Talking Heads’ seminal live performance recorded for WCOZ-FM in 1977 will be released in full for the first time on Record Store Day 2024. While parts of the show appeared on the band’s 1983 live album, ‘The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads’ and its subsequent 2004 reissue, this marks the first time the entire 14-song concert will be available.
Limited to 13,300 copies worldwide, ‘Live At WCOZ 77’ will be released as a double album exclusively at select independent music retailers on April 20. The LPs were cut at 45 RPM to optimize audio fidelity and sourced from the original two-track tapes, which were recorded and mixed by Ed Stasium.
Recorded on November 17, 1977, at Northern Studio near Boston and broadcast on WCOZ, this seminal performance took place just two months after the band released its debut, ‘Talking Heads ’77.’ At the show, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, and Tina Weymouth played more than half of the album’s tracks, including the previously unreleased version of ‘Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town’ featured on the upcoming collection.
In addition, the show’s setlist also boasts early renditions of five songs destined for the band’s next album, ‘More Songs About Buildings and Food’ (1978). All of those recordings have, until now, remained in the vaults, including versions of ‘Take Me To The River’, ‘The Good Thing’, and ‘Thank You For Sending Me An Angel’.
This remarkable live recording captures a pivotal moment in Talking Head’s trajectory as the band embarked on a groundbreaking 11-year journey, one that would produce eight studio albums and two live albums, including the double-platinum masterpiece Stop Making Sense, which celebrated its 40th-anniversary last year. The legendary concert film returned to select theaters across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. earlier this year.
‘LIVE AT WCOZ 77’ tracklist:
LP One
Side One
01. Love Goes To A Building On Fire *
02. Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town *
03. Don’t Worry About The Government
04. Take Me To The River *
Side Two
01. The Book I Read
02. New Feeling
03. A Clean Break (Let’s Work)
LP Two
Side One
01. The Big Country *
02. The Good Thing *
03. Stay Hungry *
Side Two
01. Thank You For Sending Me An Angel
02. Who Is It?
03. Psycho Killer
04. Pulled Up
* previously unreleased