MAKES PERFECT SENSE

Somehow New York City band Talking Heads managed to combine art rock ambition with killer grooves, producing something engrossing and, at times, funky. One of those times was the 1983 Speaking In Tongues tour which indirectly led to the live album Stop Making Sense. The full story around this 'in concert' document would take a feature film, but suffice to say, the album of the soundtrack of the film by Jonathan Demme is currently available on double vinyl and the consensus is that it sounds very good indeed.

Remixed to deliver crisp, detailed sound, the cleverness and artistry of the arrangements of familiar songs shines brightly on this 40th anniversary edition. Joining the original quartet of David Byrne (vocals, guitar), Tina Weymouth (bass, vocals), Christ Frantz (drums, vocals) and Jerry Harrison (guitar, keyboards, vocals) were Alex Weir on guitar, Steve Scales (percussion) and the incomparable Bernie Worrell on keyboards. This last is a revelation, as the remix highlights his inventive and occasionally humorous synth excursions as they weave in and out of the funky foundations. In his short essay in the accompanying booklet (where all four principles get to reminisce) Jerry Harrison proudly recalls how "the sheer joy that emanated from the stage each evening (during that tour) melted the most skeptical listener."

Does this recording, separated from a much loved film, still stand up some four decades later? The answer is a resounding "Yes!"

The set opens with a sparse, hypnotic "Psychokiller" followed by the yearning, aching "Heaven," a witty juxtaposition. "Slippery People" is suitably, well, slippery while the re-integration of "Cities" will be welcomed by Heads fans. 

There are so many standouts. A menacing version of "Swamp" grooves through alligator infested waters, while the disco-funk romp "Girlfriend is better" is toe-tappingly infectious. There are several surprises, one of which is the solo David Byrne song "Big business." This was written for The Catherine Wheel, Twyla Tharp’s 1983 ballet production, and is here paired with the tribal "I Zimbra" from Fear Of Music. It makes for an intense climax to side three of the album, providing a disguised reminder that originally Talking Heads were deemed part of the NY punk scene. Cerebral punks, certainly, but edgy and a bit neurotically dangerous. 

But this is a concert, a party, a celebration. "Once in a lifetime" has an anthemic, almost spiritual feel (despite the increased tempo) that sets you up for an arm-waving speaking-in-tongues conversion as the band launch into a charged up version of Al Green’s classic "Take me to the river" late in the show. It is sanctified rock and roll. 

Chris Frantz had not seen the film for many years before a recent screening. "The sold-out audience was on their feet dancing and cheering. I felt such a wave of joy." It really is that rare live album: the kind that leaves you exhilarated and exhausted.

At the time, some fans were puzzled by Byrne’s big suits, the addition of funk musicians, and the rearrangements of songs they (thought they) knew. Some even thought Talking Heads had stopped making sense. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating and, to misquote a lyric from "Swamp", this desert is gonna swallow you up. The pristine anniversary remix is superb and has elevated the album into the top echelon of live records. It all makes perfect sense.

© Bruce Jenkins—September 2024