Talking Heads formed in New York City in 1975 — David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth, joined by Jerry Harrison in 1977 — and became the art-school heart of the CBGB new wave scene. Remain in Light (1980) and the Stop Making Sense soundtrack are the twin peaks; everything from '77 to Naked rewards a spin. Browse Talking Heads vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Talking Heads formed in New York City in 1975 around David Byrne (born May 14, 1952, Dumbarton, Scotland), Chris Frantz (born May 8, 1951, Fort Campbell, Kentucky), and Tina Weymouth (born November 22, 1950, Coronado, California). All three members had previously attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Jerry Harrison (born February 21, 1949, Milwaukee, Wisconsin), formerly of The Modern Lovers (Jonathan Richman's foundational proto-punk band), joined in 1977 to complete the stable four-member lineup. They are widely cited as one of the most important acts of the CBGB-era New York new wave scene alongside the Ramones, Television, Blondie, and Patti Smith. Their 1980 album Remain in Light - produced by Brian Eno with integration of African rhythmic traditions, particularly Fela Kuti's Afrobeat - is widely cited as one of the most important albums of the 1980s and expanded the foundational template for post-punk. Their Stop Making Sense (1984, directed by Jonathan Demme) is widely cited as one of the most important concert films in popular music history. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 (performing together publicly for the first time since 1984 at the induction). The band dissolved in 1991 amid creative tensions, with Byrne pursuing solo career and Frantz / Weymouth / Harrison forming the Tom Tom Club parallel project (launched in 1981). Their foundational influence on new wave, post-punk, art rock, and broader contemporary popular music is widely cited as one of the most important contributions to the form.
Talking Heads's sound combines new wave, post-punk, art rock, art pop, funk rock, Afrobeat-influenced rock, dance-punk, and avant-garde with Byrne's distinctive vocal delivery (use of nervous, theatrical phrasing), the foundational Frantz/Weymouth rhythm section (use of African and Caribbean rhythmic influences), Brian Eno-collaboration production approaches, and lyrical content addressing alienation, consumer culture, and broader contemporary social commentary drawing on conceptual art traditions.
Original Sire Records pressings of the Talking Heads catalog are foundational items in new wave and post-punk collecting, with collector premiums on rare pressings.
Listeners new to Talking Heads typically start with Remain in Light (1980) or Stop Making Sense (1984).
