Fear of Music tops NME Critics Poll

Talking Heads : Life During Wartime

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New Musical Express declared Fear of Music by Talking Heads as the best album of 1979, over such memorable efforts as London Calling, Entertainment!, Unknown Pleasures and Metal Box. In an article published weeks before the release of the album, David Byrne gave NME some hints about the songs on the new record:

"I've tried to write songs that are far from my usual point of view, about getting drunk and chasing after girls, but they're never successful. I don't think I can chase...See, if I use the third person it achieves distance. It's slightly humorous. It isn't always very nice...The songs 'Heaven" and "Mind" are set in parties and bars, places where people get together, except in one  of 'em the party is in someone's mind and they want it to stop. Eventually they decide they like it"

Earlier in the month Talking Heads performed at London's Electric Ballroom with opening acts Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark and, from Ireland, a band calling themselves U2. 

NME 1979 ALBUMS
 1. Fear Of Music - Talking Heads
 2. Metal Box - Public Image Ltd.
 3. Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division
 4. Setting Sons - The Jam
 5. Entertainment - Gang Of Four

 6. Armed Forces - Elvis Costello
 7. Do It Yourself - Ian Dury
 8. London Calling - The Clash
 9. Squeezing Out The Sparks - Graham Parker
 10. The Specials - The Specials

 11. Forces Of Victory - Linton Kwesi Johnson
 12. The B52's - The B52's
 13. Bop Till You Drop - Ry Cooder
 14. The Raincoats - The Raincoats
 15. Tom Verlaine - Tom Verlaine
 16. I Am - Earth, Wind + Fire

 17. The Undertones - The Undertones
 18. 154 - Wire
 19. Repeat When Necessary - Dave Edmunds
 20. Drums + Wires - Xtc
 21. New Picnic Time - Pere Ubu

 22. Cut - The Slits
 23. Risque - Chic
 24. Regatta De Blank - Police
 25. Humanity - The Royle Rasses

 26. Same Song - Israel Vibration
 27. Katzenmusic - Michael Rother
 28. Rust Never Sleeps - Neil Young
 29. Bruder Des Schattens, Sohne Des.. - Popol Vuh

 30. Dragnet - The Fall
 31. Even Serpents Shine - The Only Ones
 32. Eskimo - The Residents
 33. Slow Train Coming - Bob Dylan
 34. Blue Valentine - Tom Waits

 35. This Heat - This Heat
 36. A Train To Marineville - Swell Maps
 37. I’m The Man - Joe Jackson
 38. Soldier Talk - The Red Crayola

 39. Reproduction - The Human League
 40. Lodger - David Bowie

1978 NME Critics Album Poll

 1. Darkness On The Edge Of Town - Bruce Springsteen
 2. All Mod Cons - The Jam
 3. This Years Model - Elvis Costello
 4. More Songs About Buildings + Food - Talking Heads
 5. Africa Stand Alone - Culture

 6. Peter Gabriel (2) - Peter Gabriel
 7. Street Legal - Bob Dylan
 8. Dub Housing - Pere Ubu
 9. Germ Free Adolescents - X Ray Spex
 10. David Johansen - David Johansen

 11. The Modern Dance - Pere Ubu
 12. The Scream - Siouxsie + The Banshees
 13. Moving Targets - Penetration
 14. Shiny Beast - Captain Beefheart
 15. Rasta Communication - Keith Hudson

 16. An American Prayer - Jim Morrison
 17. Who Are You - The Who
 18. Some Girls - The Rolling Stones
 19. Marcus Children - Burning Spear
 20. Real Life - Magazine

 21. Blue Valentine - Tom Waits
 22. Go 2 - Xtc
 23. Jazz - Ry Cooder
 24. We Are Not Men... - Devo
 25. Another Music In A Different Kitchen. - The Buzzcocks

 26. Dynamite Daze - Kevin Coyne
 27. Give 'Em Enough Rope - The Clash
 28. First Edition - Public Image
 29. Live + Dangerous - Thin Lizzy
 30. Man Machine - Kraftwerk
 Also Rans Albums 
 Tonic For The Troops - Boomtown Rats
 Power In The Darkness - Tom Robinson Band 
Dread Beat + Blood - Linton Kwesi Johnson
 Wavelength - Van Morrison
 The Real Kids - Same

 Road To Ruin - The Ramones
 Hearts Of Stone - Southside Johnny
 Some Enchanted Evening - Blue Oyster Cult
 Suicide - Same
 Smooth Talk - Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King
 Roy Hill - Same
Tell Us The Truth - Sham 69

 Comes A Time - Neil Young
 Disguise In Love - John Cooper Clarke
 The Image Has Cracked - Atv
 Midnight Express - Giorgo Moroder
 Dark Album - Wigwam
 Fool Around - Rachel Sweet
 Love Bites - Buzzcocks
 Black +; White - Stranglers
 Easter - Patti Smith

 Love - Twinkle Brothers
 The Akron Compilation - Various Artists
 Crusin - Village People
 The 5th Power - Lester Bowie
 Rosewood - Woody Shaw
 The Best Dressed Chicken In Town - Dr Alimantado

 One Nation Under A Groove - Funkadelic
 V.S.O.P. - The Quintet
 Enhance - Billy Heart
 X Dreams - Annette Peacock

