Talking Heads – True Stories

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Label:	Sire – 1-25512, Sire – 9 25512-1
Format:	Vinyl, LP, Album, Specialty Pressing
Country:	US
Released:	Aug 18, 1986
Genre:	Electronic, Rock
Style:	Leftfield, Indie Rock, New Wave

Tracklist

A1	Love For Sale	4:30
A2	Puzzlin' Evidence Musician [Additional], Featuring [With] – Bert Cross Choir	5:23
A3	Hey Now Musician [Additional], Featuring [With] – St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School Choir Musician [Additional], Percussion – Paulinho da Costa	3:42
A4	Papa Legba Musician [Additional], Percussion – Paulinho da Costa	5:54
B1	Wild Wild Life	3:39
B2	Radio Head Musician [Additional], Accordion – Steve Jordan* Musician [Additional], Percussion – Paulinho da Costa	3:30
B3	Dream Operator	4:39
B4	People Like Us Musician [Additional], Fiddle – Tommy Camfield Musician [Additional], Pedal Steel Guitar – Tommy Morrell Musician [Additional], Percussion – Paulinho da Costa	4:26
B5	City Of Dreams Musician [Additional], Pedal Steel Guitar – Tommy Morrell	5:06

Companies, etc.

Record Company – Sire Records Company
Record Company – Warner Communications
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Sire Records Company
Copyright © – Sire Records Company
Copyright © – Talking Heads Tours Inc.
Published By – Index Music, Inc.
Marketed By – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Recorded At – Sigma Sound Studios, New York
Recorded By – Omega Audio Remote Facility
Recorded At – Arcadia Theater
Recorded At – Studio Southwest
Overdubbed At – O'Henry Sound Studios
Mixed At – The Village Recorder
Mixed At – Amigo Studios
Mixed At – Conway Studios
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Mastered At – Sheffield Lab Matrix – △ 13574
Mastered At – Allied Record Company – B-24657
Mastered At – Allied Record Company – B-24658
Pressed By – Specialty Records Corporation

Credits

Design [LP Design] – Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff, Michael Hodgson (2)
Engineer – Michael McClain (tracks: A3, B2, B4, B5), Paul Christiensen* (tracks: A2)
Liner Notes – David Byrne
Logo [Original True Stories Logo] – Bridget DeSoccio*, M & Co.*
Management – Gary Kurfirst
Mastered By [Originally Mastered Digitally] – Jack Skinner
Mixed By – Eric "E.T." Thorngren* (tracks: A1 to A4, B2, B3, B5), Lee Herschberg (tracks: B4), Mick Guzauski (tracks: B1)
Mixed By [Assisted By] – Charles Brocco* (tracks: A1 to A4, B2, B3, B5), Robin Laine (tracks: A1 to A4, B2, B3, B5), Tom Nist (tracks: A1 to A4, B2, B3, B5)
Performer [Talking Heads Are], Bass, Backing Vocals – Tina Weymouth
Performer [Talking Heads Are], Drums – Chris Frantz
Performer [Talking Heads Are], Guitar, Vocals – David Byrne
Performer [Talking Heads Are], Keyboards, Guitar, Backing Vocals – Jerry Harrison
Photography By [Band Photo] – George Hurrell
Photography By [True Stories Stage Photo] – David Byrne
Producer, Performer – Talking Heads
Recorded By [Basic Tracks, Assisted By] – Melanie West, Nick Del Re*
Recorded By [Basic Tracks] – Eric "E.T." Thorngren*
Recorded By [Overdubs, Assisted By] – Kathy Botich
Recorded By [Overdubs] – Eric "E.T." Thorngren*
Songwriter [Songs By] – David Byrne

Notes

This pressing was plated at Allied Record Company, but pressed by Specialty Records Corporation, as indicated by the Allied "ɑ" logo stamped and "AL-SP" etched in the runouts, and the "E A S T" embossed around the center hole (usually the "T" is the most visible, sometimes the only really visible letter). Remainder of runouts etched.

True Stories is a similar version that was pressed by Allied Record Company. That version does not have the AL-SP etching in the runouts, and will often have the letter "A" embossed in the center of the inner pressing ring on one or both sides.

Front cover hype sticker on shrink wrap: "Features The Hit Single Wild Wild Life"
Front cover hype sticker on shrink wrap: "Includes Songs from the Warner Bros. Motion Picture True Stories"
Back cover sticker on shrink wrap: Tracklist and barcode (0 7599-25512-1). On some copies, the barcode was covered by another plain white sticker.

All basic tracks recorded by Eric "E.T." Thorngren at Sigma Sound, New York and assisted by Melanie West & Nick Del Re. Additional musicians appearing on A2 recorded by the Omega Audio Remote Facility at the Arcadia Theater, Dallas; additional musicians appearing on A3, B2, B4, and B5 recorded at Studio Southwest, Sunnyvale, Texas.

All songs mixed by Eric "E.T." Thorngren at The Village Recorder Studios, Westwood, California and assisted by Robin Laine, Charles Brocco and Tom Nist, except B4 by Lee Herschberg at Amigo Studios, North Hollywood & B1 by Mick Guzauski at Conway Recording Studios, Hollywood.

Overdubs recorded by Eric "E.T." Thorngren at O'Henry Studios, Toluca Lake, California & assisted by Kathy Botich.

Originally mastered digitally by Jack Skinner at Sterling Sound, New York.

