Talking Heads - Fear of Music
Fear of Music is the third studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on August 3, 1979, by Sire Records. It was recorded at locations in New York City during April and May 1979 and was produced by the quartet and Brian Eno. The album reached number 21 on the Billboard 200 and number 33 on the UK Albums Chart. It spawned the singles "Life During Wartime", "I Zimbra", and "Cities"....
Fear of Music received favorable reviews from critics. Praise centered on its unconventional rhythms and frontman David Byrne's lyrical performances. The album is often considered one of the best Talking Heads releases, and has featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of all time.
Fear of Music is largely built on an eclectic mix of disco rhythms, cinematic soundscapes, and conventional rock music elements. Album opener "I Zimbra" is an African-influenced disco track and includes background chanting from assistant recording engineer Julie Last. With the song "Mind", Byrne introduces his first use of double-tracking of vocals on an album.
The lyrics of "I Zimbra" are based on a nonsensical poem by Dadaist writer Hugo Ball. The sound of lyrics, together with the tribal sound of the song, enhanced by guest star virtuoso guitarist Robert Fripp, gave it an "ethnic" style; Jerry Harrison has said that this song influenced what the band was to do on their next album, Remain in Light. "Cities" details a search for the perfect urban settlement to live in and was born out of Talking Heads' preferences for urban homes, especially in Manhattan. "Paper" compares a love affair with a simple piece of paper. In "Life During Wartime", Byrne cast himself an "unheroic urban guerrilla", who renounced parties, survived on basic supplies like peanut butter, and heard rumors about weapons shipments and impromptu graveyards. The character is only connected to the imminent collapse of his civilization. Byrne considered the persona "believable and plausible". "Air" is a protest song against the atmosphere, an idea Byrne does not consider "a joke". Inspired by The Threepenny Opera, the lyricist wanted to create a melancholic and touching track about a person who feels so depressed that even breathing feels painful.
Fear of Music was named as the best album of 1979 by NME ahead of Public Image Ltd's Metal Box, by Melody Maker ahead of Ry Cooder's Bop till You Drop, and by the Los Angeles Times ahead of Pere Ubu's Dub Housing. The New York Times included it in its unnumbered shortlist of the 10 best records issued that year. Sounds placed the album at number two in its staff list behind The Specials' eponymous release. It featured at number four in the 1979 Pazz & Jop critics' poll run by The Village Voice, which aggregates the votes of hundreds of prominent reviewers. The band Living Colour covered the song 'Memories Can't Wait' on their 1988 debut album Vivid.
In 1985, NME named Fear of Music at number 68 in its writers' list of the "All Time 100 Albums". In 1987, Rolling Stone placed it at number 94 in its list of the best albums of the previous 20 years. In 1999, it was included at number 33 in The Guardian's list of the "Top 100 Albums That Don't Appear in All the Other Top 100 Albums of All Time". In 2004, Pitchfork featured the record at number 31 in its "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s" list, while in 2005, Channel 4 ranked it at number 76 during its "100 Greatest Albums" countdown.
Fear of Music received favorable reviews from critics. Praise centered on its unconventional rhythms and frontman David Byrne's lyrical performances. The album is often considered one of the best Talking Heads releases, and has featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of all time.
Fear of Music is largely built on an eclectic mix of disco rhythms, cinematic soundscapes, and conventional rock music elements. Album opener "I Zimbra" is an African-influenced disco track and includes background chanting from assistant recording engineer Julie Last. With the song "Mind", Byrne introduces his first use of double-tracking of vocals on an album.
The lyrics of "I Zimbra" are based on a nonsensical poem by Dadaist writer Hugo Ball. The sound of lyrics, together with the tribal sound of the song, enhanced by guest star virtuoso guitarist Robert Fripp, gave it an "ethnic" style; Jerry Harrison has said that this song influenced what the band was to do on their next album, Remain in Light. "Cities" details a search for the perfect urban settlement to live in and was born out of Talking Heads' preferences for urban homes, especially in Manhattan. "Paper" compares a love affair with a simple piece of paper. In "Life During Wartime", Byrne cast himself an "unheroic urban guerrilla", who renounced parties, survived on basic supplies like peanut butter, and heard rumors about weapons shipments and impromptu graveyards. The character is only connected to the imminent collapse of his civilization. Byrne considered the persona "believable and plausible". "Air" is a protest song against the atmosphere, an idea Byrne does not consider "a joke". Inspired by The Threepenny Opera, the lyricist wanted to create a melancholic and touching track about a person who feels so depressed that even breathing feels painful.
Fear of Music was named as the best album of 1979 by NME ahead of Public Image Ltd's Metal Box, by Melody Maker ahead of Ry Cooder's Bop till You Drop, and by the Los Angeles Times ahead of Pere Ubu's Dub Housing. The New York Times included it in its unnumbered shortlist of the 10 best records issued that year. Sounds placed the album at number two in its staff list behind The Specials' eponymous release. It featured at number four in the 1979 Pazz & Jop critics' poll run by The Village Voice, which aggregates the votes of hundreds of prominent reviewers. The band Living Colour covered the song 'Memories Can't Wait' on their 1988 debut album Vivid.
In 1985, NME named Fear of Music at number 68 in its writers' list of the "All Time 100 Albums". In 1987, Rolling Stone placed it at number 94 in its list of the best albums of the previous 20 years. In 1999, it was included at number 33 in The Guardian's list of the "Top 100 Albums That Don't Appear in All the Other Top 100 Albums of All Time". In 2004, Pitchfork featured the record at number 31 in its "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s" list, while in 2005, Channel 4 ranked it at number 76 during its "100 Greatest Albums" countdown.
Editions:
1979
Original Release
Sire
| SRK 6076
| Vinyl, LP
| Side A: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| A1. | I Zimbra | (3:06) | |
| A2. | Mind | (4:12) | |
| A3. | Paper | (2:36) | |
| A4. | Cities | (4:05) | |
| A5. | Life During Wartime | (3:41) | |
| A6. | Memories Can't Wait | (3:30) | |
| Side B: | |||
| B1. | Air | (3:33) | |
| B2. | Heaven | (4:01) | |
| B3. | Animals | (3:29) | |
| B4. | Electric Guitar | (2:59) | |
| B5. | Drugs | (5:13) | |