NME 's Best Albums of 1977

NME 

1. Heroes - David Bowie
2. New boots and Panties - Ian Dury

\

Ian Dury : Wake Up and Make Love with Me

3. My aim is true - Elvis Costello
4. Never Mind the Bollocks - Sex Pistols
5. Marquee Moon - Television

 6. Exodus - Bob Marley and the Wailers
7. The Clash - The Clash
 8. Lust for life - Iggy Pop
 9. Leave Home - The Ramones

The Ramones : Glad To See You Go

 10. Rattus Norvegicus - The Stranglers
 11. Rocket to Russia - The Ramones
12. Get It - Dave Edmunds
 13. When two sevens clash -Culture
14. Before and after science - Brian Eno

Brian Eno : Kurt's Rejoinder

15. In the City - The Jam
16. Little Criminals - Randy Newman
17. Talking heads '77 - Talking Heads
18. In Colour - Cheap trick
19. Blank generation - Richard Hell

Richard Hell and the Voidoids : Another World

20. Aja - Steely Dan
21. One World - John Martyn
22. Live! - Burning Spear

23. Rock n' Roll with the Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
24. Spectres - Blue Oyster Cult
25. Bad reputation - Thin Lizzy
26. Pink Flag - Wire

Wire : Champs

27. Low - David Bowie
 28. Blondie - Blondie
 29. Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel
 30. Hard Again - Muddy Waters

 Honourable Mentions to...

 Stick to me - Graham Parker and The Rumour
 Out of our skulls - The Pirates
 Feelin’ bitchy - Millie Jackson
Music to kill by - Afrika korps

 Listen now - 801
 American stars and bars - Neil young
 Heavy weather - Weather report

 Live at the Hollywood bowl - The Beatles
 Twilley don’t mind - Dwight Twilley

Dwight Twilley Band : That I Remember

Trans-Europe express - Kraftwerk
 Joe Ely - Joe Ely

 Police and thieves - Junior Murvin
 Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
 Greg Kihn Again - Greg Kihn

Greg Kihn : For You

 Ahh, The name Bootsy, Baby - Bootsy’s rubber band
 African dub - Joe Gibbs

40 Year Itch : Rethinking the Electric Guitar

[Purchase]

Henry Cow founder Fred Frith's stunning Guitar Solos is an album of eight tracks recorded in four days of improvisation using modified and specially tuned guitars. On the track "No Birds" he's simultaneously  playing two guitars placed neck to neck on a table. 

   The album made the NME Critics Poll of Best albums of 1974. At the 9:45 mark, you can probably hear why Brian Eno wanted to record Before and After Science and Music for Films with Frith.

   The rest of the NME Critics Poll looked like this:

NME Albums 1974
 1. Pretzel Logic - Steely Dan
 2. It's Only Rock 'n' Roll - Rolling Stones
 3. Before The Flood - Bob Dylan
 4. 461 Ocean Boulevard - Eric Clapton
 5. Todd - Todd Rundgren
 6. On The Beach - Neil Young
 7. Rock Bottom - Robert Wyatt
 8. Fulfillingness First Finale - Stevie Wonder
 9. Country Life - Roxy Music
 10. Average White Band - Average White Band
 11. Future Days - Can
 12. Smiler - Rod Stewart
 13. Secret Treaties - Blue Oyster Cult
 14. Maria Muldaur - Maria Muldaur
 15. Another Saturday Night - Various
 16. Sold American - Kinky Friedman
 17. On The Border - Eagles
 18. Court And Spark - Joni Mitchell
 19. Odds And Sods - The Who
 20. Kimono My House - Sparks
 21. Okie - J.J. Cale
 22. Grievous Angel - Gram Parsons
 23. Radio City - Big Star
 24. Mysterious Traveller - Weather Report
== Sheer Heart Attack - Queen
 == Big Fun - Miles Davis
 27. Rock 'n' Roll Animal - Lou Reed
 28. Deal Gone Down - Michael Chapman
== I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight - Richard And Linda Thompson
== It's Too Late To Stop Now - Van Morrison
31. Teasin' - Cornel Dupree
 == Close Up The Honky Tonks - Flying Burrito Brothers
 33. Feats Don't Fail Me Now - Little Feat
== Veedon Fleece - Van Morrison 
35. Paradise And Lunch - Ry Cooder
== Dreamer - Bobby Bland
 37. In Concert - Beach Boys
== Fear - John Cale
== For Everyman - Jackson Browne
== His California Album - Bobby Bland
 41. Limited Edition - Can
42. The Psychomodo - Cockney Rebel
== Good For You Too - Toni Brown
 == Live - Marvin Gaye
 45. Live From Deep In The Heart Of Texas - Commander Cody
 46. All American Boy - Rick Derringer
== Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash - Mike Nesmith
== Streetwalkers - Chapman-Whitney
 == Keep On Smilin' - Wet Willie
 == Planet Waves - Bob Dylan
 51. Anthology - Marvin Gaye
 52. Soon Over Babaluma - Can
== Spyglass - Greenslade
54. Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley - Robert Palmer
 55. Propaganda - Sparks
 56. The Shipbuilder - Bob Pegg & Nick Strutt
== Learn To Love It - Jesse Winchester
 == Guitar Solos - Fred Frith
 59. Angel's Egg - Gong
== Good Old Boys - Randy Newman