Tag: Talking Heads

Wednesday 2/8/23 9pm ET: Feature LP: Talking Heads – Talking Heads: 77 (1977)

Talking Heads: 77 is the debut studio album by American rock band Talking Heads. It was recorded in April 1977 at New York’s Sundragon Studios and released on September 16, 1977 by Sire Records. The single “Psycho Killer” reached number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100.

  1. “Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town” 2:48
  2. “New Feeling” 3:09
  3. “Tentative Decisions” 3:04
  4. “Happy Day” 3:55
  5. “Who Is It?” 1:41
  6. “No Compassion” 4:47
  7. “The Book I Read” 4:06
  8. “Don’t Worry About the Government” 3:00
  9. “First Week/Last Week… Carefree” 3:19
  10. “Psycho Killer” 4:19
  11. “Pulled Up” 4:29
  12. “Love → Building on Fire” 3:00
  13. “I Wish You Wouldn’t Say That” 2:39
  14. “Psycho Killer” (Acoustic version) 4:20
  15. “I Feel It in My Heart” 3:15
  16. “Sugar on My Tongue” 2:36

David Byrne – guitar, lead vocals, production
Chris Frantz – drums, steel pan, production
Jerry Harrison – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, production
Tina Weymouth (credited as Martina Weymouth) – bass guitar, production
Arthur Russell – cello on “Psycho Killer” (Acoustic Version)

Friday 12/9/22 1am ET: Feature Live LP: Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense (1984)

Stop Making Sense is a live album by American rock band Talking Heads, the soundtrack to the film of the same name. It was released in September 1984 and features nine tracks from the film, albeit with treatment and editing. The album spent over two years on the Billboard 200 chart. It was their first album to be distributed by EMI outside North America.

Limited pressings of the original LP version featured a full-color picture book wrapped around the album jacket; standard versions had many of the pictures (printed in black and white) and captions on the album’s inner sleeve. The CD release of the album includes the full-color book, but it rearranges the layout to conform to the dimensions of a square CD booklet (compared to the vertically-oriented rectangular shape of the LP book). In 1999, a 16-track re-release—with content and sound closely matching those of the film—coincided with the 15th anniversary of the concert filming.

“Psycho Killer” 4:24
“Heaven” 3:41
“Thank You for Sending Me an Angel” 2:09
“Found a Job” 3:15
“Slippery People” 4:00
“Burning Down the House” 4:06
“Life During Wartime” 5:51
“Making Flippy Floppy” 4:40
“Swamp” 4:30
“What a Day That Was” 6:00
“This Must Be the Place 4:57
“Once in a Lifetime” 5:25
“Genius of Love” 4:30
“Girlfriend Is Better” 5:06
“Take Me to the River” 5:32
“Crosseyed and Painless” 6:11

David Byrne – guitar, vocals
Chris Frantz – drums, vocals
Jerry Harrison – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Tina Weymouth – bass guitar, synth bass, guitar, vocals
Bernie Worrell – keyboards
Alex Weir – guitar, vocals
Steve Scales – percussion
Ednah Holt – backing vocals
Lynn Mabry – backing vocals

Wednesday 7/6/22 10pm ET: Feature LP: Talking Heads – More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)

More Songs About Buildings and Food is the second studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on July 14, 1978, by Sire Records. It was the first of three albums produced by collaborator Brian Eno, and saw the band move toward a danceable style, crossing singer David Byrne’s unusual delivery with new emphasis on the rhythm section composed of bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz.

More Songs established Talking Heads as a critical success, reaching number 29 on the US Billboard Pop Albums chart and number 21 on the UK Albums Chart. The album featured the band’s first top-thirty single, a cover of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River”.

