Stop Making Sense is returning to theaters later this year, and now, the Talking Heads concert film is getting a shiny new soundtrack to go along with it. Rhino is issuing an updated deluxe edition on August 18th, complete with the film’s full setlist as well as two previously unreleased songs.
Filmmaker Jonathan Demme conceived the idea of Stop Making Sense in 1983 when he caught Talking Heads on tour supporting new album at the time, Speaking in Tongues. By the end of that calendar year, the filmmaker shot three concerts at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater, and the final product was released the following year. For those of us who weren’t lucky enough to see it at the time, it’s set to arrive in theaters again via A24 sometime in 2023.
Stop Making Sense (Deluxe Edition) will feature two songs that have never been released — “Cities” and “Big Business / I Zimbra” — along with all the Talking Heads hits you know and love: “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” “Burning Down the House,” “Once In a Lifetime,” and more. The limited edition vinyl version also comes with a 28-page booklet with previously unpublished photos and new liner notes from all four band members: Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, and, of course, David Byrne.
“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,” Byrne explains in the liner notes. “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.”
Pre-orders are ongoing, and as a preview, you can hear the remastered live version of “Cities” now. Below, you can also watch an extremely heartwarming promo clip for Stop Making Sense, and see the full tracklist and artwork for the album.
Revisit Consequence‘s 2014 roundtable about Stop Making Sense here.
Stop Making Sense (Deluxe Edition) Artwork:
Stop Making Sense (Deluxe Edition) Tracklist:
LP 1
01. Psycho Killer
02. Heaven
03. Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
04. Found A Job
05. Slippery People
06. Cities
07. Burning Down the House
08. Life During Wartime
09. Making Flippy Floppy
10. Swamp
LP 2
01. What a Day That Was
02. This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
03. Once In a Lifetime
04. Big Business / I Zimbra
05. Genius of Love
06. Girlfriend Is Better
07. Take Me to the River
08. Crosseyed and Painless
