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Fear of Music

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Fear of Music is the third studio album by American New Wave band Talking Heads, released on 3 August 1979 on Sire Records. It was recorded at locations in New York City between April and May 1979 and was produced by the quartet and Brian Eno. The album entered the Billboard 200 in the United States at number 21 and peaked at number 33 on the UK Albums Chart. Three songs were released as singles between 1979 and 1980: "Life During Wartime", "I Zimbra", and "Cities". The record was certified Gold in the U.S. in 1985.

Fear of Music received favourable reviews from critics. Praise centred on its unconventional rhythms and frontman David Byrne's lyrical performances. The record is often considered one of the best Talking Heads releases. It has featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of all time. England's Channel 4 named the record at number 76 in its 2005 countdown of The 100 Greatest Albums. In 2006, it was remastered and reissued with four bonus tracks.

Origins and recording

Talking Heads' second album More Songs About Buildings and Food, released in 1978, expanded the band's sonic palette.[11] The record included a hit single, a cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River", which gained the quartet commercial exposure.[12] In March 1979, the band members played the song on nationwide U.S. music show American Bandstand.[13] In the days after the performance, they decided they did not want to be regarded simply as "a singles machine".[14] Talking Heads entered a New York City studio without a producer in the spring of 1979 and practised demo tracks.[15] Musically, the band wanted to expand on the "subtly disguised" disco rhythms present in More Songs About Buildings and Food by making them more prominent in the mixes of new songs.[14] The recording plans were shelved after the quartet was not pleased with the results during the sessions. A decision was taken to rehearse in drummer Chris Frantz's and bassist Tina Weymouth's loft, where the band members played before they signed to a record label in the mid-1970s. Eno, who produced their previous full-length release, was called to help.[15]

On 22 April and 6 May 1979, a Record Plant van manned by a sound engineering crew parked outside Frantz's and Weymouth's house and ran cables through their loft window. On these two days, Talking Heads recorded the basic tracks with Eno.[16] Instead of incorporating characters in society like in More Songs About Buildings and Food, Byrne decided to place them alone in dystopian situations.[11] Weymouth was initially sceptical of Byrne's decisions, but the frontman managed to persuade her.[16] She has explained that Byrne's sense of rhythm is "insane but fantastic" and that he was key to the band's recording drive during the home sessions.[14] As songs evolved, playing instrumental sections became easier for the band members.[16] Eno was instrumental in shaping their sound and recording confidence and worked on electronic treatments of tracks once they were all crafted.[17][18]

Promotion and release

After completing Fear of Music, Talking Heads embarked on their first Pacific region tour in June 1979 and played concerts in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Hawaii. The album was released worldwide on 3 August.[19] The LP sleeve was designed by band member Jerry Harrison. It is completely black and embossed with a pattern that resembles the appearance and texture of diamond plate metal flooring.[20] The rest of the artwork was crafted by Byrne and includes heat-sensitive photography created by Jimmy Garcia with the help of Doctor Philip Strax.[18] Harrison suggested the "ludicrous" title to the band. According to Weymouth, it was accepted because it "fit" with the album's themes and the fact that the quartet was under a lot of stress and pressure when making it.[17]

A U.S. tour to showcase the new material was completed during August 1979.[19] At the time, Byrne told Rolling Stone, "We're in a funny position. It wouldn't please us to make music that's impossible to listen to, but we don't want to compromise for the sake of popularity."[21] The band shared the headliner slots with Van Morrison and The Chieftains at the Edinburgh Festival in September and embarked on a promotional European tour until the end of the year.[19] Fear of Music was certified Gold by Recording Industry Association of America on 17 September 1985 after more than 500,000 copies were sold in the U.S.[22]

Content

Lyrics

Fear of Music begins with "I Zimbra", whose lyrics are based on a nonsensical poem by Dadaist writer Hugo Ball.[18] "Cities" details a search for the perfect urban settlement to live in and was borne out of Talking Heads' preferences for urban homes, especially in Manhattan.[16] "Paper" compares a love affair with a simple piece of paper.[15] In "Life During Wartime", Byrne cast himself an "unheroic urban guerrilla", who renounced parties, survived on basic supplies like peanut butter, and heard rumours about weapons shipments and impromptu graveyards. The character is only connected to the imminent collapse of his civilisation. Byrne considered the persona "believable and plausible".[11] "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 guy who feels so down that even breathing feels painful.[16]

