10 Must-Hear Highlights From The ‘Talking Heads: 77’ Super-Deluxe Reissue

10 Must-Hear Highlights From The ‘Talking Heads: 77’ Super-Deluxe Reissue

Sugar On My Tongue

This 1975 demo, first released on the 1992 compilation Popular Favourites 1976-1992: Sand In The Vaseline, features David Byrne on acoustic guitar and vocals, Tina Weymouth on bass and Chris Frantz on drums. Despite missing the spiky electric guitars that would see Talking Heads lumped in with New York City’s punk scene, the recording proves that Byrne was a magnetic and enigmatic vocalist right from the band’s earliest days.

Love → Building On Fire

Talking Heads’ debut single, co-produced by Tony Bongiovi and Tom Erdelyi, came out seven months before the release of the band’s debut album, and was recorded before Jerry Harrison joined the group. It didn’t make it on to Talking Heads: 77, and it remains a joyful anomaly – a typically idiosyncratic take on a love song, underpinned by Sparks-like synths and an exuberant horn section inspired by classic Northern soul.

I Wish You Wouldn’t Say That

Originally issued as the B-side to Psycho Killer, I Wish You Wouldn’t Say That is a hidden gem in the early Talking Heads catalogue. Byrne’s enigmatic lyrics and the almost-flamenco feel to Harrison’s guitar are perhaps unconscious nods to the influence of Jonathan Richman, whom Harrison had backed before joining Talking Heads.

Psycho Killer (Acoustic Version) (featuring Arthur Russell)

While relatively underappreciated in his own lifetime, since his death, in 1992, the avant-garde composer and musician Arthur Russell has become a much-loved and hugely influential figure. As with so many things, Talking Heads were ahead of the curve, and they collaborated with Russell on this alternate recording of one of their signature songs. Russell’s cello flourishes add a dramatic extra dimension to David Byrne’s tense and nervous post-punk classic.

Pulled Up (Alternate Pop Version)

This previously unreleased version of Talking Heads: 77’s third single gives an idea of what the album may have sounded like if original co-producer Tony Bongiovi hadn’t been sidelined as the recording sessions progressed. As with Love → Building On Fire, Stax-like horns add punch to an already energetic take.

Stay Hungry (1977 Version)

Fans of the band’s Brian Eno-produced second album, More Songs About Buildings And Food, will be intrigued by this early run through one of that record’s key tracks. Lacking the finished version’s ingenious, doomy intro and extended funk passage, this early sketch shows how willing Talking Heads were to go back to old ideas and rework them into something spectacular.

Psycho Killer (Alternate Version)

Another essential take on Psycho Killer, this previously unreleased recording gives fans a rawer, more live-sounding version of a classic, reminiscent of the band’s legendary Old Grey Whistle Test performance of the song. Byrne’s vocals are so intense that he’s hoarse by the time the band careen into a closing, feedback-heavy jam.

Take Me To The River (live at CBGB, New York City, 10/10/1977)

The third disc of the super-deluxe edition of Talking Heads: 77 is given over to 15 live tracks taken from a 10 October 1977 gig at New York City’s legendary CBGB club. As well as being a post-album-release victory lap, the set points to the band’s future, via performances such as this storming take on Al Green’s classic soul song. A studio version would become a stand-out on More Songs About Buildings And Food, giving Talking Heads their first US Top 30 single the following summer.

New Feeling (live at CBGB, New York City, 10/10/1977)

The audience reaction when Byrne announces New Feeling says a lot about the love that fans have for this old favourite. The band’s performance doesn’t disappoint, emphasising how much they’d grown as a live act since their early days.

Thank You For Sending Me An Angel (live at CBGB, New York City, 10/10/1977)

Talking Heads were clearly keen to test their new original material in front of an audience, as this blast through another future classic shows. It’s a showcase for the precision and energy of Chris Frantz’s drumming, as he holds down a relentless military beat spurring on the rest of the band – and Byrne in particular – to an explosive performance.

Buy the super-deluxe edition reissue of ‘Talking Heads: 77’.