David Byrne – (almost) all of his albums ranked!
As the experimental iconoclast embarks on a UK tour for new album American Utopia, we rate his studio LPs, from Remain in Light to The Last Emperor
20 David Byrne – Uh-Oh (1992)
The most Talking-Heads-esque of Byrne’s solo albums, albeit with a Latin-American influence, Uh-Oh vanished unheralded at the height of grunge. It is far better than its commercial failure suggests – Hanging Upside Down should have been a hit – but also serves to make the listener miss Talking Heads, which presumably couldn’t have been further from Byrne’s aim.
19 Talking Heads – True Stories (1986)
The soundtrack to Byrne’s directorial debut was made as the band was falling apart and it is tempting to say you can tell. The weakest Talking Heads album, it feels simultaneously laboured and undercooked: the sound is leaden; Puzzlin’ Evidence and Papa Legba amount to padding. And yet it is still sprinkled sparingly with magic, not least the wistful Dream Operator.
