Talking Heads - 77 CD/DVD Dual Disc Remastered Review
Posted by John Malady on 04.08.2006
Remastered with bonus tracks and video!!! 5.1 Surround sound mix!!! The album alone is worth the price of admission so this is an early birthday gift! Happy Birthday Everyone!
Talking Heads: 77 Remastered CD/DVD Dual Disc
Original release date: September 16th 1977/ New reissue: 1/10/2006
Label: Sire/Warner Bros./Rhino
Talking Heads were quite a unique band whether you loved them or hated them. They had an originality all their own and at the same time their music had a familiar rooted sound to it that made them so much more than just another rock band. They are perhaps the first American band to be christened with the now overused term "art rock" but they are much more than that and the newly reissued debut album 77 shows that right from the get go Talking Heads definitely had art in mind but you have to look deeper than the surface for it because on top they want you to dance. It is this quality of their sound that made Talking Heads one of the few bands that could be popular worldwide and still appeal to the die hard music fans that reject popular music.
Perhaps Talking Heads were labeled as art rock because the founding members: Guitarist/vocalist David Byrne, Drummer Chris Franz, and Bassist Tina Weymouth met at the Rhode Island School of Design in the early 70's and moved to New York together in 1974 to concentrate on music. A year after relocating they got an opening slot for The Ramones at the legendary NY club CBGB's. Adding Keyboardist Jerry Harrison to the lineup in 1976 finalized the band and they signed with Sire records and released 77 on September 16th 1977. 77 garnished them quite a few accolades from critics who praised the stripped down sound of the band and the bizarre vocals/lyrics of David Byrne. Well it is the year 2006 now and almost 30 years have passed since they recorded and released 77 and I think it sounds as inventive and fresh as it did back in 1977.
77 is a definitive record not only for Talking Heads and their successful career that would follow but for rock music in general. There are not many albums that sound original and fresh almost 30 years after they were released. No band has ever sounded like this and their influence on rock and other genres of music is heard throughout 77. This record changed the music landscape of what rock n roll is, should, or can be. This an album that has been reviewed a zillion times and has been picked apart note for note, lyric for lyric but I am here to tell you that this is one damn interesting, original, and great record. The 2006 reissue CD/DVD dual disc has some great extras added to it besides the remastering being executed extremely well. You can listen to the CD side and you get the full remastered album plus 5 bonus tracks with 1 being a previously unreleased track. Flip the disc over to the DVD side and you can play it as audio in your DVD player with a 5.1 surround sound mix, check out a photo gallery, and watch 2 old Talking Heads performances. This reissue is a must have for die hard fans of Talking Heads and a must have for any die hard fan of rock n' roll in all its shapes and sizes. What are you waiting for? Go get this now and smile while you shake your ass to the groove.
The 411: The 411: The sound on both sides of this dual disc kick major ass. The bonus tracks are great. The bonus videos are true classics. 77 is a definitive record still knocking down music genres in its wake 29 years after its initial release. Impossible to categorize and bursting with original sound and thought Talking Heads:77 is truly one of the greats. A classic album that should find its place among your CD collection if you are a fan of rock music.
