemed more geared towards storytelling than repetitive phrases. It’s different to what I usually listen to but it was interesting. I don’t like that the voice has that same tone that I can’t quite describe but similar to Dire Straits, Bob Dylan, Velvet Underground that I find irritating. But apart from that, pretty good.

freaky, I like it

Decent 3,5

Good, few saves

This was ok. Some tracks are amazing and other sound like David Byrne nonsense. The issue is probably I haven’t heard the nonsense tracks enough to like them.

Probably mid 3s for me. Some very good songs (Heaven, which may be my favourite TH track, Life During War Time).

Not bad, just not my thing. I lost interest in it after a couple of tracks. Also didn't know any of them. Remus Lupin approved, though.

It was good. Not bad, but good.

2/3. Weird ass music but I liked it; only a few songs immediately grabbed me, but as a whole it had such a unique and cohesive sound. There’s such a feeling of tension and anxiety through it all, but not in a terrifying way, more in a can’t sit still nervous energy way. Definitely an album worth revisiting, greater than the sum of its parts.

...

I like memories can't wait and enjoyed most of it

I'm not a big fan of Talking Heads, but this album was fun

Like most Talking Heads album, one or two good songs and the rest of the album.

Every time I listen to them I think okay that’s a step forward with one song but then the next song is a step back. They are mediocre

3.5

Much like, a sexy conspiracy theorist, I would’ve liked it more if they would’ve kept their damn mouth shut.

Manche Songs klangen schon nervig und mit dem ständig repititiven Text hats mich nicht abgeholt

So not even 60 albums in and I get the first three Talking Heads albums in chronological order over the last few weeks. This is the one album that I’d heard from these guys many years ago, before the start of this listening project I remember thinking back then, within the first few opening notes of the album, how it sounded like King Crimson, then finding out that Robert Fripp is on the first track! I dug King Crimson back then so I was immediately sucked in but I remember the album petering out from that first track and I’m starting to get the same feeling on this listen. The production is sounding better but the songs feel a bit half cooked. David Byrne in particular doesn’t seem to click for me as much on this album. The vocal production could be better so I don’t know if that’s affecting my judgement but he is a very wild and unique singer! But the band does groove like hell throughout this whole album! I have a feeling their best album is coming up in their career so I hope they show up on this list!

Aika tasapaksuja biisi. Ei ollut hittibiisejä. Soitto kulki jatykkään David Byrnen äänenväristä.

Nice and chill. Fun for background music, but not my usual type of music. Think I liked the alternate versions better.

Funky and fun beats. Lots of songs sounded very sinilar to me.

I prefer other Talking Heads albuns...

good album but was not in the mood for upbeat music

Weird music from the weirdos

I kinda grew on this - I don't think I'll delete it.

Pretty good and varies

jamás reseñaré mal un disco de talking heads, incluso si no ha sido mi favorito

Unfortunately all of these songs are better performed on Stop Making Sense

Kinda meh

Classic David Byrne. Love that guy.

Ein bisschen maniac, aber eigentlich ganz cool

gotta relisten - a lot of to unpack.

It's all very "Jack White" and over-engineered. His competence is on full display, but there is a veneer to his solo work that I just can't get past. As much as I loved The White Stripes, his solo work just never jives for me. I won't ever listen to this album again.

Pretty good, but not as good as my previous two albums by them.

I got two Talking Heads in a row - not my favorite band by any stretch, but I found this album more enjoyable than Remain in Light.

This album was fine - I’d say I was neutral positive on it. When their songs are fully fleshed out, they are brilliant. Too often they aren’t. There’s a lot of interesting and compelling music here overall.

Is the first song English? It’s a bop but a little repetitive.

meh

Talking Heads are revered by many. After multiple listens at various times I don't get what the buzz is about. Decent music but doesn't really move the needle for me.

Fine, nothing special.

Funky

Es triste, bastante triste pero lo salva las dos rolas de funk

great listen, some very bizarre stuff in here that sounds sick.