[The Theme of this Post is Talking Heads] -- "The name of this song is 'New Feeling.' That’s what it’s about." With those words, David Byrne introduces the first track on Talking Heads' first live album, The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads. The banter never improves, but do you really need stage banter when the performances speak so strongly for themselves? Released 40 years ago this week on March 24, the original double LP had 17 tracks, and that's the focus of this post's the embedded YouTube playlist. For your reference, the 2004 CD re-release expanded the track list to 33.
On the original release, the first record was all about the original quartet's recordings from 1977 and 1979, while the second record featured the touring ten-piece lineup of 1980 and 1981. The songs are all from Talking Heads' first four studio albums: Talking Heads: 77 (1977), More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978), Fear of Music (1979), and Remain in Light (1980). There are live versions of previous singles such as "Psycho Killer," "Love → Building on Fire," "Life During Wartime," and "Take Me to the River" (their cover of the Al Green classic). The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads peaked at #31 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. And it also served as something of an in-the-moment greatest hits collection for Talking Heads. The band's popularity would surge in 1983 with the release of Speaking in Tongues.
Flashback: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
That's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.
I'll see you in seven!
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