I find it hard to put in to words how amazing this clip is. I was 18 and hated anything that was not genesis or supertramp. I was so immature musically. Thought I knew it all. This album is so so ahead of it's time. I so wish I could go back in time and be a Talking heads fan.
This is amazing. Bands who performed/recorded music in 1978 changed everything for their respective genres for the next 25 years, from The Cars to Judas Priest to The Village People to Joy Division & The Cure. It's so good to see this classic band was also part of this magical year.
where, what is the alternative to youtube? if they banned all videos like here then send them to hell and let the googlebastards burn there . There should have been some mirror by time like wikileaks . All this great footage, now really lost again forever - unbeleiveball
Okay, I love Talking Heads and all but I really like the Local Native's cover of this. Probably more. I guess it's because I heard it before this one.
definitely, well, almost sure, it's the same audio/vid, vid a tad ahead is all. The movements, strumming, drumming are exact to the music. GREAT VID FLOWER!!!
Free concert at Sproul Plaza. Philip Elwood, Jazz critic for the SF Chronicle gave their SF show that night a great review. KTVU-2 did a favorable segment on it, too. I wonder if that footage still exists?
Back in those days it seemed the T-Heads could do no wrong.
Astonishingly gorgeous sound! (This is a live recording to video in 1978?!)
David's getting all these wonderful odd sounds our of his guitar. Chris and Tina and Jerry were not spotlight grabbers but deserve more recognition as great band members: incredibly solid, incredibly supportive, incredibly creative in small but important doses.
bman not saying they are; just all the reviews of VW go on and on about their preppy clothes, their intellectualism, their african polyrhythms, as though they were the first to bring that all together. and they weren't.
Does Vampire weekend have polyrhythms? And actually VW is usually compared to the heads as opposed to being cited as the first band to do what they're doing
I agree with most of your opinions flower punkchip, but one. I believe their "Name of this band" era was their finest achievement to date. Adrian Belew at his finest. Can be see on youtube 'Live at Rome.
can u tell if this was the first or the second concert TH's played in the Plaza. I saw the first but I don't remember anybody sitting down at the front..so I guess this was the second round.
@frenzakenza This was the second show, in front of Zellerbach. Same day that Harvey Milk was killed, I believe. The first free show was in front of Eshleman Hall, along Bancroft.
I saw them in '77 at UC Santa Cruz and even though the punk band that opened for them had safety pins in their ears, we knew that the Talking Heads were the real deal
First saw them in78, and everytime they played SF until Stop Making Sense. David Byrne turned into an ego driven fuck that is boring as old white dog shit.
My sexuality has nothing to do with my opinion of his ego-driven crap that he and Eno have shat out. What anger??? You appear to be a mentally challenged individual. When mom and dad finally let you move out of the basement, maybe you will learn something about REAL music. Byrne is congruent with YAWN...
No, it is not meaningless to say his music is boring. And I'm not referring to the Talking Head, just DB solo. It is boring. What IS meaningless is replying to your inane comments.
I'm a big fan of everything they did...but Talking Heads in the late 70's and early 80's is far superior to anything else they ever did...and most things anyone else ever did...especially the tour they did.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
this is an extrmely borin rock show...nothing like the ideas and visual imagery presented in 'stop making sense.' i mean c'mon - you're the stupid one if you think they never matured beyond this lame late 70's rock phase..they hadn't even found their identity at this point.
people were there to support and listen to their later stuff because this era of their music was so much more exciting than most everything else going on - the huge plaza was packed to the gills, I was about 10r ows back- amazing show! you're just jealous that you weren't there to enjoy it - I was one of the lucky ones lol lol
You've got to be kidding me. Their newer stuff was cute and more commercially friendly, but it pales in comparison to the stuff they did from '77 to '80, when they were the best band in the world.
Talking Heads and their influence on music today is a discussion worth having. The impact they made in '77 is legendary. I feel the music has held up extremely well over the years and believe they were one of the definitive voices in American pop at the time.
the whole punk era sounds so dated. as good as they are, the music doesn't hold up. it was better back then. we all thought it was so intellectual, but it isn't...or it would still be extremely popular. i know david thinks he is the new john lennon, only better, but he isn't and the heads aren't the beatles.
