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Nov 25, 2024 Web Exclusive By Mark Moody

Coming up on nearly 50 years since its initial release, Talking Heads’ debut album, Talking Heads: 77, gets the deluxe treatment via Rhino. With various multi-format box sets on offer, including some with a hardcover book, it’s certainly a tempting package aimed mainly at completists. The band’s debut gets a pristine remaster and two other unreleased studio tracks are included. But the plum to grab it for is a full recording of the band’s October 1977 show at the iconic and long gone CBGB’s. Also never before released.

On first blush, the gap between the album’s September 1977 release and the group’s final show at the legendary club seems too short. But Talking Heads had effectively been Hilly Kristal’s house band for going on two years. The quartet of David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and latecomer Jerry Harrison had already toured extensively, including a European leg. That type of pedigree prior to a first album release is unheard of these days, but the experience under their collective belts is readily apparent on the live tracks. Recorded direct to tape for a radio show, the sound quality is outstanding.

Byrne’s patented intro “This song is called….” is on full display, but Weymouth’s infiltrating bass lines on tracks like “Who Is It?” and the rubbery “Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town” are mind bogglingly creative. Frantz’s drum work as well. Other highlights of the live set include the non-album single “Love Goes to a Building on Fire,” and early takes on Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” and the jittery “Thank You For Sending Me an Angel.” The latter two wouldn’t appear officially until More Songs About Buildings and Food a year later.

The package is worthwhile for the remaster of the album and the alternate takes, which at a minimum, are interesting. Though the “alternate pop” versions of three songs (including the previously unreleased “Pulled Up”), which are colored with steel drums and mariachi horns, pale next to the studio versions. The same goes for the alternate version of “Psycho Killer,” with Arthur Russell on cello. The true star of the show here is the live recording, which slots in fine with Stop Making Sense and the sadly overlooked The Name of This Band is Talking Heads. (www.talkingheadsofficial.com)

Author rating: 8.5/10