Talking Heads’ debut studio album, Talking Heads: 77, is being reissued in a deluxe box set.
Split across four pieces of vinyl, as well as four seven-inch singles, the set takes in the remastered original album; one 12-inch record of rare and previously unreleased demos and outtakes; and two 12-inch records featuring recordings of the band’s October 1977 performance at New York venue CBGB.
The seven-inch singles are set in a gatefold sleeve with a black-and-white image of the band, while the box set also includes an 80-page hardcover book comprising unseen photos, flyers and artwork and liner notes written by each member of the band.
Among the rarities featured within the collection is an acoustic version of the band’s classic single ‘Psycho Killer’, featuring contributions from Arthur Russell. You can listen to that below.
In a statement about the Russell-accompanied version of ‘Psycho Killer’, Talking Heads’ David Byrne said: “We knew cellist and singer/songwriter Arthur Russell from the downtown world. He died early from AIDS, and during his life, he released very disparate records – spacey tunes on the album World Of Echo and disco club tunes under the name Dinosaur L. He left a huge legacy of recordings, which are still filtering out 40 years after his passing.
“I remember seeing him play Philip Glass music for a Mabou Mines production of a Beckett play. I think Beckett’s folks hated it, as they didn’t want there to be music in his plays. So it wasn’t a huge stretch that we’d invite Arthur to arrange and play on an alternate version of ‘Psycho Killer’. Somewhat perversely, I always saw the song as being a slightly more intimate folk rock thing rather than the rock song that folks seemed to love. So I had a special attachment to this version.”
Rhino will release Talking Heads: 77 (Super Deluxe Edition) on November 8, 2024.