Talking Heads aren't punk dude....and to compare to BEAthat's setting the bar pretty high. And heir music certainly holds up. I played their live cd for a few of my friends that have never heard anything but Once in a lifetime....they unanimously loved it....and they are tough to please. I personally like Byrnes stuff better than Lennons as a matter of opinion anyway. They pulled off a 9 peice better than anyone else. Kids these days are jacking off to Arcade Fire when TH did better 30 years ago
Bull. This is one of the best albums released in the last 40 years. I listen to everything from Bach to Schumann to Coltrane, to Ramones, to Clash, To Talking Heads and this album is spectacular.
Beatles, Bacharach, Beethoven, Brubeck, are a few. The biggest problem I have with the "surreal" nature of some of the punk/new wave/ bands is the pretense. In music, "good" is intellegent. Music doesn't have to be clever to be intellegent. A blues song is smart, as long as it's good. In painting, the surrealists were not smarter than the Impressionists. Contrived music isn't any smarter than music that just flows out of the artist naturally. I like the heads, but they aren't Einsteins.
i f'ing love the talking heads...only have been lucky enough to see mr byrne by himself but i wont complain much because it was awesome! tina is the shit!
That's a very nice treat! The sound quality is remarkable. Warning Sign is one of Tina's greatest hits with T. Heads. Without her bassline, the song goes nowhere. If only I had been born 10 years older, I would've seen every T. Heads concert possible. I only get to see David Byrne playing T. Heads soongs without the band. Alas.
I recognize this now - Nov 1978, i was there left of center; I remember the camera crew on a ladder in the middle of the crowd and have often wondered what became of that film! right after the show ended with an incredible encore of Psycho Killer, someone told me Dan White had shot Harvey Milk and the Mayor in the San Francisco city hall that morning. I always loved this song live - this is sweet! thanks
I don't think the audio is original to the video - looks more like an overdub (and you can tell it's a bit out of sync). Sounds like the King Biscuit Flower Hour version of Warning Sign to me.
stunning upload - I licked out and saw them 2x on both tours, in Berkeley and at UC Davis - I'm thinking this is the first of the two tours - where in hell did you get this, I've been dreaming that someday I'd run across something like this - early Talking Heads shows were incredible, and especially this Warning Sign! Can't thank you enough - you made my week!
The intro mentions NYC, but let's recall the RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) link: I think Byrne, Weymouth and Frantz met while all were students there. Did they finish their degrees? Wire and other innovative bands of the 70s started the same way - as art school mates.
Sorry for the delay. I joined this under an email address that I rarely use. The T-shirt is actually the album cover for "The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads" - their first album, red with green letters. The back has black letters with the UCLA dates on them.
Howdy, sorry for the delay, I rarely use the email address I signed up with for YouTube.
The T-shirt is the same as the album cover for The Name of this band is Talking Heads - red background with green letters. The back has the UCLA dates in red.
I happened to be in Berkely that day and saw the Talking Heads performing for free at the University. Didn't know who they were then but they were definitely unique and looked like they were going to do something.
me too...I was there that afternoon...sitting right in front of the KSAN van
mschannel100 2 months ago
i'm checking it out
/watch?v=qYBIgW-CNRk&feature=related
while i've got it figured out
SuperMegaUberGenius 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Good Lord, they're kids. This is sweet. Thanks for sharing.
guitarvocs 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Download the audio from this track at speedyconversion doht cohm.
BobbyeHorner03 6 months ago
could just cry.
mellokittyx4 6 months ago
which songs video has david with extendo arms on stage?
Tamy19951 7 months ago in playlist Talking Heads 1
stop arguing with your/ my music
sikmply strum simplification have you forgotten fred flintstone not my usama drive- in
love thre deep vhroom
now chord progresiion
SuperMegaUberGenius 7 months ago in playlist Talking Heads 1
Unreal! I was at this show and had no idea any film/video of it existed. And it was free!!!
TheBaronVitelius 7 months ago
I was at this show. Noon at Sproul Plaza UC Berkeley. Probably best show I saw them do. Very funky for a four piece punk band.
keithrendel1 10 months ago
one of the best bands of all time!!!
