Deep into the vault

The first time I ever became introduced to The Talking Heads, it was during the 15th year Anniversary of Saturday Night Live. The clip was from either 83’ or 84’, when a cast of talented comedic minds, like Billy Crystal and Harry Shearer were negated in crappiness by Martin Short and some less than talented cast of characters that would almost get the famous comedy troop cancelled. It depicted a man in giant business garb, while circular lights flashed around him. With every flash of light, the actor would flinch and then ponder “You may ask yourself…..why such a big suit.” It would take me several years to realize that the singer being satirized was David Byrne, lead man for an obscure 80’s band that I remember hearing of vaguely during my early grammar school years in the mid 1980’s. It would take me the better part of a decade and a half to appreciate them for anything more than 1980’s retro crap.

By the end of high-school, I had begun to ascride songs such as “Burning Down the House,” “Psycho Killer,” or “Once in a Lifetime” to them. When I began to realize that even more of their numbers were being covered routinely (and largely to me being unaware), I figured that they were worth sampling. When I finally got my hands on their album Remain In Light, I knew that I had come upon a band that helped redefine the entire shape of experimental music. The opening track, Born Under Punches, played like a wild medley of blistering bass licks, synthesizer fills, and guitar chords. It wove a wild web of experimental funk that set the tone for the rest of the album, and solidified this band’s place among the eternal gods of music. Knowing that Phish covered this album a few years back, coupled with the absolute rarity in finding the show from 10/31/96, made it so much more crucial for myself to find it. Soon after, I cam about a link on www.tyedye.net, that led me to a performance from the Heads. It was recorded at the Toronto Summer Fest in 1980, at the time when Remain in Light was released. The show itself is Rock Solid, although it should be noted that during the sound quality is far from exceptional (especially during “Once In A Lifetime” when an excited woman that must have been near the microphone began singing along to the lyrics in the most dischordant manner possible). On the whole it was magnificent performance. Although the Heads were by no means a jam band, there solid mix of tunes led to what I am sure was a splendid performance. Some Phans of the 4some from Vermont would discover the origins of the frequent cover Cities. Byrne’s version is quicker and more precise, an homage to their punk rock roots.

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