Stop Making Sense (1984)

Though I did not see this movie until I was in my 20s, I was already familiar with every beat and yelp of the music. You see, back before the advent of digital file sharing, music collections tended to be much smaller and as a result, you really really really got to know an album backwards and forwards. After more than a decade of hearing this album on numerous family fishing trips, I assumed this music held no new discoveries. And then I saw the film...

Unlike most concert films which consist primarily for the purpose of capturing a performance, Stop Making Sense is a visual feast! Each new song is like its own performance art piece. You get to watch the band literally evolve right before your eyes. From David Byrne alone with a guitar and boom box, to a four-piece, to a full-on party of musicians and backup singers. You never know what is going to come next. Running? Yes! Lamp dancing? Yes! A giant suit? YES! Due to an abundance of bad blood, the odds of Talking Heads ever reuniting are next to nil, but at least we have this visual document to cherish forever and ever. Oh and major bonus points for having it be directed by Jonathan Demme and shot by Jordan Cronenweth!