talking heads - building on fire

Shuffling the iPod on the way into work this morning and the best track that popped up was the almost impossible to type properly "Love -> Building On Fire" by Talking Heads.

This was the live version on the wonderful The Name Of The Band Is Talking Heads which stomps all over the studio version. I do actually like the original of this long lost single, but is rather twee and sedate compared with the storming live performances.

Chris Frantz is sharp and crisp beyond belief on this track, Tina's bass is solid as a rock, the guitars are superb with Jerry and David interlocking their lines as if they were Verlaine and Lloyd - not sure who takes the weird solo in the middle, but it's tremendous - and David's singing is impassioned and ever so slightly unhinged. The lyrics are, as with all the best Talking Heads lyrics, somewhat baffling, but somehow they still manage to convey a strong meaning, of something very important, I think, but I don't fully understand why, and anyway it doesn't matter.

Whatever, this is an absolutely killer Heads track. What a band they were!

In fact, of all the bands / artists I wish I'd seen, I think Talking Heads are probably at the top of the list, along with, perhaps, Japan.