STOP MAKING SENSE

In December 1983, the art-rock band, Talking Heads were on tour to promote their latest album, "Speaking in Tongues". Reuniting after a three-year hiatus to create their fifth studio record and enjoying commercial success with their first (and ultimately only) US top-ten hit with "Burning Down the House", the Heads, made up of Jerry Harrison on keyboards and guitar; Tina Weymouth on bass guitar; her husband, Chris Frantz on drums and lead vocalist and songwriter, David Bryne, decided to film their concert for a feature film. Shot over four nights at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood and enlisting relatively new filmmaker, Jonathan Demme to direct, "Stop Making Sense" was created to highlight the band in live performance and its unique sound that merged new-wave, punk, soul and world music.

Now, almost forty years later, "Stop Making Sense" returns to theaters newly restored in 4K and in IMAX. The Heads had sadly disbanded by 1991 but all members reunited for a special screening and conversation with Spike Lee during the premiere at this year's Toronto Film Festival last month for the first time since their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. 

Now I didn't have the opportunity to see "Stop Making Sense" when it was first released as I was a young man living in the suburbs in Michigan at the time and it did not play anywhere near me. Over the years that followed, I just never had a chance to catch this film, so I was determined to finally see it on the big screen.

And I can now say that all the praise that has been heaped upon "Stop Making Sense" as one of the greatest concert films ever made is no exaggeration. From the beginning with Bryne coming out solo with a guitar and boombox to perform "Psycho Killer" to the entire sweat-drenched band together on the final song, "Crosseyed and Painless", the film presents, at a brisk eighty-eight minutes, a wild, thrilling ride of a show that you truly do not want to see end.

With impressive backing musicians, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir on guitar, percussionist Steve Scales and back-up vocalists Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt on board to help enhance their sound, Talking Heads deliver a lively, highly energetic production with unfussy yet inventive staging that effectively brings fresh vitality to the live versions of their quirky pop songs. There is even a brief moment when Weymouth and Franz's side project, Tom Tom Club get a chance to do their funky hit single from 1981, "Genius of Love" (which has been sampled to death ever since) before Bryne returns to the stage in the infamous big suit while performing "Girlfriend Is Better". Inspired by Kabuki, Bryne has later stated that the point of his wearing this oversized outfit was to make his head look smaller although I'm still not sure why he wanted to do that.

But what I do know is that the response from a new generation of viewers to "Stop Making Sense" has been quite remarkable, with people actually dancing in the aisles at some screenings. Whether you saw the film when it first came out or are a curious, young music lover, do yourself a favor and catch Talking Heads in a movie theater on the biggest screen possible.

THE 50 BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES OF ALL TIME

Music has always played an important part in cinema since the very beginning of the industry. The early films were silent but were accompanied by a pianist or even, in some large cities, a small orchestra in theaters. When recorded, synchronized sound began in 1927, it was a game-charger for the movies and the first sound feature film released, "The Jazz Singer" was, not surprisingly, a musical.

Over time, documentaries were made about music and the gifted artists who created these sounds. In recent years, this has exploded with a large number of movies about musicians, well-known, obscure or forgotten, in all genres have been filling cinemas and streaming channels.

Vulture has put together a list of fifty of what they consider to be the best music documentaries of all time. First putting these selections together in 2015, they have updated this listing to include recent releases. These movies (which include a few concert films) are all important and fascinating documents. There are films which deeply explore what has made many of these popular musicians so vital; highlight professionals who had assisted singers and musicians with their careers and reveal talented artists who never had a real opportunity to shine in their lifetime yet remain highly influential.

Click below to read the article:

The 50 Best Music Documentaries of All-Time

DAVID BYRNE: AMERICAN UTOPIA TOUR

While Talking Heads were definitely a band, it was David Byrne who was actually the musical and creative director behind the group. With his former alt-rock band now just a footnote in his career, Byrne has continued to create in his own name and after releasing his seventh solo album, "American Utopia", the sixty-six year old performer is on the road to promote the record.

I caught the L.A. show on August 25th at the Shrine Auditorium (thanks to a dear friend who had an extra ticket) and it was an incredible merging of art performance and rock concert. The stage was completely bare and surrounded by a curtain of long, individual strings. With just a table and chair placed out before the start, Bryne emerged solo with a song from the new album, "Here" where he sat holding a human brain as an unusual visual aide.

He was soon joined by his two highly-energetic background singers/dancers who literally moved throughout the entire show. The rest of the band featuring ten musicians eventually appear, all wearing the same identical gray suits and barefoot like Bryne, while each carrying their own instruments (including drums and percussion) and moving along wirelessly throughout the stage.

After a performance of the British electro-duo, X-Press 2's "Lazy" where Bryne was a guest vocalist, he launched in to some Talking Heads songs with "I, Zimbra" and "Slippery People". I thought for sure he would keep his former band's material to a minimum but I was quite surprised for throughout the night Byrne did quite a few including "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)", "Blind",  "The Great Curve", "Once In a Lifetime" and "Burning Down The House".

I knew there would obviously be plenty of middle-aged Heads fans but it was nice to see just as many millennials in attendance. Byrne was in great voice and, still utilizing his signature nerdy dance moves, effortlessly kept pace with his younger band as they filled the auditorium with vibrant sounds and positive energy.

Politics did manage to find it's way in to the show but the approach was subtle and low-key. Bryne, who has an organization on tour with him to help people register to vote at each stop, stressed the importance of making change happen not only nationally but at a local level. And during the encore, Bryne does an artist approved, altered cover of Janelle Monáe's "Hell You Talmbout" which shouts out the recent names of people of color that were questionably killed during police interactions.

