Favorite New Wave Albums #5 - Fear of Music

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I am a disciple of new wave music. It is what sparked my love of the broad umbrella known as alternative music, and I am paying tribute by counting down my favorite new wave albums. We are at #5: Fear of Music by Talking Heads. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Talking Heads were a pioneering new wave group from New York City. Emerging from the same CBGB scene that gave us Blondie and the Ramones, Talking Heads infused elements of funk, art rock, and world music into their new wave sound, and were both highly influential as well as a favorite among music critics. Produced by the band with Brian Eno, 1979's Fear of Music was Talking Heads' third album, and performed well, reaching #21 on the Billboard 200, achieving gold record status. The record also charted in the Top 40 in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand. So great was this band that I could have easily went with either the albums More Songs about Buildings and Food, or Remain In Light here without missing a beat, but Fear of Music remains my favorite by the group, and not just because I love the album title. The main reason is that the record contains my favorite Talking Heads song, "Life During Wartime." But just listen to "I Zimbra" and try to make an argument that these guys weren't really, really good. And lest you think that this was just some weird, quirky band, check out the pretty "Heaven," which wasn't released as a single, but damn sure could have been. Fear of Music? Heaven's no. Not when I can listen to this fine album! (Info verified by Wikipedia)