Talking Heads

Rising from the New York punk rock/new wave scene of the 1970s, Talking Heads unexpectedly became major stars, breaking through to mainstream popularity as they incorporated nervous rock & roll, arty funk, polyrhythmic worldbeat, and simple, melodic guitar pop into their eccentric but inviting music. Between their first album in 1977 and their last in 1988, Talking Heads became one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the '80s, while managing to earn several pop hits, something few of the peers at CBGB could claim. 1977's Talking Heads: 77 was a strong debut, and 1978's More Songs About Buildings and Food was an outstanding sophomore effort that teamed them with producer Brian Eno for the first time. The band's work with Eno reached its peak on 1980's Remain in Light, a groundbreaking exercise in polyrhythmic grooves, and 1983's Speaking in Tongues made room for a warmer, most dance-friendly sound that paved the way for their exception live album and movie, 1984's Stop Making Sense. 1985's Little Creatures, arguably their most accessible work, proved to be their last great album, though 1988's swan song Naked found them experimenting with Latin sounds, adventurous to the end.

While dozens of important British bands were formed by art school students, Talking Heads were one of the few major American bands that came from a similar environment. Guitarist/vocalist David Byrne, drummer Chris Frantz, and bassist Tina Weymouth met at the Rhode Island School of Design in the early '70s; they decided to move to New York in 1974 to concentrate on making music. The next year, the band won a spot opening for the Ramones at the seminal New York punk club CBGB, where they would quickly find an audience. In 1976, keyboardist Jerry Harrison, a former member of Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers, was added to the lineup. By 1977, the band had signed to Sire Records and released its first album, Talking Heads: 77. It received a considerable amount of acclaim for its stripped-down rock & roll, particularly Byrne's geeky, slyly intellectual lyrics and quirky, jerky vocals.

For their next album, 1978's More Songs About Buildings and Food, the band worked with producer Brian Eno, recording a set of carefully constructed, arty pop songs, distinguished by extensive experimentation with combined acoustic and electronic instruments, as well as touches of surprisingly credible funk. On their third album, the Eno-produced Fear of Music, Talking Heads began to rely heavily on their rhythm section, providing a taut, solid foundation for Byrne's melodic and lyrical conceits. This approach came to full fruition with 1980's Remain in Light, once again produced by Eno. Talking Heads added several sidemen for the sessions, including a horn section, leaving them free to explore their dense amalgam of African percussion, funk bass and keyboards, pop songs, and electronics.

After a long tour, the band concentrated on solo projects for a couple of years. By the time of 1983's Speaking in Tongues, the band had severed its ties with Eno; the result was an album that still relied on the rhythmic innovations of Remain in Light, with a warmer and more organic feel inspired by American funk. After its release, Talking Heads embarked on another extensive tour, which was captured in the Jonathan Demme-directed concert film Stop Making Sense, often cited as one of the best rock films ever made. After releasing the playful, straightforward pop album Little Creatures in 1985, Byrne directed his first movie, True Stories, the following year; the album of the same name was devoted to songs written for the film. Two years later, Talking Heads released Naked, which marked a return to their worldbeat explorations, particularly their new interest in Latin rhythms, as well as featuring guest appearances from Johnny Marr and Kirsty MacColl.

After the release of Naked, Talking Heads were put on "hiatus" as Byrne pursued solo projects, as did Harrison. Frantz and Weymouth continued with their side project, Tom Tom Club, whose 1981 debut album had become an unexpected hit. In 1991, the band issued a formal announcement that they had broken up. Shortly thereafter, Harrison's production career took off with successful albums by Live and Crash Test Dummies. In 1996, the original lineup minus Byrne reunited for the album No Talking Just Head, with a roster of guest stars providing lead vocals. Byrne sued Frantz, Weymouth, and Harrison for attempting to record and perform as Talking Heads, so the trio went by the Heads. In 1999, all four worked together to promote a 15th-anniversary edition of Stop Making Sense, and they performed at the 2002 induction ceremony for their entrance into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Through the 2010s, Byrne released a number of solo and collaborative projects. Tom Tom Club continued to record and tour, while Harrison produced albums for the likes of No Doubt, the Von Bondies, and Hockey.

In 2023, the film Stop Making Sense was given a restored reissue to theaters, and to publicize the release, Byrne, Harrison, Weymouth, and Frantz sat for several joint interviews to discuss the movie. While some speculated this would pave the way for a Talking Heads reunion, all four former bandmates insisted that wasn't going to happen, though they resolved many of the disagreements that had festered since their breakup. The re-release of Stop Making Sense sparked a resurgence of interest in the band, and in 2023 Live on Tour '78, a promo-only live LP that had never received commercial release, was remastered and re-pressed for Record Store Day. In 2024, Rhino Records released a remastered and expanded Super Deluxe edition of Talking Heads: 77, including alternate versions and outtakes from the original recording sessions, as well as a complete October 1977 concert recorded at CBGB. In 2025, Rhino followed suit with a Super Deluxe version of More Songs About Buildings and Food, once again fortified with alternate takes, different mixes of several tracks, and another complete live show, recorded in August 1978 at New York's Entermedia Theater. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Mark Deming