  1. “Thank You for Sending Me an Angel” 2:11
  2. “With Our Love” 3:30
  3. “The Good Thing” 3:03
  4. “Warning Sign” 3:55
  5. “The Girls Want to Be with the Girls” 2:37
  6. “Found a Job” 5:00
  7. “Artists Only” 3:34
  8. “I’m Not in Love” 4:33
  9. “Stay Hungry” 2:39
  10. “Take Me to the River” 5:00
  11. “The Big Country” 5:30
  12. “Stay Hungry” (1977 version) 3:45
  13. “I’m Not in Love” (alternate version) 5:15
  14. “The Big Country” (alternate version) 5:01
  15. “Thank You for Sending Me an Angel” (“Country Angel” version) 2:12

David Byrne – lead vocals, guitars, synthesized percussion
Chris Frantz – drums, percussion
Jerry Harrison – piano, organ, synthesizer, guitar, backing vocals
Tina Weymouth – bass guitar
Brian Eno – synthesizers, piano, guitar, percussion, backing vocals
Tina and the Typing Pool – backing vocals on “The Good Thing”

Saturday 12/25/21 1am ET: Feature LP: Talking Heads – Speaking In Tongues (1983)

Speaking in Tongues is the fifth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on June 1, 1983, by Sire Records. After their split with producer Brian Eno and a short hiatus, which allowed the individual members to pursue side projects, recording began in 1982. It became the band’s commercial breakthrough and produced the band’s sole US top-ten hit, “Burning Down the House”.

The album’s tour was documented in Jonathan Demme’s 1984 film Stop Making Sense, which generated a live album of the same name. The album also crossed over to the dance charts, where it peaked at number two for six weeks. It is the group’s highest-charting album on the US Billboard 200, peaking at number 15. It was also their biggest-selling album in Canada, where it was certified platinum in 1983.

  1. “Burning Down the House” 4:01
  2. “Making Flippy Floppy” 4:34
  3. “Girlfriend Is Better” 4:22
  4. “Slippery People” 3:31
  5. “I Get Wild/Wild Gravity” 4:07
  6. “Swamp” 5:12
  7. “Moon Rocks” 5:03
  8. “Pull Up the Roots” 5:08
  9. “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” 4:53
  10. “Two Note Swivel” (unfinished outtake) 5:51
  11. “Burning Down the House” (alternate version) 5:09

David Byrne – vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass guitar, synthesizer, percussion
Chris Frantz – drums, backing vocals, synthesizer
Jerry Harrison – keyboards, synthesizer, guitars, backing vocals
Tina Weymouth – bass guitar, backing vocals, synthesizer, guitar
Wally Badarou – synthesizer on “Burning Down The House”, “Swamp” and “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)”
Raphael DeJesus – percussion on “Slippery People”, “I Get Wild/Wild Gravity” and “Pull Up the Roots”
Nona Hendryx – backing vocals on “Slippery People”
Richard Landry – saxophone on “Slippery People”
Dolette McDonald – backing vocals on “Slippery People”
Steve Scales – percussion on “Burning Down The House” and “Moon Rocks”
L. Shankar – double violin on “Making Flippy Floppy”
David Van Tieghem – percussion on “I Get Wild/Wild Gravity” and “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)”
Alex Weir – guitar on “Making Flippy Floppy”, “Swamp”, “Moon Rocks” and “Pull Up the Roots”
Bernie Worrell – synthesizer on “Girlfriend Is Better”

Thursday 7/8/21 1am ET: Feature LP: Talking Heads – Fear of Music (1979)

Fear of Music is the third studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on August 3, 1979 by Sire Records. It was recorded at locations in New York City during April and May 1979 and was produced by the quartet and Brian Eno. The album reached number 21 on the Billboard 200 and number 33 on the UK Albums Chart, and spawned the singles “Life During Wartime”, “I Zimbra”, and “Cities”.

Fear of Music received favorable reviews from critics. Praise centered on its unconventional rhythms and frontman David Byrne’s lyrical performances. The album is often considered one of the best Talking Heads releases, and has featured in several publications’ lists of the best albums of all time.

