"Talking Heads: 77" by TALKING HEADS - September 1977 US and UK Debut Album on Sire Records featuring David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz with Guest Arthur Baker on One Bonus Track (January 2006 UK Sire/Rhino CD+DVD Reissue and Remaster with Five CD-Only Bonus Tracks, DVD Content Including a 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound Version of the Album, Two DVD-Only Bonus Tracks in 5.1 Mixes, Photo Gallery and Two Bonus DVD-Only Concert Videos - Ryan Smith and Ted Jensen CD Remasters – E.T. Thorngren and Jerry Harrison Surround Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

<iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B000BW9VAM&asins=B000BW9VAM&linkId=6b3bca92af8663dd4766bdffe4f6ea4a&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>
 

This Review And Many More Like It 

Available In my Kindle e-Book (June 2022 Version)

 

LOOKING AFTER NO. 1 

Volume 2 of 2 - M to Z...

 

Your All-Genres Guide To

Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters 
For Music from 1956 to 1986

Over 1,760 E-Pages of In-Depth Information
240 Reviews From The Discs Themselves

No Cut and Paste Crap...

<iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B0B2BFFB62&asins=B0B2BFFB62&linkId=24792af4460cdf9fa1bbb2629c6b9aa5&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>

 

"...Not Yesterday Any More..."

 

"Now I'm speaking out..." David Byrne sang on "New Feeling" in that weird half-hysterical preppy voice of his to a backdrop of tighter than tighten-up rhythms and marching drum patterns. It had lyrics that advised you talk to your analyst – raves about a book he read – ruminations on pine cones and teachers in the woods and buildings with every convenience and a nutjob who spoke French (Fa Fa Fa).

 

With its funky neck-jerking Art-Rock soundscapes - "Talking Heads: 77" arrived in September of that staggering New Wave Year like some snotty little nerd-kid intent on shaking things up in Squaresville, Suburbia.

 

I can vividly remember thinking (in a sort of quiet shock, as I took it all in), is this what The Velvet Underground would have sounded like if they'd embraced their inner Funk – Lou Reed going for the hips and the brain? A genuinely innovative yet so subtle debut album – 77 didn't sound like anyone else anywhere else and in some respect The Heads have remained that way. It was most definitely not yesterday any more. Sand In The Vaseline ahoy.

 

Which brings us to this CD+DVD reissue finally doing its extraordinary arrival in 1977 a proper pull-up. To the worrisome government and psycho killer...

 

UK released January 2006 - "Talking Heads: 77" by TALKING HEADS on Sire/Rhino/Warner Brothers 8122-73297-2 / R2 73297 – Barcode 081227329723) is a 2-Disc Multi-Chanel Edition CD+DVD Reissue. 

 

The CD Contains The Eleven-Track Album Remastered Plus Five CD-Only Bonus Tracks - three single sides, one Previously Unreleased and one compilation track issued in 1992. The DVD Features a 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound Version of the full Album, Two DVD-Only 5.1 Surround Mix Bonus Tracks, A Photo Gallery and Two Bonus DVD-Only Concert Videos (both Previously Unreleased). It plays out as follows...

 

CD (55:06 minutes):

Original Album

1. Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town [Side 1]

2. New Feeling

3. Tentative Decisions

4. Happy Day

5. Who Is It?

6. No Compassion

7. The Book I Read [Side 2]

8. Don't Worry About The Government

9. First Week/Last Week...Carefree

10. Psycho Killer

11. Pulled Up

Tracks 1 to 11 are their debut album "Talking Heads: 77" – released September 1977 in the USA on Sire Records SR 6036 and September 1977 in the UK on Sire Records 9103 328. Produced by LARRY QUINN, TALIMNG HEADS and TONY BONGIOVI – it peaked at No. 97 in the US and No. 68 in the UK. All songs written by David Byrne except "Psycho Killer" written by Byrne, Weymouth and Frantz

 

BONUS TRACKS (CD only):

12. Love Goes To Building On Fire

Track 12 is their Non-LP debut US 45-single released February 1977 on Sire SAA-737, A-side ("New Feeling" was its flipside) – also issued February 1977 with the same B-side, the UK 45 was Sire 6078 604

