Talking Heads live in Toronto (1977)

[@arthurboardman1253]

Whatever the bad quality, this is showing an inspired band, in their beginning, and they were already amazing

[@dreadful-twerp]

This may be just a film of, I presume, a black-and-white television broadcast of a shaky hand-held camera recording of a small venue performance with mediocre acoustics, but it is an absolute treasure! So glad this was preserved.

[@katherineLGV]

Tim Hart early video. fck those cameras were huge. and heavy. and temperamental. noticed one spot where maybe the camera kacked out and had to be swapped for another... also the tape runs out at one point! ha! those were the days... the venue was A Space an extremely cool art gallery in Toronto.

[@Dularr]

@@katherineLGV looks like betamax

[@katherineLGV]

@@Dularr ooh... now I wanna know! coulda been. I'll ask around. let you know here if I find the answer.

[@katherineLGV]

@@Dularr you are correct sir! it was Beta. chatting with a friend - who worked the door for this show, and remains friendly with David Byrne to this day - the question came up. I then couldn't help but recall... of course it was. thanks for stirring up those memories!

[@chemistryset1]

Byrne absolutely throttling that 12-string acoustic - great tight rhythm by him as always.

[@claudiociccozzi3499]

Power trio second only to the Jimi Hendrix Experience and perhaps the Police!!! Thanks for this Historical VIDEO!!!❤❤❤

[@lauracook8203]

Cream. ZZ Top.

[@claudiociccozzi3499]

@@lauracook8203 Yeah you right, there are a lot of Power Trio, but who changed the game? Everybody were original?JHE was something unrepeatable, unique! 👍

[@edgeof60]

No apologies for the quality, this is an amazing document of a band destined for greatness.

[@chemistryset1]

That is a stellar, soulful version of The Book I Read

[@LigitPictures]

Holy crap! Crazy that this exists

[@tedparkinson6892]

In Remain in Love, Chris Frantz talks about driving to Toronto in a van and playing there. A huge snowstorm came in which delayed their return to New York. After an extra day or two Chris and Tina could not find David for the drive back. So he called their manager in New York who said "Oh, David flew back on the plane yesterday, he's in New York!". Nice guy! 🙂

[@Ami483]

they didn't care about him so he left without saying a word

[@paolomolinari335]

I'm just cryin' 😭😭😭

[@maxolotl3]

Very prescient of whomever recorded this. Amazing to hear early trio Heads.

[@katherineLGV]

Toronto and NYC artists had pretty tight connections in the late '70s. a lot of very cool people... it was a great time to be young and creative. no one really worried about the future much. we just took every opportunity that came along and documented. everything we possibly could. only one thing - nobody kept journals. so we have lots of cool documentation, but the details are faded or lost... Note to kids: keep journals!!! you think "I'll always remember this", but sadly - you won't...

[@marlenaschewaga8817]

Was this their first performance in Toronto at the Art College of Ontario? My friend Steve, who was a very early Talking Heads fan, and I were there. Long time ago now but what I remember, other than their being great, was that the show was held in the cafeteria, I think, and there was a very small turnout between their newness and really bad winter weather that day....Steve and I often marvelled about our good fortune of being one of the few people to witness them so early in their ascension in such a humble and intimate setting. Became a massive fan and bought all their albums but this remained my one and only live performance of theirs even though I was a frequent concert goer. I had no idea this footage existed and it brings a fabulous evening and time in my life back so vividly. Thank you, whoever you are, for finding and posting this.

[@OhNoCompassion]

This video is at A Space Gallery on January 27th (their first ever performance outside of the US, a fact I didn't realise when uploading but just found out while checking now) The day after this (January 28th) they performed at the Art College, but that one has no recording as far as I know - but the two will be pretty equivalent sets/performances, so this is pretty much the same as what the Art College performance would have looked and sounded like

[@marlenaschewaga8817]

@@OhNoCompassion Thank you so much for this information. Still thrilled to see this footage from so long ago and yes, it sure does look like what I remember about the show the next day. 💜Marlena

[@SEPNWMAN]

I know the TH's are not for everyone, but one has to appreciate that they busted through some well rooted musical conventions with their totally unique sound! Traveled across the deep south in '80 enthralled with this new, inventive, quirky sound. Pretty much wore out the cassette tape! Thanks for the trip back.✌️(means "peace" from that Era. Hope not to offend anyone with what it might mean today!)

[@thebox505]

Questions for lovers sound great, shame it’s not clearly recorded and released

[@kat4444444444]

Interesting! I love seeing how different musical styles differ over the years.

[@RonaldWilliams-lp3bg]

Now this is really early talking heads I absolutely love it 👍🥁🥁 psycho killer I really like the intensity and rawness in David's singing 👍 yes my favorite song by them psycho killer !!!👍👍🥁🥁

[@josephhuether1184]

Totally unique! I remember seeing them during this period. Small rooms, small audiences, tight and utterly riveting. It’s interesting to compare “Talking Heads - 1975 The CBS Demos” with “Talking Heads 77” produced by Tony Bongiovi, and “More Songs about Buildings and Food” produced by Brian Eno. Bongiovi went for more of a pop / disco / glam vibe…which was his thing. Eno went for a darker and IMO muddier “art rock” vibe. Neither IMO “got it” quite right. I really think live recordings like this one and the CBS Sessions capture the true essence of their great band in their early days. It was really tailor made for small rooms and boy, was it phenomenal. Over time the audiences, venues and popularity grew and the band evolved into the big-show sound of their 1980s phases. In 1984 I saw them in Nashville TN. Veterans Auditorium general admission. Only about 150 people in the audience…general admission. It was like having one of the best bands in the world playing for your HS dance.

