Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1977…

#5 – Talking Heads: 77 – Talking Heads

This is the first of two debut albums in my top five, making 1977 not just a great year for music overall but a great year for the introduction of important new artists.

I can only imagine what it was like to hear Talking Heads for the first time in 1977. Here was a band of former art school students blending punk, new wave, and world music in songs with provocative lyrics and a lead singer whose clipped, chirping vocals were simultaneously funny and unnerving (but sometimes surprisingly sweet).

All of that is present right out of the gate on Talking Heads: 77, even if this collection is rather modest compared to what was to come. Its 11 songs rush by in under 40 minutes, packing offbeat melodies into tight dance pop shells. Sonic innovations (like the steel drums on today’s SOTD) suggest that the band has more on its mind.

Second single ‘Psycho Killer’ gave the Talking Heads their first appearance on the Hot 100, peaking at only #92 on its way to becoming one of the iconic new wave songs of the era.

Nothing else on this album would be familiar to a casual fan, but every song is a blast of quirky adrenaline announcing the arrival of a uniquely talented band.