33 1/3: Fear Of Music

Fear Of Music (1979) by Talking Heads is the latest book from the 33 1/3 series by Continuum written by novelist Jonathan Lethem. Other than the hit, "Life During Wartime," this is an album that I was mostly unfamiliar with, so it was interesting to get to know it in the context of its being written about by Lethem. Letham chose to write about he music from a purely personal context, he didn't interview anyone and seems to have done little research about the album and group members. I would have liked to have heard more about where David Byrne thinks that album ranks in terms of the band's development and his relationship with Brian Eno. But I did find most of his musing on the album interesting after each section on a song Lethem muses on the album or music in sections such as: "Is Fear of Music a Talking Heads Record?" / "Is Fear of Music a Text?" / "Is Fear of Music a New York Album?" / "So Fear of Music is a Concept Album. What Happens On SIde Two?" / "Is Fear of Music a Science Fiction Record?" / "Is Fear of Music an Asperger's Record?" / "Is Fear of Music Paranoid Record?" / "What Was the Fate of the Fear of Music in Live Performance?" / "Breaking Up with Fear of Music." All in all, I gained an appreciation for the album and learned something about the band, however this edition is not among my favorites in the series.