The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads

The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads is a double live album by the American new wave band Talking Heads, released in 1982 by Sire Records. The first LP features the original quartet in concert and radio recordings in 1977 and 1979, and the second LP features the expanded ten-piece lineup that toured in 1980 and 1981.

The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
A montage of several photos of the band performing
2004 2-CD reissue cover
Live album by
ReleasedMarch 24, 1982 (1982-03-24)[1]
RecordedNovember 17, 1977 – February 27, 1981
Genre
Length
  • 81:37 (original album)
  • 156:30 (expanded CD release)
LabelSire, Rhino (reissue)
ProducerTalking Heads
Talking Heads chronology
Remain in Light
(1980)
The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
(1982)
Speaking in Tongues
(1983)
Singles from The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
  1. "Life During Wartime"
    Released: 1982
  2. "Love → Building on Fire / I Zimbra"
    Released: 1982 (France)
  3. "Take Me to the River / Air"
    Released: 1982 (Netherlands)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Blender[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA[4]
Mojo[5]
Pitchfork9.2/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[9]
Uncut[10]
The Village VoiceA−[11]

Though a decent commercial and critical success upon release, The Name of This Band was somewhat overshadowed by Talking Heads' subsequent live album and concert film Stop Making Sense. However, it went on to attract greater retrospective acclaim, with critics remarking on its importance in documenting the band's artistic growth.[12][13]

Reissues

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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[citation needed].

Track listing

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Original LP (1982)

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Information sourced from original 1982 LP liner notes[14] and 2004 CD reissue liner notes.[1]

All tracks are written by David Byrne, unless otherwise noted

Side one (1977)
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording infoLength
1."New Feeling" WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 19773:10
2."A Clean Break (Let's Work)" WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 19774:57
3."Don't Worry About the Government" WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 19773:08
4."Pulled Up" WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 19774:08
5."Psycho Killer"Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina WeymouthWCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 19775:34
Total length:20:57
Side two (1979)
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording infoLength
1."Artists Only"Byrne, Wayne ZieveCapitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey; November 17th, 19793:48
2."Stay Hungry"Byrne, FrantzCapitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey; November 17th, 19794:00
3."Air" Capitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey; November 17th, 19794:09
4."Love → Building on Fire" Capitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey; November 17th, 19793:36
5."Memories (Can't Wait)"Byrne, Jerry HarrisonCapitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey; November 17th, 19793:58
Total length:19:31 (40:28)
Side three (1980)
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording infoLength
1."I Zimbra"Byrne, Brian Eno, Hugo BallEmerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey; November 8–9, 19803:33
2."Drugs"ByrneEmerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey; November 8–9, 19804:47
3."Houses in Motion"Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, WeymouthEmerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey; November 8–9, 19807:00
4."Life During Wartime"ByrneCentral Park, New York City, New York; August 27, 19805:03
Total length:20:23
Side four (1980)
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording infoLength
1."The Great Curve"Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, WeymouthCentral Park, New York City, New York; August 27, 19806:58
2."Crosseyed and Painless"Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, WeymouthEmerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey; November 8–9, 19807:05
3."Take Me to the River"Al Green, Mason HodgesCentral Park, New York City, New York; August 27, 19806:43
Total length:20:46 (41:09) (81:37)

CD reissue (2004)

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All tracks are written by David Byrne, unless otherwise noted

