Talking Heads history
Heads, the main subject of this website, is an American new wave band formed in 1975. This article goes into depth about their history through different eras, from the early music experiences of the members all the way through to upcoming activity in 2024.
Pre-formation (1974 and earlier)
In an interview from 1978, Chris Frantz is quoted saying that "our musical sensibilities were formed during the time we played in bands in the late 60's".[1]
Byrne, Frantz, and Weymouth met as freshmen at the Rhode Island School of Design, where Byrne and Frantz were part of a band called The Artistics. Meanwhile, Harrison attended Harvard college and played in The Modern Lovers in Massachusetts.
The Artistics dissolved the following year, and after graduation the three moved to New York City, eventually sharing a communal loft.
Weymouth began dating Frantz and served as the band's driver. Since Byrne and Frantz were unable to find a suitable bass guitar player she joined them at the latter's request and began learning and playing the instrument.
Formation and early years (1975-1977)
The band played their first gig as Talking Heads, opening for the Ramones at CBGB on June 5, 1975. The club would be where they would meet Lou Reed, who would go on ton influence the band's early style.[2]
From the group's earliest days as a trio in 1975, Talking Heads were approached by several record labels for a potential album deal. The first person to approach the band was Mark Spector for Columbia Records, who saw Talking Heads perform at CBGB and invited them to record a demo album.
Next would come Mathew Kaufman for Beserkley Records. Kaufman brought the trio to K&K Studios in Great Neck, Long Island, to record a three-song, 16-track demo tape containing "Artists Only", "Psycho Killer" and "First Week, Last Week". Kaufman was pleased with the results, but the band felt that they would need to improve drastically before re-entering a recording studio.
In November 1975, Seymour Stein, cofounder of Sire Records, had heard Talking Heads open for the Ramones. He liked the song "Love → Building on Fire", and the next day, offered a record deal, but the group was still unsure about their studio abilities, and wanted a second guitarist as well as a keyboard player to help improve their sound.
Around August 1976, Chris Frantz was given the number of Jerry Harrison by former Modern Lovers bass player Ernie Brooks. Brooks assured Frantz that Harrison was not only a great keyboard player, but was a great guitarist too, two things the band were seeking out. When Frantz called Harrison, he was still feeling burnt out from the demise of the original Modern Lovers and had just enrolled at a Harvard Graduate School, and was unsure about joining a new band. But after discovering that several labels were interested in signing the group, he agreed to hear them play live. Frantz booked a concert local to Harrison in Cambridge, Massachusetts. When the group began to perform, they found Harrison nowhere in sight, but eventually saw him mid-set, seriously observing the band, and appearing displeased. After the show, Frantz asked Harrison what he had thought. Harrison did not answer until the next day, saying he was not impressed by the show, but was intrigued. He said he would like to jam in New York but stipulated that he would not officially join until they had secured a recording deal.
He was offered a spot in the band in 1976, while he was still studying at Harvard. Tina Weymouth phoned Harrison to ask him to come and see Talking Heads play in Boston, not knowing he had already seen them and had been impressed by their material. After the performance, Harrison did not give a precise answer about whether he would join the group.
By January 1977, David Byrne had developed a stage persona that involved wearing a "sport shirt" and saying "Thank you very much" at the end of each song.[3] The bands shows in Canada around this time described them as "an intellectual phenomenon."[4]
Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
The recording sessions for the album that would become "Talking Heads: 77" took place in April 1977 at New York's Sundragon Studios. One of the first tracks the group record was "New Feeling" and the single, "Love → Building on Fire". While Jerry Harrison had joined the group in March of that year, he was not present at these sessions, as he had not yet been informed that the group had received a record deal from Sire Records. These sessions were produced by Tony Bongiovi and Tom Erdelyi. After hearing of the recording session, Harrison was eager to join, and in January 1977, the trio of Byrne, Frantz and Weymouth went to Harrison's apartment in Ipswich to teach him their songs and play a few shows in the area. At the time Weymouth said that Harrison was added to "make us sound more like a band and take some of the pressure off of David."[5]
The first song to have vocals recorded was "Psycho Killer". Allegedly, during recording of this track, Bongiovi went into the studio kitchen and gave Byrne a knife, telling him to get into character when singing. Byrne simply responded with "No, that's not going to work" and the band took a break. During the break Byrne confessed that he felt uncomfortable singing with Bongiovi watching, and asked Stasium to remove him. Stasium suggested evasion, recording when Bongiovi was not around, before he arrived, or after he left. Bongiovi allegedly never noticed they were doing this, being more concerned with the building of Power Station Studios.
After the meeting they all went to The Speak Club to drink and discuss. Thomas declined the opportunity to replace Bongiovi as producer for the remaining album sessions. When the group returned to the US on June 7, they booked a four-day recording session at ODO Studios in New York to record vocals and overdubs, as well as to mix the album. The album was finished.
