More Songs About Buildings and Food

Talking Heads

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: July 14, 1978
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002KNV
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,078 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Choosing former Roxy Music member and David Bowie collaborator Brian Eno to produce them, Talking Heads expanded their sound greatly for their 1978-released second album. While most associated Eno with hi-tech, electronic fare, he surprisingly brought out the more organically rhythmic side of the Heads' material. With Jerry Harrison's keyboards playing a more pronounced role--most notably on their spirited hit cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River"--and drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth powering the band through tracks like "Stay Hungry" and "Warning Sign," leader David Byrne sounded more relaxed and "normal," even as he wandered through such high-concept works as "Artists Only" and the sprawling "Big Country." --Billy Altman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As funky as hell, June 2, 2004

By	Wee Jimmy (Tring, Hertfordshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

More Songs About Buildings And Food sees the Heads moving away from their poppier first album and, under the guidance of Brian Eno, discovering that there had always been a dance element to their music. It's an inspired move - whereas before Byrne had been the focus of the band, the formidable Weymouth / Frantz rhythm section relly makes its presence felt here: from With Our Love through Found A Job up to Stay Hungry, they just keep churning out those grooves. Retrospectively, this was an element of their music that was already there just waiting to be expanded upon: several of the songs featured on the album had already been written, sometimes as long as two years before the release of the record, and were already (I think) part of the band's live repertoire. Byrne's lyrics and way with a chorus are not forgotten, however - Good Thing has an absolute monster of a chorus. Another excellent feature of the album is that many of the songs crescendo at the end with an absolutely storming vamp that you want to continue forever.
The Big Country deserves special mention because it showed that the band still had much more to explore - it's a melodic, country tinged, slightly balladic (although not actually a ballad - they didn't do one of those till their seventh album) song about an idealised American heartland; although in typical Byrne style the narrator of the song doesn't seem to find the vision particularly appealing ('I wouldn't live there if you paid me'). They wouldn't really travel in this direction again until Little Creatures, although nothing on there is as good as The Big Country.
Overall, the album is excellent. As with Fear of Music, Remain In Light and Speaking In Tongues, if you're a music fan of any sort you should consider getting it. If you scroll up you'll find some preview links - I suggest you click them.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is THE one..., January 21, 2004

By	"howlinw" (California USA) - See all my reviews

There's always debate (among those who care) as to which record best captured the Talking Heads' sound. Well, my vote's with this one. It's tight, tense and nervous, but without going over the top on any element- a good balance in other words. Really it's a concept album about modern livin'. The songs may be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it's pretty easy to tell what they're about. "Girls want to be with the girls," for example, is very perceptive- girls tend to like to socialize in groups and it leaves guys confused as to how to approach them (ladies out there: why is this?). And "Found a Job" is a great positive rocker about improving your life by finding a new career that works better for you than your old one. "With Our Love" is also very perceptive, nicely describing the modern (read: workaholic) lifestyle and its impact on relationships ("I have to go to work now"). It is all thought-provoking stuff. After this, the Heads remained brilliant through "Stop Making Sense," then lost it for the most part (Mr. Byrne: why is THIS??). But what we have here is greatness, and great fun.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Their finest studio recording, January 11, 2001

By	Richard R. Johnson "r-squared" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For a band that produced many fine and innovative studio recordings, I can say without hesitation that this is their absolute best. David Byrne's lyrics are scalpel-sharp, especially on "I'm Not in Love." Other songs feature his quirky observations, such as in the "Big Country" or "The Girls Just Want to Be With the Girls." The music is tight, with expertly timed stop-starts, unusual chord changes, and hypnotic riffs. I find that the songs "Thank You for Sending Me an Angel" and "Found a Job" are the true stand-outs. However, those who are only vaguely familiar with the Talking Heads will zero-in on the cover version of "Take Me to the River," which though it brought the band some much needed attention, had the effect of overshadowing what was otherwise perhaps the finest album recorded in the decade of the 70s.