The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads

The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads is a double live album by the American new wave band Talking Heads, released in 1982 by Sire Records. The first LP features the original quartet in concert and radio recordings in 1977 and 1979, and the second LP features the expanded ten-piece lineup that toured in 1980 and 1981.

Though a decent commercial and critical success upon release, The Name of This Band was somewhat overshadowed by Talking Heads' subsequent live album and concert film Stop Making Sense. However, it went on to attract greater retrospective acclaim, with critics remarking on its importance in documenting the band's artistic growth.

Reissues
An expanded version of the record was released on CD in 2004 by Sire/Warner Bros./Rhino, marking the album's first ever CD release in the United States. It duplicated the pattern of the original album, with the first disc featuring the quartet alone and the second disc the ten-member band. Eight additional performances from 1978 and 1979 were added to the first disc, and seven additional tracks from the 1980–81 tour were added to the second disc, with the latter disc featuring a reconfigured running order reflecting the tour's set list from the larger band. However, the introduction to the song "Crosseyed and Painless" was edited out on this CD version.

In 2013, Rhino reissued the vinyl version of the album (on the original Sire label), again without bonus tracks, but with the longer version of "Crosseyed and Painless". The original design of the packaging was also replicated, but the LPs were packaged in plastic sleeves. The album also utilized the original analog mastering for the LP from 1982.

Original LP (1982)
Information sourced from original 1982 LP liner notes and 2004 CD reissue liner notes.

Personnel
Talking Heads
 * David Byrne – guitar, vocals
 * Chris Frantz – drums
 * Tina Weymouth – bass guitar, synthesizer, percussion, backing vocals
 * Jerry Harrison – guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals

Additional musicians
 * Adrian Belew – guitar, backing vocals
 * Nona Hendryx – backing vocals on "Life During Wartime", "Take Me to the River", and "The Great Curve"
 * Busta "Cherry" Jones – additional bass guitar
 * Dolette McDonald – percussion, backing vocals
 * Steve Scales – congas, percussion
 * Bernie Worrell – keyboards, backing vocals

Technical
 * Talking Heads – producer, mixing assistant
 * David Hewett – audio engineer
 * Kooster McAllister – engineer
 * Rod O'Brien – engineer
 * Katshuiko Sato – engineer
 * Brian Eno – assistant engineer
 * Ed Stasium – mixing engineer
 * Butch Jones – mixing assistant
 * Clive Brinkwood – mastering engineer
 * Greg Calbi – mastering engineer
 * Jeff Shaw – mastering engineer

Reissue personnel
 * Gary Stewart – producer
 * Andy Zax – producer
 * Dave Artale – mixing engineer
 * Ken Rasek – mixing engineer
 * Bob Ludwig – remastering engineer