In 1973, Rhode Island School of Design students David Byrne (guitar and vocals) and Chris Frantz (drums), formed a band, The Artistics, with fellow student Tina Weymouth, Frantz's girlfriend, often provided transportation. The Artistics dissolved the following year, and the three moved to New York City, eventually sharing a communal loft. After they were unable to find a bassist, Weymouth took up the role, with Frantz encouraging Weymouth to learn to play bass by listening to Suzi Quatro albums. Byrne asked Weymouth to audition three times before she joined the band, and they played their first gig as Talking Heads opening for the Ramones at CBGBs on 5 June 1975. According to Weymouth, the name Talking Heads came from an issue of TV Guide, which explained the term used by TV studios to describe a head-and-shoulder shot of a person talking as 'all content, no action'. Later that year, the band recorded a series of demos for CBS, but, surprisingly, did not receive a record contract. However, they were building up a following and they signed to Sire Records in November 1976. They released their first single in February the following year, 'Love → Building on Fire', and in March 1977, they added Jerry Harrison, formerly of Jonathan Richman's band the Modern Lovers, on keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals, cementing the classic line-up of the band. So that we can hear what CBS couldn't appreciate, here are those 1975 demos, recorded by the three piece Talking Heads.
Track listing
01 Psycho Killer
02 Sugar On My Tongue
03 Thank You for Sending Me An Angel
04 I Want To Live
05 I Wish You Wouldn’t Say That
06 The Girls Want To Be With The Girls
07 Who Is It
08 With Our Love
09 Stay Hungry
10 Tentative Decisions
11 Warning Sign
12 I'm Not In Love
13 The Book I Read
14 Love→Building On Fire
15 No Compassion
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