Few artists can
legitimately claim to have created truly groundbreaking popular music, but
Talking Heads is one of them. Like Elvis, the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Radiohead
(who took their name from a Talking Heads song), Talking Heads recorded some of
the most memorable rock and roll of the past seventy-five years. In his
song-by-song discussion of their work, American musician and journalist David
Starkey looks at how David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina
Weymouth emerged from New York’s mid-1970s punk scene and quickly distinguished
themselves as innovative musicians.



 



   Led by the enigmatic and wildly original
Byrne, Talking Heads’ list of classic songs includes ‘Psycho Killer’,’Take Me
to the River’, ‘Once in a Lifetime’, ‘Burning Down the House’, ‘This Must Be
the Place (Naive Melody)’, ‘Road to Nowhere’ and ‘(Nothing But) Flowers.’ Two
of their eight albums, More Songs About Buildings And Food and Remain in Light,
are listed among Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums.



 



   Drawing frequently on first-person accounts
from members of the band, Starkey brings to life the composition and recording
of each song, pointing out hidden patterns in Byrne’s lyrics and ensuring that
each member of Talking Heads receives credit for their contribution to this
unparalleled body of work.