Personnel: Jerry Harrison (vocals, guitar, piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion, background vocals); David Byrne (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion, bells); Brian Eno (guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion, background vocals); Tina Weymouth (guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion, background vocals); Yves N'Djock, Adrian Belew (guitar); Johnny Marr (12-string guitar); Mory Kanté (kora); Jimmy Macdonell (accordion); Lenny Pickett (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Stan Harrison (alto saxophone); Steve Elfon (baritone saxophone); Laurie Frink, Jon Hassell , Earl Gardner (trumpet); Robin Eubanks (trombone); Chris Frantz (keyboards, synthesizer, drums, tambourine, percussion, background vocals); Wally Badarou (keyboards, synthesizer, congas); Bernie Worrell (synthesizer); Abdou M'Boup (congas, talking drum, cowbells); Gene Wilder, Ari Wilder (congas); Andrew Cader (washboard); Brice Wassy (shaker); David Van Tieghem, Jose Rossy, Naná Vasconcelos, Steve Scales (percussion); Ellen Bernfeld, Erin Dickens, Gordon Grody, Diva Gray, Kurt Yahijian, Kirsty MacColl, Lani Groves, Nona Hendryx (background vocals).

Additional personnel: Brian Eno (organ, bass instrument); Robert Palmer (percussion); Bernie Worrell.

Audio Mixers: David Byrne; Brian Eno; Dave Jerden; Ed Stasium; Eric "ET" Thorngren; Johnny Potoker; Alex Sadkin; Mick Guzauski.

Audio Remasterer: Bob Ludwig.

Recording information: Atlantic Studios, New York, NY; Blank Tapes, New York, NY; Chris & Tina's Loft, Long Island City, NY; Compass Point Studios, Nassau, The Bahamas; Hit Factory, New York, NY; O'Henry Sound Studios, Toluca Lake, CA; Record Plant, New York, NY; RPM Sound Studios, New York, NY; Sigma Sound, New York, NY; Studio Davout, Paris, France; Studio Southwest, Sunnyvale, TX; Sundragon Studios, New York, NY; The Arcadia Theater, Dallas, TX.

Authors: Dave Schools; Douglas McCombs; El-P; Matt Safer; Ira Kaplan; Kate Pierson; Moby; Dustin Hawthorne.

Photographer: Jimmy DeSana.

In the mid-1970s, a band of well-scrubbed art-school graduates appeared on the CBGB's scene in New York City. The name of this band was Talking Heads, and from '77 to '88, they released eight studio albums of inventive and utterly catchy avant-garde pop that turned the rock world on its ear. Fueled by vocalist/guitarist David Byrne's quirky, "I'm tense and nervous, and I can't relax" personality, the group seemed fully formed from the get-go, as evidenced by the martial rhythms and chiming guitars of "Love -> Building on Fire" and the deranged funk of "Psycho Killer."

Following this early era, THE BEST OF TALKING HEADS moves into the quartet's lengthy collaboration with sonic scientist Brian Eno, including the herky-jerky funk of their take on Al Green's "Take Me to the River," the desperate story-song "Life During Wartime," and the transcendent avant-pop masterpiece "Once in a Lifetime." Rounding out this BEST OF are the Heads' poppier, post-Eno songs ("Road to Nowhere," "And She Was," and others). Although there are more extensive Talking Heads collections out there (the two-disc POPULAR FAVORITES 1976-1992/SAND IN THE VASELINE and the three-CD/one-DVD box set ONCE IN A LIFETIME), this concise, single-disc compilation is an ideal introduction to the utterly unique sounds of this pioneering band.