Talking Heads

Though forever associated with the scene coalescing around New York City’s premier punk club, CBGB, Talking Heads were in a league of their own right from the start. Formed in 1975 by David Byrne, they also featured husband-and-wife rhythm section Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, plus former Modern Lovers guitar/keyboard alumnus Jerry Harrison, and their neat, preppy image was the antithesis of punk’s preferred uniform of leathers and ripped jeans.

Talking Heads’ music also deftly defied pigeonholing. The quirky, optimistic pop of their debut album, Talking Heads: 77, yielded instant acclaim, before several highly rated collaborations with Brian Eno, including the stark, angular Fear Of Music (1979) and the heady mélange of taut funk and African rhythms that made up Remain In Light (1980), established them as one of post-punk’s frontline acts. Their prowess as a groundbreaking live act was thrillingly captured by director Jonathan Demme on 1984’s widely acclaimed concert movie Stop Making Sense, while later albums such as the bestselling Little Creatures and the world-music-inclined Naked were still riddled with innovation. They split in 1991, but Talking Heads left a rich and vibrant body of work which has ensured their longevity.