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Formed in NYC in the mid-'70s by David Byrne, Chris Franz, Tina Weymouth, and ex-Modern Lover Jerry Harrison, the Talking Heads evolved out of their now-legendary humble beginnings at CBGB's to become one of the most adventurous and influential bands ever. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, the Heads' visionary, polyrhythmic sound daringly combined funk and punk, African beats, avant-garde minimalism, and pure pop. From their 1977 debut through their Brian Eno-produced classics to their '88 farewell, Naked, they both pushed artistic boundaries and delivered indelible radio hits like "Once In A Lifetime" and "Burning Down The House."
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Reviews:
Just what I wanted
First let me say that while I enjoy the music of the Talking Heads, I am not a rabid fan. If I were, I'd probably say that "Greatest Hits" compilations are a poor substitute for owning every disc in their catalog. Since I am not, I can say that this particular compilation is the most comprehensive I've found, including all of their most popular tracks (and a few less popular ones). My 300-disc jukebox is full, with a "waiting list" of worthy entries. This particular disc replaced an existing TH album, "Stop Making Sense." I loved that album, but there were other TH tunes I also liked from other discs. I scoured Amazon's TH catalog for the one CD that included all of the tracks I enjoyed from SMS, as well as others, such as Road to Nowhere, And She Was, Once in a Lifetime, and Wild Wild Life.
So for all you purists out there, without the $$ or space for every TH disc, this is the next best thing. Even if you already own the entire catalog, this is the one you'll play most often.
Talking Heads for the casual listener
I never collected Talking Heads CDs (or LP's as we used to call them back in the day). But I do LOVE their most famous hits! If that's all you are looking for then this is the CD to get.
I feel like I'm back in the post-punk/new-wave era when I hear these songs again! Amen to the 80's!
A great start to a new love.
Having never listened to Talking Heads any other place then the radio, I have to say "I've been missing out."
adequate
Most best of albums suffer from lousey mixes. The tracks on this one sound like the ones on the original albums.
Agood intro, better to have them all!
Most of the other reviewers have made good points so I'll try to be brief and not repeat. I was always a fair weather Talking Heads fan and finally got fully into them with the live "The Name of This Band..." release. I was overcome and had to go out and get their first four releases. I feel the best wat to explore this band is to start at the beginning and you can slowly trace their progress from an educated pop band all the way into their more produced rhythms and textures. I always remember a review from Rolling Stone about one of their shows at a festival when they suddenly appeared as an eight piece, or so, band. It may not seem like the same band if you just have one disc of the entire career. It seems jolting somewhat all the transitions they have gone through. I would strongly recommend progressing from :77, More Songs..., Fear of Music, Remain in Light, Speaking in Tongues, True Stories, Little Creatures, all the way to Naked. This way it's a natural progression and showcases the pure genius of their evolution. A good live presentation of this is the Jonathan Demme film "Stop Making Sense" which opens with Byrne alone on a baren stage and adds one musician per song up to their full strength. I saw this show three times. Once as part of their tour at the Greek, then as a rehearsal at the Long Beach Arena, and finally for the actual filming at the Pantages. Truly one of the greatest concert films ever and a true showing of their changes over the years.
