Talking Heads 3rd Album Poll: Fear of Polls

I ZIMBRA

This is hard. I haven't got it figured out yet.

Was listening to this today and wow I never clicked with "Drugs" like that before! Great synths on that one. Textural guitars on "Mind" pretty mindblowing too..

A6 A++++++++

Specifically the last 30 seconds or so.

"Memories Can't Wait" is the most consistently enjoyable, but I voted "Cities" because there are drunken occasions where I enjoy it more than just about anything else (ON EARTH).

yeah, "Memories Can't Wait". Fucking LOVE the Living Colour version and the original is similarly excellent.

A6 FTW

drugs - a great ending track

i was about to do this poll but did Neutral Milk Hotel instead. i would have never figured this was a Talking Heads poll until i clicked on this poll, so i'm glad i didn't put this one up today as there would have been two...voting for "Drugs."

nother vote for drukqs, with memories a close not-second

xpost to Bee OK: maybe I should ask for a mod to include "Talking Heads 3rd album" or something?

Listened to it on my commute this morning and only now did it occur to me that in "Heaven" ("There is a party/Everyone is there") Byrne is mumbling the last "there" in a way that he could be singing "dead" as well. D'oh.

Not my favourite Talking Heads, but not without its highlights. Voted for "Air" because it's really pretty, but could have voted for "I Zimbra" having once heard Luke Slater play it mixed into his set. "Animals" is good too but the live version on "The Name Of This Band" is better. "Cities" is also an amazing track!

i would because this thread should have a bit more chatter...

xpost

Cities. The fade in and fade out gives me creepy sense that it's just an extract and goes on forever and that the band are still in a studio somewhere playing it, with Byrne working his way through more cities he might live in ('Wells! A small city..' etc).

ELECTRIC GUITAR

I don't like "Heaven" because it reminds me of Queen's "It's a Kind Of Magic"

they say animals don't worry

they're livin on nuts and berries

they say animals don't worry

Drugs.

This is the one and only TH album I can say I truly love.

Cities. Surprised no shouts for Life During Wartime though. Drugs is also amazing. This is not my favourite Heads albums but they are one of the greatest bands ever, so it's still superb.

This is hard. I haven't got it figured out yet.

^^^^ This. "Cities" and "Animals" are the funniest.

"Drugs". I LOVE "Drugs"

(And the quotation marks are very important not to misinterpret this quote ;) )

Voted for Drukqs too, but "Cities" on another day.

Aw no way! I totally overlooked Life During Wartime! I'd have voted that one! Actually I take it back, this album rulezz!

CAN'T SEEM TO MAKE UP MY MIND

Can't even begin to express how huge this record was for me growing up.

Life During Wartime.

"Paper" is such an underrated jam

Can't even begin to express how huge this record was for me growing up.

ditto.

another Memories fan here, Heaven a close second.

"Memories" vs "Heaven" for me. but if this had been 5 or 6 years ago it probably would have been "I Zimbra"...my TH tastes have changed so much.

And all I see are little dots Dots DOTS DOTS

possibly mind

My second favorite Talking Heads LP, after Remain In Light. "Life During Wartime" will take this,
but I voted for "I Zimbra".

"Life During Wartime" will take this

I'd be surprised.

"Life During Wartime" will take this

Hold on to that paper.

"Heaven" needed another vote.

this album is eno's crrraziest production imo

The mix reminds me of another classic released that year in which Eno was involved: Lodger -- dry, hard, crunchy.

it never dawned on me that those two were from the same year, even though they both sound very of a piece! i love both to death for similar reasons, seems like an eno-produced record never really went there again.

life during wartime is better on the name of this band is. drugs is better nowhere else

seems like an eno-produced record never really went there again

helluva drug, but you can't do it forever.

It's very easy to imagine "Red Sails" or "Repetition" on Fear of Music.

Sorry to go with the obvious, but Life During Wartime.

Also went with the obvious, with "I Zimbra" and "Paper" close behind.

Way back when I bought this on vinyl, I somehow mixed up Side 1 and Side 2 and listened to it that way for years. So for me it has always begun with "Air" and ended with "Memories Can't Wait"; now that I've got the CD it's a much different ride that never feels quite right.

The sound of gunfire, off in the distance,
I'm getting used to it now

It's always worth pointing to the 1980 show they shot in Rome. Insanely good.

Drugs
Cities
I Zimbra
Life During Wartime

I had to dig out "Cities" yesterday because of this thread. Byrne's vocal is brilliant, halfway between beautiful and infuriated.

Simply impossible to pick between "Mind" and "Heaven". What a fucking album.

"Paper" is the perfectess on an album of perfect songs.

Killer Mike called a song "Reagan." 2 Chainz should write one called "Grover."

