I know that the Talkng Heads are loved by many... and there albums are seen as some of the greatest.

How do they compare to the greats? i mean like the ''great bands'' like The Stones, Zeppelin, The Who, The Miracles, E Street Band, U2 etc.

They may not have had as many hits per say. But, i see their influence everywhere. From Radiohead, to The Smiths, to Kanye West to GaGa, U2, White Stripes, Timbaland stolen beats, Daft Punk, Blur, Pet Shop Boys, Fishbone etc.

They had a unique sounds at the time, and their use of world music was amazing. They combined Black, white, middle eastern, Asian, and modern late 70's early 80's sounds perfectly.

Let's not compare... let's just say they are there. Period. Every once in a while I suddenly discover them again after not listening for a bit, and they're better every time. Now, it's true that I have actually listened to pretty much their whole body of work (not true of any of the other acts you cite as the greats, but I've got a pretty good sense of them), and I'd say they have a stunningly high quality consistency, a very distinctive yet developing style over the course of their career, and, as you say, tons of influence.

And "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)" is one of the few songs that I consider pretty much perfect.

And David Byrne's book How Music Works is an incredibly interesting read, by the way.

one of the very first hipster bands

I like some of their songs, though

Considering they will NEVER reunite, sure...

they're great. Like:

Cocteau Twins

Felt

Galaxie 500

Husker Du

The Jam

The Smiths

The Teardrop Explodes

Oasis

Led Zeppelin

Pink Floyd

ABBA

The Jesus and Mary Chain

The Pixies

That's how I would compare them to some of the "greats."

Not so great? It's in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.

Maybe David Byrne feels he is better on his own.

[Edited 1/4/14 10:30am]

Compare with the greats? They are one of the greats - every bit as good and influential as the bands you mentioned. Everything but the last couple of albums was A material.

IMO, no. They are great, but not one of the "greats". They would be one or two tiers down from the artists you mentioned in the OP, IMO. Nothing to be ashamed of - just not on par with the best of the best.

It's all so subjective. Unfortunately they didn't have many hits, and only 'Road To Nowhere' is a commonly known track that's played on the radio.

In terms of public recognition, very few would say they were one of the 'greats' like a Led Zeppelin for instance...however, in terms of the quality of their work, their experimental sound and layered lyrics, I'd rank them up there. They also cut it live.

'Fear Of Music' was an inspired album, definitely in my top ten.

Scotsman1999 said:

It's all so subjective. Unfortunately they didn't have many hits, and only 'Road To Nowhere' is a commonly known track that's played on the radio.

In terms of public recognition, very few would say they were one of the 'greats' like a Led Zeppelin for instance...however, in terms of the quality of their work, their experimental sound and layered lyrics, I'd rank them up there. They also cut it live.

'Fear Of Music' was an inspired album, definitely in my top ten.

The only thing I ever hear on the radio is "Burning Down the House."

They absolutely are one of the greats, in my world. Massively influential and about as original as a rock band can get. But mainly, huge amounts of pleasure in those records.

...

I thought they were great, influential, and essential--I think you're right, they just didn't have a lot of airplay....

...

Talking Heads - Born Under Punches (Live in Rome, 1980)

with Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Zappa) on guitar,

and Bernie Worrell (P-Funk) on Keyboards....

...

...

...

[Edited 1/7/14 11:21am]

I like them more than any of the bands that were listed in the OP!

Seriousy - only equating hits with greatness. Silly.

MendesCity said:

Seriousy - only equating hits with greatness. Silly.

Child calm yourself. I never said that i said some people not automatically see their influence because the public may only know one or two songs. People KNOW the hits first... and if they haven't heard their entire catalogue. They wouldn't automatically know the influence they have on other artists.

No one hear is saying having more hits makes someone better.