Breakthrough 1980 Talking Heads Album Is Recreated On Tour

By John Roos

The Brian Eno-produced Remain in Light is a singular work. It landed at number 39 of the 500 greatest albums of all time as ranked by Rolling Stone magazine. More impressively, the groundbreaking 1980 release by Talking Heads was recognized in 2016 by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

What made this album so remarkable is it is truly one of a kind.

Influenced by Nigerian jùjú singer-songwriter King Sunny Adé, Afrobeat king Fela Kútì , and American rapper Kurtis Blow, the recording's blend of African polyrhythms, hip-hop, funk, and rock 'n' roll built songs around sonic layers of loops, repetitive rhythms, and experimental jams that act in harmony to propel one's body to dance. Add David Byrne’s quirky vocals, which use stream of consciousness phrases and rants from a variety of sources, and the result is music that is simultaneously catchy and unique.

As part of the album's 40-year anniversary--delayed a tad due to COVID-19--a new tour was conceived by former Talking Head keyboardist-guitarist Jerry Harrison and the band’s veteran sideman Adrian Belew to recreate the celebratory spirit behind the very first Remain in Light concert held at the Palaeur Arena in Rome that was broadcast on Italian TV (and Talking Heads fans still rave about today.) This tour's upcoming local dates ring in the new year Saturday at the Warfield in San Francisco and Sunday at Jam Cellars Ballroom in Napa.

The idea to revisit the Remain in Light live experience dates back at least several years to 2018 when Harrison finished some production work on a record by a funky band called Turkuaz. He felt that the group had a collective energy, just the right spirit, and a similar, groove-powered sound which made them ideally suited for a modern Remain in Light tour. Harrison—a Mill Valley resident- and Belew had kept in touch over the years and often spoke fondly of the exceptional Rome concert experience, so Harrison was elated to share his enthusiasm about Turkuaz.

"Jerry called me when he finished producing Turkuaz," recalled Belew during a recent phone interview from his home in Mt. Juliet, TN, "and he told me, 'I think I have the answer.' Jerry and I, along with our wives, went to see the band play at the Exit/In in Nashville so I could check them out. Well, after they played three songs, I looked over at Jerry and said, 'They're perfect.'"

Turkuaz broke-up in September 2022 with all but two members (Dave Brandwein, Taylor Shell) forming the 7-member group, Cool Cool Cool. The Remain in Light tour's 11-piece line-up consists of Belew and Harrison plus Cool Cool Cool - Shira Elias (vocals), Sammi Garett (vocals/percussion), Chris Brouwers (trumpet/keys/synth) , Josh Schwartz (baritone saxophone, vocals), Greg Sanderson (tenor saxophone), Michelangelo Carubba (drums), and Craig Brodhead (guitars/keys/synth) -- augmented by Boston-rooted percussionist Yahuba-Garcia Torres and Belew’s bassist Julie Slick.

Even with this stellar touring ensemble in place, there were practical challenges still to consider. First and foremost, how to remain true to a revered Talking Heads album without their drummer Chris Franz, bassist Tina Weymouth, and frontman and lead singer David Byrne on board?

"We do not have David Byrne, and we did not want to mimic his unique vocals and style of delivery," offered Belew, a trailblazing guitar player and gifted singer-songwriter in his own right. "So, we decided to split up the vocals between Jerry, myself and our horn player, Josh. Shira and Sammi add nice backing vocals as well. I think the entire (11-piece) band covers more ground musically and works as kind of a different version of the same thing, really." (For a sampling, check out:

Another twist is that while this tour celebrates the Remain in Light album, the band does not play the entire album from start to finish, and songs includes other Talking Heads material--such as "Psycho Killer" and "I Zimbra," the latter a catalyst behind making the Remain in Light LP-- plus a couple songs pulled from Belew and Harrison's canons.

"I think when fans are seeing a live show, they want to experience the band doing things with the music that maybe aren't on the album, it's just more exciting," said Belew. "We do mix things up a bit. We don't play the album's slower, heavier, more experimental songs because Jerry and I wanted the show's vibe to be upbeat and danceable from beginning to end. We started doing these shows right at the end of the (COV-19) pandemic so it felt like the right time for keeping the setlist upbeat."

"The uplifting spirit of the album is what really attracted Jerry and I to do this project," he added. "Remain in Light has such a fun, danceable groove but it's a very smart, musically complex recording, too. It is one of a kind with its very unique sound, one which no one has tried duplicating."

Belew has enjoyed quite a rewarding, diverse career since the late-1970’s, one that's included being a member of the progressive rock band King Crimson; playing with Talking Heads, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Nine Inch Nails, and Laurie Anderson, among others; and releasing over 20 solo records (plus a few under his trio moniker, the Bears.) It is his stretches of time spent with the Heads, he shared, that stand apart from all the rest.

"It is the Talking Heads experience that I do feel the most comfortable with," said Belew. "I felt so totally at home, it just felt so natural, since I first began playing with them. And it's still fun! I'm really looking forward to these upcoming shows, especially the one on New Year's Eve. It's the perfect occasion for celebrating this joyful party music. You can just get lost in the moment, it is almost magical."

*Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew Remain in Light appears Saturday to the Warfield Theater, 982 Market St, San Francisco, (415) 345-0900. 8 p.m. $39.50-$89.50. www.thewarfieldtheater.com ; Also Sunday (New Year's Eve) at Jam Cellars Ballroom, 1030 Main St., Napa, (707) 880-2300. 9 p.m. $99-$199. www.jamcellarsballroom.com. Punk legends X open both shows.