With the world in such turmoil and conflict, Byrne has stated that the album and the tour was inspired to promote optimism and offer some comfort through song in these trying times. I can honestly say that he has achieved his goal with a concert that featured vivid style, unparalleled creativity and great music.

NEW SOUNDS

TONI BRAXTON

After spending much of her time involved with her family on reality television and coping with her own complicated health issues, Toni Braxton returned to music with a well received concept album with Babyface called “Love, Marriage and Divorce” back in 2014. That won the duo a Grammy for Best R&B Album and now she is back out on her own with “Sex & Cigarettes”, the fifty year old singer’s first solo record in eight years. For her eighth studio album, Braxton had a hand on the writing and production on this project and uses that smoky voice to deliver her brand of sensual soul ballads. While the record doesn’t break any new ground, Braxton makes a welcome return by adding some much need old-school spice to contemporary r&b. Have a listen to the second single from the album, “Long As I Live”, a classic tune about heartbreak that the singer does so well:



JACK WHITE

Known for keeping the spirit of pure rock & roll alive and well, Jack White offers a few unexpected surprises with his latest album, "Boarding House Reach".  The Detroit rocker has shaken up his routine and in the mood to be more experimental with his sound. Inspired by how Michael Jackson created his records by working them out in his head instead of writing ideas down, White attempted to recreate that method. And what he ended up with produced some interesting results with electronic beats, heavy metal, jazz piano and rap all scattered together throughout the record. The latest single, "Over and Over And Over" is one that White had been trying to complete since his days with The White Stripes and at one point was supposed to be recorded by Jay-Z. But White finally had a breakthrough and finished the song to his satisfaction which you can check out here:



DAVID BYRNE

David Byrne has always been a unique visionary in pop music since the early days with his art-rock band, Talking Heads. After leaving the group, the Scotland-born, American-raised sixty-five year old performer went on to further merge art and music as a solo artist. With "American Utopia", Byrne's first album on his own in fourteen years, this recording serves two purposes; one as a quirky musical statement with the esteemed Brian Eno on board to help co-write and produce. And the other is as a soundtrack for his multimedia project called "Reason to be Cheerful" which expresses some reasons to be happy and optimistic in spite of the political strife and environmental problems facing the world. Listen to the first single, "Everybody's Coming To My House" in a great video presentation:

TAKE TWO: TALKING HEADS

They say that timing is everything and when Talking Heads first came together, the furious beat of punk and new-wave was just beginning to gain some traction in popular music. The band fit perfectly in this movement however, their particular sound didn't easily fall in to either of those categories. They were one of the first bands to merge different genres together to create their own version of world music. Lead by David Byrne's melodic, droning voice and offbeat vision, Talking Heads would forge their own unique path and become one of the most innovative and influential musical groups in pop history.

David Byrne and Chris Frantz met while attending an art college in Rhode Island. They formed a band together called The Artistics in 1974. Frantz's girlfriend, Tina Weymouth, who also graduated from the school, would help out by driving them around to local gigs. The three decided to move to New York to try their luck. The band needed a bass player, so they encouraged Weymouth to learn how to play. The trio renamed the band, "Talking Heads" and made their first performance in the city opening for The Ramones at CBGB in 1975. Talking Heads developed a cult following and soon record labels came calling. After adding keyboardist, Jerry Harrison to the band in 1977, they signed with Sire Records and released their debut, "Talking Heads: 77". The single, "Psycho Killer" was not a major hit but brought attention to the band.

For their follow-up album, "More Songs About Buildings and Food", Talking Heads teamed up with experimental rock producer, Brian Eno. This was a perfect match of unconventional style and sensibility and the band blended elements of country, reggae and funk in to their sound. Their cover of Al Green's "Take Me To The River" became their first to hit the top-forty on the U.S. pop chart. Eno produced their next two releases, "Fear of Music" (1979) and "Remain in Light" (1980) with Talking Heads exploring further with disco and African rhythms. During this time, they released memorable singles such as "Once In A Lifetime" and "Life During Wartime" which featured the famous lyric "This Ain't No Party, This Ain't No Disco, This Ain't No Foolin' Around"

When the time came to work on their next album, Talking Heads decided to change direction in more ways than one. David Byrne had been the lead vocalist and head writer from the beginning which eventually left the rest of the members feeling frustrated and nothing more than a back-up band. They had begun working on their music as a group and with "Speaking in Tongues", Talking Heads also produced the record together. This became one of their most commercially successful albums with the song, "Burning Down The House" reaching the top-ten on the pop chart. Director Jonathan Demme filmed the band during the L.A. stop of their tour to promote this album which became the popular 1984 concert film, "Stop Making Sense" with a live soundtrack album also released.

Talking Heads would release three more albums but tension between Byrne and the other members continued to escalate. After "Naked" in 1988, the band decided to take a break before officially announcing the end of Talking Heads in 1991. They all would go on to work on solo projects with the most notable being Frantz and Weymouth (who married in 1977 and remain together to this day) who formed Tom Tom Club in 1980 and had a hit with "Genius of Love" which has been heavily sampled over the years. Talking Heads were inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Enjoy two of my favorites songs from Talking Heads:

"Life During Wartime" - Talking Heads (1979) mp3

"Burning Down The House" - Talking Heads (1983) mp3

After seeing the movie trailer for "Stop Making Sense", I need to put it on Netflix queue:



Finally, take a look at the animated music video for the Tom Tom Club's classic "Genius of Love":