I watched the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense for the millionth time.

Has to be one of the great concert films of all time. It strikes all the right chords. A great band, captured at just the right time, and by a major director Jonathan Demme.

Add to that Bernie Worrell on the keyboards, a couple hot backup singers, one Al Green tune, and one large suit and you have a truly great concert.

[youtub


[Edited 2/18/09 11:49am]

The progression of the concert is so perfect, too.

It goes from a bare stage with David Byrne playing acoustic guitar to a beat played on a ghetto blaster...



...and adds band members for each song until it is a full scale rock show.

Slippery People show the near-completion of this progression


[Edited 2/18/09 10:56am]
[Edited 2/18/09 10:58am]

and the famous big suit...

NDRU said:

I love the construct of it, both as a concert and a film. Very effective way to go about it.


Love that! Probably my fave part of the show, and as much as I love the album version of that song the live one is a gajillion times better.

I think I know what I'm watching in the basement home theatre tonight. Been a while since I've seen it.

RipHer2Shreds said:

yeah that song is one of the highlights. Those girls really make it come alive.

Given that they're a rock band doing funky music, maybe the greatest achievement is that they don't come across (to me) as wannabes. They have Bernie Worrell, but are not trying to be P-Funk. They are dorky but funky.
[Edited 2/18/09 11:14am]

NDRU said:

It worked for them because they weren't ever trying to be anything but themselves, a rock band. They just wanted a funky sound and they got it!

And I'm sure it won't be long before somebody comes and says The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads is better, because that's usually what happens when this album comes up.

RipHer2Shreds said:

I've actually never heard that one. That's a live album, too, right?

NDRU said:

Oui. A good one, too.

wasn't it Demme?

that's a director for you... and David Byrne makes a doc film once in awhile too.

Yes, it was Demme (the Jonathan variety).

luckybullet said:

And that makes all the difference. The whole concert was planned as a film event, and the direction makes it that much better

As a comparison, I was watching Prince at the Alladin in Vegas, and it's decent, but it's terribly directed.