Come On weren't nearly as good, and certainly lacked any of the pop hooks that the Talking Heads boasted at least occasionally from the very beginning. David Byrne, appropriately enough, was a supporter of the band and took David Bowie and Brian Eno to see them at CBGB's. Stripped down and tense, Come On's brand of minimalist rock teemed with agitation, sexual frustration, and a wry, dark humor. Compiling the band's two singles, unreleased tracks, and live material from the late 70's, Come On is recommended for fans of early Talking Heads, DNA, Pere Ubu, and Half Japanese. Elena Glasberg (guitar), George Elliott (guitar), Ralf Mann (bass), Jamie Kaufman (vocals), Page Wood (drums). George Elliott (an avant-folksinger music critic) met the Talking Heads trio at a sound check at CBGB in 1975 and was at every show that weekend. Moving soon to Manhattan (tempted by the possibility of joining as a 4th member) he lived next to Ralf Mann, a German film student in the East Village and so began their apartment jams. Ralf's writing partner Jamie, a native New Yorker, began to contribute words to their first sketches "Blue Drink" and "Fly Swatter". Page was a RISD airbrush artist with a spacious rehearsal loft and drumming experience. They met Elena (a precocious high school student) at a holiday party, and these five members banded together and collaborated for the next four years.
They played their first show at Copperfields in the summer '77 and continued with subsequent shows at Max's Kansas City, CBGB, Xenon, Hurrah!, Club 57, and Irving Plaza, etc. One memorable show was when David Byrne brought Brian Eno, David Bowie and Bianca Jagger to see Come On play at CBGB. The 30 people in the slow-night audience swelled to 300 by the time the set was over...
Come On befriended Klaus Nomi performing at the New Wave Vaudeville Show (see The Nomi Song), and George and Page figured into his roman candle of a career, even sharing production-management team. These two friends merged with members of Nomi's troupe to form the NY show band Strange Party. The duo released the unfinished opera by themselves and Nomi in 2007, Za Bakdaz.
Page became a graphic artist in Hollywood, collecting instruments and re-embracing music; Ralf and Jamie were bar-owners in the 1980s; later Ralf became a Texas developer and Jamie moved to New York. Elena molds young collegiate minds and is an expert on Antarctica. George still persistently 'serves the Muse.'
—Thanks Anthony for the tip!
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