The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads

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The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
A montage of several photos of the band performing
Live album by
Talking Heads
ReleasedMarch 24, 1982 (1982-03-24)
RecordedNovember 17, 1977 – February 27, 1981
GenreNew wave, funk, art punk
Length81:28 (original album) / 156:43 (expanded CD release)
Label
ProducerTalking Heads
Talking Heads chronology
Remain in Light
(1980) 		The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
(1982) 		Speaking in Tongues
(1983)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4.5/5 stars[1]
Blender4/5 stars[2]
Entertainment WeeklyA[3]
Mojo4/5 stars[4]
Pitchfork9.2/10[5]
Rolling Stone4/5 stars[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide4/5 stars[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[8]
Uncut5/5 stars[9]
The Village VoiceA−[10]

The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads is a double live album by American new wave band Talking Heads, originally released in 1982. The first LP featured the original quartet in recordings from 1977 and 1979, and the second LP featured the expanded ten-piece lineup that toured in 1980 and 1981. The album contains live versions of songs that appear on their first four studio albums: Talking Heads: 77, More Songs About Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light. The cassette edition of the album included "Cities", a bonus track not included on the vinyl edition, which also appeared on the subsequent CD release.

The title of the album is a reference both to the group's preference for having no expressed definite article within the band name (as opposed to "The Talking Heads") and to David Byrne's minimalist introductions to songs. The album opens with one such introduction: "The name of this song is 'New Feeling'. That's what it's about."

An expanded version of the record was released on CD in 2004 by Sire/Warner Bros./Rhino, marking the album's first ever CD release in the United States. It duplicated the pattern of the original album, with the first disc featuring the quartet alone and the second disc the ten-member band. Eight additional performances from 1978 and 1979 were added to the first disc, and seven additional tracks from the 1980–81 tour were added to the second disc, with the latter disc featuring a reconfigured running order reflecting the tour's set list from the larger band. However, the introduction to the song "Crosseyed and Painless" was edited out on this CD version.

In 2013, Rhino reissued the vinyl version of the album (on the original Sire label), again without bonus tracks, but with the longer version of "Crosseyed and Painless." The original design of the packaging was also replicated, but the LPs were packaged in plastic sleeves. The album also utilized the original analog mastering for the LP from 1982.

Track listing[]

Original (1982) LP track listing[]

All songs written by David Byrne except where noted.[11]

Side one[]

Recorded for WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studios, Maynard, Massachusetts, November 17, 1977 (1977-11-17)
  1. "New Feeling" – 3:10
  2. "A Clean Break" – 4:57
  3. "Don't Worry About the Government" – 3:08
  4. "Pulled Up" – 4:08
  5. "Psycho Killer" (Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth) – 5:34

Side two[]

Recorded at The Capitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey, January 17, 1979 (1979-01-17)
  1. "Artists Only" (Byrne, Wayne Zieve) – 3:48
  2. "Stay Hungry" (Byrne, Frantz) – 4:00
  3. "Air" – 4:09
  4. "Love → Building on Fire" – 3:36
  5. "Memories (Can't Wait)" (Byrne, Jerry Harrison) – 3:58

Side three[]

Recorded at Emerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, November 8–9, 1980; Central Park, New York City New York, August 27, 1980; Sun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 1981
  1. "I Zimbra" (Byrne, Brian Eno, Hugo Ball) – 3:33
  2. "Drugs" (Byrne, Eno) – 4:47
  3. "Houses in Motion" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 7:00
  4. "Life During Wartime" (Byrne, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 5:03

Side four[]

Recorded at Emerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, November 8–9, 1980; Central Park, New York City, New York, August 27, 1980 (1980-08-27); Sun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 1981
  1. "The Great Curve" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 6:58
  2. "Crosseyed and Painless" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 7:05
  3. "Take Me to the River" (Al Green, Teenie Hodges) – 6:43

2004 CD reissue track listing[]

All songs written by David Byrne except where noted. Dates and places are for the first and following tracks.[12]

Disc one[]

