Talking Heads - Songs About Buildings and Food
- FaceOff - עימות חזיתי
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Written By: Moti Kupfer
Release date - 14.07.1978
Zeev Nehama, frontman of "Ethnix", once explained the challenge of making a second album:
"On the second album we knew projects fail. We tried to understand why second albums fail in Israel, and then we discovered that in most cases the problem is communication. People are less supportive of the second album, so we tried to think of a workaround."
The "second album syndrome" is something almost every musician encounters early in their career, especially after a successful debut or one that creates enormous expectations. A first album is usually written in relative anonymity and without pressure, allowing artists to create an abundance of material, select only the strongest songs, and refine every small detail until the finished product is exactly what they envisioned.
Once the debut is out in the world, however, there is usually pressure to strike while the iron is hot and release a follow-up as quickly as possible. That compressed schedule limits the time available to write strong new material and often forces artists to revisit songs that were left off the debut.
"Talking Heads" found themselves in exactly this situation. The band, consisting of David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, and Jerry Harrison, had to confront the same challenge.
In March 1978, just six months after releasing their debut album "77", "Talking Heads" entered Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, to record their second album, "More Songs About Buildings and Food", which was released on July 14, 1978.
Despite a title that almost sounds dismissive of the material, it actually reflected the band's own feelings about the rapid transition from their first album to the second. Rather than presenting a grand artistic statement, the title acknowledged the everyday subjects that fascinated Byrne's songwriting and the whirlwind pace at which the band was moving.
During those few months, "Talking Heads" managed to tour Europe alongside "Ramones". Near the end of the tour, they played a small headline show in London attended by Brian Eno and John Cale, with Cale persuading Eno to come to the performance.
By that point, Eno had already built a reputation as one of music's most adventurous innovators, having collaborated with "Roxy Music", David Bowie, Robert Fripp, and John Cale. After the concert, he met David Byrne backstage and invited him, along with Cale, to his home. There they listened to Afrobeat records by Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, music Eno believed represented the sound of the future.
That meeting marked the beginning of a remarkable creative partnership between David Byrne, "Talking Heads", and Brian Eno, who became the band's producer for their next three albums. On "More Songs About Buildings and Food", Eno laid the foundations for the musical transformation that would soon define the band. He brought a stronger sense of cohesion to the record, particularly through its rhythmic consistency and unified sonic character. While Byrne had naturally been the focal point of the debut, Eno shifted part of the spotlight toward the bass and drumming of Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, the future husband-and-wife duo who would launch the new wave and R&B side project "Tom Tom Club" two years later.
Eno shaped the album into one continuous collection of danceable, groove-driven songs, using only brief pauses between tracks to keep listeners immersed in the momentum. At the same time, he allowed the music to flow effortlessly between post-punk and psychedelic funk. His contribution went far beyond production, as he also played guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, and added backing vocals throughout the album.
For his part, Byrne continued exploring the ideas introduced on the debut. His lyrics remained focused on existential questions and paranoia, themes that would evolve into even more sophisticated forms over the following years of the band's career.
The band's first major hit, "Take Me to the River", was unexpectedly a cover of a song originally written and recorded by soul and gospel legend Al Green.
The album cover was David Byrne's concept, realized by American photographer Jimmy De Sana. It features a mosaic made up of 529 close-up Polaroid photographs of the band.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music
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