5 album run, with "The Name of this band..." being their peak imo

i don't really think that should really count as part of their run. it'd be one thing if the songs were drastically different than their album counterparts, but they're pretty faithful. i agree that it's an awesome album (one of my favs as well).

they definitely have one of the best 2-album runs of live albums

not unless you discount Neil Young and his quasi live albums.

i like the song "heaven" a lot, how it contrasts with the twitchy nervousness of the rest of this album. i also like how the album it sounds simple, almost stripped down, compared to their later masterpiece "remain in light" which is the only other talking heads album i've spent a lot of time with. i should listen to these guys more, but byrne irritates me after a while even though i am a great admirer of his schtick, which i think was very original

heaven is a song where nothing ever happens obv

All those single-word song titles in one place - it's almost like the early '90s

lol

Coming in November:

https://i.imgur.com/3kf0qT6.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/euTbovb.jpeg

CD1: Remastered + Rarities

1. I ZIMBRA (2026 REMASTER)
2. MIND (2026 REMASTER)
3. PAPER (2026 REMASTER)
4. CITIES (2026 REMASTER)
5. LIFE DURING WARTIME (2026 REMASTER)
6. MEMORIES CAN’T WAIT (2026 REMASTER)
7. AIR (2026 REMASTER)
8. HEAVEN (2026 REMASTER)
9. ANIMALS (2026 REMASTER)
10. ELECTRIC GUITAR (2026 REMASTER)
11. DRUGS (2026 REMASTER)
12. MIND (ALTERNATE VERSION) (2026 REMASTER)
13. LIFE DURING WARTIME (ALTERNATE VERSION) [2026 REMASTER]
14. DANCING FOR MONEY [2026 REMASTER]
15. CITIES (ALTERNATE VERSION) [2026 REMASTER]
16. DRUGS (ALTERNATE VERSION) (2026 REMASTER)
17. I ZIMBRA (12” VERSION) (2026 REMASTER)

CD2: Live at Berklee Performance Cntr, Boston, Mass, August 24, 1979

1. ARTISTS ONLY (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
2. STAY HUNGRY (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
3. CITIES (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979) [2026 REMASTER]
4. PAPER (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
5. MIND (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979) [2026 REMASTER]
6. HEAVEN (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
7. THE BOOK I READ (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
8. ELECTRIC GUITAR (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
9. AIR (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
10. WARNING SIGN (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
11. LOVE GOES TO A BUILDING ON FIRE (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
12. MEMORIES CAN’T WAIT (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
13. PSYCHO KILLER (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
14. LIFE DURING WARTIME (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*
15. TAKE ME TO THE RIVER (LIVE AT BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER, BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 24, 1979)*

CD3: Live at Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey, November 17, 1979

1. ARTISTS ONLY (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979) [2026 REMASTER]
2. STAY HUNGRY (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979) [2026 REMASTER]
3. CITIES (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979)*
4. PAPER (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979)*
5. MIND (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979)*
6. HEAVEN (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979)*
7. ELECTRIC GUITAR (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979)*
8. AIR (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979) [2026 REMASTER]
9. ANIMALS (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979)*
10. LOVE GOES TO A BUILDING ON FIRE (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979) [2026 REMASTER]
11. FOUND A JOB (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979)*
12. MEMORIES CAN’T WAIT (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979) [2026 REMASTER]
13. PSYCHO KILLER (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979)*
14. LIFE DURING WARTIME (LIVE AT CAPITOL THEATRE, PASSAIC, NJ, NOVEMBER 17, 1979)*
*PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

OK, that is way too fucking much.

I was hoping there'd be a limited edition package cut from a repurposed manhole cover.

Unpopular ILM opinion: do people really need endless 87,000 discs of live performances from a beloved act? I don't think I own more than five or ten.

Those Neil Young and Dylan threads drive me crazy.

alfred we will have to agree to disagree here. i do really need endless 87,000 discs of live performances from a beloved act.

this FoM deluxe actually seems kind of slim in regards to studio stuff — is all of that stuff tacked on to disc one from previous reissues?

the berklee show is well traveled, might've been the first Talking Heads boot I acquired way back. (But it's great.)

(and the Neil Young and Dylan threads drive me crazy too, but for different reasons!)

soto once again with casual disdain for listening to and appreciating music.

like i just come to read newly upped threads of interest and here he is again

(and the Neil Young and Dylan threads drive me crazy too, but for different reasons!)

― tylerw, Wednesday, September 30, 2026

fair!

Fear Of Music was and remains my favorite record from one of my favorite bands ever. 3 cds/6 lps doesn't seem like too much to me

I don't think I own multi-disc live sets by any of my favorites, I realized.

some of us are suckers for live stuff. And you can’t deny Talking Heads were a seminal live band

The Name of This Band...case in point.

On the LP the diamonds on the cover are raised just like a real floor

I was hoping there'd be a limited edition package cut from a repurposed manhole cover.

One of Jerry Harrison's tasks when they were preparing this album was to see how practical it was to have the cover manufactured out of corrugated rubber (not very practical).

the embossed raised treads metal flooring cover on the original Fear Of Music was awesome. I wish I still had that record

Unpopular ILM opinion: do people really need endless 87,000 discs of live performances from a beloved act? I don't think I own more than five or ten.

one one hand, the sentiment resonates for me; I reach a saturation point; it does depend on the act. if you listen to live bebop, you can hear the growth of a music in real time, it's electrifying; hard to really get enough. same if you're into the Dead, the music grows in the live arena, that is where it lives. this looks like a remaster and two live shows three months apart...with nearly identical setlists...still I'm glad that "animals" gets a moment in sun even if I have very strong disagreement's with the song's overall estimation of animals

"Animals" is where the "paranoia over everything" conceit becomes schtick to me. It's not a bad song but we've got the idea by the middle of side 2.

prior to the expanded-band era there wasnt really very much variety in their live shows - they recreated the records pretty faithfully and didnt seem to mix up the setlist very much. what a weird choice to have those two shows on the same set.

