Talking Heads came charging out of New York’s 1970s underground music scene with the sort of tight grooves and hooky riffs that almost guaranteed the iconic status the decades would bequeath them.
Following the release of the Head's intensely original debut album, Talking Heads: 77 in 1977, the band were teetering on the edge of stardom. Their 1978 follow up, More Songs About Buildings and Food came with a sultry cover of Al Green’s “Take Me To The River” which, with the incredible Brian Eno in the producer’s chair, was transformed into a cool funk smash to earn them their first spot on the Billboard Top 30.
It was enough to get the attention of legendary TV host, Dick Clark who invited Talking Heads to perform the song live on American Bandstand. With David Byrne’s captivating nervous energy at the forefront, watch as mainstream America are introduced to New York’s arty underground Talking Heads' 1979 debut TV performance on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.
The Talking Heads | “Take Me To The River” [Live on American Bandstand, 1979]
Talking Heads might not have been the sort of polished pop performers audiences would usually expect to see on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, they were certainly the sort of future legends Clark is credited with giving their first exposure to national audiences, including Iggy Pop, Ike & Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Prince and Madonna.
GET TALKING HEADS VINYL, HERE.
Listen to Talking Heads on Spotify:
Listen to Talking Heads on Apple Music:
