Talking Heads to re-release ‘Stop Making Sense’ in 4K at cinemas
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of their groundbreaking concert film Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads will release a newly restored 4K version of the film globally, presented by A24.
On August 18th, Rhino will also release a deluxe version of the soundtrack. This edition will include every song performed in the film for the first time, including two previously unreleased – ‘Cities’ and ‘Big Business / I Zimbra’. A live version of ‘Cities’ marks the first Talking Heads single in over 30 years.
The film, conceptualised by director Jonathan Demme following a Talking Heads tour in 1983, showcased songs from all six of the band’s studio albums. Standout performances included the hit, ‘Burning Down The House’, and David Byrne’s iconic oversized suit during ‘Girlfriend Is Better’.
In the deluxe edition’s liner notes, band member Tina Weymouth praises Demme, stating, “…Jonathan was a very enthusiastic, highly adaptive, and imaginative guy… From the get-go you just got the impression he was as flexible as he was disciplined… that boded well for a great relationship and a great film!”
“Stop Making Sense” was a critical and commercial success in 1984, earning a spot on the National Film Registry in 2022. The project’s significance is further highlighted by Byrne in the liner notes, “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.”
On the experience of making the Stop Making Sense film, Chris Frantz said: “I’m talking about real, conscious, transcendent joy… I’m talking about what the Southern gospel people call ‘getting happy,’ which means ‘to be filled with the Spirit.’ That is what happened to us onstage every night, and from my seat behind the drums, I recognized that this was happening to the audience too. Joy was visible in front of me and all around me every night.”
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