The range and depth of Byrne's creative output in the 1980s was pretty phenomenal. This is one of two collaborations he did with Robert Wilson, commissioned in this case for the Berlin's 750th anniversary, also showing in New York, but never in the UK as far as I know. I'd have loved to have seen it, even though John Rockwell's review is a bit tepid.
Alongside this and six Talking Heads albums, he did three or four other solo albums, directed True Stories (which got better and better the more times I saw it), contributed to the soundtracks of Something Wild and The Last Emperor (for which he shared an Oscar), and created his own record label specialising in Brazilian music.
So, in a reasonable world, this concept album that translates the Epic of Gilgamesh to the Nineteenth Century ought to be a rubbish piece of hubris. I like it. The second half of Samara sounds a bit like Michael Nyman, and Machu Picchu is a little like Glenn Branca's soundtrack work, but these slight similarities fit neatly into the context of the overall work, which is original and interesting. It would be easy to overlook this music because it's sui generis even within Byrne's broad range. But it would be a mistake, I think.
 MusicBrainz entry for this album
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