  1. “I Zimbra” 3:09
  2. “Mind” 4:13
  3. “Paper” 2:39
  4. “Cities” 4:10
  5. “Life During Wartime” 3:41
  6. “Memories Can’t Wait” 3:30
  7. “Air” 3:34
  8. “Heaven” 4:01
  9. “Animals” 3:30
  10. “Electric Guitar” 3:03
  11. “Drugs” 5:10
  12. “Dancing for Money” (Unfinished outtake) 2:42
  13. “Life During Wartime” (Alternate version) 4:07
  14. “Cities” (Alternate version) 5:30
  15. “Mind” (Alternate version) 4:26

David Byrne – lead vocals, guitar
Jerry Harrison – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
Tina Weymouth – bass guitar, backing vocals
Chris Frantz – drums
Brian Eno – electronic treatments, backing vocals
The Sweetbreathes (Lani Weymouth, Laura Weymouth, Tina Weymouth) – backing vocals (“Air”)
Julie Last – backing vocals (“I Zimbra”)
Robert Fripp – guitar (“I Zimbra”)
Ari – congas (“I Zimbra”, “Life During Wartime”)
Gene Wilder – congas (“I Zimbra”, “Life During Wartime”)
Hassam Ramzy – surdo (“I Zimbra”)
Abdou M’Boup – djembe, talking drum (“I Zimbra”)
Assane Thiam – percussion (“I Zimbra”)

Monday 12/7/2020 10pm ET: Feature LP: Talking Heads – Remain In Light (1980)

Remain in Light is the fourth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on October 8, 1980 by Sire Records. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas and Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia between July and August 1980 and produced by longtime collaborator Brian Eno. Following the release of their previous album Fear of Music in 1979, the quartet and Eno sought to dispel notions of the band as a mere vehicle for frontman and songwriter David Byrne. Drawing on the influence of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, the band experimented with African polyrhythms, funk, and electronics, recording instrumental tracks as a series of looping grooves. The sessions incorporated a variety of side musicians, including guitarist Adrian Belew, singer Nona Hendryx, and trumpet player Jon Hassell.

Byrne struggled with writer’s block, but adopted a scattered, stream-of-consciousness lyrical style inspired by early rap and academic literature on Africa. The artwork for the album was conceived by bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz, and was crafted with the help of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s computers and design company M&Co. The band expanded to nine members for a promotional tour, and following its completion, they went on hiatus for several years, leaving the individual members to pursue side projects.

Remain in Light was widely acclaimed by critics, who praised its sonic experimentation, rhythmic innovations, and cohesive merging of disparate genres. The album peaked at number nineteen on the US Billboard 200 and number 21 on the UK Albums Chart, and spawned the singles “Once in a Lifetime” and “Houses in Motion”. It has been featured in several publications’ lists of the best albums of the 1980s and of all time, and is often considered Talking Heads’ magnum opus. In 2017, the Library of Congress deemed the album “culturally, historically, or artistically significant”, and selected it for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

1. “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)” 5:49
2. “Crosseyed and Painless” 4:48
3. “The Great Curve” 6:28

1. “Once in a Lifetime” 4:23
2. “Houses in Motion” 4:33
3. “Seen and Not Seen” 3:25
4. “Listening Wind” 4:43
5. “The Overload” 6:02

9. “Fela’s Riff” 5:19
10. “Unison” 4:50
11. “Double Groove” 4:28
12. “Right Start” 4:07

Thursday 10/1/2020 12am ET: Feature LP: Talking Heads – Little Creatures (1985)

Little Creatures is the sixth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on June 10, 1985 by Sire Records. The album examines themes of Americana and incorporates elements of country music, with many songs featuring steel guitar. It was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll, and is the band’s best-selling studio album, with over two million copies sold in the United States. The cover art was created by outsider artist Howard Finster, and was selected as album cover of the year by Rolling Stone.

1. “And She Was” 3:36
2. “Give Me Back My Name” 3:20
3. “Creatures of Love” 4:12
4. “The Lady Don’t Mind” 4:03
5. “Perfect World” 4:26
6. “Stay Up Late” 3:51
7. “Walk It Down” 4:42
8. “Television Man” 6:10
9. “Road to Nowhere” 4:19
10. “Road to Nowhere” (Early version) 4:37
11. “And She Was” (Early version) 3:36
12. “Television Man” (Extended mix) 7:52

David Byrne – guitar, vocals
Chris Frantz – drums
Jerry Harrison – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
Tina Weymouth – bass guitar, backing vocals

