Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of genres, styles and time periods. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album or view the full album index here.
TALKING HEADS | Stop Making Sense
Sire/Warner Bros. (1984)
Selected by Jesse Ducker
Stop Making Sense is not only one of the best concert films of all time, but its companion live soundtrack is also one of the best live albums ever released. Recorded over three days in Los Angles as part of the Talking Heads’ 1984 tour to support their Speaking in Tongues album, the album captures the art-rock group’s quirky energy and creativity.
The album famously begins with lead-singer David Byrne taking to the stage with just an acoustic guitar and drum machine to deliver a stripped-down rendition of “Psycho Killer.” As the album progresses, the rest of the band and their back-up performers take to the stage one-by-one, adding to the performance’s grandeur and demonstrating their ability to reinterpret material from their catalogue.
The album is best known for the performances of the frenetic “Lifetime During War Time” and the machine-like “Girlfriend Is Better,” but it also features great renditions of “Burning Down the House,” “Slippery People,” and “Once in a Lifetime.” Even without the visual component of the show, Stop Making Sense is a powerful aural experience.
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