  1. "New Feeling" – 3:09 for WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studios, Maynard, Massachusetts, November 17, 1977 [12]
  2. "A Clean Break (Let's Work)" – 5:05
  3. "Don't Worry About The Government" – 3:03
  4. "Pulled Up" – 4:04
  5. "Psycho Killer" (Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz) – 5:31
  6. "Who Is It?" – 1:44
  7. "The Book I Read" – 4:22
  8. "The Big Country" – 5:09 for WXRT broadcast, The Park West, Chicago, Illinois, August 23, 1978[12]
  9. "I'm Not in Love" – 4:57 for KSAN broadcast, The Boarding House, San Francisco, California, September 16, 1978 [12]
  10. "The Girls Want to Be with the Girls" – 3:44 at The Agora, Cleveland, Ohio, December 18, 1978 [12]
  11. "Electricity (Drugs)" – 3:28
  12. "Found a Job" – 5:35
  13. "Mind" – 4:56 for WBCN broadcast, Berklee Performance Center, Boston, Massachusetts, August 24, 1979[12]
  14. "Artists Only" (Byrne, Zieve) – 3:49 at The Capitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey, November 17, 1979 [12]
  15. "Stay Hungry" (Byrne, Frantz) – 4:05
  16. "Air" – 4:01
  17. "Love → Building on Fire" – 3:47
  18. "Memories (Can't Wait)" (Byrne, Harrison) – 3:44
  19. "Heaven" (Byrne, Harrison) – 4:31

Disc two[]

  1. "Psycho Killer" (Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz) – 5:33 at Sun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 1981[12]
  2. "Warning Sign" (Byrne, Frantz) – 5:40
  3. "Stay Hungry" (Byrne, Frantz) – 3:56
  4. "Cities" – 5:00 at Emerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, November 8–9, 1980 [12]
  5. "I Zimbra" (Byrne, Eno, Ball) – 3:30
  6. "Drugs (Electricity)" (Byrne, Eno) – 4:41
  7. "Once in a Lifetime" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 5:57 at Sun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 1981[12]
  8. "Animals" – 4:05
  9. "Houses in Motion" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 6:54 at Emerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, November 8–9, 1980 [12]
  10. "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 8:24 at Sun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 1981[12]
  11. "Crosseyed and Painless" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 5:58 at Emerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, November 8–9, 1980; truncated version from original release [12]
  12. "Life During Wartime" (Byrne, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 4:54 at Central Park, New York City, New York, February 27, 1980 [12]
  13. "Take Me to the River" (Green, Hodges) – 6:33
  14. "The Great Curve" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 6:42

Personnel[]

Talking Heads

Additional personnel

  • Adrian Belew – guitar, backing vocals
  • Nona Hendryx – backing vocals on "Life During Wartime", "Take Me To The River", and "The Great Curve"
  • Busta "Cherry" Jones – additional bass guitar
  • Dolette McDonald – percussion, backing vocals
  • Steve Scales – congas, percussion
  • Bernie Worrell – keyboards, backing vocals

Production

  • Talking Heads – producer, mixing assistant
  • David Hewett – audio engineer
  • Kooster McAllister – engineer
  • Rod O'Brien – engineer
  • Katshuiko Sato – engineer
  • Brian Eno – assistant engineer
  • Ed Stasium – mixing engineer
  • Butch Jones – mixing assistant
  • Clive Brinkwood – mastering engineer
  • Greg Calbi – mastering engineer
  • Jeff Shaw – mastering engineer

Reissue personnel

  • Gary Stewart – producer
  • Andy Zax – producer
  • Dave Artale – mixing engineer
  • Ken Rasek – mixing engineer
  • Bob Ludwig – remastering engineer

Charts[]

Sales chart performance for The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 41
Billboard Pop Albums[14] 31

References[]

  1. ^ Westergaard, Sean. "The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads – Talking Heads". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  2. ^ Wolk, Douglas (September 2004). "Talking Heads: (various reissues)". Blender (29): 158. Archived from the original on October 18, 2004. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  3. ^ "Talking Heads: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads". Entertainment Weekly: 123. August 20, 2004.
  4. ^ "Talking Heads: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads". Mojo (132): 127. November 2004.
  5. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (August 25, 2004). "Talking Heads: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  6. ^ Sheffield, Rob (September 2, 2004). "Talking Heads: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads". Rolling Stone: 147.
  7. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Talking Heads". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 802–03. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "Talking Heads". Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 394. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  9. ^ "Talking Heads – The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads". Uncut (90): 131. November 2004. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (May 4, 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  11. ^ Talking Heads. The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads (Sire Records, 1982).
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Talking Heads. The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads (Rhino Entertainment, 2004).
  13. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 304. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. ^ "Talking Heads Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. 2019. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019.
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