The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads

The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
Live album by Talking Heads
Released	March 24, 1982 (1982-03-24) August 17, 2004 (2004-08-17) (2004 Reissue)
Recorded	November 17, 1977 (1977-11-17)–February 27, 1981 (1981-02-27)
Genre	New wave/Art punk
Length	73:07 141:17 (2004 Reissue)
Label	Sire Rhino (2004 Reissue)
Producer	Talking Heads
Professional reviews
Metacritic (93%) link Allmusic 1982 2004 Pitchfork (9.2/10) 25 Aug 04 Robert Christgau (A-) link Seattle Weekly (favorable) 25 Aug 04
Talking Heads chronology
Remain in Light (1980) The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982) Speaking in Tongues (1983)

The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads is a double live album originally released in 1982. The first album featured the original quartet in recordings from 1977 and 1979, and the second album the expanded ten-piece Talking Heads that toured in 1980 and 1981. It contains live versions of songs that appear on Talking Heads: 77, More Songs About Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light.

The title of the album is both the group's response to the general public's constant and incorrect reference to the band as "The Talking Heads", and a reference to David Byrne's minimalist introductions to songs: "The name of this song is..."

An expanded version of the record, on CD in the United States for the first time, was released in 2004 by Sire/Warner Bros./Rhino. It duplicated the pattern of the original with the first disc featuring the quartet alone, and the second disc a ten-member band. Additional tracks from 1978 are among the eight extra songs on the first disc, and correct running order for the set from the larger band on the second disc.

The remastered & expanded edition of the album currently sits at number seven on the Metacritic list of all time best-reviewed albums.

Track listing

Original (1982) LP track listing

All songs written by David Byrne except as noted. ^[1]

Side one

Recorded for WCOZ broadcast, Norther Studios, Maynard MA, November 17, 1977 (1977-11-17) ^[1]

1. "New Feeling" - 3:10
2. "A Clean Break" - 4:57
3. "Don't Worry About the Government" - 3:08
4. "Pulled Up" - 4:08
5. "Psycho Killer" (Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth) - 5:34

Side two

Recorded at The Capitol Theater, Passaic NJ, January 17, 1979 (1979-01-17) ^[1]

1. "Artists Only" (Byrne, Wayne Zieve) - 3:48
2. "Stay Hungry" (Byrne, Frantz) - 4:00
3. "Air" - 4:09
4. "Love → Building on Fire" - 3:36
5. "Memories (Can't Wait)" (Byrne, Jerry Harrison) - 3:58

Side three

Recorded at Emerald City, Cherry Hill NJ, November 8, 1980 (1980-11-08)-November 9, 1980 (1980-11-09); Central Park, New York, August 27, 1980 (1980-08-27); Sun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 1981 (1981-02-27) ^[1]

1. "I Zimbra" (Hugo Ball, Byrne, Brian Eno) - 3:33
2. "Drugs" - 4:47
3. "Houses in Motion" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) - 7:00
4. "Life During Wartime" (Byrne, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 5:03

Side four

Recorded at Emerald City, Cherry Hill NJ, November 8, 1980 (1980-11-08)-November 9, 1980 (1980-11-09); Central Park, New York, August 27, 1980 (1980-08-27); Sun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 1981 (1981-02-27) ^[1]

1. "The Great Curve" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) - 6:58
2. "Crosseyed and Painless" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 7:05
3. "Take Me to the River" (Al Green, Teenie Hodges) - 6:43

2004 CD Reissue track listing

All songs written by David Byrne except as noted. Dates and places are for the first and following tracks. ^[2]

Disc one

1. "New Feeling" – 3:09 for WCOZ broadcast, Norther Studios, Maynard MA, November 17, 1977 (1977-11-17) ^[2]
2. "A Clean Break" – 5:05
3. "Don't Worry About The Government" – 3:03
4. "Pulled Up" – 4:04
5. "Psycho Killer" (Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth) – 5:31
6. "Who Is It" – 1:44
7. "The Book I Read" – 4:22
8. "The Big Country" – 5:09 for WXRT broadcast, Park West, Chicago, August 23, 1978 (1978-08-23) ^[2]
9. "I'm Not in Love" – 4:57 for KSAN broadcast, The Old Waldorf, San Francisco, September 16, 1978 (1978-09-16) ^[2]
10. "The Girls Want to Be with the Girls" – 3:44 at The Agora, Cleveland, December 18, 1978 (1978-12-18) ^[2]
11. "Electricity (Drugs)" – 3:28
12. "Found a Job" – 5:35
13. "Mind" – 4:56 for WBCN broadcast, Berklee School of Music, Boston, August 24, 1979 (1979-08-24) ^[2]
14. "Artists Only" (Byrne, Wayne Zieve) – 3:49 at The Capitol Theater, Passaic NJ,January 17, 1979 (1979-01-17) ^[2]
15. "Stay Hungry" (Byrne, Frantz) – 4:05
16. "Air" – 4:01
17. "Love → Building on Fire" – 3:47
18. "Memories (Can't Wait)" (Byrne, Jerry Harrison) – 3:44
19. "Heaven" (Byrne, Harrison) – 4:31

Disc two

1. "Psycho Killer" (Byrne, Frantz, Weymouth) – 5:33 at Sun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 1981 (1981-02-27) ^[2]
2. "Warning Sign" (Byrne, Frantz) – 5:40
3. "Stay Hungry" (Byrne, Frantz) – 3:56
4. "Cities" – 5:00 at Emerald City, Cherry Hill NJ, November 8, 1980 (1980-11-08)-November 9, 1980 (1980-11-09) ^[2]
5. "I Zimbra" (Hugo Ball, Byrne, Brian Eno) – 3:30
6. "Drugs (Electricity)" – 4:41
7. "Once in a Lifetime" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 5:57 at Sun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 1981 (1981-02-27) ^[2]
8. "Animals" – 4:05
9. "Houses in Motion" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 6:54 at Emerald City, Cherry Hill NJ, November 8, 1980 (1980-11-08)-November 9, 1980 (1980-11-09) ^[2]
10. "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 8:24 at Sun Plaza Concert Hall, Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 1981 (1981-02-27) ^[2]
11. "Crosseyed and Painless" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 5:58 at Emerald City, Cherry Hill NJ, November 8, 1980 (1980-11-08)-November 9, 1980 (1980-11-09); truncated version from original release ^[2]
12. "Life During Wartime" (Byrne, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 4:54 at Central Park, New York, August 27, 1980 (1980-08-27) ^[2]
13. "Take Me to the River" (Al Green, Teenie Hodges) – 6:33
14. "The Great Curve" (Byrne, Eno, Frantz, Harrison, Weymouth) – 6:42

Personnel

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

Additional personnel

• Adrian Belew – guitar, backing vocals
• Nona Hendryx – backing vocals
• Busta Jones – bass, guitar
• Dolette McDonald – percussion, backing vocals
• Steve Scales – conga
• Bernie Worrell – keyboards, vocals, backing vocals, clavinet
• Jon Hassell – horn
• Jose Rossy – percussion

Production personnel

• 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
• Gary Stewart – reissue producer
• Andy Zax – reissue producer
• Dave Artale – mixing engineer (reissue)
• Ken Rasek – mixing engineer (reissue)
• Bob Ludwig – remastering engineer

Charts

Album

Notes