 

13. I Wish You Wouldn't Say That

Track 13 is the Non-LP B-side of their second US 45-single "Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town" released October 1977 on Sire SRE-1002

 

14. Psycho Killer (Acoustic)

Track 14 is the Non-LP B-side of their third US 45-single "Psycho Killer" released January 1978 on Sire SRE-1013 (Arthur Baker guests on Cello)

 

15. I Feel It In My Heart

Tracks 15 is a Previously Unreleased Outtake from the LP sessions

16. Sugar On My Tongue

Track 16 first issued 13 October 1992 on the CD Compilation "Popular Favorites: 19776-1992 – Sand In The Vaseline" on Sire 26760

 

DVD (All Regions DVD-A)

Audio Content:

Tracks 1 to 11 are the "Talking Heads: 77" album as per the CD order, but in a Newly Mixed 5.1 Surround Sound Version

 

Tracks 12 and 13 are "Psycho Killer (Acoustic, 5.1 Mix, 4:14 minutes)" and "Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town (Alternate 5.1 Mix, 2:48 minutes)"

 

Video Content (Both Previously Unissued):

Pulled Up (Live At Sproul Plaza, Berkeley, CA, 1978

I Feel It In My Heart (Live at The Kitchen, New York, 1976)

 

TALKING HEADS was:

DAVID BYRNE – Lead Vocals and Guitar

JERRY HARRISON [ex Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers] – Second Lead Vocals and Keyboards

MARTINA (TINA) WEYMOUTH – Bass

CHRIS FRANTZ – Drums

 

I have to admit that the 16-page booklet leaves me a bit cold – photos of handwritten lyrics and two bizarre testimonials on the band by Dave Eggers and Hilly Kristal – sided by album and detailed CD+DVD reissue credits. RYAN SMTH and TED JENSEN did the CD Stereo Remasters from original tapes – while E.T. THORNGREN and the band’s JERRY HARRISON handled the 5.1 Surround Sound Remixes and Remasters (Harrison talks a bit about it on Page 4). There are Sire Records promo photos of the youthful four plus some live shots from the period. 

 

But this release is all about the super clean and alive Remasters – key album tracks like "New Feeling", "Psycho Killer" and "Pulled Up" sound so much bigger now - the eccentric Byrne both shining and strangulating his words as Tina whacks the Bass, Chris keeps Drums time and Harrison does his support rhythms thing. Those acoustic strums and that Sax break in "First Week/Last Week...Carefree" in punchier. And I've always wanted a kick-ass CD version of the Acoustic Mix to "Psycho Killer" which I think is actually way better than the official LP version. There's more than a touch of 10cc-type-arrangements to "Don't Worry About The Government" when he sings "don't worry about me..." And I keep forgetting just how good (and even pretty) their debut 45 "Love Goes To Building on Fire" is (the booklet should really have featured the picture sleeves for it with that 'arrow' in the title on the rear instead of the words 'goes to').

 

When you play cuts like confused-confused "Tentative Decision" and the stop-start of the stunning "No Compassion" on the DVD-A – the 5.1 Mix feels like this weirdly re-worked beast with so many layers. That weird slide guitar he gets on "No Compassion" and the pace-break at 1:15 – in yer face like never before. And I wasn't expecting the three 45-single B-sides to sound the equal of the album tracks. The only let down on the Audio side for me is the weedy outtake "I Feel It In My Heart" – an ever lesser tune than the Sand In the Vaseline CD compilation song "Sugar On My Tongue" which in itself was only ever o.k. Very clever move though too to have the video content include the fantastic "Pulled Up" as one of the unreleased.

 

Talking Heads would go on to hit their Funk-Rock assaults out of the Art Rock Arena with their next run – June 1978 for "More Songs About Buildings And Food" and "Fear of Music" in August 1979 – never mind "Remain In Light" in October 1980.

 

This series of Talking Heads CD+DVD reissues have been deleted now a good few years and in some case have acquired nasty price tags - but seek it out. 

 

"Talking Heads: 77" is not my beautiful wife – but as a brilliant and innovative starter – My God how did I get here? Well, look no further...