Talking Heads released their first single in 30 years on Friday with a live cut of “Cities” taken from the 1981 concerts that produced the legendary concert film Stop Making Sense. In conjunction with the remastered film’s return to cinemas later this year, Talking Heads will release a deluxe version of the soundtrack on August 18th via Rhino, featuring the complete Stop Making Sense concert for the first time.
“Cities” is one of two previously uncirculated tracks set for inclusion on the deluxe 2LP along with “Big Business / I Zimbra”. Until now, the songs were only available on the 1999 VHS/DVD release of Stop Making Sense.
Hitting theaters in 1984, Stop Making Sense catapulted Talking Heads to a new level of fame in addition to the album soundtrack which sold over two million copies. Directed by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia), the live document stands among the pillars of concert films for its innovative and engaging style that influenced generations of bands and filmmakers to come.
“To me, Stop Making Sense has remained relevant because the staging and lighting techniques could have been created in a much earlier time period,” guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison writes in the deluxe album’s liner notes. “For example, Vari-Lights, lights with motors to re-aim them, had just come into vogue. Had we used them, there would have been a timestamp on the film, and it eventually would have felt dated…The absence of interviews, combined with the elegant and timeless lighting, created a film that can be watched over and over.”
The new expanded Stop Making Sense soundtrack will contain all 18 songs seen in the film including favorites “Psycho Killer”, “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)”, “Once In A Lifetime”, “Take Me To The River”, and many more. Along with the full recording, physical copies include a 28-page booklet with previously unpublished photos and new liner notes written by all four band members: Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison.
“We had done a live album before this, but coupled with the film, and with the improved mixes and sound quality, this record reached a whole new audience,” Byrne writes of the film’s impact on the band’s career. “As often happens, the songs got an added energy when we performed them live and were inspired by having an audience. 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.”
Talking Heads’ deluxe reissue of Stop Making Sense is available here for pre-order on vinyl, with the newly released “Cities” streamable below or on your preferred platform. Click below for the full tracklist and stay tuned for screening information on the film’s return to theaters later this year.
Talking Heads – “Cities (Live)”
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