Talking Heads Expand 'Fear of Music' as 3xCD Super-Deluxe Box

Rhino will release a super-deluxe edition of Talking Heads' third album, Fear of Music, on November 13. The 3xCD set pairs a new remaster of the 1979 record with alternate versions, studio outtakes, and two previously unreleased full concerts from the year of its release.

An accompanying Blu-ray includes footage from the band's appearance on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test. An unearthed performance of "Life During Wartime" from a 1979 episode accompanies the announcement.

What's inside the box?

The two live discs capture the band on the road immediately after the album arrived in stores:

• CD Two: Live at the Berklee Performance Center, Boston, Massachusetts, recorded August 24, 1979. The 15-track set spans "Artists Only," "Psycho Killer," "Life During Wartime," and a closing "Take Me to the River."
• CD Three: Live at the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey, recorded November 17, 1979. The 14-song setlist overlaps with Boston but adds "Animals" and "Found a Job."

The first disc presents the remastered album — "I Zimbra" through "Drugs" — followed by six bonus tracks. These include an unfinished outtake titled "Dancing for Money," alternate versions of "Mind," "Life During Wartime," "Cities," and "Drugs," and a 12-inch version of "I Zimbra."

The physical box also contains a 60-page photo book with liner notes by Will Hermes, author of Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever.

How does it fit Rhino's Talking Heads campaign?

This is the second Talking Heads archival release from Rhino in 2025's schedule of reissues. In March, the label issued Tentative Decisions: Demos & Live, a collection of early live recordings and demos the New York art punks cut between 1975 and 1977.

The super-deluxe will launch alongside a new dedicated Talking Heads channel on SiriusXM Radio, extending the campaign beyond physical formats.

Fear of Music remains a critical touchstone: Pitchfork awarded the record a Perfect 10 in Jayson Greene's 2020 review. With two full period concerts now joining the official catalogue, the November box gives listeners the fullest document yet of the album's original era — and positions Rhino's archival project to continue working through the band's catalogue.