Released
on August 3rd, 1979, the third LP from Talking Heads, Fear of Music,
turns 45 years old today. While being one of the bands darkest and most
introspectively paranoid albums, it also signalled a change in
direction towards a more rhythmically complex and engaging form of dance
music.
At the time the band
started recording demos for the album, they were working without a
producer and conscientiously focusing on more dance inspired rhythms
from disco, Afro-beat and funk influences. However, their initial
recording attempts proved unsatisfactory, sending the group retreating
back to their home base at Chris & Tina's NYC loft, where they'd
previously rehearsed before they were signed to their record deal with
Sire. It was at this point that they brought producer, Brian Eno, back
into the fold to help them get focused, especially after his successful
work on their previous album, More Songs About Buildings and Food. Eno
came up with the idea to take advantage for their home base sense of
comfort and booked a mobile recording facility so that he could wire up
Chris & Tina's loft, which is where they recorded the basic bed
tracks for the album. The remainder of the album was recorded at a
variety of NYC studios in the area, including the Record Plant and Hit
Factory.
Eno played a crucial
role in helping the band to push their more experimental leanings,
crafting unique processing effects throughout the album's songs and
bringing in guest musicians like Robert Fripp to add some flourishes to
the instrumentation. As previously stated, they were moving into a much
funkier groove, with tracks like I Zimbra telegraphing where the band
would head on subsequent albums with their Afro-centric sense of
poly-rhythms.
Thematically, the
lyrics were very much focused on a kind of dystopian alienation, with
song lyrics portraying characters racked by paranoia. Songs like "Air"
even took that rebellion against existence to the point of rejecting the
very atmosphere that surrounds us. Other tracks explored other states
of discomfiting separation, like "Drugs", which perfectly captured the
sense of disconnection from reality when someone's had a little bit too
much of some mind altering substance or another. Even "Heaven"
literally had "nothing" happening in it. Everything was out to get you
on this album. "Animals" couldn't be trusted and even the musician's
companion, the "Electric Guitar" was an adversary you should "never
listen to". It's perhaps the band's most neurotic album ever. The
album's packaging reinforced this bleakness, coming as it did in a plain
black sleeve with an embossed pattern that resembled metal plating used
in factories.
Critically, the
album was extremely well received and has continued to garner accolades,
often being referred to as one of the group's best and most adventurous
records. Commercially, it also did well, though its singles weren't
quite as successful as those that preceded and followed the album. This
was my gateway into the world of Talking Heads and it has remained my
personal favourite of their catalogue ever since I picked it up when it
was originally released. It's one of those records that never seems to
lose its charm and constantly rewards repeat listening, revealing new
details with each encounter.
