No stylistic comparison, IMO, but I prefer Talking Heads by a mile over Roxy Music.
Sometime we really should do a thread on non-punk UK music from 1975-1985, tho. Lots of great music in that period and it would be fun to talk about and listen to again.
Other than being two of my favorite bands from when I was in college, I hadn’t thought of them as being particularly similar. But now I want to listen to “Flesh and Blood” and “True Stories” (or “Stop Making Sense”) again.
If we’re comparing entire catalogs, I’d go with Talking Heads. Good almost all the way through.
If we limit Roxy Music’s output to the first two records, I’d go with those two against Talking Heads’ whole catalog. I almost have a romantic affection for those two records.
And to add to the Eno love going on, I’d rather listen to his solo records than the ones where he’s not in the driver’s seat.
Even though I can understand why you’d compare them, it’s kind of like asking (if you include solo Eno): Out of cinnamon raisin cookies, no-bake cookies and snickerdoodles, which do you prefer? Well, none are straight ahead chocolate chip, but I could get fat as hell eating any of them.
LCD Soundsystem’s last album had some TH callouts, and that sparked me recently to go back and listen (over and over) to “Remain in Light” and “Fear of Music”, which are both just amazing. Nothing Roxy Music ever did works the same way for me.
They are both equally represented on my music playlists but Brian Eno outranks both of them.
But as others have said, it is all good.
If pushed though, I’d have to say that “burning down the house” is my favourite
Love them both. Talking Heads plays with more aggressive, quirky funk, which works for me.
RMs first five records are pure psych glam genius. I give them as much credit as
Bowie and Bolan in terms of influence. Never cared much for the later stuff. The Heads were just as cutting edge and influential a musical generation later. Again for me, their first four records are my faves, didn’t care for later output. The tie that binds is Eno, but his input varied wildly. For RM, he provided wild electronica. He was much more seasoned as an artist and producer b the time th Heads came around, and his influence was more about poly rhythms and production for them. My two cents.
Pardon the hijack, but since there have been several positive posts regarding Brian Eno, I though you might get a kick out of this: David Bowie, Brian Eno And Tony Visconti Record ‘Warszawa’
I’ve never thought of the two bands as being stylistic similar at all, but I’m Roxy Music all the way, particularly “Avalon,” one of their later albums.
Roxy Music never had a full time bassist, actually. They had assorted session men and touring bassists (John Wetton being the most famous), but no one who stuck around long or who become an official member.
That totally fucking rocked!
I have to admit I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song by Roxy Music. I’ve been reading about how cool they were for the last couple decades though. Talking Heads were ubiquitous on the radio and tv when I was a kid. Based on some comments, maybe RM hit a bit earlier. I recall many times reading the phrases “Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music” or “Brian Eno of Roxy Music fame,” but to me that is like saying “Neil Young and Rick James of Mynah Birds fame”
Okay, that was hilarious. A cartoon mockumentary about how they made the song. Where did it come from?
I never listened to a lot of roxy, and I realized pretty recently that even though they carved out an original thing, I think their songs are too similar to each other, cut to cut, LP to LP. The vocals attitude and sound. They don’t really surprise you.
The Heads I loved for 2 LPs and then they went and became rock stars and cultural explorers/exploiters. I really didn’t care about the mainstream “funky” talking heads era.
I went to college in the fall of ‘78, when More Songs About Buildings and Food was ubiquitous on campuses in the northeast. Eno’s solo “rock” albums — Taking Tiger Mountain (by Strategy); Here Come the Warm Jets; Another Green World; Before and After Science (best album titles evair) — also came drifting out of every other dorm window that October.
A number of us got down to the Heads’ live show in Central Park in the spring of ‘79, and great joy was felt throughout the land.
To us, Roxy Music was a band that Eno and Manzanera were in before they were in 801.
Like Apples vs Oranges.
Or XTC Vs. Adam Ant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7lMF31GHu8
I’d never really heard any early Roxy Music besides “Love is the Drug”. To me they sounded closer to Velvet Underground than Talking Heads.
The video is the handiwork of The Brothers McLeod, illustrators/animators/filmmakers from the UK.
I love 801 Live…TNK is one of my favorite covers ever of a Beatles song.
Hmmm…if we’re talking about XTC, perhaps the fruit comparison should be oranges and lemons? 
Roxy Music always seemed to have some…interesting women on their album covers. If I remember correctly, Country Life was censored at one point. I think that was Roxy’s best album with one of their best songs, “Out Of The Blue”.
In this country, they censored The Pros and Cons of Hitchiking. Because, you know, butt crack. And they could not even be arsed to, say, paint a bikini bottom on her, it had to be an enormous black bar. There is really something seriously fucked up going on here.