Talking Heads to release early demo version of ‘Psycho Killer’
Talking Heads have confirmed plans to release an early demo version of their classic song, ‘Psycho Killer’.
The iconic track was released as a single from their debut album, Talking Heads: 77. However, its history pre-dates the group adopting the moniker of Talking Heads, and now, the original version of ‘Psycho Killer’ is set to arrive.
The demo recording was made back when the band were students at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1974 and will finally be made available for Record Store Day Black Friday in the US on November 28th.
According to an interview given by the band’s Chris Frantz to the Boston Globe, the reel was sent to their teacher, Alan Sondheim, as he had a radio show in New York, and was later purchased by the Rhode Island School of Design Museum.
It was then given back to the band to remaster after they mentioned the lost tapes during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2023. It is part of a new collection, Tentative Decisions: Demos and Live, which also includes an early version of ‘Warning Sign’.
Talking Heads shared the news on social media, writing, “BEFORE THEY WERE TALKING HEADS: Band members Chris Frantz and David Byrne met at Rhode Island School of Design and made music as The Artistics. In the spring semester of 1974, the band gathered in Chris’s apartment to record a demo tape featuring tracks that eventually became classics in the Talking Heads discography – ‘Psycho Killer’ and ‘Warning Sign’.”
They continued, “Over 50 years later, you can now listen to this newly discovered material, plus live tracks recorded by the original trio lineup of Chris Frantz, David Byrne, and Tina Weymouth, on Tentative Decisions: Demos & Live.”
Talking Heads then clarified that it is only available at participating record stores from November 28th for Record Store Day’s Black Friday.
In June, Talking Heads released a new video for ‘Psycho Killer’ starring Irish actor Saoirse Ronan, which was released to celebrate 50 years since the band performed live together for the first time.
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