Talking Heads

Part of On Track
Published by Sonicbond Publishing
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
LIST PRICE $22.95

About The Book

Few artists can legitimately claim to have created truly groundbreaking popular music, but Talking Heads is one of them. Like Elvis, the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Radiohead (who took their name from a Talking Heads song), Talking Heads recorded some of the most memorable rock and roll of the past seventy-five years. In his song-by-song discussion of their work, American musician and journalist David Starkey looks at how David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth emerged from New York’s mid-1970s punk scene and quickly distinguished themselves as innovative musicians.Led by the enigmatic and wildly original Byrne, Talking Heads’ list of classic songs includes ‘Psycho Killer’,’Take Me to the River’, ‘Once in a Lifetime’, ‘Burning Down the House’, ‘This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)’, ‘Road to Nowhere’ and ‘(Nothing But) Flowers.’ Two of their eight albums, More Songs About Buildings And Food and Remain in Light, are listed among Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums. Drawing frequently on first-person accounts from members of the band, Starkey brings to life the composition and recording of each song, pointing out hidden patterns in Byrne’s lyrics and ensuring that each member of Talking Heads receives credit for their contribution to this unparalleled body of work.

About The Author

David Starkey is the author of SonicBond’s Talking Heads (On Track), as well as thirteen books of poetry and two novels—Poor Ghost (2024) and The Fairley Brothers in Japan (2025)—both focusing on the trials and tribulations of musicians. A former Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, and co-editor, with Brian Tanguay, of the California Review of Books, Starkey plays with various bands, and with drummer Eric Prothero records and performs as Falstaff Riley. A lifelong Springsteen fan, Starkey still owns the copy of Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. that he bought the year it came out, when he was eleven years old.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Sonicbond Publishing (April 1, 2025)
  • Length: 160 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781789523539

Browse Related Books

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

BACK TO TOP