12 Oct
216: Talking Heads release Talking Heads 77
Is this punk? Compared to other CBGB veterans like the Ramones and the Voidoids, Talking Heads sounded more like prep-school pop than 1977-style DESTROY! But the art school friends’ debut album, 77, showcased the tension, tightness, and truly unusual sounds of Talking Heads, with one of their best-known songs, “Psycho Killer.” Other songs, like “New Feeling,” “Happy Day,” and “Don’t Worry About the Government,” capture the band’s off-kilter jitter in a way that may sound at odds with the band members’ later solo directions. Released on Sire, 77 was followed by three classic Talking Heads albums: More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978), Fear of Music (1979), and Remain in Light (1980).
We (Midnight Sun Concerts) promoted a Talking Heads show at a club called The Other Side on Rt 202 in Wilmington shortly after the release of this album. Maybe 150 people attended. Towards the end of the show, the band did a great cover of Al Green’s cover of Take Me to the River. (The original version was by Little Johnny Taylor). After the show, an exhausted David Byrne was sitting by himself in a booth and I went over to tell him how great his Al Green song was. He seemed really surprised by this, so I called some other people over, and they all confirmed my opinion. A few months later, the song was released as a single and became a nice hit.
October 18th, 2007 at 3:40 pm