Maps of Music

Little Creatures (1985)

Where the lyrics of Little Creatures take you, and where it was really made.

The album was voted album of the year in a critics' poll, yet its cover art was created by outsider artist Howard Finster.

Key places

Recorded and mixed at Sigma Sound (1985)

Recording site Sigma Sound Studios — The release credits place the recording and mixing sessions at Sigma Sound in New York. The source gives no date for these sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Little Creatures is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Talking Heads
• Released June 10, 1985, by Sire Records
• Examines themes of Americana, with elements of country music
• Many songs feature steel guitar
• Best-selling studio album of the band, with more than two million copies sold in the United States
• Voted album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll

Background

• Talking Heads line-up: David Byrne (vocals, guitars), Chris Frantz (drums), Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitars, vocals), Tina Weymouth (bass guitar, vocals)
• Additional musicians include Lenny Pickett on saxophones and Naná Vasconcelos on percussion
• Eric Weissberg plays steel guitar
• Portuguese Wikipedia describes the album as a departure from the band's earlier style

Recording

• Recorded and mixed at Sigma Sound in New York
• Mastering credited to Jack Skinner, with mastering done at Sterling Sound, New York
• Eric Thorngren credited as engineer and mixer; Melanie West as second engineer
• Packaged in a standard jewel case with an 8-page booklet containing lyrics, credits and artwork

Cover

• Cover art created by outsider artist Howard Finster
• Selected as album cover of the year by Rolling Stone

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

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

• The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll voted it album of the year
• Rolling Stone selected its cover as album cover of the year
• Portuguese Wikipedia describes it as a departure from the band's earlier style
• The same source calls it far more accessible and popular than earlier work, while leaving behind the band's unusual traits
• Sire Records released it on June 10, 1985, as the band's sixth studio album
• Its Americana themes and country-music elements, with steel guitar on many songs, set it apart from earlier Talking Heads records

Records

• Billboard 200 (United States): number 20, per French Wikipedia
• Certified double platinum by the RIAA on August 4, 1994
• Best-selling studio album of the band
• More than two million copies sold in the United States
• Voted album of the year in the Pazz & Jop critics poll

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

Trivia

• The album examines Americana, and many of its songs use steel guitar
• The cover was made by outsider artist Howard Finster, and Rolling Stone named it cover of the year
• Portuguese Wikipedia presents it as a break from the band's earlier style
• It sold more than two million copies in the United States, making it the band's best-selling studio album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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