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Simple Minds (viz. Jim Kerr – vocals/Charlie Burchill – guitar/Michael MacNeil – piano, synthesizer/Mel Gaynor – drums, vocals/John Giblin – bass) formed in 1977 in the wake of punk & would establish themselves in the UK as a prominent art-rock outfit, highly influenced by David Bowie (their name came was lifted from “Jean Genie”) & Roxy Music.
To be honest, I was rather freaked out the first time I heard Talking Heads. That was in 1980 with Remain in Light, the band’s fourth album, which involved ground-breaking pop-rock experiments with African rhythms. And of course, when I first heard David Byrne’s voice, it took some getting used to as well. But when the follow-up, Speaking in Tongues was released in 1983, I found myself enjoying the catchy songwriting especially “Burning Down the House” and “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)”. Presumably that is why I consider Little Creatures to be my favourite Talking Heads LP as it featured more conventional pop-rock, not to mention the introduction of country-folk into the dynamic.