The 500 - #383 - More Songs About Buildings And Food - Talking Heads

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 383

Album Title: More Songs About Buildings And Food
Artist: Talking Heads
Genre: New Wave, Avant-Pop
Recorded: Compass Point - Nassau, Bahamas
Released: July, 1978
My age at release: 13
How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat
Song I am putting on my Spotify: Take Me To The River

Talking Heads were officially formed in 1975 in New York City. However, the band's origin can be traced to the Rhode Island School of Design in 1973 where guitarist and vocalist David Byrne formed the band The Artistics with drummer Chris Frantz. Transportation to gigs was often provided by Frantz's girlfriend, Tina Weymouth.

Rhode Island School of Design 

When The Artistics disbanded two years later, the trio moved to a communal loft in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Unable to find a bassist, Frantz convinced Weymouth to learn the instrument. And the Talking Heads were born.

Talking Heads (original line-up) 1976

The band's name came from television production parlance. It refers to a camera shot, often used in newscasts. In it, only "the head and shoulders of an individual talking" are captured. According to Weymouth, it perfectly fit the aesthetic the band hoped to achieve -- "all content, no filler."

Keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist Jerry Harrison (who was the guest on this week's episode of The 500 Podcast), joined the band in 1977 and the classic line-up, which would remain intact for the next 14 years, was formed.

Talking Heads (1977) l-r Harrison, Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz

More Songs About Buildings and Food is the second studio record by Talking Heads and one of four that appear on The 500 list.  Like many 1970s artists, my first encounter with Talking Heads was their appearance on Saturday Night Live. The date was February 10, 1979, almost 42 years to the day of this post.  It also featured host Cicely Tyson, who passed away two weeks ago. (#Coincidences)

Cicely Tyson in a Saturday Night Live Promotional Photo (Feb. 1979)

Admittedly, I looked up the date of this broadcast's airing. However, I do know I was babysitting at 11:30 p.m. on the night I saw it. Other than the money (a whopping $1/hour), watching Saturday Night Live uninterrupted was my favourite part of a babysitting gig. 

Saturday Night Live - 1979 - The "Not Ready for Prime Time" Players

The children were fast asleep, the parents would not arrive home until at least 1:30 a.m., and I had a full bowl of potato chips and a fridge full of pop at my disposal. It was early-teen heaven.

Talking Heads' performance of Take Me To The River was everything I loved about Saturday Night Live, even if I didn't know how to articulate it at the time. It was entertaining, weird, avant-garde, clever, subversive and, perhaps most importantly, it felt like I was getting a window into the future.

In an uncomfortable interview on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, about a month after their Saturday Night Live performance, a 27-year-old Weymouth said this about the band's music: 

"It's pretty highfalutin, but we want to make our mark in music history."

Well, I suppose, as I write these words 42 years after that awkward exchange between Clark's polished presentation and four artistically gifted introverts, I have to say ... Mission Accomplished, Ms. Weymouth.

"All content, no filler."