Talking Heads - Fear Of Music

Limited edition Silver Vinyl

Nowadays 1979’s ‘Fear Of Music’ is largely remembered as the Talking Heads album with ‘Life During Wartime’ and ‘Heaven’ on it -  probably something to do with the fact that they are the only two songs from the record that made it into 1984’s ‘Stop Making Sense’ (though ‘Cities’ was included in the extended version of the film). This legacy does ‘Fear Of Music’ a great disservice - sure, those are both absolutely top tracks, but the whole album really is a triumph of the airless agit-funk style that the group had lasered in on throughout 1977’s ‘77’ and 1978’s ‘More Songs About Buildings And Food’. It also bridged the gap between those LPs and the transcendent polyrhythms of 1980's ‘Remain In Light’. This is Talking Heads at their most frantic, paranoid and couched, an effect heightened by Brian Eno’s daring production. The frenzied ecstasies of ‘I Zimbra’, ‘Animals’, ‘Memories Can't Wait’ etc. are pretty much unparalleled in the post-punk era.