Stop making sense (1984) [VINYL]

Product Information

Talking Heads’ full Stop Making Sense concert is getting its first-ever full vinyl release on August 18 by Rhino.

T HE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “ Talking Heads joined forces with director Jonathan Demme for the groundbreaking concert film Stop Making Sense. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the concerts filmed for Stop Making Sense, a newly restored 4K version of the film will return to theaters for a global theatrical run with A24. Speaking In Tongues, the group's first post Brian Eno effort was its highest charting, reaching #15 on the Billboard top 200. It also crossed over to the dance charts, reaching #2. A wholly appropriate result given the band's musical direction. The new booklet is an update of the one accompanying the limited edition of the original LP, which asks a number of questions, one of which is "Why was a digital system used for the sound?"The strengths of the Stop Making Sense concert film are both obvious and well documented. Behind the incredible direction of Jonathan Demme, the creative minds behind the music, and the revolutionary filming and production decisions, the film was both an incredibly successful and influential experiment by the band. Stop Making Sense was originally released in 1984 and was shot over three nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre while the group were touring their album, Speaking in Tongues. Byrne says it’s interesting that this album was – for many people – an introduction to Talking Heads. “We had done a live album before this, but coupled with the film, and with the improved mixes and sound quality, this record reached a whole new audience. As often happens, the songs got an added energy when we performed them live and were inspired by having an audience. In many ways, these versions are more exciting than the studio recordings, so maybe that’s why a lot of folks discovered us via this record.”

Few gigs have captured the imagination of music lovers as much as Stop Making Sense. Almost forty years on, and it’s still considered the greatest musical performance ever captured, witnessed in its enduring legacy, Jonathan Demme’s subsequent fame found in Philadelphia and The Silence of the Lambs, a renewed interest following its incoming theatrical run, and its persisting parodies. One such spoof we collectively love at Norman is the ‘Final Transmission’ episode of Documentary Now!, where American comic Fred Armisen leads the final concert from new wave group Test Pattern. Featuring original songs written in the style of the Talking Heads, a segue parodying Tom Waits’ Big Time, and interview clips made up of spiels from inflated egos, it’s made with such sharp attention to detail that it’s clear it comes from a place of adoration, not of lampooning.Matrix / Runout (Side B, variant 2): SH-SP 1 25121 B SH1 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-19702-SH1 SLM ∆7401-X + SP. STERLING TJ 0-1 Here's what Ted did this time that he didn't do last time: he pushed up the mid bass to give the picture more warmth and he slightly suppressed the top and to some degree limited dynamics. All of which does a disservice to the recording and more significantly to the performances. The original ripples with excitement and energy. The reissue sounds kind of stodgy and wet-blanketed. Compare "Burning Down the House" or compare on both versions the drums and soundstage size on "Girlfriend is Better" if you can. Jensen has buried a sizzle sibilance in Byrne's vocals, which is good, but the cost is too high. For some reason this is a limited edition. Despite the sonic disappointment I still recommend finding a copy if you can before they are all gone. It'll still have you dancing. Adding: “As often happens, the songs got an added energy when we performed them live and were inspired by having an audience. In many ways, these versions are more exciting than the studio recordings, so maybe that’s why a lot of folks discovered us via this record.” In the deluxe edition liner notes, the four band members share their thoughts and memories of the project.

Also includes original booklet with additional liner notes written by Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison Cutting the bits and pieces of the film, the introduction from Byrne and the tape he wants to play, Stop Making Sense dives straight into an acoustic masterclass. Psycho Killer never sounded so romanticised. Bar the usual praise for Talking Heads’ finest hour, the mix for this anniversary record is truly worth the listen. It sounds deeper, bulkier and the quality differences are immediately noticeable. Reminiscent of the ill-forgotten CD version of the original performance, which cut and shoved bits and pieces of other songs, Stop Making Sense is finally, definitively collected. It was already for the visual medium but this feels like the first time the album has truly come together. Even as the ‘Heads themselves say in interviews, the familial feel of a band piecing themselves to completion on stage, it shows up just as strongly on the record. BTW: the production credits are far better on the 1999 DVD than they are on both the original LP edition and on this reissue. The band performs 18 songs in Stop Making Sense, including its recent single at the time, “Burning Down The House.” That summer, the song was in heavy rotation on radio and MTV, helping the song become the band’s first top 10 hit in America. It was, however, a different song from Speaking in Tongues that was destined to deliver one of the film’s signature moments. Byrne would perform “Girlfriend Is Better” wearing his now iconic, oversized business suit inspired by costumes worn in traditional Japanese theater. For good measure, a picture of him in the suit also graces the album cover. The inspiration for Stop Making Sense came when director Jonathan Demme saw Talking Heads perform during the band’s 1983 tour for Speaking in Tongues. Afterward, he approached them with the idea of making the show into a concert film. They agreed and worked together over the next few months to finalize the details. Ultimately, Demme filmed three shows at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983 to create Stop Making Sense.Last evening after publishing this review I played the 1999 DVD and it sounded great: plenty of midrange giving voices body and weight, plus far greater dynamic range.That’s no guarantee the mix translates well to a purely aural experience but it tells me the vinyl. sound was a choice not a recording restriction. Weymouth praises Demme as a collaborator: “…Jonathan was a very enthusiastic, highly adaptive, and imaginative guy who was just as good a listener as he was a talker and collaborator. From the get-go you just got the impression he was as flexible as he was disciplined. Being team players, that boded well for a great relationship and a great film!” Design [Booklet Designed By - With], Liner Notes [Booklet Written By - With] – Jeff Ayeroff*, Michael Hodgson (2) Byrne's annotation mentions that he found it odd that "...for many people, this album was their introduction to Talking Heads". Byrne credits the film and the "improved mixes and sound quality" for helping popularize the band with this new, larger audience. Byrne writes, "This show, this collection of songs, was a kind of history of the band up until that point." Of course, by that time, long time fans knew all of the songs and albums, especially the groundbreaking Brian Eno produced ones. And here they got to hear the familiar songs in highly energized versions. Matrix / Runout (Side A, variant 1): 0-25MI-I SH-SP 1-25121 A SH1 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-19701-SH1 SLM ∆7401 STERLING

Weymouth praises Demme as a collaborator: “Jonathan was a very enthusiastic, highly adaptive, and imaginative guy who was just as good a listener as he was a talker and collaborator. From the get-go you just got the impression he was as flexible as he was disciplined. Being team players, that boded well for a great relationship and a great film!” As on the original, the record omits David Byrne's famous opening line "Hi, I've got a tape I want to play" (though the tape and boom box were just props). Joe Nino-Hernes cut lacquers even though Chris Grainger who is the production and booking manager at Sterling, Nashville gets the credit. Who put together and approved that? Stop Making Sense focuses mainly on music by Talking Heads but does include a few songs recorded outside the band: Genius Of Love by Tom Tom Club, Weymouth and Frantz’s side project, and What A Day That Was and Big Business from Byrne’s 1981 album, The Catherine Wheel. and LP similar to Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense, but the vinyl is easier, and the color of the label is lighter.Because the original album had a very muddy sound. This CD blows away the previous version and even the sound on the DVD.