Inner sleeve (cardboard): photos, credits

Catalog number 1-25512 appears on the label.
Catalog number 9 25512-1 appears on the inner sleeve, bottom-right, and jacket spine.

© ℗ 1986 Sire Records Company

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Pressing Plant ID (Embossed under label on side B): E A S T
Barcode (Text, sticker): 0 7599-25512-1
Barcode (Scanned, sticker): 075992551212
Rights Society: ASCAP
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 1): 1-25512-A RE1 SH3 0-1SM1-2 AL-SP △13574 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24657-Re1-SH3
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 1): 1-25512-B RE2 SH3 0-1SM2-1 △13574-X AL-SP [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24658-Re2 SH3
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 2): 1-2 55 12-A RE1 SH3 0-1SM1-2 AL-SP 1̶-̶1̶ △13574 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24657-Re1-SH3
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 2): 1-25512-B RE2 SH3 0-2 AL-SP 1̶-̶2̶ △13574-X [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24658-Re2 SH3 1̶-̶2̶
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 3): 1-2 55 12-A RE1 SH3 0-1SM1-1 AL-SP 1̶-̶1̶ △13574 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24657-Re1-SH3
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 3): 1-25512-B RE2 SH3 0-2 ALSP 1-3 △13574-X [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24658-Re2 SH3 1̶-̶2̶
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 4): 1-25512-A RE1 SH3 AL-SP SPO-3 1-3 △13574 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24657-Re1 SH3
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 4): 1-25512-B RE2 SH3 AL SP 1-3 △13574-X [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24658-Re2 SH3
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 5): 1-25512-A RE1 SH3 AL-SP SPO-3 1-3 △13574 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24657-Re1 SH3
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 5): 1-2 55 12-A RE1 SH3 SPO-2 1-AL-SP △13574 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24657-Re1 SH3
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 6): 1-25512-A RE1 SP SH3 0-1 AL-SP 1-1 △13574 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24657-RE1 SH3
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 6): 1-25512-B RE2 SH3 SP 0-2SM1-1 AL-SP 1-2 △13574-X [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24658-R2 SH3 1̶-̶2̶
Matrix / Runout (Side A variant, variant 7): 1-25512-A RE1 SH3 AL-SP SPO-3 1-3 △13574 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24657-Re1 SH3
Matrix / Runout (Side B variant, variant 7): 1-25512-B RE2 SH3 1-1 SM2-1 △13574-X AL SP [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-24658-Re2 SH3 1̶-̶2̶

Other Versions (5 of 114)

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	Title (Format)	Label	Cat#	Country	Year
Recently Edited	True Stories (LP, Album)	EMI, EMI	062-24 0612-1, 24 0612 1	Europe	1986
Recently Edited	True Stories (LP, Album)	EMI, EMI	EU 3511, 24 0612 1	UK	1986
	True Stories (CD, Album)	EMI, EMI	CDP 746345 2, CDP 7 46345 2	Europe	1986
Recently Edited	True Stories (Cassette, Album)	Sire, Sire	9 25512-4, 4-25512	US	1986
Recently Edited	True Stories (LP, Album, DMM)	EMI, EMI	062 24 0612 1, 2406121	France	1986

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Reviews

_MisterBiscuits_ Jun 5, 2024
These are indeed True StoriesTM

//My Highlight Tracks:
Love For Sale
Hey Now
Wild Wild Life
Radiohead
Dream Operator
People Like Us
Gmmusic Jul 25, 2022
My family listened to this album non stop when I was a child. “Love for sale” especially inspired me to play music and dabble in sound and performance as did watching “stop making sense”

Listening back though I get the feeling that the band (or at least David) was very much trying to emulate the Athens Georgia sound. Does anyone else see/hear that?
Crijevo Jan 27, 2019
Edited 5 years ago
"Little Creatures" was already a departure from the afrofunk-infused polyrhythms of "Fear Of Music", "Remain In Light" and "Speaking In Tongues", not to mention the side-projects of Tom Tom Club and Byrne/Eno. And as much as the characteristic sound of Talking Heads is present on "True Stories" (some of it leans back on "More Songs About Buildings And Food"), their sliding down towards country-rock music started to worry, the altogether impression being that of a letdown. At best, this could have been a solo effort by David Byrne (impersonating Tom Petty). And considering the album was a derivation of the soundtrack to David Byrne's film of the same name, the assumption of a solo album isn't entirely out of place. But in the context of a band that once made "Drugs", "The Overload" and "Listening Wind" to name a few, "True Stories" remains an anomaly.

From the good side though - "Love For Sale" is a perfect song Pixies never came up with. The album continues as energetically with "Puzzlin' Evidence", another great tour-de-force number, with the album's highlight captured in side A's closing number, "Papa Legba" - echoing the darker edges from Talking Heads' earlier work. "Hey Now" and "Wild Wild Life" ride the enjoyable, carefree melody wave, but these set the tone for the most part of the record, reducing it down to a tired terrace-version of a superbly ecstatic band.

"Radio Head" - the title made super-famous by Thom Yorke's experimental rock group - is so disappointingly mediocre. "People Like Us" and "Dream Operator" sadly stay safe with the same formula. The closing number comes in the shape of a ballad - "City Of Dreams" is an interesting diversion towards something Bowie forgot he recorded and Talking Heads discoveried it to their advantage. In this song there's also a slight trace of "Everyday Is Like Sunday", still a good two years before Morrissey actually went solo.