Maps of Music

Speaking in Tongues (1983)

Where the lyrics of Speaking in Tongues take you, and where it was really made.

The album's cover was drawn by David Byrne, but the limited LP edition's artwork won a Grammy for Robert Rauschenberg.

Key places

Compass Point Studios, Nassau (1983)

Recording site Compass Point Studios — The album's credits list Compass Point Studios as a recording location. Discogs notes say final overdubbing and mixing were done at Compass Point Studios and Sigma Sound. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Sigma Sound Studios, New York City (1983)

Recording site Sigma Sound Studios — The album's credits list Sigma Sound Studios as a mixing location. Discogs notes say final overdubbing and mixing were done at Compass Point Studios and Sigma Sound in New York. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Speaking in Tongues: fifth studio album by the American rock band Talking Heads
• Released 1 June 1983 by Sire Records
• Breakthrough record for the band, producing its only U.S. top-ten hit, "Burning Down the House"
• Production credited to Talking Heads, with Alex Sadkin as co-producer

Background

• Recording began in 1982, after the band split with producer Brian Eno
• A short hiatus followed that split, letting the members pursue side projects
• The album's tour was filmed for the 1984 Jonathan Demme concert film Stop Making Sense
• That film also produced a live album of the same name
• Line-up: David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz
• Additional musicians include Wally Badarou, Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir and L. Shankar

Recording

• Basic tracks recorded at Blank Tapes in New York
• Final overdubbing and mixing done at Compass Point Studios and Sigma Sound in New York
• Butch Jones handled recording; Alex Sadkin handled co-production, overdubbing, mixing and head engineering
• Mastering by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York City

Cover

• David Byrne designed the cover for the general release
• The limited-edition LP used a clear vinyl disc in clear plastic packaging, with three clear plastic discs printed with similar collages in three colors
• Robert Rauschenberg created the limited-edition cover art

Sources: en.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

• Rolling Stone's David Fricke praised the album's crossover nature, calling it "the album that finally obliterates the thin line separating arty white pop music and deep black funk."
• Robert Christgau of The Village Voice described the album as "quirkily comfortable" and wrote that the disjointed lyrics did not hide Byrne's confusion about their meaning, while praising the second side of the LP.

Reappraisal

• William Ruhlmann of AllMusic, in a retrospective review, said the band opened up the dense textures they had developed with Brian Eno.
• Ruhlmann wrote that the band were rewarded with their most popular album yet.
• Rickey Vincent, in his book on funk music, called the album deeply thumping funk disguised as modern rock.

Records

• Highest-charting studio album on the U.S. Billboard 200, peaking at No. 15
• Peaked at No. 2 for six weeks on the dance charts
• Biggest-selling album in Canada, certified platinum there in 1983
• Ranked No. 54 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s (1989)
• Ranked No. 89 on Slant Magazine's list of the best albums of the 1980s (2012)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's cover was designed by David Byrne for the general release.
• Robert Rauschenberg won a Grammy Award for his work on the limited-edition LP version.
• The limited edition used clear vinyl and three clear plastic discs printed with collages in three colors.
• Basic tracks were recorded at Blank Tapes in New York, according to the Discogs release notes.
• Byrne has partly explained the album's title by saying he first sang nonsense and then made words to fit it.

Sources: www.discogs.com

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