Talking Heads "The Name Of The Band is Talking Heads" opinions?

Brilliant album. I only have the expanded edition, but it does give the tracklisting option for the original (I haven't tried that though). I love Stop Making Sense as well, and wouldn't rank them against each other. Love them both.

For a band that used the studio so well, their live sound was really effective. I'd pick the expanded disc 2 of this album and the expanded Stop Making Sense over the two studio albums they were promoting on those tours.

 

Quick question: where did the original cassette version place the “Cities” bonus track? Was it integrated into the sequence or just dumped at the end?

 

Amazing journey

 

I have the US cassette version. It doesn't contain "Cities". I wasn't aware that "Cities" appears on any version of the original album (cassette or otherwise).

There is a live version of "Cities" taken from the well-circulated 1979 Berkley Performance Center show which shows up as b-side for the "Cities" single in 1980, though. (Other cuts from this show, but not "Cities", show up on the expanded TNOTBITH).

 

Interesting. My question was based on a the Wiki entry for the album (“The cassette edition of the album included "Cities", a bonus track not included on the vinyl edition, which also appeared on the subsequent CD release”), which is consistent with a notation in the CD liner notes (“Track 4 was first issued on the cassette version of The Name Of The Band Is Talking Heads”). But like your copy, none of the cassette entries of the album on Discogs list the song either (unless I’m missing something).

 

Very curious. I forgot about that odd credit in the CD reissue (it's packed away for me right now). This makes me suspect 1 of 2 possibilities:

1. There is a cassette version out there with "Cities" as a bonus track that isn't collected on Discogs, or

2. When the CD version was being compiled, someone who was aware of the "Cities" 7" from 1980 mistakenly assumed the live b-side must have been a bonus track from the cassette version of TNOTBITH.

 

A third possibility occurs to me (one you might be able to debunk immediately): could it be an unlisted bonus track? Cassettes can be such a clunky format, I imagine most of the Discog entries are simply transcribed from the labels. I don’t know if it’s the same for you but it’s been a long time since I last listened to any of my old cassettes.

Of course, it’s hard to see the marketing value in not listing a bonus track but it has happened on occasion.

 

I haven’t had the cassette in decades but I don’t recall it having a bonus track versi0n of “Cities”. Memory is a funky thing though so I could be wrong.

 

Is the expanded version available on HDTracks? I’m checking. Reading Chris Franz autobiography right now, does he have a photographic memory? Details!

EDIT: no, boo, not on HDTracks.

 

I still like SMS more

 

I love David Byrne's vocals, particularly on the first disc. Just so playful.

 

Great album. I went to two of the shows where the album was recorded (Capitol Theater and Central Park). I also went to the first show where the big band premiered at Heatwave in Hamilton, Ontario which was a couple of day before the Central Park show.

I am probably in the minority here but I prefer the 1979 tour to any other. They were incredible. This was the Capitol show and I also saw them at Queens College and at Irving Plaza. Just an astonishing run of live shows.

 

Half way through the book I got tired of his listing every little detail of what they ate, which restaurant they went to, and the constant name dropping. Add in constant jabs at belittling Byrne and honestly, I was just annoyed in the end. YMMV.

 

I agree. I started skipping parts, never a good sign. Started this right after finishing Chrissy Hynde’s book Reckless, which was an incredible read.

 

I couldn’t put Chris’s book down. I thought it was great. The only parts I didn’t like was all of the drugs Chris took.
I never felt Chris was belittling Byrne.

 

He kept a diary.

 

TNOTBITH completely smokes Stop Making Sense and is one of the most under recognised Great Live Albums. The expanded band with Adrian seethes and rumbles.

 

Are you sure you read the right book?

 

Anything by Talking Heads is worth taking the time to listen.

 

I hope so.

 

I went ahead and ordered the TNOTBITH CD even though many here are hearing it as brick walled. A shame if it is

I did listen to the 2 CD Sand In the Vaseline today and it sounds fine, not too loud. 1992 mastering.