I actually prefer the versions I've heard that Arcade Fire do without Byrne. With him involved, it seems a little too much like "holy shit, there's David Byrne, guys!" The original's still the best, though.
As I think I've said several times before, I've always been kind of cold on Talking Heads. I have Fear of Music and it's very good, but I admire it more than I love it. I absolutely love about half a dozen of their songs, but overall it just hasn't clicked right yet. I used to say the same thing about Bowie, though, so maybe they'll become fast favorites soon enough.
Yeah, me too. I feel that the turnaround is currently in motion though.