Stop making sense (1984) [VINYL]

Product Information

Previous to the Pantages appearances, the group had been on tour supporting the album Speaking in Tongues— released June, 1983. By the time they hit Hollywood Boulevard Talking Heads was a well-grooved ethno-rhythmic powerhouse bearing scant resemblance to the quartet that emerged from CBGBs as part of the "punk/new wave" scene—not that this group of well-educated kids fit into that construct (Byrne, Weymouth and Frantz met at RISD [Rhode Island School of Design], Harrison graduated Harvard). and LP similar to Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense, but the vinyl is easier, and the color of the label is lighter. 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 A record as essential as the first five Talking Heads LPs, Stop Making Sense remains the perfect live album. Same as it ever was. Goods that are faulty or sent in error must be returned to Crash Records Limited, 35 The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 6PU within 7 working days of the item being received by the customer.

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. Previously only available as bonus feature outtakes on certain video releases, ‘Cities’ and ‘Big Business/I Zimbra’ feature on the deluxe reissue. The polyrhythmic funk of Byrne solo number ‘Big Business’ segues seamlessly into the ferocious bongo-led drive of ‘I Zimbra’, while the bouncy, queasy bass of ‘Cities’ is brought to the forefront, making for two further enticing treats for an already bountiful record set.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.

Matrix / Runout (Side B, variant 5): SH-SP 1 25121 B SH 3 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-19702-SH3 SLM 1̶-̶1̶ 0-1 STERLING TJ ∆7401-X In the deluxe edition liner notes, the four band members share their thoughts and memories of the project. 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. I wrote about it somewhere, maybe in the Los Angeles-based "Music Connection" magazine. Little Feat's Waiting For Columbus had come out in 1978 recorded to analog tape and comparing this to that or comparing Talking Heads' own The Name of This Band is Talking Heads a double LP released in 1982 consisting of late 70s era quartet recordings on one disc and the new expanded group on the other. This sounded like a live album, not like an artificial construct. BTW: the production credits are far better on the 1999 DVD than they are on both the original LP edition and on this reissue.

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The band perform 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. Matrix / Runout (Side A, variant 2): SH-SP 1 25121 A SH1 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-19701-SH1 SLM ∆7401 1-4 STERLING TJ 0-2 Matrix / Runout (Side A, variant 7): SH-SP 1 25121 A SH1 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-19701-SH1 SLM ∆7401 1̵-̵4̵ STERLING TJ 0-2

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.” Harrison says the film still holds up today: “To me, Stop Making Sense has remained relevant because the staging and lighting techniques could have been created in a much earlier time period. For example, Vari-Lights, lights with motors to re-aim them, had just come into vogue. Had we used them, there would have been a timestamp on the film, and it eventually would have felt dated...The absence of interviews, combined with the elegant and timeless lighting, created a film that can be watched over and over.” 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.” 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!”Matrix / Runout (Side B, variant 3): SP 1̶-̶2̶ O-2 ∆7401-X SH-SP 125121 B SH3 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-19702-SH3 SLM Matrix / Runout (Side B, variant 6): SH-SP 1 25121 B SH 3 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-19702-SH3 SLM 1̶-̶2 0-2 STERLING TJ ∆7401-X Matrix / Runout (Side A, variant 1): 0-25MI-I SH-SP 1-25121 A SH1 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-19701-SH1 SLM ∆7401 STERLING Design [Booklet Designed By - With], Liner Notes [Booklet Written By - With] – Jeff Ayeroff*, Michael Hodgson (2) 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.

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.” Today, David 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 perform them live and were inspired by having an audience. In many ways, these versions are more exciting than the 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!” That was the question I had after buying and listening to the original record. None of the questions are answered in the original booklet. The updated booklet, with new notes by Tina Weymouth, husband Frantz, David Byrne, and Jerry Harrison, answers some of the questions, which Byrne quips were originally included in the hope that journalists wouldn't ask them. Of course they did! Quite simply, the idea of pairing the live album format and the Talking Heads’ music is a perfect one, as evidenced by the fact that they have two of the most decorated and respected live albums of all time (this and The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads). The Heads here are energetic, frantic, grand and incredibly joyful. I think that joyousness is the key separator here between this live album and almost any other in history. The synth solo on Life During Wartime is indicative of a band that is not only very talented, but comfortable with each other to the point that they are willing to take grand expenditures in their solos during concerts. As great as their studio material is, they never really sounded like they had this freedom before.The double-album release comes with a reproduction of the original booklet from the 1984 pressing, with additional notes from Talking Heads’ David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison and never-seen-before photos. Matrix / Runout (Side B, variant 4): SH-SP 1 25121 B SH 3 [Allied 'ɑ' logo] B-19702-SH3 SLM 1̶-̶1̶ 0-1STERLING TJ ∆7401-X 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?" 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? In the liner notes, Byrne states: “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.”