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21st April 2012

Audio post with 8 notes - Played 30 times

I’m not the least bit ashamed to mention Talking Heads as one of my favorite bands of all time. I grew up amongst their music and albums, and thought I had pretty much heard it all…

Until today. I had been searching for some information about early punk bands that I had listened to in my more formidable teenage years, and then came across this blog, which not only had the information I wanted, but also had additional information on more bands. Running through the list, I suddenly noticed Talking Heads was on it, and I clicked the link…

What came up was a brief article about the “1975 CBS Demos”, a small collection of songs that the band had recorded to demo for CBS, who decided not to sign the band to their label. Sire later signed the band, who eventually released their debut album, “Talking Heads ‘77”, in 1977. At the time that these demos were recorded, the band was still just a trio; David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth were there from the beginning, and Jerry Harrison joined in March 1977, completing the lineup.

These demos, however, are early templates and prototypes of many of their later songs, basically embryonic and still developing, but highly interesting to hear, as many of these songs have distinctive sounds, instrumentations, and even lyrics. Take a listen to an early (and rare!) version of their later hit song, “Psycho Killer”, and you can hear lyrics that aren’t in any other versions; the second verse of the song has completely different lyrics from later versions.

While very early and still growing, these demos still have that distinct Talking Heads edge. It’s also an interesting look into the growth and evolution of the band from their early days as a trio trying to eke out a living in 1970s New York to one of the most influential bands of all time.

Tagged: talking headsearly demosbootlegsrarities