[@jasonlefler3456]

A couple of comments…first, thank you very much for the upload! It’s great to hear Questions For Lovers, which I didn’t know existed. Very nice! Also, I like slightly doomy buzz in between tracks, especially after a song so nice and gentle as Happy Day. This is one helluva document. I was only two years old and living in California when it happened. i naturally couldn’t make it. So again, thank you!

[@bartwoods6192]

I didn't realize that a lot of their hit songs were being performed before they had recorded their first album. Take me to the river was the song that I heard first from them and I bought the 45 single with the picture sleeve when it was new.

[@georgebethos7890]

Thanks so much for posting this. I remember seeing the three member group back in 1975 at CBGB and I had several cassette tapes long-lost that I treasured. I really like the sound of the three member group and I've been waiting for someone to post some recording of it somewhere. Thanks again

[@moejama64]

Sometime I wonder where the instruments and other equipment that famous bands play early on go. Like they must still be floating around out in the market somewhere in antique stores for someone to buy, not knowing the connections it has. I still want to know what happened to the Duo-Sonic II David played at the Kitchen, that thing looked sick. Maybe he still has it but I doubt it. The Duo-Sonic and Mustang weren't really cool until Kurt Kobain 20 years after he stopped playing it, so he probably sold it and now some lad in NY probably owns nothing more than a modded Duo-Sonic. I do this with a lot of thing like movie props because its kind of fun to think that a lamp that was in Back to the Future or something is just in some grandmas house...

[@OhNoCompassion]

very interesting questions there! it's a shame they're so hard to find an answer to, but that probably is the case for quite a lot of equipment

[@lauracook8203]

Try the internet..

[@katherineLGV]

looking back... one thing I didn't notice before (or forgot) - the way Tina and Chris keep their eyes glued to David Byrne... don't think I've EVER seen that in a band before... Tina looks almost like she's afraid of him. I've heard he made her audition twice. dunno if it's true... so great to see this again after so many years!!!

[@tedparkinson6892]

They were all living together in a very grotty industrial space in NYC at the time. Remain in Love is a great read about all those years and the band's evolution. There was an 'audition' episode but much later.

[@katherineLGV]

@@tedparkinson6892 it was just an indication, then of Chris and Tina's musicianship. like an orchestra or choir keeps eyes on the conductor at all times. living and creating together, they likely could read subtle signals from David... part of why we have the pleasure of hearing one tight little unit - 40+ years later.

[@edgeof60]

They first met as art students at RISD. Somehow I doubt the audition process was that rigorous.

[@katherineLGV]

@@edgeof60 mm... someone on here explained that that DID happen - but further on down the road... no details though.

[@guillermocastiglioni8261]

Excelente material! Muchas graciaaaas!!

[@willjohnson4798]

This is absolute gold!! Thank you so much! :)

[@zhoulijun6296]

"Thankyou very much"

[@metroboliqueakameteobolik5938]

Great! Tnx!

[@rondixon7475]

I was there.

[@m900mwk]

I believe this was filmed by Rick/Simon. He told me long ago he videoed the show at OCA, But wouldn’t give me a copy lol.

[@m900mwk]

I should clarify, Rick/Simon is a Toronto based artist. We worked together on the 80’s. He had said he’d videotaped Talking Heads first gig, so I’d presume it was the OCA (Ontario College of Art) show not the A-Space (art gallery) show… but maybe he did both? He’s still breathing…. Over to you Rick: and start making proper copies.

[@gwimyeon]

!

[@Motiv8SkateShop]

oh the humanity ....

[@angelika11110]

💙

[@terryharasym4512]

This could have been at A Space. An artist-run gallery. Some were creating video art, black and white.

[@aabronson]

Yes, it was indeed at A Space.

[@schichter]

Did you film this and do you own the copyright? I would love permission to use approximately 20 seconds of this video in a documentary film I'm directing if possible. If you have an HQ version that would be incredible too.

[@MOUBARRET]

👁El ojo

[@ianrobbins]

Sony Portapac

[@briansmith2163]

Quirky front man ? Hi. My name is Jerry Harrison.

[@dukealbert7017]

Where do you unearth this stuff????

[@OhNoCompassion]

Various places around the internet, there's still a lot out I have yet to find

[@metroboliqueakameteobolik5938]

@@OhNoCompassion for example....?

[@OhNoCompassion]

@@metroboliqueakameteobolik5938 websites for concert bootleg torrenting, Soulseek, talking to other people who collect

[@OhNoCompassion]

@@metroboliqueakameteobolik5938 although if you mean examples of stuff I have yet to find - not much comes to mind right now but there's definitely more stuff out there that hasn't been unearthed yet

[@wegder]

When did Jerry join?

[@NOWtheband]

1977

[@Pilcha.]

February 1977

[@rondixon7475]

I think I have my ticket stub. Very low tech.

[@yourfairyking]

?

[@OhNoCompassion]

for lovers

[@schichter]

Did you film this and do you own the copyright? I would love permission to use approximately 20 seconds of this video in a documentary film I'm directing if possible.