LaVitaInUnAttimo 11 months ago
I find it hard to put in to words how amazing this clip is. I was 18 and hated anything that was not genesis or supertramp. I was so immature musically. Thought I knew it all. This album is so so ahead of it's time. I so wish I could go back in time and be a Talking heads fan.
kernowdel 11 months ago
This is amazing. Bands who performed/recorded music in 1978 changed everything for their respective genres for the next 25 years, from The Cars to Judas Priest to The Village People to Joy Division & The Cure. It's so good to see this classic band was also part of this magical year.
mysocalledknife07 1 year ago
where, what is the alternative to youtube? if they banned all videos like here then send them to hell and let the googlebastards burn there . There should have been some mirror by time like wikileaks . All this great footage, now really lost again forever - unbeleiveball
altaluz3 1 year ago
these cats were way out in front of their peers. Love this song.
trill5thefif 1 year ago
awesome vid man
cman93 1 year ago
I saw them then. Brilliant.
Byrne was a genius when he was hungry.
REBrandenburg 1 year ago
Fuente. 1700 Recycled Brothers + Sisters of Bedlam. fuente.bandcamp.com
t3hpez 1 year ago
This is pretty cool - a raw and fresh performance. It takes me back and it reminds me of their song "stay hungry"
moribund14 1 year ago
Okay, I love Talking Heads and all but I really like the Local Native's cover of this. Probably more. I guess it's because I heard it before this one.
1991stacy 1 year ago
love this song..better than the later stuff for sure!
EsmeraldaIris36 1 year ago
@EsmeraldaIris36: True.
MrSKINFLICK 1 year ago
definitely, well, almost sure, it's the same audio/vid, vid a tad ahead is all. The movements, strumming, drumming are exact to the music. GREAT VID FLOWER!!!
ghchock33 1 year ago
wow. shit i thought i knew all about them. Awesome sound.
hskrfnatic 1 year ago
Free concert at Sproul Plaza. Philip Elwood, Jazz critic for the SF Chronicle gave their SF show that night a great review. KTVU-2 did a favorable segment on it, too. I wonder if that footage still exists?
Back in those days it seemed the T-Heads could do no wrong.
locoxoco 2 years ago
Astonishingly gorgeous sound! (This is a live recording to video in 1978?!)
David's getting all these wonderful odd sounds our of his guitar. Chris and Tina and Jerry were not spotlight grabbers but deserve more recognition as great band members: incredibly solid, incredibly supportive, incredibly creative in small but important doses.
(The color-coordinated shirts are funny...)
bearealman 2 years ago 2
Crisp. Take that, Vampire Weekend. Been there, done that, 30+ years ago.
ClueSign 2 years ago
okay but Vampire Weekend really doesn't try to be or sound like this in any way...
bman10030 2 years ago
bman not saying they are; just all the reviews of VW go on and on about their preppy clothes, their intellectualism, their african polyrhythms, as though they were the first to bring that all together. and they weren't.
ClueSign 2 years ago
Does Vampire weekend have polyrhythms? And actually VW is usually compared to the heads as opposed to being cited as the first band to do what they're doing
bman10030 2 years ago
I agree with most of your opinions flower punkchip, but one. I believe their "Name of this band" era was their finest achievement to date. Adrian Belew at his finest. Can be see on youtube 'Live at Rome.
davideirth 2 years ago
Somewhere in that crowd at Lower Sproul Plaza is me! Damn if you didn't make my day!!!
J Jones
Class of '81
winedarktide 2 years ago
Dude
can u tell if this was the first or the second concert TH's played in the Plaza. I saw the first but I don't remember anybody sitting down at the front..so I guess this was the second round.
frenzakenza 2 years ago
@frenzakenza This was the second show, in front of Zellerbach. Same day that Harvey Milk was killed, I believe. The first free show was in front of Eshleman Hall, along Bancroft.
hedgenog 3 weeks ago
dayum that was a great version.
kimonui 2 years ago
PRICELESS thanks bro.... 78 to 81 college rock
xmedical420Marijuana 2 years ago
Yes, the best band ever..
seaco1030 2 years ago
I saw them in '77 at UC Santa Cruz and even though the punk band that opened for them had safety pins in their ears, we knew that the Talking Heads were the real deal
franjapanmermaid 2 years ago 11
I LOVE THE TALKING HEADS!!!
