More Songs About Buildings And Food (Super Deluxe Edition)

Talking Heads

Released on 7/25/25 by Rhino - Warner Records
Main artists: Talking Heads
Genre: Punk / New Wave

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For a band that seemed as if the members would be content to never revisit their shared past again, the recent series of reissues from Talking Heads has not only been surprising for its very existence but also superlative in its execution. The expansive four-disc edition of Talking Heads '77 from 2024 documented the band's earliest days, and included a revelatory recording of their last show at CBGBs in October 1977. This long-awaited deluxe edition of the band's second album continues to successfully draw a more complete picture of their early era, with an expertly remastered version of the album itself accompanied by a full set of alternate takes, and a New York theater show from the summer of 1978.

Originally released in July 1978, More Songs About Buildings and Food was Talking Heads' first collaboration with Brian Eno, and it marked a significant step forward for the band from their post-punk origins. Where their debut leaned on a nervy minimalism, More Songs is taut and cerebral, with more color, more groove and more dynamism in its tonality and emotional range. But it is still very much an anxious, probing product of late '70s New York, heavily reliant on staccato guitar lines and idiosyncratic lyrics.

Eno's role as producer can't be overstated; his interests in Afrobeat, dub, and ambient music intersected with the Talking Heads' omnivorous musical curiosity. He encouraged the band to experiment with overdubs, reverse tape effects, and synthetic textures, but the record still feels sharp and uncluttered and isn't nearly as exploratory as the next two albums he would produce for the band (although the polyrhythms of "Warning Sign" certainly point the way to "I Zimbra"). The band is tighter and more muscular. Tina Weymouth's bass lines are particularly crucial, anchoring tracks like "Thank You for Sending Me an Angel" and "I'm Not in Love" with a sense of motion that balances David Byrne's jittery vocals.

There's also more humor and playfulness here, even if it's often bone-dry. "Artists Only" mocks the pretensions of creative types, but it's also a danceable anthem in its own right. "Found a Job," with its tale of a bickering couple who start making their own television show, seems like a satire of media culture, but there's something strangely prescient in its D.I.Y. ethos. And, of course, there's the cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River." On paper, it's an odd match—an archly intellectual art-rock band covering a Southern soul classic without irony simply wasn't a thing that happened—but the results are masterful thanks to an inventive arrangement and Byrne's surprisingly sincere vocal take, which captures a unique and twitchy perspective on the song's inherent spiritual ache. While More Songs About Buildings and Food wouldn't have the sonic sprawl of 1980's Remain in Light (the last of three albums Eno would produce for the band) or the pop accessibility of 1983's Speaking in Tongues, it documents the point in the band's career where their vision truly starts to expand. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

More Songs About Buildings And Food (Super Deluxe Edition)

Talking Heads

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Thank You for Sending Me an Angel (2025 Remaster)