Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense (40th Anniversary Special Edition)

Classic. Well shot. Great sound. Worth a watch even if you aren't a Talking Heads fan, for the professional musicianship. And if you are a fan, obviously essential

I own approx. 120 pro shot concert DVDs and this one is top 5 for sure. When this was filmed and recorded the Talking Heads were at the top of their game. The energy of every band member is exceeded only by their talent as musicians! The quality of the sound and the film itself is very good. Pay no attention to the mispelled name of the band on the case....(it says Talking Head), this is well worth the money for any fan of the band.

big suit lfg

One of THE best concert movies ever made. Great, great stuff. We're incredibly lucky to have this - Talking Heads was at their absolute peak of performance when this was made, but unfortunately they played maybe a half dozen more concerts after this one and then they broke up. What a tragedy. What else is there to say about the music? It starts quietly and builds momentum. Lots of visual flair to boot. Incredible filming techniques to highlight the involvement of everyone who was on stage. We're very fortunate this came to be filmed. It documents a phenomenon.

This Blu Ray Talking Heads dvd is definitely a 5 star buy. Every song is great and you can tell this is one band that is really enjoying performing together. GREAT dvd.

Going back to the 1980's to see a full concert by the Talking Heads in their heyday by itself is mind-bending. Incredibly, the format and special effects hold up well even by today's standards. But the frantic energy and amazing movements, unique and stunning in the 1980's, is even more so in today's diverse musical environment. But then, let's jump forward in time 15 years to see the Heads in older, post-touring days looking back and musing on what they accomplished. Yet that special extra on the disc (full press conference filmed in 1999) is some 25 years ago from the present. It's as interesting and insightful as the concert itself. So, for all those who enjoy TIME-TRAVELING through vibrant musical history, this is an incredible experience! Projected onto a large wall screen with full surround sound turned up, because of the way it was deliberately shot it's like being there---sitting in the audience totally overwhelmed and absorbed into the concert and/or press conference. Truly, this blu ray is a gem worth treasuring and viewing over and over again: creative time-travel at its finest!

Saw the live performance of this movie when the band was in Toronto - 'OH so MANY Years ago ... incredible then & incredible now ... love the moves ... love the songs ... excellent throw back memories ...

This review is primarily a comparison of the standard DVD to the blu-ray. See other reviews for more discussion of the performance itself. First, to be clear, I love the Talking Heads of this era (and earlier) and this concert. As many have said before, Stop Making Sense is one of the best concert performances ever captured on film. Poorly captured, unfortunately. I've owned the standard DVD for years, and have viewed it on my Oppo 970 upscaling player at least 50 times. I know (and love) the content very well, warts and all. I eagerly awaited the release on blu-ray to improve the blurry, soft, artifact-laden DVD. Sadly, on my 106" screen (fed by a Pioneer BPD-51FD blu-ray player though an Epson 1080UB), the video on blu-ray is so similar (poor) to the DVD that I consider it a wasted purchase. What makes it even WORSE than the DVD, is that all the grain, scratches, and film defects are greatly enhanced by the sharpness of blu-ray. When a scratch comes along, it's presented in high definition, making it leap out even more than it does on DVD. The sharp detail of the defects screams out how bad the source really is. Monty Python's Life of Brian was similarly horrific on DVD, but the restoration processing used for the blu-ray transformed it astonishingly to near perfect. I had hoped for SOME similar improvements on Stop Making Sense, but this blu-ray is a dud in my opinion. I see only moments of improved detail, but so little as to be of no consequence. Some reviewers feel that this is part of the films' charm and artistic intent. I respectfully disagree - strongly. The bad video quality just looks like sloppy, inept film making. The concept, direction and performances are wonderful, but the images look like a 4th generation VHS tape. Sadly, apparently all the existing copies of the original film used to master the DVDs and blu-rays are apparently equally awful. Audio IS improved on the blu-ray, however. Notably, audio lip-sync problems are much better than the standard DVD (particularly on 'What a Day That Was') . Yet this also helps to emphasize how bad the image quality is. Great audio combined with high-def film grain/defects make the soft, crappy images seem worse than ever by comparison. I wish I'd never bothered to upgrade to this blu-ray, my old DVD is essentially equivalent on a good upscaling player. Ultimately, Stop Making Sense is an essential, desert-island DVD, although poorly-filmed (picture quality-wise). I adore the content, but wish that there would be an attempt at restoration, even if some purists might object. Until then, the added resolution of blu-ray is a waste, at best. If you own this on DVD, don't bother with the blu-ray version. [...]

David Byrne is a Freak!!! Clássico atemporal, Stop Making Sense é obrigatório na coleção das pessoas que amam música. Estou muito feliz com essa compra. Imagem e som estão ótimas. Entrega foi tranquila e chegou tudo certinho.

El disco en vivo le debo mi incursión en buscar nuevas corrientes, hasta ese año solo consumía Rock/Pop comercial, Top 40 etc, STOP MAKING SENSE me sacudió de tal forma que me hizo apreciar mas a otras corrientes musicales, Mtv curiosamente los puso en alta rotación en aquel 1984, pasaban varios cortes del concierto durante todo el día y yo solamente quedaba pasmado ante el virtuosismo de la banda, las imagenes, la coreografia, a un David Byrne dandolo todo en escenario, en sí el concierto lo he tenido en varios formatos (BETA, VHS, DVD, Bluray) esta edición es muy buena y vale cada peso y no debe faltar en toda colección de conciertos, por algo la mayoria de los conocedores lo nombran el mejor concierto llevado ala pantalla grande de todos los tiempos.

Ich schreibe nie Rezensionen. Aber nach den letzten 90 MInuten meines Lebens kann ich nicht anders. Ich habe mir „Stop Making Sense“ auf DVD gekauft. Dieses Album verfolgt mich nun, positiv betrachtet, seit 1984. Ich konnte eigentlich nie festmachen woran es genau lag. Weil - eigentlich ist das gar nicht meine Musik. Ich höre eher Fusion, Funk, RnB, Jazz und damals, zur Zeit der Erstveröffentlichung war es die sogenannte progressive Rockmusik, die mich in interessiert hat. Gentle Giant, Camel, Bo Hansson etc.pp. Aber bei den Talking Heads hat es nix genutzt, Dieses Album hat mich in den Bann gezogen und bis heute nicht losgelassen. Und nach diesen letzten 90 Minuten bin ich mir jetzt sicher, fast 30 Jahre später, dass es ganz einfach daran liegt, dass diese Songs ohne wenn und aber genial sind, genial gespielt wurden und, jetzt hab ich's gesehen, genial verfilmt wurden. Unglaublich. Die Power, die Spannung, die Dramaturgie, der Sound (uuuahhh). Das Adrenalin wird quasi direkt aus dem Bildschirm über einen geschüttet. Man kann nicht anders. Dieser Film, diese Musik hat alles, was Klassiker ausmacht. Man sieht, hört und spürt förmlich, wie ein Teilchen nach dem anderen an die richtige Stelle gesetzt wird, einrastet, so lange, bis das perfekte Bild fertig ist. Das ist Kunst. Und, ich schließe mich da einer vorigen Bewertung an, wenn jemand, auch nur ansatzweise, gute Musik erkennt, wenn er sie hört, und vielleicht auch etwas über seinen eigenen Tellerrand gucken kann, MUSS er begeistert sein von dem, was hier geboten wird. Kaufen ist Pflicht!

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

Toffe klassieker !