More Songs About Buildings and Food

by Talking Heads

Overview

Talking Heads' debut album, Talking Heads: 77, was the work of a young band with fresh and exciting ideas who were learning how to make them work in the studio. 1978's More Songs About Buildings and Food was a significant step forward from that outstanding first effort, documenting a group who had gained a wealth of confidence and focus in the ten months that separated the two LPs and were eager to show off their new skills. A great deal of the difference can be chalked up to Brian Eno, who produced More Songs; he gave the material a more open and natural sound that mimicked their on-stage interplay, while also capturing them in tighter and more dynamic form. The band had learned a lot about groove by the time they cut More Songs, and bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz put a genuinely funky engine into the vehicle that suddenly made them suitable for dancing. The performances were noticeably more exciting and engaging than Talking Heads: 77, as fine as it was, and it served the songs well. And the tunes merited the superior presentation; David Byrne's lyrics were growing into their quirks with a vibe that suggested paranoia could be fun, and his songs about relationships (positive on "With Our Love," less so on "I'm Not In Love"), the work ethic ("The Good Thing" and "Stay Hungry"), and the creative process ("Artists Only") were sharper, wittier, and cleaner in their impact. Though his vocal style demanded to be described as quirky, he made wiser use of the gulps and angles in his vocal repertoire. Jerry Harrison had grown into his role as the Talking Heads' utility man; his keyboards and rhythm guitar gave the music invaluable weight and texture, and he's far more effective here. The final two songs were an unexpected and impressive one-two punch: the cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River" was inspired, allowing the band to revel in the easygoing roll of the melody and giving Byrne the chance to sound weirdly but honestly sensuous, and "The Big Country" was a portrait of America in which Byrne is in a wrestling match with irony and sincerity, with the latter coming out ahead in the affecting final verse. More Songs About Buildings and Food was where Talking Heads began to move past their original status as a cult item and into one of the most celebrated and rewarding acts of their time, and its success was well deserved; it was the best of their pre-Remain in Light era. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	05/07/1987
Label:	Sire
UPC:	0075992742528

Tracks

1. Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
2. With Our Love
3. The Good Thing
4. Warning Sign
5. The Girls Want to Be with the Girls
6. Found a Job
7. Artists Only
8. I'm Not in Love
9. Stay Hungry
10. Take Me to the River
11. The Big Country

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Talking Heads   Primary Artist
Tina Weymouth   Percussion,Vocals (Background),Keyboards,Guitar,Synthesizer,Bass,Guitar (Bass)
David Byrne   Percussion,Keyboards,Guitar,Vocals,Synthesizer,Synthesizer Drums,Synthesizer Percussion
Chris Frantz   Keyboards,Drums,Percussion
Brian Eno   Guest Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion,Synthesizer,Vocals (Background),Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
Tina & the Typing Pool   Vocals (Background)
Busta Jones   Guitar (Bass)
Jerry Harrison   Organ,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Talking Heads   Audio Production,Producer
Brian Eno   Audio Production,Mixing,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Rhett Davies   Audio Engineer,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Chris Frantz   Composer,Producer
Benji Armbrister   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Wayne Zieve   Composer
Jimmy DeSana   Reproduction
Christopher Franz   Composer
Mabon Hodges   Composer
Joe Gastwirt   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Ed Stasium   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
David Byrne   Artwork,Composer,Producer,Cover Art Concept
Mabon "Teenie" Hodges   Composer
Jerry Harrison   Composer,Producer
Tina Weymouth   Composer,Producer
Al Green   Composer