Stop Making Sense (Widescreen)

 

 

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Stop Making Sense
Directed by Jonathan Demme
88 minutes

Video:
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (audience mix)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (studio mix)
English: LPCM 2.0

I was passionate about music long before I became passionate about film. It began when my neighbor played Hunky Dory to me, and became stronger through school as I discovered the likes of Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Joy Division, The Fall and too many punk bands to mention. We shared albums on cassette and I started listening to the John Peel show on the radio. He broadened my appreciation for obscure music. I mention this because Talking Heads were a big part of my musical education. I remember playing Fear of Music to death when it came out.

David Byrne is not a conventional singer. In fact, very few of the bands I love have people who can really sing. It's just not a requirement for me. I prefer vocalists who obviously feel what they are performing, even if their vocal ability is limited. A list of my favorites would include:

Ian Curtis - Joy Division
Neil Young
Stephen Malkmus - Pavement (can't even stay in the same key)
Black Francis - Pixies
Tom Verlaine - Television
David Bowie
Kristin Hersh - Throwing Muses
Polly Harvey
Nick Cave
Thurston Moore/Kim Gordon/Lee Ranaldo - Sonic Youth
Kurt Cobain - Nirvana
Jonathan Richman - The Modern Lovers
Mark E. Smith - The Fall

Byrne whines, growls, yelps and screams. It works...for me. It may not work for everyone. The same goes for most people on the above list. That's why all those bands, and Talking Heads, don't sound like anyone else. They have their own identity. It amazes me that bands like Television don't get more recognition. Marquee Moon (arguably the best album of the 70s) is an absolute masterpiece of guitar sound, but they were labeled as punk/new wave and never got the recognition they deserve. I'm one of their 17 fans across the world.

Talking Heads deserve a special place in music history and the band was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Their sound isn't exactly rock, but what is it? There's a huge funk influence as well as world music.

The rhythm section was superb with Chris Frantz (drums), Jerry Harrison (guitar, keyboards) and Tina Weymouth (bass) all vital to the mix. For the purposes of this film, the band was joined by Bernie Worrell (keyboards), Steve Scales (percussion), Alex Weir (guitar), Edna Holt (backing vocals) and Lynn Mabry (backing vocals). The result was an intricate fusion of styles with multiple layers of sound. This complicated layering is prevalent among bands I have grown to love over the years.

The movie doesn't look like a movie at all; it looks like a live concert. It was filmed over several nights with cameras being positioned in different places each time. As a result, you won't see cameras cluttering the performance. It explains how we were given views of the audience from behind the drums without any other cameras in view. The shooting style is somewhat similar to that used in the dance scenes in Black Swan. You'll find yourself on stage with the band, right among the action.

The concert begins with David Byrne walking out carrying a boom box. He wants to play us a tape. It consists of the pounding backing beat of Psycho Killer and he performs it solo with his guitar. Tina Weymouth joins him for a rendition of Heaven, with Chris Frantz entering for Thank You For Sending Me An Angel and Jerry Harrison completing the foursome on Found A Job. The guest performers all add something to the sound and all nine performers are on stage for the start of the seventh song. I have seen Byrne use this formula for solo shows and it works well. I think it highlights what each musician adds to the sound and helps you appreciate exactly how much is going on in that rhythm section.

Byrne was a ball of energy, running on the spot, doing laps around the stage, leaping up beside the drums and performing a variety of patented moves. When the ensemble plays the Tom Tom Club's Genius of Love, Byrne leaves the stage. When it ends, he returns wearing the big suit. He wanted to make his head look smaller so he decided to make the rest of his body appear bigger. I think Byrne was one of the best front men in music history. Looking like a cross between a manic bird and Norman Bates, he was never still.

One of the gripes I have about popular music is that it's too manufactured. The record labels want a product that can be marketed and exploited. As long as those involved look the part, the music is secondary. That's not the case with Talking Heads. This was real. Look at their faces and how much they enjoyed the performance. Look at the effort involved.

The music is full of emotion.

There are 16 songs included in the 88 minutes:

1. Psycho Killer
2. Heaven
3. Thank You For Sending Me An Angel
4. Found A Job
5. Slippery People
6. Burning Down The House
7. Life During Wartime
8. Making Flippy Floppy
9. Swamp
10. What A Day That Was
11. This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody)
12. Once In A Lifetime
13. Genius Of Love
14. Girlfriend Is Better
15. Take Me To The River
16. Crosseyed And Painless

No weak tracks there. It's not quite the perfect set, but it's close. Don't Worry About the Government would have been a nice addition. The bonus features do include Cities and Big Business/I Zimbra, adding another 11 minutes or so of music.

