Fear of Music (1979)

Fear of Music is the third studio album by the American rock 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 No. 21 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and No. 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 lead vocalist 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 studio album More Songs About Buildings and Food, released in 1978, expanded the band's sonic palette. The record included a hit single, a cover version of Al Green's 1974 song "Take Me to the River", which gained the quartet commercial exposure. In March 1979, the band members played the song on American music and dance television program 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 audio 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. 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 he managed to persuade her.

Album opener "I Zimbra" is influenced by Afrobeat and disco, and includes guitar work by Robert Fripp of King Crimson and background chanting from assistant audio engineer Julie Last. The nonsensical lyrics are based on the poem "Gadji beri bimba" by German Dadaist author and poet Hugo Ball. Band member Jerry Harrison has said that this song influenced what the band was to do on their next studio 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 has renounced parties, survives on basic supplies like peanut butter, and hears rumors about weapons shipments and impromptu graveyards. The character's only connection is 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 (1928) 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.