Album Preview: “Tentative Decisions: Demos & Live” by Talking Heads
by Jade Delben
Talking Heads have announced an expanded CD version of Tentative Decisions: Demos & Live, which was previously a Record Store Day Black Friday-exclusive, set to release on March 6th.
Although their best-known material was recorded as a quartet with David Byrne (guitar, vocals), Jerry Harrison (guitar, keyboard, vocals), Chris Frantz (drums), and Tina Weymouth (bass), Talking Heads performed as a trio and recorded several demos in 1975 and 1976 prior to Harrison joining the band. The RSD release of Tentative Decisions marks the first time recordings of the trio period have been released since live footage from 1975 and 1976 appeared on the 2011 Chronology DVD.
Disc one of the CD version of Tentative Decisions comprises everything from the RSD release, including home demos from September 1975 and throughout 1976, a live recording from 1976, and versions of “Psycho Killer” and “Warning Sign” recorded by David Byrne and Chris Frantz’s previous band The Artistics in 1974. Apart from some lyrical rewrites and sections of songs being dropped or reworked, everything on this disc is recognizable to those familiar with the original recordings.
Overall, it provides a nice overview of the period, showing that the band’s distinctive sound was present even while its repertoire was in flux. Despite being an amateur bassist at the time, Weymouth’s basslines propel the songs forward and provide melodic counterpoint to Byrne’s vocals. Surprises like organ or hand percussion on the September 1975 demos of “Psycho Killer” and “Warning Sign” demonstrate a willingness to experiment and, strangely, foreshadow the band’s future sonic experiments on albums like Remain in Light.
Of particular interest to Talking Heads superfans are the 1974 versions of “Psycho Killer” and “Warning Sign.” While the arrangement of “Psycho Killer” remained largely the same from 1974 to 1975, it and “Warning Sign” show Byrne and Frantz’s adhering to the then-dominant style of punk rock arrangement. “Psycho Killer” is less funky, featuring more aggressive rhythm and lead guitar playing, and “Warning Sign” is almost completely different; although it shares common elements with future versions, it sounds much more like The Velvet Underground than Talking Heads.
