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| More Songs About Buildings and Food | |
|---|---|
| Name | More Songs About Buildings and Food |
| Type | studio |
| Artist | Talking Heads |
| Released | July 14, 1978 |
| Recorded | 1977–1978 |
| Studio | Compass Point Studios, Electric Lady Studios, Sigma Sound Studios |
| Genre | New wave, post-punk, art rock |
| Length | 37:46 |
| Label | Sire Records |
| Producer | Brian Eno |
More Songs About Buildings and Food More Songs About Buildings and Food is the second studio album by the American rock band Talking Heads. The album was produced by Brian Eno and released by Sire Records in July 1978, following the band's self-titled debut and preceding Remain in Light and Fear of Music. It marked the group's first collaboration with Eno and signaled a shift toward rhythm-focused arrangements that influenced later developments in post-punk and new wave.
Talking Heads recorded the album after touring in support of their debut, with sessions held at Compass Point Studios, Electric Lady Studios, and Sigma Sound Studios; the band line-up included David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison. The production involved Brian Eno, who had worked with Roxy Music, Robert Fripp, and John Cale, bringing techniques associated with ambient and art rock to the sessions alongside engineers who had credits with Sly Stone, David Bowie, and Patti Smith. Influences and collaborators in the extended scene included artists and institutions such as Velvet Underground, Television, Kraftwerk, Island Records, Atlantic Records, Stiff Records, and Island Studios, while the band's approach intersected with scenes centered around CBGB, Max's Kansas City, and the New York art world connected to Warhol and the Mudd Club.
Musically the album blends elements of funk, art rock, and Afrobeat, emphasizing rhythmic interplay between Tina Weymouth's bass lines and Chris Frantz's drumming, and drawing on techniques associated with Fela Kuti, James Brown, Sly Stone, and Parliament-Funkadelic. David Byrne's vocal delivery and lyrics reference urban modernity and personal alienation, invoking imagery and narratives that intersect with locales and cultural touchstones like Manhattan, Brooklyn, London, Paris, the Apollo Theater, Studio 54, and the Andy Warhol Factory. Arrangements feature contributions from guest musicians and engineers connected to Muscle Shoals, Motown, Stax Records, and the Philadelphia soul tradition, while production methods echo practices used by Phil Spector, George Martin, and Brian Wilson.
Sire Records issued the album in July 1978, with promotion coordinated through Elektra, Warner Bros., and independent distributors that serviced college radio, metropolitan press, and specialty shops such as Tower Records and Virgin Megastore. The lead single and radio edits were serviced to stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and London, while the band appeared on television programs and festivals linked to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame circuit, the Newport Jazz Festival, and touring circuits shared with acts like The Police, Blondie, Ramones, and Talking Heads' contemporary peers. Press coverage appeared in Rolling Stone, NME, Melody Maker, The Village Voice, and The New York Times; promotional strategies involved record store in-store performances, print interviews, and feature articles in Creem, Trouser Press, Spin, and Billboard.
Contemporary reviews in publications such as Rolling Stone, NME, Melody Maker, and The Village Voice placed the album within discussions of punk, post-punk, and new wave alongside records by The Clash, Sex Pistols, Joy Division, and Television. Retrospective appraisals by critics associated with Pitchfork, AllMusic, and The Guardian emphasize the album's role in shaping later work by artists and producers including Brian Eno, Talking Heads' own Remain in Light era, Paul Simon's Graceland collaborators, David Byrne's solo projects, and bands influenced across scenes including LCD Soundsystem, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, and Radiohead. The record has been cited in lists compiled by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums," and industry organizations such as the Grammy Awards and the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry as influential in popular music history.
The album reached significant chart positions on the Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart and achieved sales milestones that elevated Talking Heads from cult favorites to mainstream visibility, with distribution through Sire, Warner Bros., and international licensees in Japan, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Singles received airplay on FM radio formats and college stations affiliated with Pacifica Radio and National Public Radio affiliates, contributing to touring opportunities in arenas and clubs in cities including New York, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, and Paris. Certification and sales figures were tracked by organizations such as the Recording Industry Association of America, the British Phonographic Industry, and chart compilers like Billboard and the Official Charts Company.
Track listing 1. "First Week/Last Week... Carefree" – (Byrne/Harrison/Weymouth/Frantz) 2. "Take Me to the River" – (Al Green/Al Jackson Jr.) 3. "Found a Job" – (Byrne/Harrison/Weymouth/Frantz) 4. "The Good Thing" – (Byrne/Harrison/Weymouth/Frantz) 5. "Stay Hungry" – (Byrne) 6. "Artists Only" – (Byrne/Harrison/Weymouth/Frantz) 7. "Warning Sign" – (Byrne/Harrison/Weymouth/Frantz) 8. "New Feeling" – (Byrne/Harrison/Weymouth/Frantz) 9. "I'm Not in Love" (hidden/bonus on some editions) – cover of 10cc
Personnel - David Byrne – lead vocals, guitars (linked to St. Mark's Church scene and New York performance circuits) - Tina Weymouth – bass guitar (linked to Tom Tom Club and collaborations with Adrian Belew and Jerry Harrison) - Chris Frantz – drums (linked to Tom Tom Club and partnership with Tina Weymouth) - Jerry Harrison – keyboards, guitars (linked to Modern Lovers and The Modern Lovers' scene) - Brian Eno – producer, treatments (linked to Roxy Music, King Crimson, U2 collaborations) - Engineers and guest musicians associated with Compass Point, Electric Lady, and Sigma Sound sessions, including personnel who worked with David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Talking Heads contemporaries, and Philadelphia soul arrangers.
Category:1978 albums