JimmyDiggs87 2 years ago
Where's Jerry?
DaRandom90 2 years ago
He's that guitar stock right to the left of David. (Suddenly reminded of their SNL appearance where TINA is invisible)
Timmybear 2 years ago
Stage right
winedarktide 2 years ago
Thankyou for posting this.
drumjoey 2 years ago
First saw them in78, and everytime they played SF until Stop Making Sense. David Byrne turned into an ego driven fuck that is boring as old white dog shit.
nicademus666 2 years ago
Your profile says you are a 50 year old gay punk rocker.
Are you sure maybe David didn't turned you down or something since he is straight?
This anger is more than David getting older.
How could you call his work after TH boring?
greattools 2 years ago
My sexuality has nothing to do with my opinion of his ego-driven crap that he and Eno have shat out. What anger??? You appear to be a mentally challenged individual. When mom and dad finally let you move out of the basement, maybe you will learn something about REAL music. Byrne is congruent with YAWN...
nicademus666 2 years ago
I don't know. I just do not find his stuff boring at all.
I like all sorts of music from the 1880's COON tunes to the POP flavors of Miley Cyrus and everything in between.
Talking Heads and David Byrne are my favorite though but I am sure what ever you call "real" music I am very familiar with it.
Here is an idea for you. Start a vlog and explain or talk about "real" music. Just saying DB is boring is meaningless.
greattools 2 years ago 2
No, it is not meaningless to say his music is boring. And I'm not referring to the Talking Head, just DB solo. It is boring. What IS meaningless is replying to your inane comments.
nicademus666 2 years ago
I'm a big fan of everything they did...but Talking Heads in the late 70's and early 80's is far superior to anything else they ever did...and most things anyone else ever did...especially the tour they did.
wilbo26 2 years ago
Radiohead's a big fan of TH, in fact that's where they got their name from
sparklingdark 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
this is an extrmely borin rock show...nothing like the ideas and visual imagery presented in 'stop making sense.' i mean c'mon - you're the stupid one if you think they never matured beyond this lame late 70's rock phase..they hadn't even found their identity at this point.
iggypot 2 years ago
people were there to support and listen to their later stuff because this era of their music was so much more exciting than most everything else going on - the huge plaza was packed to the gills, I was about 10r ows back- amazing show! you're just jealous that you weren't there to enjoy it - I was one of the lucky ones lol lol
davis80smusic 2 years ago
yeah, well, the Boarding House shows were much better. I was at both the Sept. and Nov. shows.
nicademus666 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
man they got so much better than this...they hit their stride in the eighties with all those dancey poly ryhmn songs like 'girlfriend is better'.
iggypot 2 years ago
Are you stupid? This is so much better than any of their newer stuff. I like Girlfriend is better but it's not that great.....
bman10030 2 years ago
Darling, you had to be there. This was the shit in its time.
ClueSign 2 years ago
You've got to be kidding me. Their newer stuff was cute and more commercially friendly, but it pales in comparison to the stuff they did from '77 to '80, when they were the best band in the world.
Bluespeyer 2 years ago
Too bad they hate each other.
I love to see them reunite
fnslayer38 2 years ago 2
BEST BAND EVER!!!!
baardw 2 years ago 16
Talking Heads and their influence on music today is a discussion worth having. The impact they made in '77 is legendary. I feel the music has held up extremely well over the years and believe they were one of the definitive voices in American pop at the time.
jim30acre 2 years ago
the whole punk era sounds so dated. as good as they are, the music doesn't hold up. it was better back then. we all thought it was so intellectual, but it isn't...or it would still be extremely popular. i know david thinks he is the new john lennon, only better, but he isn't and the heads aren't the beatles.
