I don't know why live albums count but compilation albums don't. A live album is a sort of compilation, in that the band compiles songs from their past to play during a show. But to me, they're different. The thing that we have to concentrate on is the performance of the songs, the choice of which songs to use and when to use them, and the quality of the recording, as opposed to simply the
songs themselves.
And in all three of these things, "Stop Making Sense" kills it. It's a real solid, compact nine songs, and none of them run over six minutes (with "Take Me To the River," the final song, being exactly six). They've chosen as good a track listing as you can get:
1. Psycho Killer 2. Swamp 3. Slippery People 4. Burning Down the House 5. Girlfriend is Better 6. Once in a Lifetime 7. What a Day That Was 8. Life During Wartime 9. Take Me To the River
The Talking Heads can be a little bit weird, a little bit avante garde and all that stuff, but here these songs prove that their weirdness didn't clash with them just being a great rock band that put on a great show. In fact, it only adds to it, because the odd and esoteric things that Byrne says and does sound less manufactured and intentional when he does it live; they almost sound off the cuff.
To run down the line, I liked "Stop Making Sense" better than "The Slim Shady LP," "The Rolling Stones Now!" and "Burnin'." The big matchup here is versus "Honky Chateau." It may have an unfair advantage in that it contains all of the band's best songs, but "Stop Making Sense" comes out on top:
1. "Tapestry" (1971) by Carole King
2. "Tea for the Tillerman" (1970) by Cat Stevens
3. "Bookends" (1968) by Simon and Garfunkel
4. "The Bends" (1995) by Radiohead
5. "Stop Making Sense" (1984) by The Talking Heads
6. "Honky Chateau" (1972) by Elton John
7. "Burnin'" (1973) by The Wailers
8. "The Rolling Stones Now!" (1965) by The Rolling Stones
9. "The Slim Shady LP" (1999) by Eminem
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