last time we had an hl staff meeting, which was some time ago i might add, the subject of bands you know you probably should like but can’t quite get along with came up.

for me, its the doors. ok well, in my advancing years i probably shouldn’t like them but i just plain never liked them. and maybe its oliver stone and val kilmer’s fault. or maybe its jim morrison’s. either way i just don’t get them which might have something to do with the (lack) of time i’ve devoted to getting to know them.

anyhoo, for another hl staffer its the talking heads. so just for you, young man, this is one of my favourite talking heads tracks… from the album ‘77 (a very good year - as sci-fiers and port drinkers will for once be in accordance about) which also featured david byrne’s strained whiteboy karaoke classic, psycho killer, this is ‘the book i read’.

underneath the insistant disco inspired percussion track, clipped reggae guitar riff and rather funky faltering twiddly opening gambit theres a cute little love song about the meeting of minds - least that’s what i get from it.

and yeah, i know the pic above’s actually the cover of the follow up album, ‘more songs about buildings and food’ but not only does that have one of the greatest album titles ever its also an example of the way in which talking heads took such care about what they did, embracing the whole aesthetic of music production from the song writing through to the packaging. now i could whitter on and on about how david byrne has to be one of the coolest guys in the world and that’s even before i’ve started on my tina weymouth girl-crush so i won’t and i’ll challenge you not to be singing along to this one as you get back from the weekend thing…

talking heads - the book i read