Talking Heads’ ‘More Songs About Buildings and Food’ Gets Super Deluxe Edition

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Talking Heads’ groundbreaking second album, 1978’s More Songs About Buildings and Food, returns July 25, 2025, as a Super Deluxe Edition from Rhino, as the band, formed in 1975, celebrates their 50th anniversary. The collection captures a pivotal moment in their evolution and marks the first of three albums produced with Brian Eno.

The 3-CD/1-Blu-ray SDE features the remastered album—prominently including their slowed down cover of “Take Me To the River”—alongside 11 rarities, including four previously unreleased alternate versions of album tracks. [It’s available for pre-order in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.] A 4-LP vinyl version of the Super Deluxe Edition also features the remastered album, rarities, and the New York concert recordings. A 2-LP black vinyl edition will also be available as is a red vinyl pressing at select indie retailers. Both feature the remastered album and a selection of rarities. [Those links are coming soon.]

Listen to a previously unreleased version of “Found A Job”

More from the May 29 announcement: The set also includes a live recording of the band’s August 1978 show at New York’s Entermedia Theatre. Footage from that show and another at Sproul Plaza at the University of California, Berkeley, both appear on the Blu-ray. Additionally, there are Dolby ATMOS and 5.1 surround sound mixes by E.T. Thorngren and group member Jerry Harrison, plus a high-resolution stereo version of the album. A 60-page hardcover book rounds out the package, with previously unseen photos and new liner notes with recollections from the band’s Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Harrison.

The seeds for More Songs About Buildings and Food were planted in London in 1977, when the band met producer Brian Eno while touring behind their debut album. “When we went over to his flat, there was the immediacy of recognizing in his library books [and records] from our own collections,” recalls Harrison. “There was both mutual respect and a sense of shared sensibilities—all harbingers of a comfortable and successful collaboration.” Soon after, plans were made to record together.

Sessions began in March 1978, when the band traded their drafty Long Island City lofts for the Bahamas’ sunny beaches. They set up shop for several weeks at Chris Blackwell’s newly built Compass Point Studios, becoming the first band to record there.

Having been road-tested over a long tour, the new songs were ready to go. “To our great relief, [Eno] realized we were a tight live band at this point, so it made sense to record us all playing together in the studio,” Byrne says. “We weren’t all that comfortable in a recording studio, so this arrangement made us comfortable and put us at ease.”

Frantz recalls Eno’s most significant contribution was to slow the tempo of “Take Me To The River.” “We were used to playing the song at a pretty fast tempo like Al Green’s original, but we gave it a go,” he writes. “After several takes, we got what he was looking for, and everyone loved his treatment of the snare drum. This song became our first radio hit.”

The Polaroid mosaic that gives the album its striking visual identity came together later, back in New York. Byrne suggested the cover concept, says Weymouth. “David took the pictures of Chris, Jerry, and me, while I took the pictures of David. We used a close-up attachment and a red cloth for the backdrop. It was shot on the roof above Chris’s and my Long Island City loft. I still have that camera!”

Released on July 14, 1978, on Sire Records, More Songs About Buildings and Food earned the band their first appearance on the Billboard 200. Their reimagining of Green’s “Take Me To The River” cracked the Billboard Hot 100 and became a left-field radio success, helping introduce the band to a wider audience. At the time, critics took note of the album’s sharp songwriting and Eno’s layered production with The New York Times naming it the “No. 1 disk of 1978.”

The release launches a yearlong celebration of Talking Heads’ 50th anniversary. Formed in 1975, the band became one of the most influential to emerge from New York’s CBGB scene—helping shape modern music and redefine the art of the music video.

Talking Heads More Songs About Buildings and Food (Super Deluxe Edition) 3-CD/Blu-ray Track Listing

CD One: Original Album (2025 Remaster)
“Thank You For Sending Me An Angel”
“With Our Love”
“The Good Thing”
“Warning Sign”
“The Girls Want To Be With The Girls”
“Found A Job”
“Artists Only”
“I’m Not In Love”
“Stay Hungry”
“Take Me To The River”
“The Big Country”

CD Two: Rarities
“Thank You For Sending Me An Angel” (Alternate Version)
“With Our Love” (Alternate Version) *
“Found A Job” (Alternate Version) *
“The Good Thing” (Alternate Version) *
“Warning Sign” (Alternate Version)
“Electricity” (Instrumental)
“The Girls Want To Be With The Girls” (Alternate Version) *
“I’m Not In Love” (Alternate Version)
“Artists Only” (Alternate Version)
“The Big Country” (Alternate Version)
“Thank You For Sending Me An Angel” (“Country Angel” Version)

CD Three: Live At Entermedia Theater, New York, NY (August 10, 1978)
“No Compassion” *
“Warning Sign” *
“The Book I Read” *
“Stay Hungry” *
“Artists Only” *
“The Girls Want To Be With The Girls” *
“Uh-Oh, Loves Comes To Town” *
“With Our Love” *
“Love Goes To A Building On Fire” *
“Don’t Worry About The Government” *
“The Good Thing” *
“Electricity”*
“The Big Country” *
“New Feeling” *
“Pulled Up” *
“Psycho Killer” *
“Take Me To The River” *
“Found A Job” *
“Thank You For Sending Me An Angel” *

Blu-Ray
Audio: Hi-Res Stereo, 5.1 & Atmos Mix of original album (2025 Remaster)
Video: Concert Footage

Live at Entermedia Theater, 1978
“Uh-Oh, Loves Comes To Town” *
“The Girls Want To Be With The Girls” *
“The Good Thing” *
“Take Me To The River” *
“Found A Job” *
“Thank You For Sending Me An Angel” *
Live At Sproul Plaza (Berkeley), 1978
“The Big Country” *
“Warning Sign” *
“The Book I Read” *
“Stay Hungry” *
“Artists Only” *
“The Girls Want To Be With The Girls” *
“The Good Thing” *
“Uh-Oh, Loves Comes To Town” *
“Psycho Killer” *
“I’m Not In Love” *
“Pulled Up” *