Fear of Music

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Fear of Music · After the performance of Take Me to the River on American Bandstand, Talking Heads did not want to be seen as a singles machine. In the spring of 1979 the band began without a producer, but the results were not satisfying. So Brian Eno was brought back. In April and May 1979 a Record Plant recording truck stood outside the apartment of Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth in Queens, with cables running through the window to the loft. The basic tracks were made there.

The album mixes disco rhythms, cinematic soundscapes and rock. David Byrne placed his characters only in dystopian situations, above all in Life During Wartime, inspired by his life on Avenue A in New York. I Zimbra opens the record with Afrobeat, disco, guitar work by Robert Fripp and a lyric based on a Dada poem by Hugo Ball. Critics praised the unconventional rhythms and the singing.

Listening

Track list

1. 1I Zimbra3:09Apple Music ↗
2. 2Mind4:13Apple Music ↗
3. 3Paper2:39Apple Music ↗
4. 4Cities4:10Apple Music ↗
5. 5Life During Wartime3:41Apple Music ↗
6. 6Memories Can't Wait3:30Apple Music ↗
7. 7Air3:34Apple Music ↗
8. 8Heaven4:01Apple Music ↗
9. 9Animals3:30Apple Music ↗
10. 10Electric Guitar3:03Apple Music ↗
11. 11Drugs5:10Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