daddysquirrel 3 years ago
Talking Heads aren't punk dude....and to compare to BEAthat's setting the bar pretty high. And heir music certainly holds up. I played their live cd for a few of my friends that have never heard anything but Once in a lifetime....they unanimously loved it....and they are tough to please. I personally like Byrnes stuff better than Lennons as a matter of opinion anyway. They pulled off a 9 peice better than anyone else. Kids these days are jacking off to Arcade Fire when TH did better 30 years ago
arvydas0069 3 years ago
Bull. This is one of the best albums released in the last 40 years. I listen to everything from Bach to Schumann to Coltrane, to Ramones, to Clash, To Talking Heads and this album is spectacular.
blaineca 3 years ago
When did intelligent music ever become 'extremely popular?' That would be a completely inaccurate statement.
dickdarkhair 2 years ago
Beatles, Bacharach, Beethoven, Brubeck, are a few. The biggest problem I have with the "surreal" nature of some of the punk/new wave/ bands is the pretense. In music, "good" is intellegent. Music doesn't have to be clever to be intellegent. A blues song is smart, as long as it's good. In painting, the surrealists were not smarter than the Impressionists. Contrived music isn't any smarter than music that just flows out of the artist naturally. I like the heads, but they aren't Einsteins.
daddysquirrel 2 years ago
Too bad Lennon's not around to ask what he thinks of them. I bet he'd gush.
DDsadl 2 years ago
i doubt it. if so, paul is gushing now, and we all know he isn't.
daddysquirrel 2 years ago
music doesnt exist like this anymore.
davedoug 3 years ago
Radiohead's "Scatterbrain" sounds almost exactly like the intro.
callinsick 3 years ago
i LOVE them
and I was born in 77
damn
xandura 3 years ago
same here,
77 seems to have been a good year eh?
Eldritchard 3 years ago
i f'ing love the talking heads...only have been lucky enough to see mr byrne by himself but i wont complain much because it was awesome! tina is the shit!
ctnbtown 3 years ago
WOW I like that.!! I'll play it again
shockabilly56 3 years ago
That's a very nice treat! The sound quality is remarkable. Warning Sign is one of Tina's greatest hits with T. Heads. Without her bassline, the song goes nowhere. If only I had been born 10 years older, I would've seen every T. Heads concert possible. I only get to see David Byrne playing T. Heads soongs without the band. Alas.
DerKosmonaut1972 3 years ago
this is pretty great
fishfurman 3 years ago
I recognize this now - Nov 1978, i was there left of center; I remember the camera crew on a ladder in the middle of the crowd and have often wondered what became of that film! right after the show ended with an incredible encore of Psycho Killer, someone told me Dan White had shot Harvey Milk and the Mayor in the San Francisco city hall that morning. I always loved this song live - this is sweet! thanks
davis80smusic 3 years ago 3
Comment removed
nicademus666 2 years ago
Thank you, a good video.
Oloferne8181 3 years ago
this is a rare song, very good..
wisesatyr72 3 years ago
How did they get the audio to sound soo clear on this recording?? soo amazing.
moco635 3 years ago
I don't think the audio is original to the video - looks more like an overdub (and you can tell it's a bit out of sync). Sounds like the King Biscuit Flower Hour version of Warning Sign to me.
teisenmenger 3 years ago
no, it's my video which is out of sync.
it's the genuine audio
flowerpunkchip 3 years ago
are they sitting down?
nynickyboy 3 years ago
Do u pls,pls have any more from this show????Unreal, the best! thx again!
moco635 3 years ago
oh i wish i did, but no, sorry
flowerpunkchip 3 years ago
that was amazing, thx sooo much..
moco635 3 years ago
That is a fucking incredible video. Where the hell did you get that?!
lotsofhats 3 years ago
Talking Heads are the best.
David Byrne is a genius.
Enough said.
Allymobile 3 years ago 3
stunning upload - I licked out and saw them 2x on both tours, in Berkeley and at UC Davis - I'm thinking this is the first of the two tours - where in hell did you get this, I've been dreaming that someday I'd run across something like this - early Talking Heads shows were incredible, and especially this Warning Sign! Can't thank you enough - you made my week!
angrylambie 3 years ago
talking heads and bubbuh kush go good together. this should have more views, dam it!!
eastloschicos 3 years ago
I must have just watched this video 20 odd times in a row. Bloody marvellous. Byrne = indescribably good.
