Stop Making Sense [Special Edition]

1	Psycho Killer 4:24
2	Heaven 3:41
3	Thank You for Sending Me an Angel 2:09
4	Found a Job 3:15
5	Slippery People 4:00
6	Burning Down the House 4:06
7	Life During Wartime 5:51
8	Making Flippy Floppy 4:40
9	Swamp 4:30
10	What a Day That Was 6:00
11	This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) 4:57
12	Once in a Lifetime 5:25
13	Genius of Love Tom Tom Club 4:30
14	Girlfriend Is Better 5:06
15	Take Me to the River 5:32
16	Crosseyed and Painless 6:11

Barnes & Noble

Ten years after they called it quits and 15 years after Jonathan Demme's groundbreaking concert film first ran, this expanded reissue of the original STOP MAKING SENSE soundtrack seems as strange and new as the Heads did back in the dark, Reagan-era day. Minimal but soulful, angular but always fluid and naturally groovy, this is the best white pop band of the new wave era making flippy floppy with a loose and loving sense of intellectual cool Steve Malkmus would kill for. Adding classics like the galloping headrush "Thank You for Sending Me An Angel," the taut, James Brown-goes-dada "Found a Job," and the pricelessly sweet "This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)" to an original lineup that included "Once in a Lifetime," "Burning Down the House," and "Psycho Killer," this is a key collector's piece for any fan and an excellent intro for newcomers. (It even features an ace run through the Tom Tom Club's hip-hop classic "Genius of Love"!) You can almost see David Byrne in his size-99 suit, looking like a stockbroker from Neptune as he stood at the edge of the stage wondering, "Well, how did I get here?" Sure, the synth-stylized music's chilly spaciousness and the band's reticence to rock out can seem alienating, but they never claimed to be a party band -- and that geek-chic, loner vibe was always part of the appeal now, wasn't it? Jon Dolan

All Music Guide

When the soundtrack for the classic Talking Heads movie Stop Making Sense was originally issued in 1984, it was only nine tracks in length, even though a total of 16 were performed on film. So when the film was re-released in theaters and on home video in 1999, a new version of the soundtrack was issued as well, including all 16 songs and sporting an even better remastered sound. Recorded over three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theatre in December 1983 (during the tour in support of Speaking in Tongues), the usual four-piece lineup was supplemented by Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell, percussionist Steve Scales, guitarist Alex Weir, and backup singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt. Songs from all eras of the band are featured. The first four tracks are early selections ("Psycho Killer," "Heaven"), performed as bare renditions, plus full-band funky versions of such later hits as "Life During Wartime," "Burning Down the House," "Once in a Lifetime," and "Girlfriend Is Better." Also included are lesser-known album tracks ("Swamp," "This Must Be the Place," "Crosseyed and Painless"), plus a track from David Byrne's 1981 Catherine Wheel album ("What a Day That Was"), and "Genius of Love" by the Tom Tom Club (a side project of drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth). One of the greatest live albums ever, the 1999 version of Stop Making Sense captures the Talking Heads at the height of their powers. A quintessential purchase. Greg Prato