Maps of Music

Fear of Music (1979)

Where the lyrics of Fear of Music take you, and where it was really made.

Talking Heads made the album in a loft in Long Island City, Queens, the same space where the band had once rehearsed while still unsigned.

Key places

Frantz and Weymouth's loft, Long Island City (1979)

Recording site Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth's loft — The basic tracks were recorded with Eno on 22 April and 6 May 1979 at the loft of Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth in Long Island City, Queens. A Record Plant van was parked outside. This point marks the city area, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Atlantic Studios, New York City (1979)

Recording site Atlantic Studios (New York City) — The Discogs release lists Atlantic Studios as a place for additional recording and mixing of the album. An assistant engineer credited at Atlantic Studios is Tom Heid. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Fear of Music: third studio album by the American rock band Talking Heads
• Released 3 August 1979 by Sire Records
• Recorded at locations in New York City during April and May 1979
• Produced by Brian Eno and Talking Heads
• Reached No. 21 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and No. 33 on the UK Albums Chart
• Singles: “Life During Wartime”, “I Zimbra”, “Cities”
• Often considered one of Talking Heads’ best releases

Background

• Follows More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978), which expanded the band’s sonic palette
• That album’s cover of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” gave the quartet commercial exposure
• March 1979: the band performed “Take Me to the River” on American Bandstand
• Afterward the band decided it did not want to be seen as “a singles machine”
• A plan to push disco rhythms further up the mix was shelved after the results disappointed the quartet
• The band rehearsed in the loft of drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth in Long Island City, Queens
• Brian Eno, producer of More Songs About Buildings and Food, was called in to help

Recording

• A Record Plant van parked outside the apartment building, and cables ran through the loft window
• Basic tracks were recorded with Eno on 22 April and 6 May 1979
• Eno shaped the band’s sound and recording confidence and worked on electronic treatments of the tracks
• Weymouth said David Byrne’s sense of rhythm was key to the band’s recording drive during the home sessions

Cover

• The LP sleeve was designed by Jerry Harrison: completely black, embossed with a tread-plate pattern
• The rest of the artwork was made by Byrne, including heat-sensitive photography by Jimmy Garcia with the help of Doctor Philip Strax
• The design was nominated for the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Recording Package

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · es.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1975.
• Byrne, Frantz, and Weymouth met at the Rhode Island School of Design, where they formed the Artistics in 1973.
• After moving to New York, they took the name Talking Heads, joined the New York punk scene, and recruited Jerry Harrison in January 1977.
• They signed to Sire Records in November 1976 and released their debut album Talking Heads: 77 in 1977.

Members

• David Byrne: lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion (1975–1991, 2002).
• Chris Frantz: drums, percussion, backing vocals (1975–1991, 2002).
• Tina Weymouth: bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1975–1991, 2002).
• Jerry Harrison: keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (1977–1991, 2002).
• Additional musicians including Adrian Belew, Bernie Worrell, and Nona Hendryx joined the band's shows and sessions in the 1980s.

Career

• The band collaborated with producer Brian Eno on More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978), Fear of Music (1979), and Remain in Light (1980).
• Their cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River" was their first Billboard Top 30 hit.
• Speaking in Tongues (1983) brought mainstream commercial success, including the Top 10 hit "Burning Down the House".
• Stop Making Sense (1984), directed by Jonathan Demme, is often regarded as the greatest concert film of all time.
• Little Creatures (1985) was their best-selling studio album.
• Byrne left in 1991 and the band disbanded; they reunited briefly in 2002 for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
• Four Talking Heads albums appeared on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave the album widespread acclaim; praise centered on its unconventional rhythms and David Byrne’s lyrical performances
• Rolling Stone: Jon Pareles praised its “unswerving rhythms” and Byrne’s lyrical evocations, and wrote that the album is “often deliberately, brilliantly disorienting”
• The Washington Post said the album shows how new wave can serve as musical discourse for challenging ideas
• The Village Voice: Robert Christgau praised its “gritty weirdness” but noted that a little sweetening might help
• Los Angeles Times: Richard Cromelin was impressed with Byrne’s vocal performance and called the album “a quantum leap” for the band
• The Observer: Tom Sullivan gave a negative review, saying the band seemed more concerned with the process of creating music than with the music itself

Reappraisal

• AllMusic: William Ruhlmann called it an uneven, transitional album, but said it includes songs that match the quality of the band’s best work
• Spin Alternative Record Guide (1995): Jeff Salamon called it Talking Heads’ most musically varied offering
• Stylus Magazine (2003): Chris Smith praised Byrne’s personas and Brian Eno’s stylized production techniques
• The Rough Guide to Rock (2003): Andy Smith called it a strong candidate for the best LP of the 1970s

Records

• U.S. Billboard 200: No. 21
• UK Albums Chart: No. 33
• RIAA gold certification on 17 September 1985, after more than 500,000 copies sold in the U.S.
• Named best album of 1979 by NME, Melody Maker, and the Los Angeles Times
• Fourth place in the 1979 Pazz & Jop critics’ poll run by The Village Voice
• NME’s 1985 “All Time 100 Albums” list: No. 68

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Jerry Harrison suggested the “ludicrous” title; Weymouth said it was accepted because it fit the album’s themes and the band’s stress during production
• The original LP credited all songs to David Byrne except “I Zimbra”; later CD issues changed the credits after complaints from other band members
• “I Zimbra” is based on a poem by the German Dadaist Hugo Ball, and Harrison said the song influenced the band’s next album, Remain in Light (1980)
• Byrne cast himself in “Life During Wartime” as an “unheroic urban guerrilla” and considered the persona “believable and plausible”
• Byrne credited the album’s inspiration, especially “Life During Wartime”, to life on Avenue A in the East Village

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

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