In 1977, the general impression of punk music was that it was primal, unsophisticated and rude.

To qualify, you spiked your hair, decorated yourself with safety pins, and knew less than five chords. Mastery of the English language was optional, and disdain for culture was required. Before that basic impression even took root, though, Talking Heads completely changed the rules…or perhaps they never really were a punk band in the first place.

The band was saddled with that label because it came from the same CBGB’s talent pool that spawned The Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith, the Dead Boys and Television, but creatively speaking, they were quite apart from the pack. First of all, they weren’t particularly loud. That in itself was unusual, but certainly the most unusual thing about Talking Heads, was their lead singer, David Byrne. Byrne’s stage presence was awkward to the point of distraction. I had musician friends who wondered aloud if he might be some type of idiot savant. In retrospect, that seems incredibly naïve and more than a little insulting, but such was the stratification of the music scene in 1977 that such an observation could actually be debated.

What the Talking Heads offered was a fresh perspective on musical observation. Byrne played the role of a complex interpreter of seemingly straightforward situations. His intelligence is tantamount, residing as subtext to the simple act of reading a book, making a decision, or feeling gratitude to your parents. The band’s rhythms stay relatively simple, with a live feel that puts much of the focus on Byrne’s characterizations, which in itself is a brilliantly subtle means of manipulation.

Byrne fooled the audience into thinking that the whole shebang was actually quite ironic, but his songs were lyrically straightforward and free of even a trace of irony. While giving the appearance that he was acting, he conveyed some of the most sincere and honest works in the history of rock and roll. After 40 years, Talking Heads ’77 still stands as a great album because it strips away artifice and aims for something real. It is an anomaly because it is a ‘punk rock’ album with roots in art rock.

Featured Tracks:

Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town

New Feeling

Tentative Decisions

Happy Day

Who Is It?

No Compassion

The Book I Read

Don't Worry About the Government

First Week/Last Week…Carefree

Psycho Killer

Pulled Up

September 1977 - Billboard Charted #97