"The Name of the Band is Talking Heads" vs. "Stop Making Sense"

[DroppinScience]

Ok, which live Talking Heads album do you prefer?

I'm basing my opinion entirely on the reissues of the two (loads more bonus stuff on the two), but I haven't seen the movie version of "Stop Making Sense."

Anyways, I go with "The Name of the Band is..." since we get two different versions of the TH live and they're both very awesome.

Your verdict?

[abcdefz]

I've still never heard The Name opf This Band Is...

There was a point right around Naked that David Byrne started to irk the hell out of me, and I haven't been able to shake it off. Don't know why.

[MC Moot]

I'd choose "Sand in the Vaseline" as opposed to either of those 2 records (collection)....if I had to buy or recommend a single record it would be "Remain In Light"....I was watching "Stop Making Sense" recently and was taken aback by how much U2 owes every stage trick they ever used to this tour......(y) :)

[abcdefz]

I swear, I think Little Creatures is my favorite of their studio albums.

The poor production on their earlier records really hurts, in my opinion. The sound is so thin.

[Auton]

^that's why you should pick up the new remasters... and i feel similarly towards byrne, i feel he became kind of pretentious in the late eighties and hasn't let up yet

[FunkyHiFi]

The Stop Making Sense concert video is suppsoed to be one of the best ever concert films (and the soundtrack on the later dvd versions is supposed to sound excellent IIRC there's a choice of the actual music from the concert itself or a track with the studio versions of the songs).

8 TH videos (http://rhino.com/retrovid/VideoKeeper.lasso?Artist=Talking%20Heads&Partner=) Their cool visual sense matched their music.

Heres one the member's own bands, Tom Tom Club with a really cool video for "Genius Of Love" (http://rhino.com/retrovid/VideoKeeper.lasso?Artist=Tom%20Tom%20Club&Partner=) (it was made in 1981 so this was all done by hand i.e. no CG stuff).

[Documad]

Ah, again you're right a-z. Little Creatures is an absolutely perfect album. I gave up on Talking Heads after that album. I hated Naked and wasn't upset when they threw in the towel.

I prefer Stop Making Sense but I only have the other one in vinyl so I haven't heard the reissue. When the Stop Making Sense soundtrach was first released on vinyl, I remember a lot of critics bitching about how badly it was edited together (bridges were cut out to shorten songs). I just bought the re-release and haven't listened to it to see if that's still true.

Stop Making Sense is one of my favorite movies. It's the only movie I ever sat through twice in the same day at a theater. I remember when some things happened and people gasped in the theater. They weren't even big moves, but the people sitting around me hadn't seen the band live and had no idea what it would be like. I still smile when I watch the DVD and get to those parts.

D.S. You HAVE to see the movie. It won't be as good on a TV but I think it's the best strictly concert movie ever made. Some people are bothered because there is no backstage footage, but that's the point! Some of my favorite songs in the movie are I Zimbra and Cities and they're not on the CD. I SWEAR TO GOD that Cities was in the original movie I saw in the theatre, but it's an extra on the DVD that I have.

I think their compilations are a tragedy.

[Documad]

Heres one the member's own bands, Tom Tom Club with a really cool video for "Genius Of Love" (http://rhino.com/retrovid/VideoKeeper.lasso?Artist=Tom%20Tom%20Club&Partner=) (it was made in 1981 so this was all done by hand i.e. no CG stuff).
I used to stay up late to try and see that video on late night TV before I had MTV. :)

My favorite Talking Heads videos are probably Road To Nowhere and Lady Don't Mind. It's funny that Chris and Tina's baby in Road To Nowhere is an adult now. :p

[Auton]

stop making sense is one of my 5 favorite movies. i adore it.

[Brother McDuff]

I think it's a bit of sham to compare the two. Stop Making Sense is the true spectacle of a groundbreaking band more or less peaking, while The Name of This Band... is a documentation of a legendary band on the rise and in notable development. It's almost as though The Name of This Band... is the "process" piece, while Stop Making Sense is the "fruition" piece. I'd say their equally valuable; SMS would be the ideal for a casual fan of good music, while TNOTB... is the quintissential progressive, "making-of" gem that holds the same amount of water to true fans of the Talking Heads, but of true fans of the musical process and progression as well.