Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

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People SEPTEMBER 25, 1978 - by Staff Writers

TALKING HEADS: MORE SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND FOOD

On their second LP this Rhode Island quartet of visual and conceptual artists-cum-rockers continues to ride the crest of anarchic New Wave rock. But with Roxy Music's Brian Eno producing the Heads' trademark computer rhythms and reedy vocals (by songwriter and lead singer David Byrne) develop a quality that transcends the genre. Their very free verse is structured by a traditional musical format that seems (particularly on cuts like Take Me to the River and The Big Country) to be frighteningly close to melodic. Byrne's thin whine is an amusing contrast to the fetal Rolling Stones riffs in cuts like Warning Sign. Devotees of their live show will recognise some old standards, and the Heads provide a lot of rock 'n' roll per capita, even if none of the album's tunes is about the billed buildings or food.