Talking Heads celebrate 50th anniversary of second album

Talking Heads celebrate the 50th anniversary of More Songs About Buildings And Food – an album that captures a pivotal moment in the band’s evolution – with a Super Deluxe Edition.

The 3CD/1Blu-ray Super Deluxe reissue features the remastered album alongside 11 rarities, including four previously unreleased alternate versions of album tracks.

The set also includes a live recording of the band’s August 1978 show at New York’s Entermedia Theatre. Footage from that show and another at Sproul Plaza at the University of California, Berkeley, both appear on the Blu-ray. Additionally, there are Dolby ATMOS and 5.1 surround sound mixes by E.T. Thorngren and group member Jerry Harrison, plus a high-resolution stereo version of the album. A 60-page hardcover book rounds out the package, with previously unseen photos and new liner notes with recollections from David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Harrison.

Eno Effect

A 4LP vinyl version of the Super Deluxe Edition features the remastered album, rarities, and the New York concert recordings. A second version – available exclusively at TalkingHeadsOfficial.com – includes reissues of four international 7″ singles: US, UK, and Japanese versions of Take Me To The River, plus The Good Thing, from the Netherlands. Each comes in a reproduction picture sleeve, all packaged alongside the 4LP set in a custom die-cut folio.

Additional Deluxe Editions will be available on 2LP black vinyl with a red vinyl pressing offered at TakingHeadsOfficial.com and select indie retailers. Both feature the remastered album and a selection of rarities.

Successful Collaboration

The seeds for More Songs About Buildings And Food were planted in London in 1977, when the band met producer Brian Eno while touring behind their debut album. “When we went over to his flat, there was the immediacy of recognising in his library books [and records] from our own collections,” recalls Harrison. “There was both mutual respect and a sense of shared sensibilities – all harbingers of a comfortable and successful collaboration.” Soon after, plans were made to record together.

Sessions began in March 1978, when the band traded their drafty Long Island City lofts for the Bahamas’ sunny beaches. They set up shop for several weeks at Chris Blackwell’s newly built Compass Point Studios, becoming the first band to record there.

Having been road-tested over a long tour, the new songs were ready to go. “To our great relief, [Eno] realised we were a tight live band at this point, so it made sense to record us all playing together in the studio,” Byrne says. “We weren’t all that comfortable in a recording studio, so this arrangement made us comfortable and put us at ease.”

Striking Visual Identity

Frantz recalls Eno’s most significant contribution was to slow the tempo of Take Me To The River. “We were used to playing the song at a pretty fast tempo like Al Green’s original, but we gave it a go,” he writes. “After several takes, we got what he was looking for, and everyone loved his treatment of the snare drum. This song became our first radio hit.”

The Polaroid mosaic that gives the album its striking visual identity came together later, back in New York. Byrne suggested the cover concept, says Weymouth. “David took the pictures of Chris, Jerry, and me, while I took the pictures of David. We used a close-up attachment and a red cloth for the backdrop. It was shot on the roof above Chris’ and my Long Island City loft. I still have that camera!”

Released on July 14, 1978, More Songs About Buildings And Food earned the band their first appearance on the Billboard 200. Their reimagining of Green’s Take Me To The River cracked the Billboard Hot 100 and became a left-field radio success, helping introduce the band to a wider audience. At the time, critics took note of the album’s sharp songwriting and Eno’s layered production.

The release launches a year-long celebration of Talking Heads’ 50th anniversary. Formed in 1975, the band became one of the most influential to emerge from New York’s CBGB scene—helping shape modern music and redefine the art of the music video.

More Songs About Buildings And Food Deluxe Edition

3CD/1BR Track Listing

CD One: Original Album (2025 Remaster)

Thank You For Sending Me An Angel
With Our Love
The Good Thing
Warning Sign
The Girls Want To Be With The Girls
Found A Job
Artists Only
I’m Not In Love
Stay Hungry
Take Me To The River
The Big Country

CD Two: Rarities

Thank You For Sending Me An Angel (Alternate Version)
With Our Love (Alternate Version) *
Found A Job (Alternate Version) *
The Good Thing (Alternate Version) *
Warning Sign (Alternate Version)
Electricity (Instrumental)
The Girls Want To Be With The Girls (Alternate Version) *
I’m Not In Love (Alternate Version)
Artists Only (Alternate Version)
The Big Country (Alternate Version)
Thank You For Sending Me An Angel (Country Angel Version)

CD Three: Live At Entermedia Theater, New York, NY (August 10, 1978)

No Compassion *
Warning Sign *
The Book I Read *
Stay Hungry *
Artists Only *
The Girls Want To Be With The Girls *
Uh-Oh, Loves Comes To Town *
With Our Love *
Love Goes To A Building On Fire *
Don’t Worry About The Government” *
The Good Thing *
Electricity *
The Big Country *
New Feeling *
Pulled Up *
Psycho Killer *
Take Me To The River *
Found A Job *
Thank You For Sending Me An Angel *

Blu-Ray

Audio: Hi-Res Stereo, 5.1 & Atmos Mix of original album (2025 Remaster)
Video: Concert Footage 

Live at Entermedia Theater, 1978
Uh-Oh, Loves Comes To Town *
The Girls Want To Be With The Girls *
The Good Thing *
Take Me To The River *
Found A Job *
Thank You For Sending Me An Angel *

Live At Sproul Plaza (Berkeley), 1978
The Big Country *
Warning Sign *
The Book I Read *
Stay Hungry *
Artists Only *
The Girls Want To Be With The Girls *
The Good Thing *
Uh-Oh, Loves Comes To Town *
Psycho Killer *
I’m Not In Love *
Pulled Up *

More Songs About Buildings And Food Deluxe Edition

4LP Track Listing

LP One: Original Album (2025 Remaster)

Side One 
Thank You For Sending Me An Angel
With Our Love
The Good Thing
Warning Sign
The Girls Want To Be With The Girls
Found A Job
Side Two
Artists Only
I’m Not In Love
Stay Hungry
Take Me To The River
The Big Country

LP Two: Rarities

Side One
Thank You For Sending Me An Angel (Alternate Version)
With Our Love (Alternate Version) *
Found A Job (Alternate Version) *
The Good Thing (Alternate Version) *
Warning Sign (Alternate Version)
Electricity (Instrumental)
Side Two
The Girls Want To Be With The Girls (Alternate Version) *
I’m Not In Love (Alternate Version)
Artists Only (Alternate Version)
The Big Country (Alternate Version)
Thank You For Sending Me An Angel (Country Angel Version)

LP Three: Live At Entermedia Theater, New York, NY (August 10, 1978)

Side One
No Compassion *
Warning Sign *
The Book I Read *
Stay Hungry *
Artists Only *
Side Two
The Girls Want To Be With The Girls *
Uh-Oh, Loves Comes To Town *
With Our Love *
Love Goes To A Building On Fire *
Don’t Worry About The Government *
The Good Thing *

LP Four

Side On
Electricity
The Big Country *

More Songs About Buildings Super Deluxe Edition is released via Rhino on 25 July.Pre-order here.

Read More: Making Talking Heads: Remain In Light