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.