BravoT 3 years ago
The intro mentions NYC, but let's recall the RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) link: I think Byrne, Weymouth and Frantz met while all were students there. Did they finish their degrees? Wire and other innovative bands of the 70s started the same way - as art school mates.
DailyBrusher 3 years ago
first heads song i heard brilliant
watchstrap1 3 years ago
1978 was great. The Talking Heads were great. This song was one of the best.
phishhed44 3 years ago
great
kdgfg 3 years ago
Omg, what a dumb comment of me -_-'
Indeed, it's freezy, I think the ytposter means that with the first 10 seconds...
JannickBolten 3 years ago
The first 10 seconds aren't freezy, here...
JannickBolten 3 years ago
:)
what about between 23 seconds and 37 seconds?
flowerpunkchip 3 years ago
@flowerpunkchip nope
vootie99 7 months ago in playlist Talking Heads 1
@flowerpunkchip I thought those were pictures :)
xyoop 7 months ago
That was one cool band. Nobody could play that icy funk guitar the way Byrne and Harrison could.
And they a 4 album run that was as good as any band ever - '77, Buildings And Food, Fear OF Music, and Remain in Light.
jahtez 3 years ago 3
icy funk guitar... is that a real term? i like it haha
stevieVantanna 3 years ago
Wow. I was at the concert they did on this tour at UCLA. 1978. I still have the T-shirt. Can still fit in it too. Heh!
Favorite band of all time.
otherlisa5 3 years ago
oh wow, i am curious to see the design of this t-shirt
could you send me a link or something? :)
flowerpunkchip 3 years ago
Sorry for the delay. I joined this under an email address that I rarely use. The T-shirt is actually the album cover for "The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads" - their first album, red with green letters. The back has black letters with the UCLA dates on them.
otherlisa5 3 years ago
Howdy, sorry for the delay, I rarely use the email address I signed up with for YouTube.
The T-shirt is the same as the album cover for The Name of this band is Talking Heads - red background with green letters. The back has the UCLA dates in red.
otherlisa5 3 years ago
I can't stop watching this.
gwynoff 3 years ago 2
thank you, talking heads. thank you for everything.
gwynoff 3 years ago 2
super footage!
MrPinksxx 4 years ago
Buildings and Food is one of my favorite albums of All Time.
KingCast65 4 years ago
There is so much derivative shit out there, so much predictable hooey....this ancient bit of weirdness stands up like a Sphinx.
dinnerbucket9 4 years ago
youre right thank god for these bands back in 78 still sounds great now
watchstrap1 4 years ago
This is priceless. I saw Talking Heads in Worcester, Mass. in '78. Sat in the front row. What a memory.
weaseldragon 4 years ago
I totally agree. Thanks You tube. Only few years ago was an utopia to click a "search" botton and find what you most like.
Here...Warning Sign reports T. H at their best...crazy-schizoid-killing-visionary !song!!
calistan67 4 years ago
thank you!!!!!!
hooked146 4 years ago
THIS represents everything that I love about YouTube. Amazing find. Priceless.
deyoungparker 4 years ago
Love it! I like the scratching sound from the guitar at the start. Very nicely written description.
prfctday 4 years ago 2
Great footage once again man.
Brock2097 4 years ago
This is awesome - I swear YouTube may very well be the pinnacle of the internets.
jbcatl 4 years ago
I happened to be in Berkely that day and saw the Talking Heads performing for free at the University. Didn't know who they were then but they were definitely unique and looked like they were going to do something.
mkoncewicz 4 years ago
So cool
dullsville 4 years ago
where';s Jerry Harrison?
foppa123 4 years ago
oh he's there on the left... but i see your point, he's not filmed long enough, you do see him though for a second. Blue top
ps: i didn't film this :)
flowerpunkchip 4 years ago
That was sweet. As a long-time, BIG time TH fan, I can say that is some VINTAGE stuff.
fireant33 4 years ago
AMAZING- thanks for sharing this very rare footage
ArtPatch 4 years ago
oops...I see Jerry now.
foppa123 4 years ago