While on tour the group continued to develop their sound, and on May 14, performed at The Rock Garden in Covent Garden, London, where John Cale, Brian Eno and Chris Thomas saw them. Linda Stein, the Ramones' co-manager, brought Cale, Eno and Thomas backstage after the concert where they all shook hands. Thomas allegedly heard Cale say to Eno "They're mine, you bugger!"
The album would eventually be released in September 1977 through Sire Records. This was very good timing because just before the albums release, Sire had been picked up by Warner Brothers Records for distribution which would lead to a much wider audience hearing the band's music.[6]
The band would go on to tour through Europe in 1977 alongside fellow Sire Records band, the Ramones.
Early Performance Style
While early reviews for the band note David Byrne's "spasmodic sways [of] his hips," they also occasionally note that the three other members of the group assume a state of "deadpan concentration."[7]
In interviews during this time, the band was asked what it thought about Punk Rock and New Wave, and how their own sound fit into these genres and identities. While they often played with punk groups like the Ramones or Television, many critics noted that the band didn't look the part of a punk rock group out of New York.[8] Frantz stated at the time that "the big difference between us and punk groups is that we like groups like KC and the Sunshine Band and Funkadelic."[5] However, the group did take on certain aspects of punk ethos, with Harrison being quoted in November 1977 as saying "What I though was healthy about punk was that it was a reaction to overprofessionalism and technique."[7]
By the time the first tour had closed out, the band was aware of what direction they were going in, and had goals for their musical output. In an interview from December 1977 that followed the European Tour, Byrne is quoted as saying "My feeling is that we will fluctuate between a large cult audience and a possible fluke mass success. [...] But our intention is to make hits."[9]
More Songs About Buildings And Food (1978)
Following tour across Europe, David Byrne "suffered extreme exhaustion" and the group ended up cancelling a number of concert dates in California.[10] They would resume touring in May of 1978.
Although made up of songs the band had been preforming since before they were signed to a record contract, their second studio album More Songs About Buildings and Food was notable for being the band's first collaboration with the producer Brian Eno. Critics at the time noticed this change, noting that the album "leaps above [Talking Heads: 77], largely because of the production work of Briant Eno [...] this is an album you can dance to."[11]
release of singles, touring, American Bandstand, Saturday Night Live, etc.
It saw the band move toward an increasingly danceable style, crossing singer David Byrne's unusual delivery with a new emphasis on the rhythm section composed of bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz.
Eno's unusual style meshed with the group's artistic sensibilities, and they began to explore an increasingly diverse range of musical directions, from psychedelic funk to African music, influenced prominently by Fela Kuti and Parliament-Funkadelic.
Fear of Music (1979)
# Write stuff here about the Fear of Music sessions, release, touring, more exposure
Remain in Light (1980)
# Same thing here
Solo projects (1981)
The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)
Speaking in Tongues (1983)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Little Creatures (1985)
True Stories (1986)
Naked (1987-1988)
Final years (1988-1991)
Post-breakup (1992-now)
See Also
References
- ↑ Barfield, Mick, and Tom Turner. “The “Heads” Talk.” The Centre College Cento, 28 Apr. 1978, ghostarchive.org/archive/bkmtG. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
- ↑ Margulies, Stu. “The Enigmatic Influence of Rock N’ Roller Lou Reed.” The News, 17 Mar. 1978, ghostarchive.org/archive/l7V1y?wr=false. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
- ↑ Morse, Steve. “An Arty Rock Beat.” The Boston Globe, 22 Jan. 1977, ghostarchive.org/archive/vyrr2. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
- ↑ Goddard, Peter. “Raw-Boned Punk Rock Band an Intellectual Phenomenon.” The Toronto Star, 28 Jan. 1977, ghostarchive.org/archive/N7dUi. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
- ↑ Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 Aron, Michael. “Talking Heads: Some Serious Fun.” Traverse City Record-Eagle, 21 Oct. 1977, https://ghostarchive.org/archive/ys9bo
- ↑ Mieses, Stan. “Sounds.” Redlands Daily Facts, 5 Sept. 1977, https://ghostarchive.org/archive/SwejV. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
- ↑ Jump up to: 7.0 7.1 Lueck, Terry. “Nashville Tastes “New Wave.”” The Tennessean, 28 Nov. 1977, ghostarchive.org/archive/aXT4C. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
- ↑ Mcmrak, Bob. “'Twas a Very Bad Year for the Music World.” Gloucester County Times, 30 Dec. 1977, ghostarchive.org/archive/ZIJvw. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
- ↑ Hosie, Evan. “Talking Heads Wow 'Em at Keystone.” The Independent, 16 Dec. 1977, https://ghostarchive.org/archive/evUlc. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
- ↑ Kelp, Larry. “Talking Heads Cancel.” Oakland Tribune, 10 Feb. 1978, ghostarchive.org/archive/UXx4E. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
- ↑ Yarrow, Russ. “Thinking Bands.” Contra Costa Times, 31 July 1978, ghostarchive.org/archive/ASczl. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.