I like the idea that they remastered the songs from the original album, and the two live sets were probably good ones, so probably a bonus. I don't see why that would that be a weird choice

related:
Do I own too many Acid Mothers Temple albums?

(yes, I want double digit quantities of live shows from any/all bands I love)

side note, it's interesting to me that the poll threads now eclipse the older dedicated-album threads for these reissue announcements

in praise of ... the talking heads, fear of music

xp I own way too many Acid Mothers Temple LPs for sure. We should compare notes sleeve, I can send you any you don't already have

lol I'm good with La Novia and In C (CD version with the In D bonus track) and a few others, but thank you

La Novia is great! I have the Eclipse LP of In C/In E, both fantastic

very off topic, sorry

this looks like a remaster and two live shows three months apart...

it looks like a remaster of the album, more bonus tracks than the previous reissue TWENTY YEARS AGO (some on a physical release for the first time?), a hardcover book with new notes by the band and unpublished photos, a 5.1 remix of the album, an Atmos remix of the album, hi-res stereo version of the remaster, the only available live TV performance footage, and audio of one live show from the sixth date of the tour and one live show from the final date of the tour? absolute contemptible laziness for not somehow sourcing a usable tape from one of the previous five, or time-traveling back to force the band to record an entire disc's worth of unreleased tracks or alternate takes.

good job everyone

honestly i'm pretty psyched to hear a good new remaster of this, maybe even moreso than Remain in Light whenever they get around to that one. i remember at one point having a download of some kind of early mixes or worktapes or something, and there was just so much going on in all the songs, so many effects and overdub parts and crazy things happening

This album had my favorite mix of the classic run: like Lodger, also released the same year, it sounds like dead dry crickets under the mix board.

they recreated the records pretty faithfully and didnt seem to mix up the setlist very much

this is true except that Byrne is a pretty fascinating vocalist at this point — totally exciting/weird deliveries that change a lot depending on the night.

honestly i'm pretty psyched to hear a good new remaster of this, maybe even moreso than Remain in Light whenever they get around to that one

Per Jason Jones who's producing these for Rhino, the plan is to release one a year for each studio album. So expect all eight albums to get deluxe sets like these.

one one hand, the sentiment resonates for me; I reach a saturation point; it does depend on the act. if you listen to live bebop, you can hear the growth of a music in real time, it's electrifying; hard to really get enough. same if you're into the Dead, the music grows in the live arena, that is where it lives. this looks like a remaster and two live shows three months apart...with nearly identical setlists...still I'm glad that "animals" gets a moment in sun even if I have very strong disagreement's with the song's overall estimation of animals

― J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Wednesday, September 30, 2026 10:44 PM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink

This basically explains why I'm going bananas for the upcoming Ween 14-disc live box and could care less about any of the Talking Heads reissues.

Cleaned up (previously unseen?) BBC film footage from the new box

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zESxlIwuws

Some comments from reissue producer/A&R guy/etc. Jason Jones:

The 2LP of the original album plus etching is also in the LP box. I would not want to repeat any of the live material from the larger live set on Side D for this reason. Additional studio material was proposed, but ultimately the band did not approve it. The reality is that this was the first full batch of fresh material that the band wrote and as such, there was not much in the way of outtakes. There was enough proposed to fill Side D (and necessitate an additional CD with only the outtake/rare material), but again, that was not approved.

Concerning the rough mixes from the cassette that's been in circulation for years: the band did not approve any of those either (and I agree with them on that decision).

Re: the "lack" of content on the Blu-ray:

It's all we could license properly. We tried to get the South Bank Show (this time at the proper speed) and some additional live footage, but we were unable.

Also Jones: The true highlight of the set is disc 3 (Live at Capitol Theatre); it's a phenomenal performance. Berklee is also great, but Capitol Theatre shows their power as a live act (which is crazy since it's just the four of them tackling these complex arrangements from FoM).

Also, a bit of sneaky background on the sequencing of the studio bonus material at the end of Disc 1: I wanted the alternate version of Drugs and the 12" Eno Mix of I Zimbra to be at the end of the disc in order to provide the clear pathway towards the eventual Remain in Light SDE. Those two compositions are the blueprint and I've always wanted them to sit side by side.

Also confirms that the "I Zimbra" 12" version at the end of disc one is the promo-only remix done by Brian Eno back then.

don't think I've ever heard that!

Do we know who's playing in the band (i.e was it the extended setup) for these live sets?...

these shows are just the quartet

that Eno I Zimbra mix is killer, some very early hip hop influences coming in.

Too bad they never tried to arrange I Zimbra for 4 people. Something like the Dixie Cups doing Iko Iko.

For playing live, I mean