Okay. so I’ve been busy. Work and home is buzzing with activity, not to mention faint signs of a social life, so can you blame me for just finding out today from commenter schwenko that there’s a new ultrabox vying for our consumer dollar? This time, its perennial Unhappy Family of New Wave® TVLKINGHEVDS who have seemingly found the time and space to overcome their strained relationships to arrive at a consensus.
And the first fruits of what I’m sure will be a massive reissue campaign will reach our ears on November 8th, 2024 with the HYPR DLX version of their beguiling debut album, “TALKINGHEADS: 77.” It was 2006 when their catalogue last got the full attention for the ambitious DualDisc program that saw the albums remixed by Jerry Harrison in 5.1 surround sound on one side of the disc [compatible with DVD] and the albums with a handful of bonus tracks on the CD readable side.
Back then the band issued all eight studio albums in DualDisc format a plastic box called “brick” and now that will set you back many hundreds of dollars. The new boxes will cost a fraction of that and will feature further extra features to make the deal sweeter. And the package comes in LP and CD versions, thankfully.
TVLKINGHEVDS: TVLKINGHEVDS: 77 – 3xCD + Blu-Ray [2024]
DISC 1 – Original Album
- Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town
- New Feeling
- Tentative Decisions
- Happy Day
- Who Is It?
- No Compassion
- The Book I Read
- Don’t Worry About the Government
- First Week/Last Week… Carefree
- Psycho Killer
- Pulled Up
DISC 2 – Outtakes/Alternates/Rarities
- Sugar on My Tongue
- I Want to Live
- (Love Goes To) Building On Fire
- I Wish You Wouldn’t Say That
- Psycho Killer (Acoustic)
- Uh-Oh Love Comes to Town (Alternate Pop Version)
- New Feeling (Alternate Pop Version)
- Pulled Up (Alternate Pop Version) [Previously Unreleased]
- Stay Hungry (1977 Version)
- First Week/Last Week… Carefree (Acoustic)
- I Feel It in My Heart
- Psycho Killer (Alternate Version) [Previously Unreleased]
DISC 3 – Live @ CBGB 10-10-77
- (Love Goes To) Building On Fire
- Don’t Worry About the Government
- The Book I Read
- New Feeling
- A Clean Break
- No Compassion
- Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
- Who Is It?
- Pulled Up
- Uh-Oh Love Comes to Town
- Psycho Killer
- Stay Hungry
DISC 4 – Live @ CBGB 10-10-77
- Atmos Mix of Talking Heads: 77
- 5.1 Mix of Talking Heads: 77
- Hi-Resolution Stereo of Talking Heads: 77
And the whole shebang is wrapped up in a 80 page hardcover box with full participation of the entire band and undoubtedly stuffed with memories and ephemera. The Blu-Ray has what I’ll assume are the 2006 5.1 remixes by Harrison as well as au courant Dolby Atmos® mixes and high-res 2.0 files because there’s room for lots on a Blu-Ray!
As someone who has a few of the Dual Discs, as well as the “Sand In The Vaseline” compilation which had a few of these rarities already, as well as DLX RMs of both live albums [and then some], I’m not sure that this one is calling loudly to me. Especially when taking the price of admission into consideration.
The three formats will cover most person’s points of interest. There will be the following choices:
- CD/Blu-Ray box: 3xCD, Blu-Ray, 80 pp. hardcover book @ $99.98
- LP box: 4xLP, 4×7″, 80 pp. hardcover book @ $149.98
- Gatefold 2xLP: original LP, outtakes/alternatives/rarities LP @ $34.98
I like that debut album, but not that much. Depending on the way it plays out, I may buy-in on “Fear Of Music” or “Remain In Light.”‘ My two absolute faves from the band, but seeing how I have plenty of live recordings of those eras and the Dual-Discs of those…we’ll adopt a wait-and-see posture. For this who can’t wait, then all I have to say is…DJ hit that button!
-30-
![Want List: Visage DLX RM […finally!]](https://i0.wp.com/postpunkmonk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/visage-dlxrmuscda.jpeg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1)
Post-Punk Monk 
Looks like an interesting compilation but way over priced.
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Ray Solomon – Yes, but… those books add a third to the price of any ultrabox. Do I like them? Yes. Do I like their cost? No. But I have them in the ultraboxes I have of “Roxy Music” and “Sign ‘O The Times.” And I bought those when in generous pre-sale in the case of Prince and a great online vendor and a generous flash sale in the case of Roxy. Would I pay $60 for this set? Yes – if I wanted it. Is it viable? Maybe not.
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I think like a lot of these box sets, it will end up being discounted, as I can’t see them selling many copies at that price.
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I’m tempted to get all eight box sets as they are released. However I agree that the price is way too much. I’ll sit it out and await a drop in price.
I have the 2006 reissues but I’m expecting further goodies across these reissues. It’s interesting that in the U.S you got the brick with dual discs. Here in Europe we just got a separate CD and DVD for each album and all were sold separately. I always thought that there must be further material available for a proper box set of each album. At last we are getting more.
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I’d probably grab this*, overpriced though it is, if it has all of the material previously issued on earlier expanded releases included. I agree that if I can get it cheaper it would be even more attractive, but this album in particular probably has a limited audience compared to Fear of Music onwards so I might just have to swallow hard and hit that button.
*and most if not all of the future ones.
I was today years old (as the kids say™) when I learned that Brick even existed, but I’ve always had a deep suspicion of trendy hybrid formats, so I would have skipped that anyway in all likelihood. BTW, when the hell is 8-track coming back??
Also, I sneer and laugh at the $50 Hipster Tax™ on the deluxe vi-NIL package. That said, I freely admit that my dislike of the revival of vinyl (revi-nyl?) comes in part from having lived in Florida, where no place outside your refrigerator was safe for the stuff.
I have plenty of OG vinyl in my collection of artists of interest, but an aversion to the gross overpricing of new vinyl these days reissues stays my hand.
I flunked out of “Obsessive Comprehensive Collector at Any Cost” school, clearly.
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I have the original albums on vinyl. I just want the first two discs on CD. There are enough boots out there I’m pretty sure I’ve heard this particular set. *shrug*
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