Talking Heads 'Burn down the House'

There comes a time in the lives of all successful musicians when their work is summed up for the dreaded "best of" compilation album. It's difficult to rate these "pop single" friendly discs, because how do you truly sum up an artist's career in a mere 15 songs? In the case of Talking Heads, one of America's most influential and bizarre bands, skepticism was deserved for the new "Best of Talking Heads" album.\nWhat made the Heads such an interesting and successful band was their ability to tread the line of labels and genres. Their sound varied from the kind of bubble gum pop you would expect from the '80s, to complex, rhythm-heavy funk pieces.\nThe "best of" disc surprisingly succeeds in covering all aspects of the Heads career, and sounds great.\nThe album, which was produced by the band, features 18 remastered tracks ranging from all eight-studio albums. The Heads most popular hits, such as "Once in a Lifetime," "And She Was," and "Wild Wild Life," are all here, along with some less known ones, such as "Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town." Like the Heads full catalogue of songs, these tracks all differ in their subtle ways, from the soulful cover of Al Green's, "Take me to the River" to the mellow gem, "This Must be the Place (Naive Melody)"\nWhile nothing beats the Heads' studio albums or "Stop Making Sense," the soundtrack to Jonathan Demme's concert film of David Byrne and the gang, "The Best of Talking Heads" is a great album. Each track reminds us of how amazing the Heads was, and how we may never see another band like it.