Ellen Bernfeld – backing vocals on “Perfect World” and “Walk It Down”
Andrew Cader – washboard on “Road to Nowhere”
Erin Dickens – backing vocals on “Television Man” and “Road to Nowhere”
Diva Gray – backing vocals on “Road to Nowhere”
Gordon Grody – backing vocals
Lani Groves – backing vocals
Jimmy Macdonell – accordion on “Road to Nowhere”
Lenny Pickett – saxophones
Steve Scales – percussion
Naná Vasconcelos – percussion on “Perfect World”
Eric Weissberg – steel guitar on “Creatures of Love” and “Walk It Down”
Kurt Yahijian – backing vocals

Wednesday 6pm ET: Feature Artist – Talking Heads

Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Frantz (drums), Tina Weymouth (bass), and Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitar). Described by the critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine as “one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the ’80s”, the group helped to pioneer new wave music by integrating elements of punk, art rock, funk, and world music with avant-garde sensibilities and an anxious, clean-cut image.

Former art school students who became involved in the 1970s New York punk scene, Talking Heads released their debut album, Talking Heads: 77, to positive reviews in 1977. They collaborated with producer Brian Eno on a trio of experimental and critically acclaimed releases: More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978), Fear of Music (1979), and Remain in Light (1980). After a hiatus, Talking Heads hit their commercial peak in 1983 with the U.S. Top 10 hit “Burning Down the House” and released the concert film Stop Making Sense, directed by Jonathan Demme. They released several more albums, including their best-selling LP Little Creatures (1985), before disbanding in 1991.

In 2002, Talking Heads were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of their albums appear in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and three of their songs (“Psycho Killer”, “Life During Wartime”, and “Once in a Lifetime”) were included among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Talking Heads were also number 64 on VH1’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. In the 2011 update of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”, they were ranked number 100.

Great Soul Performances 2: The 80s with Bobby Jay 7pm ET @RadioMax

GSP2I think I’ve got a nice mixed bag of music for you, when you join me later this evening at 7PM Eastern Time for “Great Soul Performances 2: The 80s.” On the playlist I’ve got: Barry White, the Bar-Kays, Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder, Guns & Roses, Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine, Grandmaster Flash, Manhattan Transfer, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Bob Marley, Talking Heads and a whole lot more. Remember, that after the original live broadcast this evening, starting tomorrow, you can listen to the show again at your heart’s content, anytime day or night, until next Wednesday evening’s new show, by going to: http://radiomaxmusic.com/gsp2listen.html.

So join me later at 7PM ET, 6PM CT, 5PM MT & 4PM PT for “Great Soul Performances 2: The 80s”

Artist Countdown: Talking Heads Top 25 Hits 6pm ET

talking-headsTalking Heads were an American new wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne (lead vocals and guitar), Chris Frantz (drums and backing vocals), Tina Weymouth (bass and backing vocals) and Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals). Auxiliary musicians also regularly made appearances in concert and on the group’s albums. The new wave style of Talking Heads combined elements of punk rock, art rock, avant-garde, pop, funk, world music, and Americana. Frontman and songwriter David Byrne contributed whimsical, esoteric lyrics to the band’s songs, and emphasized their showmanship through various multimedia projects and performances.

Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes Talking Heads as being “one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the ’80s, while managing to earn several pop hits.” In 2002, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of the band’s albums appeared on Rolling Stone magazine‘s 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and the Channel 4 100 Greatest Albums poll listed one album (Fear of Music) at number 76. On a 2011 update of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”, the band was ranked at No. 100.        — Source: Wikipedia

1 And She Was
2 Road to Nowhere
3 Wild Wild Life
4 Once in a Lifetime
5 Burning Down the House
6 The Lady Don’t Mind
7 Take Me to the River
8 This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
9 Radio Head
10 Houses in Motion
11 Blind
12 Psycho Killer
13 Hey Now
14 Puzzlin’ Evidence
15 Crosseyed and Painless
16 I Zimbra
17 Sax and Violins
18 Stay Up Late
19 Life During Wartime
20 Pulled Up
21 Cities
22 Love for Sale
23 Television Man
24 Air
25 Swamp