Composition

Fear of Music is largely built on an eclectic mix of disco rhythms, cinematic soundscapes, and conventional rock music elements.[23] Album opener "I Zimbra" is an African-influenced disco track and includes background chanting from assistant recording engineer Julie Last.[14][24]

Critical reception

The album was well received by reviewers. Jon Pareles, writing in Rolling Stone, was impressed with its "unswerving rhythms" and Byrne's lyrical evocations; he concluded, "Fear of Music is often deliberately, brilliantly disorienting. Like its black, corrugated packaging (which resembles a manhole cover), the album is foreboding, inescapably urban and obsessed with texture."[6] John Rockwell of The New York Times suggested that the record was not a conventional rock release,[5] while Stephanie Pleet of The Daily Collegian commented that it showed a positive progression in Talking Heads' musical style.[2] Robert Christgau, writing in The Village Voice, praised the album's "gritty weirdness", but noted that "a little sweetening might help".[10] Richard Cromelin of the Los Angeles Times was impressed with Byrne's "awesome vocal performance" and its nuances and called Fear of Music "a quantum leap" for the band.[3] Tom Bentkowski of New York concluded, "But what makes the record so successful, perhaps, is a genuinely felt anti-elitism. Talking Heads was clever enough to make the intellectual infectious and even danceable."[4]

Allmusic's William Ruhlmann claimed that Fear of Music is "an uneven, transitional album", but gave it a rating of four-and-a-half stars out of five by pointing out that it includes songs that match the quality of the band's best works.[1] In the 1995 Spin Alternative Record Guide, Eric Weisbard gave the record a rating of nine out of ten and called it Talking Heads' most musically varied offering.[8] In a 2003 review, Chris Smith of Stylus praised Byrne's personas and Eno's stylised production techniques.[9] In The Rough Guide to Rock published the same year, Andy Smith concluded that the album is a strong candidate for the best LP of the 1970s because it is "bristling with hooks, riffs and killer lines".[7]

Accolades

Fear of Music was named as the best album of 1979 by NME ahead of Public Image Ltd.'s Metal Box,[25] by Melody Maker ahead of Ry Cooder's Bop till You Drop,[26] and by the Los Angeles Times ahead of Pere Ubu's Dub Housing.[27] The New York Times included it in its unnumbered shortlist of the 10 best records issued that year.[28] Sounds placed the album at number two in its staff list behind The Specials' eponymous release.[29] 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.[30]

In 1985, NME named Fear of Music at number 68 in its writers' list of the All Time 100 Albums.[31] In 1987, Rolling Stone placed it at number 94 in its list of the best albums of the previous 20 years.[32] 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.[33] In 2004, Pitchfork Media featured the record at number 31 in its Top 100 Albums Of The 1970s list,[21] while, in 2005, Channel 4 ranked it at number 76 during The 100 Greatest Albums countdown.[34]

Track listing

All songs written by David Byrne, unless otherwise noted.

Side one

No.TitleLength
1."I Zimbra" (David Byrne, Brian Eno, Hugo Ball)3:09
2."Mind"4:13
3."Paper"2:39
4."Cities"4:10
5."Life During Wartime" (David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth)3:41
6."Memories Can't Wait" (David Byrne, Jerry Harrison)3:30

Side two

No.TitleLength
7."Air"3:34
8."Heaven" (David Byrne, Jerry Harrison)4:01
9."Animals"3:30
10."Electric Guitar"3:03
11."Drugs"5:10

Expanded CD reissue bonus tracks

No.TitleLength
12."Dancing for Money (Unfinished Outtake)"2:42
13."Life During Wartime (Alternate Version)"4:07
14."Cities (Alternate Version)"5:30
15."Mind (Alternate Version)"4:26
  • The remastered reissue was produced by Andy Zax, with the help of Talking Heads, and was mixed by Brian Kehew.
  • The DVD portion of the European reissue contains videos of the band performing "I Zimbra" and "Cities" on German music show Rockpop in 1979.

