It is great to have the boys back after a too long hiatus.
It is also great to see "Stop Making Sense" receive the recognition it deserves.
It was the summer of 1986, right before I started college at the University of Michigan. A couple of friends of mine who were musicians and had a strong musical influence on my tastes, had rented a copy of the concert film and asked if they could come over to play it at my house with their girlfriends. Sadly, none of the girlfriends wore bows in their hair, though my girlfriend at the time sometimes did.
My friends explained how the rhythm section were married and had a side project Tom Tom Club. At a certain point, David Byrne disappears from the sage and they play a couple of tracks from the Tom Tom Club.
Both my girl and I went out after and bought our own copies of the soundtrack. I have been a fan ever since and consumed all of the band's records. More recently, I made sure to see the movie when it was re-released to theaters. It has held up well.
A few months ago I streamed David Byrne's American Utopia which is also excellent. Byrne recycles some of the tracks from Stop Making Sense in American Utopia, but it is an older Byrne with a very different band and context. I thought it was magnificent.
My only surprise was that this was not all ready part of the collection. Glad to see that omission fixed!
I will just refer you to my comment on the previous post (tldr; this is my favorite live album of all time) and to add that, of course, Mitch and CJ and Dan are right. Byrne is a legitimate artist and has gone on to do even more incredible things since Talking Heads; but the entire band is extraordinary — as individuals and as a whole. Desert island album. I will not be taking questions.
It's not hyperbolic to say this record changed my life (or at least the trajectory of my musical tastes). I might've been born a few years too late, but was lucky to be surrounded with people who all had older, cooler siblings bringing back what they'd been listening to while away at school. That's exactly how I found this record.
To CJ's point about homesickness, I first heard it on a field trip. Every time I share this story, I'm taken right back to Multnomah Falls.
P.S. Consider me one of the 3 people gasping. How was this not a 4/4 lock?
when i saw the message that eons was coming back for live albums, stop making sense was the first one that came to mind ;-)
i have a very short list of bands i've always wanted to see live and never did. talking heads remains at or near the top. I'm exactly the right age to have seen the movie in theaters when it came out, and can close my eyes and conjure those images with ease.
I don't know about this one. The band or the album. I like both, but don't rate either that highly. There were albums bands, singles bands, and video bands - and Talking Heads blur the lines of each.
For me, they don't really pass the car test. If I want to hear something zany while driving, I'll take the B-52s over these slippery people. It's a matter of personal preference, but strip away all the get-ups, and the B-52s are just a guitar band. Remove the whimsical bits of Talking Heads, and you've just got a pop crooner—the 1970s version of Lady Gaga - someone who is only weird because they want to be.
I'm sorry I missed them when they first hit, but I was angry at disco and avoiding the radio.
Aethestics being what they are, I can say "Once in a Lifetime" is a great piece of arthouse music, and no one has to agree with me as long as I add the magic words..."for me."
Talking Heads are also the reunion that I want most but am glad will never happen.
It is great to have the boys back after a too long hiatus.
It is also great to see "Stop Making Sense" receive the recognition it deserves.
It was the summer of 1986, right before I started college at the University of Michigan. A couple of friends of mine who were musicians and had a strong musical influence on my tastes, had rented a copy of the concert film and asked if they could come over to play it at my house with their girlfriends. Sadly, none of the girlfriends wore bows in their hair, though my girlfriend at the time sometimes did.
My friends explained how the rhythm section were married and had a side project Tom Tom Club. At a certain point, David Byrne disappears from the sage and they play a couple of tracks from the Tom Tom Club.
Both my girl and I went out after and bought our own copies of the soundtrack. I have been a fan ever since and consumed all of the band's records. More recently, I made sure to see the movie when it was re-released to theaters. It has held up well.
A few months ago I streamed David Byrne's American Utopia which is also excellent. Byrne recycles some of the tracks from Stop Making Sense in American Utopia, but it is an older Byrne with a very different band and context. I thought it was magnificent.
My only surprise was that this was not all ready part of the collection. Glad to see that omission fixed!
tom tom club also rocked (briefly!)
Tina Weymouth does not get the credit she deserves.
Who dat? Who dat? James Brown!
Refreshing. Thank you 😊
I will just refer you to my comment on the previous post (tldr; this is my favorite live album of all time) and to add that, of course, Mitch and CJ and Dan are right. Byrne is a legitimate artist and has gone on to do even more incredible things since Talking Heads; but the entire band is extraordinary — as individuals and as a whole. Desert island album. I will not be taking questions.
It's not hyperbolic to say this record changed my life (or at least the trajectory of my musical tastes). I might've been born a few years too late, but was lucky to be surrounded with people who all had older, cooler siblings bringing back what they'd been listening to while away at school. That's exactly how I found this record.
To CJ's point about homesickness, I first heard it on a field trip. Every time I share this story, I'm taken right back to Multnomah Falls.
P.S. Consider me one of the 3 people gasping. How was this not a 4/4 lock?
Ken hates fun.
Nice discussion. This album feels like a non-brainer to me, but I appreciate Ken taking the contrary position.
I'll be very curious to see how you feel about re-visiting Clapton . . .
when i saw the message that eons was coming back for live albums, stop making sense was the first one that came to mind ;-)
i have a very short list of bands i've always wanted to see live and never did. talking heads remains at or near the top. I'm exactly the right age to have seen the movie in theaters when it came out, and can close my eyes and conjure those images with ease.
great choice, and welcome back!
maybe once was enough? sorry, substack login issue...
he REALLY likes the album!
I don't know about this one. The band or the album. I like both, but don't rate either that highly. There were albums bands, singles bands, and video bands - and Talking Heads blur the lines of each.
For me, they don't really pass the car test. If I want to hear something zany while driving, I'll take the B-52s over these slippery people. It's a matter of personal preference, but strip away all the get-ups, and the B-52s are just a guitar band. Remove the whimsical bits of Talking Heads, and you've just got a pop crooner—the 1970s version of Lady Gaga - someone who is only weird because they want to be.
While I disagree with your assessment of TH, I love your framing of album vs single vs video bands.
I’d say TH is a rhythm-oriented band with a quirky crooner.
I'm sorry I missed them when they first hit, but I was angry at disco and avoiding the radio.
Aethestics being what they are, I can say "Once in a Lifetime" is a great piece of arthouse music, and no one has to agree with me as long as I add the magic words..."for me."
Ken...I'm very disappointed in you. Great album. Well done men. Minus Ken