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Talking Heads have released a raw 1975 demo of their classic song, “Psycho Killer,” as the latest preview of their upcoming archival release, Tentative Decisions: Demos & Live. Stream it below.
This is the first time the demo has been available digitally. One of the earliest recordings by the original trio of David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth, it retains the iconic bassline of the released version, but is missing the electric guitar flourishes that Jerry Harrison would later add.
Byrne’s vocals also struggle to cut through the mix, but the bones of the track are all there. The 1975 demo was recorded at CBS Studios during a session that produced rough cuts of several other songs from Talking Heads’ first two albums, including “Don’t Worry About the Government,” “The Book I Read,” “Thank You for Sending Me an Angel,” and “Stay Hungry.”
Tentative Decisions: Demos & Live is set for release on March 6th via Rhino. It also features a previously released demo of “Love Goes to a Building on Fire.” Pre-orders are ongoing.
The archival collection is the latest installment of Talking Heads’ extended 50th anniversary celebration, which has included a tribute album version of Stop Making Sense from A24, the first-ever “Psycho Killer” music video, and a deluxe edition of Talking Heads: 77.
Meanwhile, David Byrne is set to kick off his spring North American tour in support of his recent album Who Is the Sky? beginning in April. See all the dates, and get tickets here.
English (US) · 