I still think The Name of This Band is Talking Heads is the superior live album. This is still quite good though.
I actually disagree about The Catherine Wheel songs-I think they’re great and fit in well. I saw it at a special preview. My girlfriend actually was working for the studio involved in marketing at the time. I was also at one of the shows filmed (I have no idea if any of the show I saw made it in-my memory is still fuzzy). The camera gear for it was pretty darn good at the time and I was impressed when I checked out the set up. Demme was pretty frenzied as I recall from the few times I observed him. So it was pretty great that she got me tickets to one of the studio previews. It didn’t differ as I recall from the final release in theaters at the time. I also got a copy of the booklet (which was given out to us) somewhere which was before the LP had been released as I recall).
That Byrne Tour you saw based on your estimated time line was after the 2008 Byrne/Eno Album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, so assume Songs were played from that Album. Did Eno join Byrne on that Tour? I know they created that Album from their separate locations by exchanging Musical Ideas online. Also, to concur with what you mentioned about Byrne had several Solo Albums, with a partial TH Sound, I would point TH Fans to the David Byrne Self Titled Album(where he was sporting the Long Black Hair), as several Songs on that Album were very much in the style and sound of Early Talking Heads Music. A few of the lyrics on A Long Time Ago, was not lost on me, as Byrne was stating that his TH Days were in the past, despite several Songs on that Album, had me thinking I discovered and bought an Older, Unreleased TH Album.
Yes, checking online it would have been either the 27th or 28th of February 2009. I remember it feeling bitterly cold when I first got there. I’m sure Byrne did play songs from the then new album but I just remember the more familiar tracks. Eno was not in attendance. I also got to go to the after party at a private club and had a chance to shake hands with Byrne and share my appreciation of his work. I went to NY specifically to see that show and it was 100% worth it.
Perfect tour, perfect film. The high water mark for the band. No artistic need for any sort of reunion. Time moves on. But before we do, here’s three years earlier (or so ) in 1980 …
I enjoyed the movie when it came out. Bought and enjoyed the vinyl. Bought and enjoyed the CD. Bought bought and enjoyed the Deluxe CD. I don't have room all that's involved with playing vinyl nowadays, so it doesn't make sense for me to spend any more on this album again.
Thanks for sharing! Didn’t know this existed! Not the greatest quality but it’s probably a more faithful version of what it would have been like to attend one of the shows. More like a gig than a movie. Just one question: why do the band come out gradually?
I watched the movie last night (prompted by this thread) and noticed for the first time that What A Day That Was appears to be out of sequence. Byrne has his jacket off and his hair is a mess, he's drenched it sweat, but the two songs either side of that piece, Swamp and This Must Be The Place, he's in a jacket with his hair slicked back, and looking cool as a cucumber. But what a great movie. Huge energy on stage, really great band vibe.
Ever notice that everyone is wearing grey except for Chris? Byrne requested that but Chris was like whatever and wore a blue shirt if I remember correctly.
All that planning, all those incredible ideas, all the ingredients in place to record one of the best ideas, best setlists, best concert recordings ever and journeyman tub thumper Chris Frantz goes and spoils it just because he can. Encapsulated in that pathetic gesture, in that small-minded power play, are all the answers Tina and Chris could ever need as to why DB doesn't want anything to do with them.
If you look closely you can see Bernie’s top is purple as he always wore purple but it’s just very light purple.
For me it didnt spoil anything. This says to me that Chris had grown tired of David's attitude towards the other band members.
He wears two polo shirts; a khaki color and a powder blue, which is actually fairly muted by 1983 dayglo standards. I bet Byrne was fine with it. The big thing was "no red." Also, please let's not fuel a Frantz vs. Byrne thing here. This isn't sports or an election. And they're getting along very fine right now.
The song comes at its usual place in the setlist, and Byrne is wearing his jacket, but you're correct that it was filmed out of sequence. The long shots were filmed during the concert, but the close-ups and medium-shots were filmed after the audience had gone home. The filmstock couldn't capture all of those lighting effects at different distances. You can see in the long shots that their faces are brightly lit and completely visible, whereas in the closeups they've got the Lugosi-type shadowing.
I wonder if the source shows are in circulation so we could give the movie the Garden Tapes treatment.
There's a circulating audience tape of Dec.16 and also a "work tape" that sounds legit. The official releases all contain unique mix variations: 1.Cassette/CD extended 2. Vinyl/CD 3. Singles (TMBTP, HEAVEN) 4. VHS/BETA/LD--I think the mono track on the VHS/Beta release is a sum of the stereo track. 5.1999 CD expanded 6.1999 DVD "Studio Mix" 7.1999 DVD "Feature Mix" 8.1999 DVD "Stereo 2.0" Mix 9.All the Blu Ray Discs seem to me to be the same mixes as 6,7,8? I'm not sure if they were uprezed for the BD or downrezed in 1999 for the 1999 release? My old man ears aren't good enough... Really though, all the performances throughout these releases, and the tour that preceded are extremely similar. Especially on the late-November/early-December dates just before the filming. Can you briefly explain the "Garden Tapes Treatment"?
"Tell me you've never listened to Talking Heads without telling me you've never listened to Talking Heads."
Can you define "getting along very fine"? I find it hard to believe given the biography wasn't so long ago. Do you mean they're not at each others throats and are cordial - business friendly, or that they're pals going out for dinner once a week?
Cordial - business friendly, I would suspect. They’ve got a project in common (the Stop Making Sense re-release), Frantz has let off some steam with the book and has recently had a life-threatening car accident, and Byrne seems the type of person who prefers not to have conflict in his life. I don’t blame him…