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording infoLength
1."New Feeling" WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 19773:09
2."A Clean Break (Let's Work)" WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 19775:05
3."Don't Worry About the Government" WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 19773:03
4."Pulled Up" WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 19774:04
5."Psycho Killer"Byrne, Weymouth, FrantzWCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 19775:31
6."Who Is It?" WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 1977; bonus track, previously unissued1:44
7."The Book I Read" WCOZ broadcast, Northern Studio, Maynard, Massachusetts; November 17, 1977; bonus track, previously unissued4:22
8."The Big Country" WXRT broadcast, the Park West, Chicago, Illinois; August 23, 1978; bonus track, previously unissued5:09
9."I'm Not in Love" KSAN broadcast, the Boarding House, San Francisco, California; September 16, 1978; bonus track, previously unissued4:57
10."The Girls Want to Be With the Girls" The Agora, Cleveland, Ohio; December 18, 1978; bonus track, previously issued on Live on Tour: The Warner Bros. Music Show (1979)3:44
11."Electricity (Drugs)" The Agora, Cleveland, Ohio; December 18, 1978; bonus track, previously issued on Live on Tour: The Warner Bros. Music Show (1979)3:28
12."Found a Job" The Agora, Cleveland, Ohio; December 18, 1978; bonus track, previously issued on Live on Tour: The Warner Bros. Music Show (1979)5:35
13."Mind" WBCN broadcast, Berklee Performance Center, Boston, Massachusetts; August 24, 1979; bonus track, previously unissued4:55
14."Artists Only"Byrne, ZieveCapitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey; November 17, 19793:49
15."Stay Hungry"Byrne, FrantzCapitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey; November 17, 19794:05
16."Air" Capitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey; November 17, 19794:01
17."Love → Building on Fire" Capitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey; November 17, 19793:47
18."Memories (Can't Wait)"Byrne, HarrisonCapitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey; November 17, 19793:44
19."Heaven"Byrne, HarrisonCapitol Theater, Passaic, New Jersey; November 17, 1979; bonus track, previously unissued4:31
Total length:78:43
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording infoLength
1."Psycho Killer"Byrne, Weymouth, FrantzSun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan; February 27, 1981; bonus track, previously unissued5:33
2."Warning Sign"Byrne, FrantzSun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan; February 27, 1981; bonus track, previously unissued5:40
3."Stay Hungry"Byrne, FrantzSun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan; February 27, 1981; bonus track, previously unissued3:56
4."Cities" Emerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey; November 8–9, 19805:00
5."I Zimbra"Byrne, Eno, BallEmerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey; November 8–9, 19803:30
6."Drugs (Electricity)"ByrneEmerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey; November 8–9, 19804:41
7."Once in a Lifetime"Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, WeymouthSun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan; February 27, 1981; bonus track, previously unissued5:57
8."Animals" Sun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan; February 27, 1981; bonus track, previously unissued4:05
9."Houses in Motion"Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, WeymouthEmerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey; November 8–9, 19806:54
10."Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)"Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, WeymouthSun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan; February 27, 1981; bonus track, previously unissued8:24
11."Crosseyed and Painless"Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, WeymouthEmerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, November 8–9, 1980; truncated version from original release5:58
12."Life During Wartime"Byrne, Frantz, Harrison, WeymouthCentral Park, New York City, New York; August 27, 19804:54
13."Take Me to the River"Green, HodgesCentral Park, New York City, New York; August 27, 19806:33
14."The Great Curve"Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, WeymouthCentral Park, New York City, New York; August 27, 19806:42
Total length:77:47 (156:30)

Personnel

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Talking Heads

Additional musicians

  • 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

Technical

  • 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

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Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[15] 41
Billboard Pop Albums[16] 31
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[17] 16

References

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  1. ^ a b Zax, Andy; Collins, Reggie; Peterson, Gary (2004). The Name of This Bands Is Talking Heads (CD liner notes). Talking Heads. Los Angeles: Rhino Records. R2 76489.
  2. ^ Westergaard, Sean. "The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads – Talking Heads". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  3. ^ Wolk, Douglas (September 2004). "Talking Heads: (various reissues)". Blender (29): 158. Archived from the original on October 18, 2004. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  4. ^ "Talking Heads: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads". Entertainment Weekly. August 20, 2004. p. 123.
  5. ^ "Talking Heads: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads". Mojo (132): 127. November 2004.
  6. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (August 25, 2004). "Talking Heads: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  7. ^ Sheffield, Rob (September 2, 2004). "Talking Heads: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads". Rolling Stone. p. 147.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "Talking Heads". Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 394. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ Christgau, Robert (May 4, 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  12. ^ Westergaard, Sean. "The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads – Talking Heads". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  13. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (August 25, 2004). "Talking Heads: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  14. ^ The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads (LP liner notes). Talking Heads. New York: Sire Records. 1982. 2SR 3590.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Talking Heads Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. 2019. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019.
  17. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2013. 43. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 28, 2021.

Further reading

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