Personnel

Those involved in the making of Fear of Music are:[18][35]

Release history

Region Year Label Format(s) Catalog
United States and Canada 1979 Sire Records LP, cassette 6076[18]
United Kingdom
Rest of Europe WEA 56707[36]
United States and Canada 1984 Sire Records CD (2–)6076[1]
Europe
United States and Canada 2006 Rhino Records Expanded CD, digital download 76451[1]
Europe Warner 8122732992[35]
Japan 2009 WPCR-13291[37]

Chart positions

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d Ruhlmann, William. "Fear of Music: Talking Heads". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 September 2009. [dead link]
  2. ^ a b Pleet, Stephanie (24 October 1979). "'Fear of Music': not just a tete-a-tete". The Daily Collegian. p. 8.
  3. ^ a b Cromelin, Richard (23 September 1979). "The Talking Heads' Fears, Fixations". Los Angeles Times. p. O83.
  4. ^ a b Bentkowski, Tom (10 December 1979). "State of Heads". New York. pp. 135–136.
  5. ^ a b Rockwell, John (3 August 1979). "The Pop Life: Talking Heads strikes again". The New York Times. p. C19.
  6. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (15 November 1979). "Talking Heads: Fear Of Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  7. ^ a b Smith, Andy (2003). Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. p. 1054. ISBN 1-8435-3105-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b Weisbard, Eric (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 394. ISBN 0-6797-5574-8.
  9. ^ a b Smith, Chris (1 September 2003). "On Second Thought: Talking Heads – Fear of Music". Stylus. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  10. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Talking Heads: Consumer Guide Reviews". The Village Voice. Robert Christgau. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  11. ^ a b c Pareles, Jon (May 1982). "Talking Heads Talk". Mother Jones. p. 38.
  12. ^ Charone, p. 27
  13. ^ Bowman, p. 145
  14. ^ a b c d Charone, p. 28
  15. ^ a b c Bowman, p. 146
  16. ^ a b c d e Bowman, p. 147
  17. ^ a b Charone, p. 30
  18. ^ a b c d e Fear of Music (Media notes). London: Sire Records. 1979. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help)
  19. ^ a b c d e f Rees, Dafydd; Crampton, Luke (1991). Rock Movers & Shakers. Billboard Books. p. 519. ISBN 0-8230-7609-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Bowman, p. 158
  21. ^ a b Pitchfork staff (23 June 2004). "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  22. ^ "RIAA: Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 22 September 2009. Note: User search required.
  23. ^ Charone, p. 29
  24. ^ Charone, p. 31
  25. ^ NME staff (15 December 1979). "Best Albums of 1979". NME. p. pull-out section.
  26. ^ Melody Maker staff (15 December 1979). "1979 Melody Maker Albums". Melody Maker. p. pull-out section.
  27. ^ Los Angeles Times music staff (6 January 1980). "The 10 best albums of 1979". Los Angeles Times. p. 68.
  28. ^ Rockwell, John (21 December 1979). "The Pop Life: A critic picks top 10 for '79". The New York Times. p. C20.
  29. ^ Sounds staff (15 December 1979). "The Best of 1979". Sounds. p. 30.
  30. ^ "The 1979 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. Robert Christgau. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  31. ^ NME staff (30 November 1985). "All Time 100 Albums". NME. p. 16.
  32. ^ Rolling Stone staff (3 September 1987). "Top 100 Albums Of The Last 20 Years". Rolling Stone. p. 56.
  33. ^ The Guardian music staff (29 January 1999). "Top 100 Albums That Don't Appear In All The Other Top 100 Albums Of All Time". The Guardian. p. Features insert.
  34. ^ "The 100 Greatest Albums". Channel 4. 26 February 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  35. ^ a b Fear of Music (Media notes). London: Warner. 2006. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help)
  36. ^ Fear of Music (Media notes). London: WEA. 1979. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help)
  37. ^ "Fear Of Music Japan SHM CD". Esprit International. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  38. ^ "RPM 50 Albums". RPM. 32 (12). Toronto: RPM. 15 December 1979.
  39. ^ "Talking Heads – Fear Of Music". Ultratop. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  40. ^ "Fear of Music: Billboard Singles". Billboard. Allmusic. Retrieved 22 September 2009.

References

  • Bowman, David (2001). This Must Be the Place: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the Twentieth Century. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-3809-7846-6.
  • Charone, Barbara (October 1979). "More Songs About Typing and Vacuuming". Creem. pp. 27–33.
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