Fear of Music
| Fear of Music | ||||
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| Released | August 3, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | April 22–May 6, 1979 | |||
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| Length | 40:40 | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| Producer | Brian Eno, Talking Heads | |||
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| Singles from Fear of Music | ||||
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Fear of Music is the third studio album by American new wave 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 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, 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.
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 "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.
Recording and production
On April 22 and May 6, 1979, a sound engineering crew in a Record Plant van parked outside Frantz's and Weymouth's apartment building and ran cables through their loft window. On these two days, Talking Heads recorded the basic tracks with Eno.
Weymouth later stated 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. As songs evolved, the performances became easier for the band members. Eno was instrumental in shaping both their sound and recording confidence, and worked on electronic treatments of tracks.
Composition
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 "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 "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", 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
The LP sleeve was designed by Harrison. It is completely black and embossed with a pattern that resembles the appearance and texture of tread plate metal flooring, reflecting the album's urban subject matter. 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. The design was nominated for the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Recording Package. Harrison suggested the "ludicrous" title to the band; according to Weymouth, it was accepted because it "fit" the album's themes and the quartet's stress during the album's production.
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 August 3.
A U.S. tour to showcase the new material was completed during August 1979. 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." 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.
Reception
The album received favorable reviews.
Track listing
All tracks are written by David Byrne, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Zimbra" | Byrne, Brian Eno, Hugo Ball | 3:09 |
| 2. | "Mind" | 4:13 | |
| 3. | "Paper" | 2:39 | |
| 4. | "Cities" | 4:10 | |
| 5. | "Life During Wartime" | Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth | 3:41 |
| 6. | "Memories Can't Wait" | Byrne, Harrison | 3:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Air" | 3:34 | |
| 2. | "Heaven" | Byrne, Harrison | 4:01 |
| 3. | "Animals" | 3:30 | |
| 4. | "Electric Guitar" | 3:03 | |
| 5. | "Drugs" | Byrne, Eno | 5:10 |
- The original LP issue credited all songs to David Byrne, except "I Zimbra". After complaints from other band members, the credits were changed to the above on later CD issues.
- A limited edition UK LP included a live version of "Psycho Killer" and "New Feeling" from Talking Heads: 77 on a bonus 7-inch record.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Dancing for Money" (Unfinished outtake) | 2:42 | |
| 13. | "Life During Wartime" (Alternate version) | Byrne, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth | 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 1980.
Personnel
Those involved in the making of Fear of Music were:
Talking Heads
- David Byrne – lead vocals, guitar; backing vocals ("I Zimbra")
- Jerry Harrison – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
- Tina Weymouth – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Chris Frantz – drums
Additional musicians
- Brian Eno – treatments; backing vocals ("I Zimbra"), additional vocals
- Gene Wilder – congas ("I Zimbra", "Life During Wartime")
- Ari Up – congas ("I Zimbra", "Life During Wartime")
- Robert Fripp – guitar ("I Zimbra")
- The Sweetbreathes (Lani Weymouth, Laura Weymouth, Tina Weymouth) – backing vocals ("Air")
- Julie Last – backing vocals ("I Zimbra")
- Hassam Ramzy – surdo ("I Zimbra")
- Abdou M'Boup – djembe, talking drum ("I Zimbra")
- Assane Thiam – percussion ("I Zimbra")
The birds on "Drugs" were recorded at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane, Australia
Technical
- Brian Eno – producer
- Talking Heads – producers
- Rod O'Brian – engineer
- Dave Hewitt – engineering crew
- Fred Ridder – engineering crew
- Phil Gitomer – engineering crew
- Kooster McAllister – engineering crew
- Joe Barbaria – engineer
- Chris Martinez – assistant engineer
- Tom Heid – assistant engineer
- Neal Teeman – engineer
- Julie Last – assistant engineer
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Jerry Harrison – cover concept
- Jimmy Garcia – thermograph (heat sensitive photo)
- Dr. Philip Strax – thermograph
- David Byrne – concept
- Spencer Drate – cover/inner sleeve typography design