The Talking Heads Band and Their Famous Albums

Talking Heads was formed in 1975 by David Byrne and Chris Frantz, who had recently left Rhode Island School of Design to pursue a music career in New York City. Their art college background played an integral role in the creation of their unique sound, drawing on elements and processes employed by visual artists. Such techniques set the band apart from the punk music popular in the seventies, providing a less abrasive, yet bizarrely accessible sound. Quickly after the group was formed, they recruited Frantz’s girlfriend, Tina Weymouth, to play bass.

Talking Heads first performed publicly in June of 1975 at a club called CBGB’s, which was known for showcasing punk music including The Ramones. While the response to their avant-garde music was mixed, the three members felt that they had enough support to continue pursuing such a style. In a 1978 interview, Weymouth stated that the members didn’t feel the need to “change our style to become more commercial". In 1976, a year before they signed to Sire Records, the band invited Jerry Harrison to play keyboard, thus cementing their distinctive sound.

Upon signing their contract with Sire Records, Talking Heads released their first album, titled Talking Heads: 77. In a review by Rolling Stone Magazine in November of 1977, Stephen Demorest described the album as “an absolute triumph” (Demorest). The track “Psycho Killer” was particularly popular, making it on the Billboard Top 100 chart in 1978. Over the following three years the band collaborated with former Roxy Music member, Brian Eno, to release a new album each year: More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978), Fear of Music (1979), and Remain in Light (1980). The relationship between Eno and Byrne, although beneficial for their artistry and music, eventually resulted in a great deal of tension regarding discussions of artistic direction and credit. Their debut album presented consumers with an entirely unique sound. Minimalist melodies highlight each instrument, and Byrne’s stiff, deep vocals complete the avant-garde sound. The tracks follow the successful hit formula of the sixties, but unexpectedly diverge into digressions to surprise a listener. The Talking Heads achieved a unique balance between accessibility and experiment that allowed them to appeal to the popular music consumer in a way no other band could.

Talking Heads: 77 addressed sentiments such as the “disorientation of love, decision making, ambition and the need for selfishness”. In the three albums that followed, producer Brian Eno enhanced the experimental aura of the group’s music by contributing his “ambient music” style to the record. The band embraced the new wave sounds of the eighties and provided an alternative to the punk phenomenon – managing to retain their educated mindset without appearing artificial to listeners. Weymouth once described the band’s attitude towards their music, saying “if you're really doing something you believe is good you just have to keep doing it whether you're successful or not. If you're successful, it's just great. But we would keep doing it anyway. " This was the attitude that carried the band to success from their first concert at CBGB’s. While the band was on tour in the early eighties, they released three more albums – two of which were live recordings, The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982) and Stop Making Sense (1984).

The other album, Speaking in Tongues, was released in 1983, containing their Top Ten single “Burning Down the House. ” It was the Talking Heads’ highest charting album and established the band as lively and danceable in the eyes of popular music consumers. Additionally, the rising popularity of MTV allowed the group members to employ their visual art background in creating intriguing music videos, further promoting their image. After the success of Speaking in Tongues, the group decided to scale back their music and work on two albums as the original quartet. They released Little Creatures in 1985, and True Stories the following year. Although these two albums proved less of a popular success, Byrne created an artistic short film that utilized the music from True Stories as the soundtrack. The Talking Head’s final album, Naked, was released in 1988. Little Creatures exhibited a much more traditional pop style than the group’s previous work and included two hit singles “And She Was” and “Road to Nowhere. ” The lyrics followed a traditional narrative, confusing consumers who anticipated Byrne’s choppy and inventive illustrations. Listeners and critics were puzzled by the simplicity of the album, but the Talking Head’s held true to their path of creating the music they desired, rather than what they were expected to make. They followed up with the release of True Stories which confused critics further. Mark Coleman of Rolling Stone Magazine described the album as “the loosest and least complex record they’ve done”.

In their final album, Naked, the Talking Heads returned to their enigmatic, avant-garde style. They brought back the expanded lineup of musicians they had adopted on their live tours, and with that came the grooving sound from which they gained so much popularity in their early years. With a horns section, steel guitarist, and several more instruments, the album hinted at elements of Funk and Soul that were popular the group’s earlier releases. In a similar sense, Byrne revisited themes of isolation and fear that had appeared in their first four albums. Naked brought the musical style of the group full circle and revived the dichotomy between unsettling lyrics and vivacious dance beats. After several years of tension between members as a result of focus on solo careers and involvement in other bands, the group officially disbanded in December 1991. They released a compilation titled Popular Favorites, 1976-1992: Sand in the Vaseline just prior to dispersing. This album featured four new tracks that were recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York. While the band never worked on another album, they all came together to perform at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2002.