Talking of special features, there's also a 65-minute press conference of the band at a 1999 film festival where the movie was shown for its 15th anniversary.

Can I recommend this to everyone? No, definitely not. It depends what kind of music you like. If all you have ever listened to is classic rock and AOR, the jump might be too much for you. If you are familiar with Talking Heads and appreciate what they do, the Blu-ray is an essential purchase. That said, you'll be disappointed by the picture quality. It's marred by frequent dirt, scratches and white specks. Concerts tend to happen in dim settings and you have to remember that it's 27 years old. I would rate the picture quality 3/5.

The real difference here is the sound. There are three lossless mixes. The audience mix (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), the studio mix (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) and a PCM stereo mix. There are occasional sync issues, such as on Life During Wartime, but overall, things match up well. The audience mix gives more of a concert experience while the studio mix is more polished. Both are excellent.

I quickly forgot the shortcomings of the picture quality and enjoyed the music.

Overall 4.5/5

but it is my extremely entertaining, albeit "contrived" concert event. But that is not a bad thing ! as the resulting DVD manages to capture the energy and talent of a truly great American band. If I could go back in time, one of my first destinations would be the CBGB in New York City, 1977, to see the Talking Heads open for the Ramones. Obviously the Talking Heads stole every show, which is probably why the Ramones disliked them so much !

And even though the four members of the "Talking Heads proper" kind of get lost in this nine-member stage ensemble, David Byrne is still the clear leader, and the contributions of the other original band members are essential to the energy of the Talking Heads experience. and what an experience it is ! Every song is an artistic presentation, with the visual effects beautifully complementing the funky, up beat, afro-synchronic musical riffs. With absolutely radical versions of Life During Wartime and Once in a Lifetime, this is my second favorite musical DVD (second only to Led Zeppelin - which is really saying something !)

First I saw the video on MTV. I bought the record, then the CD. Finally I found the VHS and I thought I had everything. Then they released the anniversary edition CD and finally I bought the DVD. If only I would have been able to actually attend.

Need I say more. The music is fantastic, and the presentation is entertaining. This is by far, the best concert video I've ever seen, and if your not already a Talking Heads fan, you will be after you watch and listen.

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5.0 out of 5 stars best rock video ever
I've owned this video in 3 formats, still my favourite rock concert video of all time. If you haven't seen it, get it, too bad the Heads are no longer together.

Published 4 months ago by Timothy Eaton

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop Making Sense
This has to go down as one of the most dynamic and compelling performances in the modern genre of music screen experiences. Read more

Published 16 months ago by Andrew G. St Butler

4.0 out of 5 stars TALKING HEADS - STOP MAKING SENSE
My son - who was born in 1984 - brought my attention to this video - that was made in 1984 (guess I was too busy raising children to pay attention to music) and I was blown away... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Tom Bissonnette

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe later...
David Byrne self-interviews himself nice. It's good to feel nice. You laugh. The video will make you good to feel nice...and then cry. Read more

Published on May 29 2004 by Joe

5.0 out of 5 stars A Postmodern Cinematic Catharsis Narrative
According to the commentary track included with this DVD, David Byrne may be considered to be the central character in this Talking Heads concert documentary. Read more

Published on May 1 2004 by Nicholas Croft

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest of its genre
I first saw this at a party and was just blown away. Afterwords I figured that the movie was so great because I was drunk and there were a lot of cannabanoid molecules in the... Read more

Published on April 17 2004 by hungdanmonster

5.0 out of 5 stars Always making sense
I love this concert film since I first saw it when I was fifteen years old (that is in 1983). I was in love with this group from the time I saw the film. Read more

Published on Mar 23 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stuff
You won't find a better DVD that is focused on a concert than this one. Those people in the audience were very lucky to have been there for this concert.

Published on Feb 21 2004 by Kevin C. Foley

5.0 out of 5 stars Where was I?
Where was I in 1984? Oh ya, finishing my MBA! I was listening to music but not the DJ. David Byrne, my sincere apologies for associating some of your best music with other... Read more

Published on Jan 24 2004 by Jim Brown

5.0 out of 5 stars IF you only own one concert film
This review is from a casual fan of the band before seeing "Stop Making Sense".

This is simply the best concert film I have seen. Read more

Published on Dec 21 2003

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