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'''''Fear of Music''''' is the third studio album by | '''''Fear of Music''''' is the third studio album by [[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 [[Brian Eno]] and Talking Heads. The album reached number 21 on the Billboard 200 and number 33 on the UK Albums Chart. It spawned the singles [[Life During Wartime|''Life During Wartime'']], [[I Zimbra|''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 Talking Heads' best releases and has been featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of all time. | ''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 Talking Heads' best releases and has been featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of all time. | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
Talking Heads' second album ''[[More Songs About Buildings and Food]]'', released in 1978, expanded the band's sonic palette. The record included a hit single, a cover of [[Al Green]]'s | Talking Heads' second album ''[[More Songs About Buildings and Food]]'', released in 1978, expanded the band's sonic palette. The record included a hit single, a cover of [[Al Green]]'s [[Take Me to the River|''Take Me to the River'']], which gained the quartet commercial exposure. In March 1979, the band members played the song on nationwide U.S. music show ''[[American Bandstand]]''. In the days after the performance, they decided they did not want to be regarded simply as "a singles machine". | ||
Talking Heads entered a New York City studio without a producer in the spring of 1979 and rehearsed demo tracks. 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. These recording plans were shelved after the quartet was not pleased with the results. A decision was then taken to rehearse in drummer [[Chris Frantz]] and bassist [[Tina Weymouth]]'s loft in Long Island City, Queens, where the band members had played while unsigned in the mid-1970s. [[Brian Eno]], who had produced ''More Songs About Buildings and Food'', was called in to help. | Talking Heads entered a New York City studio without a producer in the spring of 1979 and rehearsed demo tracks. 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. These recording plans were shelved after the quartet was not pleased with the results. A decision was then taken to rehearse in drummer [[Chris Frantz]] and bassist [[Tina Weymouth]]'s loft in Long Island City, Queens, where the band members had played while unsigned in the mid-1970s. [[Brian Eno]], who had produced ''More Songs About Buildings and Food'', was called in to help. | ||
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''Fear of Music'' is largely built on an eclectic mix of disco rhythms, cinematic soundscapes, and conventional rock music elements. | ''Fear of Music'' is largely built on an eclectic mix of disco rhythms, cinematic soundscapes, and conventional rock music elements. | ||
Byrne credits the inspiration for the album, especially | Byrne credits the inspiration for the album, especially [[Life During Wartime|''Life During Wartime'']], to life on Avenue A in the East Village, Manhattan. Instead of incorporating characters in society, as he did on ''More Songs About Buildings and Food'', Byrne decided to place them alone in dystopian situations. Weymouth was initially skeptical of Byrne's new compositions, but the frontman managed to persuade her. | ||
Album opener | Album opener [[I Zimbra|''I Zimbra'']] is influenced by Afrobeat and disco, and includes guitar work by [[Robert Fripp]] and background chanting from assistant recording engineer Julie Last. The nonsensical lyrics are based on the poem "Gadji beri bimba" by German Dadaist writer [[Hugo Ball]]. Band member [[Jerry Harrison]] has said that this song influenced what the band was to do on their next album, ''[[Remain in Light]]'' (1980). | ||
''[[Cities]]'' details a search for the ideal urban settlement to live in and was born out of Talking Heads' preferences for urban homes, especially in Manhattan.''[[Paper]]'' compares a love affair to a simple piece of paper. In [[Life During Wartime|''Life During Wartime'']], Byrne casts 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'' by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, the lyricist wanted to create a melancholic and touching track about a person who feels so depressed that even breathing feels painful. | |||
==Artwork== | ==Artwork== | ||